As I mentioned, the Axminster AT1416VS - now called the AT350WL is a well respected lathe used by many pros for demonstrations and as a second lathe. It can spin a 14” blank which is good for a modest size lathe.
Out of your budget but two of my friends have the Axminster AT406WL lathe and they are very pleased with them. Both of the Axminster lathes mentioned get largely 5 star reviews.
One additional thing I recently saw is that the Herald doesn’t have a self ejecting tail stock which is very odd in this day and age, you have to used a knock out rod to remove tooling. Additionally I’m lead to believe selecting forward and reverse is not as straightforward as on the Simon Hope and Axminster lathes.