Originally Posted by
ger21
What size spindle is the Columbo, and how much is it? That has a LOT to do with whether or not it's a good deal.
I think you're looking at this backwards. The question, is, how can a $200 spindle be as good as a $3000 spindle? Or more like a $1200-$1500 spindle. Chinese published specs, and reality are probably two very different things.
Sure, some spindles will have the low runout that the specs say. But the low cost and poor quality control dictate that not all of them will. And the cheap collets and nuts that they come with don't help the cause at all.
10 years ago, there were no chinese spindles, so high quality (and expensive) spindles were the only option.
There are a lot of reasons why spindles cost so much.
Labor cost is probably the biggest factor.
And surprisingly, better bearings is also a big factor. Bearings in a high quality spindle can easily cost upwards of $500-$1000. The bearings in a chines spindle probably cost about $20.
If you were to hold a Columbo or HSD spindle, and compare it to a $200 chinese spindle, the build quality would be instantly apparent. My chinese spindle looks like it had rust on the bottom bearing housing, that was painted over. The screws that hold the fan cover on go into holes that look hand tapped, and partially stripped. The taper is ground very rough when compared to a high end spindle, or even a decent router for that matter. Basically, almost everything about a chinese spindle is vastly inferior to a more expensive, name brand spindle.
But, at the end of the day, a spindle is just a motor, with the shaft machined to accept a collet. If the bearings are tight, and the taper is ground properly, a cheap chines spindle can be very good.
There are a lot of factors that can come into play here. Machine rigidity, and how aggressive the cut is will have more to do with the cut quality than the spindle will. When you watch a $250,000 machine on Youtube blasting through aluminum and leaving a mirror finish, it's not just the spindle that makes the difference.
If you have a good chinese spindle with the same runout as the Columbo, and are taking light cuts, than no, I wouldn't expect to see any difference. Put the two spindles on a $200,000 machine, and push them to their limits, and then you';ll start to see the differences.
The Columbo will have more power, will be more rigid, and should have a much longer lifespan than a chinese spindle.
But unless your work demads a high end spindle, it's hard to justify when you can buy 5 chinese spindles for the price of one "good" spindle.