This paper examines the performance of switched reluctance machines which employ a segmental rotor construction in preference to the usual toothed structure. Two three-phase designs are considered, one in which the windings span a number of teeth and one in which they span a single tooth. Two demonstrators have been built-one for each design type, and their performances are compared with both conventional switched reluctance motors (SRMs) and a rare earth permanent-magnet machine. It is shown how these machines can operate from a standard SRM converter: running test results are presented and there is a discussion of general operating experience, ranging from the measurement of mean torque, voltage, and current-controlled operation to general thermal performance.