I've had my VL 175 for about ten years and have been more than satisfied with it. When I first got it, it had a 1HP motor and was definitely underpowered. Almost before the dust settled on my cheque, Vicmarc upped the spec to 1.5HP. I did my own upgrade to 2HP (from Speed Genie) and have been more than happy with it. It's superbly engineered and shows every sign of lasting forever.
My only concern, now, is that I hear Phil Irons has dropped Vicmarc and there is nowhere to get spares or various other bits of Vicmarc kit - I may be wrong about this, and if I am please tell me!
Bob