i'm new here so i know there my opinion isn't much at this point, but here it is.
The harbor freight style mini lathe is a nice machine once plenty of time and elbow grease has been applied to bring it into acceptable tolerances. straight out of the box, they leave something to be desired.
http://www.mini-lathe.com/
this website has LOTS of very useful info on these style lathes.
I ended up with a mid 80s craftsman tabletop lathe that was made by sherline for craftsman. I also have a sherline mill. Love them both. For the $$ involved, for small stuff, sherline/taig is the way to go in my opinion. If i need something larger or more rigidity, i'll swallow hard, and begin looking for a larger older south bend/clausing/craftsman etc,etc.. to do the job. As pigeonfarmboy pointet out, sherline does have an advantage with adjustable speed controler rather than having to swap belts on pulleys.
here's a quick shot of my little work spot in my living room. going to get moved into my 4x6 box trailer in the next week or so. getting tired of cleaning up aluminum chips in the living room. even working on a 10x10 tarp stapled up on the wall working in a corner, its amazing how far across the LR i find dadjim ally chips.
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