What’s available in your neck of the woods is always a big factor. Hard to find the time, let alone having to travel 500+ miles to check out a piece of equipment only to find it has issues or broken/missing components. End up with a very long day or 2 on the road with nothing to show for it.
As for new, it seems to me that name brand doesn’t always mean it’s not Chinesium either. I’ve looked at many new lathes in the 14” x 40” size and many of them look almost identical except for the paint job and badge. From the pictures, a Clausing, Clark, Kent, PM all look like they came off the same assembly line. No doubt that there are differences in quality, fit, finish, and so forth, but the designs look all the same to me.
Old iron is arguably the best, but finding one that’s not completely worn out or not having major issues is difficult unless it’s been rebuilt. Parts and/or accessories can be very rare as well.
And then there are the price and size issues. I’ve found a few nice looking old iron lathes that were well within my price range, but have neither the room or equipment to move a 5,000# lathe or the electrical service available to power a 10 HP 440v motor.
