Shopsmith Forums

Hi guys

I am hoping that I'll be able to enjoy a bit of a Christmas bonus...and was thinking of upgrading my 510 to a 520.

What do you guys think? Is it a worthwhile upgrade?

I would be upgrading from a late 80's or early 90's markv 500 that was later updated to 510. Does that make any difference when considering the 520 upgrade?

Is it worth the price tag to go new or would I be better of looking for a used 520?

Thanks for sharing your opinions!

Geo

I upgraded it a number of years ago when I believe the upgrade was on sale during a Father's Day catalog special. I got the upgrade when it first included the metal rulers. To me, the upgrade was worth every nickel.

Shopsmith has demos and Webinars which they sell maybe a dozen or so items- primarily the PowerPro and other Mark 7-related parts at significant discounts. I'm not sure if the 520 upgrade is on the list of items sold at a discount via the demos at Lowe's or via Doug Reid/Shopsmith Webinars. But if you are fortunate to get on the Webinar, it can't hurt to ask if you are purchasing items they sell for a substantial discount over the normal & even the special sales prices as I recall.

If there are no demos in your area, Customer Service might be able to add your name to the Webinar list. I'm not sure how that works.

Pay attention to CL and you might get lucky like some have done and you might even find an unused 520 upgrade kit at a good price. But they are few & far between. I think I've only seen one.