Every benchtop metal lathe and mill gets a score from 0 to 100% built from five factors, which maps onto the 5-point rating shown on the site (a 0% score would be 1.5 stars; a perfect score, 5). Each factor is scored against fixed reference points, not against the other products in the list, so adding a new model never moves another model’s rating. Machines are grouped by type, lathes and mills; motor and warranty use the same scales in both groups, and price, capacity and features use a scale or list for each group.
| Factor | Measures | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Price | price at the cheapest linked store | 25% |
| Capacity | lathes: swing times distance between centers; mills: table area | 20% |
| Motor | motor power in watts | 15% |
| Features | threading, power feed, digital readout, R8 spindle and similar | 30% |
| Warranty | warranty length | 10% |
Where the numbers come from
Swing, distance between centers, spindle bore, table size, travel, motor power, speeds, threading, feeds, readouts, weight and warranty come from the maker’s product page, spec sheet or manual, or the maker’s own listing copy at a retailer. Prices are checked at Amazon, the maker’s own store and other retailers, and the lowest price at a store the page links to is used.
The factors
Price is the current price, on a log scale, so halving the price always counts the same. For lathes, $3,500 scores zero and $700 full marks; for mills, $2,800 scores zero and $700 full marks.
Capacity is how big a part the machine takes. For lathes it is the swing over the bed times the distance between centers, in square inches: 60 sq in (about 6x10) scores zero and 300 sq in (about 10x30) full marks. For mills it is the table width times its length: 30 sq in scores zero and 200 sq in full marks.
Motor is the motor’s power in watts, on a log scale: 150 W scores zero and 1,500 W full marks. When a maker gives only horsepower, watts are horsepower times 746.
Features add up the parts of a machine that save time or widen what it can do. For lathes: cutting threads (with change gears, a gearbox or an electronic leadscrew) 25%, variable speed 15%, a powered carriage feed 15%, a digital readout of tool position 15%, a brushless motor 15% and a spindle bore of 1 in or more 15%. For mills: an R8 spindle 30%, a digital readout of spindle depth or table position 20%, a brushless motor 20%, variable speed 15% and a tilting head or column 15%. A display that shows only spindle speed doesn’t count as a readout.
Warranty is the maker’s warranty: none scores zero and 2 years full marks, so 1 year scores half.
What isn’t scored
Spindle taper (except R8 on mills), speed range, table travel, head tilt angle and weight are listed but not scored. Rigidity and accuracy aren’t scored because makers don’t publish them in comparable terms; weight is the closest published stand-in, and a heavier machine of the same size usually chatters less, but it isn’t scored.
Missing data
If a figure isn’t published, that factor gets the neutral middle score (50) and the product page marks it as estimated. Features are neutral only when none of them is published; otherwise a feature the maker doesn’t mention counts as missing from the score. The exception is warranty: a maker that doesn’t publish one gets no warranty counted, so that factor scores zero and is marked estimated.
Ties and discontinued models
Products are ranked by score within each group. Discontinued models stay listed but rank below every current model and can be hidden with the “Hide discontinued” filter.