I was almost put off by all the negative reviews but decided to give it a try anyway and honestly it's a great car. There are some downsides, it's quite heavy which is to be expected for a lathe of this size and the tool rest is too short for turning. Also, the center of the tailstock doesn't seem to come loose, so that's a problem in itself. Other than that I haven't had any issues with it and look forward to using it. Would I recommend it to someone else? In general, be prepared to purchase additional parts.