For my two cents, I the the Powermatic line is great and certainly would make a wonderful lathe for both segmented and solid turning.
As for woodturnings, I always advised using tools that can make shear cuts as opposed to brute force tools such as scrapers. Shear cuts, such as those from a bowl gouge remove wood by cutting through the wood fibers and this results in a much gentler treatment of the vessel and leaves a finish that requires much less sanding. Having said that, if you make segmented bowls from closed-segment rings. The glue joints will be stronger than the wood itself and so you gentle handling isn't usually a problem. If you make open segment vessels, though, a light touch is absolutely required or you'll be picking up pieces from the floor.
Now it can be argued that a scraper, sharpened correctly, does make a shear cut because it is the raised burr that makes the cut which is similar to that of a carbide cutter like is found on an 'Eliminator'-style tool. While that is true, unless a well-formed burr is presented to the wood at a proper angle, it becomes a very agressive cut and can result in digging into the wood. Most people don't raise a burr correctly and so the scraper becomes more of a brute force device that will remove wood if you apply enough pressure.
You can have much success using one of the newer carbide cutter tools. They are easy to use and 'usually' reduces the chance for a catch, but I don't think that they are a substitute for a well-sharpened gouge. I also think they take away some of the challenge of being a woodturner and the time spent learning proper sharpening techniques, stance, presentation, etc., is always time well spent.
Welcome to segmented turning and to this community. You'll find an awful lot of helpful and knowledgeable people here.
Lloyd