So, today three committee members from the club put the 2 lathes under test.
We subjected each lathe to an unnaturally hard and deep cut, in effect trying to stop the lathe. Although we did succeed in stopping the lathe each time,it was considered that such an extreme cut was unlikely to be made under normal circumstances. This was carried out at various speed/pulley settings.
As Andy pointed out in his reply here" A good pro turner will accommodate the lack of power with both the project he choses to demonstrate, and the depth and speed of cuts used throughout the demonstration." And I would add that his tools would be sharp too.( as should everyone's tools)
We did find though that the Bristol levers made of plastic were rubbish so we decided to upgrade them on both machines. We also took into consideration how many times a year the lathes are used(and for what)and weighed up any pros and cons we could think of.(storage etc.).
In conclusion we decided that the lathes we have are fit for the purpose we brought them for and so we would stick with them, save the money which could have been in the region of £600 and book an extra 1 or 2 demonstrators.
I am glad we undertook this test as I am always concerned, when spending club members money, that it is done with the best interests of the members in mind.
So thankyou all for your contribution (PM's too) it has been a valuable and worthwhile exercise. If you are booked to come and demo at my club and use our machines we will now judge how good you are by the number of times you stop the lathe!