helo im thinking about buying a New RAND Mini Wood Turning Lathe 4-Speed 21"x10-1/4" I know it will fit a Universal Lathe Pen Mandrel Set by the same tpi size (1" x 8tpi). Can any one help me decide this is my first lathe. I like the PRICE
but also I like to get a second opinion.

the first lathe i bought was the cheapest i could find for about the same money as the one you linked to. i bought it from a hardware store chain called menards for around eighty bucks. four years later it is still the lathe i use and I have turned countless species of wood, antler, ivory, acrylic, closed end acrylic and wood pens and even a couple of stone pens actual stone not truestone. there are guys out there doing great work using homemade lathes that were made from washing machine motors. my point being that you don't need bells and whistles to turn nice pens. by the same token i am not a very patient person so when i wanted to start turing i went to the closest store to my home and bought a lathe and was turning 45 minutes later.

What brand and size chisels are you folks using for turning pens and other small items? Do you have a source for the chisels? Thank you jon crane