[eaven]

i am a machinist and have been using lathes for a wile and i have never used one of these new mini lathes and was wondering are they as accurate as the big ones

[rboeser]

Welcome aboard.

I think the answer is no.

If you are used to taking .100-.200 cuts with the big lathe, you will likely be taking.010-.020 cuts with the mini.

The mini lathe are not built for material removal when compared to any large lathe. You can hold acurate dim's, just takes some time to get there.

[RotarySMP]

I have a mini lathe, and the basic machine is pretty good (excellent for that price).

My head stock aligns down the bed very well.

The saddle dovetail cuts a slight concave, as expected.

The tailstock is truly aweful.

Here were a couple of the checks I did...
http://www.wrathall.com/Interests/ma...ent_check1.htm

If you treat the machine as a lathe kitset, poorly assembled for shipping, and are willing to invest the time into deburring, modifying, and adjusting, the machine accuracy will be a reflection of your accuracy/workmanship.