Garvee - Reviews and experiences

I wouldn’t buy from them again. The machine showed up looking okay, but it turned into a weeks-long annoyance rather than a simple return or replacement. I bought a kids’ wood lathe for my son and the spur centre was basically stuck solid — we followed the manual to the letter, tried the usual taps and wiggles, nothing. A buddy who’s used lathes before popped over and pointed out the tailstock drifted under power, which made the whole thing feel unsafe, so we put it away right away. I asked for a return and that’s where it got messy: they insisted on a video of the fault before accepting anything. Fine, I made one, but their communication was all over the place. I was told multiple times an email would arrive in 24–48 hours; half the promised messages never showed up, so I had to call back and repeat the same story. At one point they gave me a phone number to send the video to, but it didn’t accept the file so I had to call again to confirm receipt — and yup, another “you’ll get an email” line that didn’t land. Eventually they said they wouldn’t refund because the purchase was through Walmart — despite me giving the order number from the start. I’ve dealt with returns at other companies and usually it’s cleaner, so this felt amateurish. The lathe itself might have been usable if the tailstock wasn’t dodgy, but that’s not something you risk with a kid’s toy. Not perfect, not broken in every way, but the customer service and the safety issue are what sealed it for me. Save yourself time and buy somewhere with clearer support.

the wine rack slots aren't ideal, you have to prop bottles a bit differently than you'd expect or they'll slide, which is annoying. Packing it back up after the flood would have been a nightmare, so I get why I didn't return it. I now use the top as a coffee-and-morning-toast station on weekdays and as a little drink prep area when friends drop by on weekends, so it's actually being useful in everyday life. The finish hides a couple of scuffs, which was a pleasant surprise, and that helped me forgive the rest. Not perfect, and service could be faster, but seeing it actually work in my daily routine — that was the turning point.