The Proxxon PD400 is a 6.69" X 15.7" lathe built in Germany. Link:
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I am told it is a redesign and significant upgrade of an older Sakai/Toyo lathe. It uses metal change gears and now has metal dials unlike the earlier Sakai model.
It would appear to be a high quality alternative to the Chinese 7 X
14's. It offers a lead screw and power feed and thread cutting unlike the Taig,and has a cast iron bed for greter rigidity (weighs 100lbs).It is unclear to me whether the carriage can be disengaged from the lead screw via a split nut arrangemenent for repositioning durring thread cutting. I have heard it also has rack and pinion positioning of the carriage and I am not sure how this works in conjunction with the lead screw.
Does anyone have any experience with this lathe? How does it rate compared to a Prazi SD300? What other high quality alternatives in this size range would you recommend?
Best regards -- Roy Norris