The suggested 9x20" lathe may give a larger work envelope, however the typical 9x20s from China have issues too.
The worst problem of the 9x20 (as far as effecting operational performance) is a weak mount for the compound/top slide. With an improved mounting plate, chatter problems are greatly reduced or eliminated. Some eBay sellers offer CNC machined mounting plates. Most of the other issues are fairly easily corrected by an initial tear-down and cleanup, such as tightening or replacing cheaply-made fasteners. Some 9x20 users have had problems with the skinny drive belt breaking, but that wasn't a problem with the 2 models I've used. There are numerous websites with good upgrade/improvement projects for either model, as both the 7x and 9x20s are popular models.
I don't know where HF gets the idea that their 9x20 is a geared head machine, but I haven't seen them. Yeah, gears are attached to the headstock, but there doesn't appear to be any gears inside the headstock. The earlier models were definitely not geared-head versions.. the only parts inside the headstock are a set of tapered roller bearings and the spindle.
The major feature of the 9x20 is the quick-change gearbox for the leadscrew. Other features/improvements over the 7x include metal change gears, larger motor (although not variable speed), and possibly more accessories. The accessories included from different dealers can differ quite a bit.
A much better quality lathe is most likely going to cost considerably more than the commonly available Asian imports.
The Austrian Emco models are regarded as very good quality machines.