Hammer vs MiniMax J/P

[Tom W Armstrong]

Hi All,

Yes, my first post! I'm getting back into the hobby and have been building my shop up over the last year or so. Right now I have the following:

1) Ridgid TS
2) Milwaukee 12" CMS
3) Rikon 18" Bandsaw - Recent Amazon purchase on sale

I just added 220v for the Rikon and am ready to add a jointer / planer so I can really get moving and building larger projects.

The Hammer 12" J/P is on sale for $3350 and I've also read good things about the MiniMax FS30. However, it seems to be more than $1K more. Does MM discount at all, typically, or should I just go for the Hammer?

Thanks,

Tom

[John Harden]

Tom, welcome to Sawmill Creek!!!

I've never used those two machines but have seen them and they are both high quality. I own a Felder J/P, which makes the Hammer. I also looked into the MM machines and was impressed with them as well.

Minimax would very likely offer a discount. I'd suggest contacting both Felder/Hammer and Minimax, talk to them and figure out what direction you want to head in.

Their salespeople are both pretty good and won't pressure you to make a purchase.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

Regards,

John

[Jeff Monson]

Tom, is the price for the a3-31 delivered? If so that is a great deal, I paid alot more for mine. I've been very happy with my hammer, it has a great amount of power and no snipe. I think if you do some searching there was a great shootout on the euro machines in an article in FWW mag. The mini max is a great looking machine also. I made my choice from reading on both websites and from good input from fellow creekers. Rod Sheridan will give you a good review on the hammer as well as a few other happy owners.

[Jeff Monson]

Here is a link to the test.

http://www.finewoodworking.com/ToolGuide/ToolGuidePDF.aspx?id=28173

[Tom W Armstrong]

Thanks all for the welcome. I've been talking with Felder salesman and I'll contact MM tomorrow as well.


Tom, is the price for the a3-31 delivered?

Yes, it says "free shipping" so I asked for a formal quote tonight. Anything in the accessories area that are "must haves" for the A3-31?

Both of my kids are off to college now and I finally have two bays of our three-car garage for my "shop". Wife still has to get her car in or I'd have all three. :)

I've been building my shop slowly and using "deals" to acquire good equipment and I've read lots of great reviews on the Hammer and the FS30/35.

[Jeff Monson]

The digital handwheel is a MUST have for this machine, it is extremely accurate for repeatable thicknessing. I also have the mobility kit, I wish I would have made a mobil base instead as it moves the machine along the length making it harder to manuever. I dont have any table extensions and have not had a need as of yet.

[John Harden]

I have the wide (12" or so), aluminum table as an outfeed on the planer and you may want to consider a cast iron extension and rail for the outfeed of the jointer in case you ever need it.

I'd also recommend the Euro comfort guard if they offer it for the Hammer. I really like mine over the old porkchop design.

By buying them now, you'll save a lot as they'll discount them for you at the time of purchase.

Oh, I also have the mobility kit, which I really like.

Regards,

John

[jason lambert]

I looked at the a3-31 a little while ago and well the deal didn't work out becuse of cost and there accessories are ungodly expensive and you really need some of them to make the machine sing. I was ready to go one day cash in hand and well there was a price misunderstanding and the price of the accessories blew up the deal. Glad you could work some sort of a deal they are a hard company to deal with.

One other thing go look at one before you buy one thing I noticed which the guy also noticed that owned it was the top fence had some flex so if you pushed a board agenst it like 2" maple you may not get a 90 deg. He worked around it and I haven't heard many complants about it but it was one thing that stood out to me and for the price machine is just silly. As I said I was ready to buy one and would also work around it or make a better brace. Let me know what you decide I am sort of still inthe market for one but about to pull the cord on a grizzly jointer.

[Ted Calver]

Tom,
I bought the A3/31 several montha ago but only recently started using it. The only must have add on I would recommend is the digital readout. I purchased the short extension tables and have yet to use them. The only disapointment I've had is that the aluminum extrusion fence is not absolutely flat and is bowed across the width of the fence in such a way that I can set it perpendicular to the jointer bed with my square touching the top and bottom of the fence and slip a couple of sheets of paper under the square in the middle. This means edge jointing a 6" board it's dead on but, because of the bow, a 3 inch board is .007 out of square. Felder says .007 is within acceptable tolerances. It's a small amount yet it bugs me because the fence on my old 6" Jet was dead flat. The mobility kit moved the machine in the wrong direction for me so I just finished putting these castors on it and they work great. Had to make two existing holes slightly larger and drill two new holes but they are great and highly recommended.
http://www.greatlakescaster.com/foot_master___leveling_caster___gd_60s___550_lbs__ _threaded_stem-GD-60S.php?cat=262

[John Morrison60]

Tom

Last fall I went through this same evaluation.
I decided on the Minimax J/P mainly because I had two friends in my local woodworker's club
that had the FS30 (so I could test drive) and It appeared that a helix
head was available (aftermarket) for the Minimax, but was not available for the Hammer.

I was ready to pull the trigger on a new one,
when I stumbled on a two year old one that was in great shape.
I am very happy with the Minimax, and have used it extensively since I got it.

The ability to face joint a 8+ board is very nice.
So far, I have only done a few boards that were greater than 6 inches.
But these tools are so well made and operate flawlessly,
that they are a pleasure to use.

The Tersa head on the Minimax is great.
I think that was an upgrade on the hammer. (if I remember right).
I would highly reccommend that change.

I do not find it an onerous task to do the Jointer to Planer changeover.
The connection to a dust control system was a bit of a pain in the
beginning, since the J/P had Metric sized dust ports,
which required an adapter to connect.

Good luck with your decision.
I do not think you can go wrong with either.

John

[Roger Jensen]

Hi Tom,

I also have the A3-31 and have been happy with it. There was a similar special last year and I bought mine then. The price difference when I looked was about $1000 more for the MM, so I couldn't justify it. However, folks on this site with the MM seem to really like it.

A few things for you to be prepared for:

1. They aren't exactly a hobbiest-focused company, so your buying experience is more like a commercial sale with purchase contracts and such. You put down a deposit to order the machine (with a credit card), but 6-8 weeks later when the unit comes from Europe you can't pay the remainder on the credit card. You have to use a check or money order (or pay an extra fee for use of a credit card).
2. The digital scale is needlessly sold in two separate units - the scale unit and the aluminum ring to hold it. Expensive, but critical. Don't buy your system without it. I think the unit to support inches is about $50 more than the metric one for some reason.
3. The mobility kit is also sold in two different pieces - the "jack" and the wheels that go on the unit. Total price is $122 and it only roles forward and backward, not side to side. I would seriously consider building or buying another cart.
4. The cobalt blades are much better than the standard steel. Get a set of them.
5. I have the aluminum outfeed table that I use for planing. It is narrower than the planer bed but works OK.

As I said, I have been very happy with the performance of the system. but the manual is weak. The schematics are in German and there are sparse instructions on how to align/tune the machine. Fortunately, it comes well adjusted. Also, the manual refers to "thicknessing" for what I call planing, and "planing" for what I call jointing. You just have to keep that in mind.

I feel like all of the accessories are too expensive, but I'm sure they don't sell that many and have to recoup their development and production costs so that's the way it goes. If you want cheap stuff you can always go with Jet.

I was going to order some additional things this week but my rep said they are having an anniversary sale (at least in Sacramento) on March 18-20 so I'll order mine then. Sounds like you are already getting a discount so perhaps your accessories will be discounted as well. If not, see if they are going to go on sale in March and get them then. Your unit won't be here for a couple of months anyway so you can wait for the sale.

Good luck,

Roger

[Rod Sheridan]

I've owned an A3-31 for two years now and really like it.

I made my own mobile base for it, semi live skid design.

I ordered the digital handwheel in mm's, I decided to get with rest of the world and go metric with my wood working.

It was a good decision, no fractions and who cares whether the wood is 3/4" or 20mm?

A pair of table extensions and 3 mounting brackets give you the ability to extend both jointer tables and the planer outfeed.

Regards, Rod.

P.S. Here's a link to my mobile base thread.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=88687&highlight=hammer+a3-31+mobile+base

[Michael Koch]

Tom, I was in the same boat as you last year. I decided on the MiniMax FS 35 Smart. I was ready to buy new and found a sweet deal on a used one. MiniMax has a chat board that owners talk regularly, and you might find one there. It is one excellent machine...MK

[Scot Ferraro]

Hi Tom,

I own an A331 and it is an awesome machine. I received a link from Felder with some good online information about the A331 that you might find useful. I am posting the link to this reply. The Hammer machines gives good options for extending the length of the beds if you want and you can easily add a digital clock for accurate height adjustment. Not sure if the MM offers these or not.

http://www.felderusaonline.com/ultimate_guide/A331/A331%20Ultimate%20Guide%20Master.swf (http://www.felderusaonline.com/ultimate_guide/A331/A331%20Ultimate%20Guide%20Master.swf)

I think that you will be happy with either machine and having 12 inch jointing is a joy, no matter what brand. I have found the sales folks at Felder to be consultative and not pushy at all.

Good luck,

Scot

[Roger Jensen]

I know this will sound like a line from a movie, but those setup instructions would have been very helpful when I setup my unit! I asked them for any documentation for setting up the fence or aligning the table and was told they didn't exist. I've just been hoping I never have to adjust anything on the system.

As I said earlier, great system and weak manual.

Thank you so much for the link.

Roger

[Ted Calver]

+1 On Roger's comment on documentation. The manual sucks!!

[Dan Friedrichs]

Looking at the A3-31, I just can't get over how weird it is that they make you hold the "On" button down until the motor comes up to speed. Why can't they put a start capacitor in this?

[Doug Shepard]

I compared both of those and ended up with the Hammer due to size. I'm pretty tight on space and the footprint on the MM is quite a bit bigger due to the fence style. Casters is the way to go if you need to make it mobile.
+1 on the manual suckage but based on the one that came with my MM16, I doubt the one for the MM is any better.

[Roger Jensen]

Ted,

Do you have a photo of your new casters on the machine? I don't like the $122 one-way roller from Hammer that I have now. Does it give you 360 degrees of freedom when turning the unit? How stable is it when you want to use the machine?

Thanks,

Roger

[Tom W Armstrong]

Thanks all for the excellent comments, it's very much appreciated. I've joined both the Felder and MM groups on Yahoo and reached out to MM but no response yet.

Also, my Rikon just showed up from Amazon. Great service by the shipping team as they rolled it right into my garage. Took about 2 minutes. Guess I'll focus on that while waiting to hear back from MM.

[Rod Sheridan]

Looking at the A3-31, I just can't get over how weird it is that they make you hold the "On" button down until the motor comes up to speed. Why can't they put a start capacitor in this?

Dan, it has a start capacitor, and a run capacitor.

What it doesn't have is a centrifugal switch inside the motor, it uses a run and a start contactor.

Thus when you push the start button it latches the run contactor, and the start contactor stays engaged until you release the button.

This is a superior system in that there are no troublesome centrifugal switches in the motor to go wrong at a later date.

If you need to replace the start or run capacitor they're nice and accessible in the electrical enclosure.

In addition start capacitance has been carefully selected so that the motor accelerates slowly and smoothly, similar to reduced voltage starting.

The run capacitor improves motor power factor and smoothness, all in all a superior electrical design to the other North American machines I own.

Regards, Rod.

[Dan Friedrichs]

Dan, it has a start capacitor, and a run capacitor.

What it doesn't have is a centrifugal switch inside the motor, it uses a run and a start contactor.

Thus when you push the start button it latches the run contactor, and the start contactor stays engaged until you release the button.

This is a superior system in that there are no troublesome centrifugal switches in the motor to go wrong at a later date.

If you need to replace the start or run capacitor they're nice and accessible in the electrical enclosure.

In addition start capacitance has been carefully selected so that the motor accelerates slowly and smoothly, similar to reduced voltage starting.

The run capacitor improves motor power factor and smoothness, all in all a superior electrical design to the other North American machines I own.

Regards, Rod.


Thanks for the clarification, Rod. I guess I'm still skeptical. I've not heard of any other piece of equipment designed this way (if this were such a good idea, I think others would copy it).

While centrifugal switches do fail, I'm not convinced that they fail frequently enough to justify having the operator take additional steps every single time the machine is started. Maybe I'm misguided, but I'd rather have the centrifugal switch.

I'm also not sure any user really cares about the PF.

This is not a serious complaint, though - I look at these very high-quality euro machines, and they seem like perfect examples of inspired design, except for a few minor details that make me go "Why?!!". Like the mobility kit for the A3-31 that goes the "wrong" direction, or the start button that has to be held down, or the digital fence readout on one of the Felder sliding TS fences that looks like they super-glued an egg timer onto it, etc.

[Rod Sheridan]

Dan, I have to admit, that even with the warning label applied at the factory, in two years I've managed to trip the breaker twice when I forgot to hold the push button in.

I've seen this sort of thing on larger 3 phase equipment where it did a wye/delta start, however not on single phase equipment.

I almost agree with you statement on power factor, however it is an issue when sizing feeders. In the case of the Hammer, it's a 4HP motor that runs from a 20 ampere circuit.

(Mine runs from a 15 Ampere circuit, in Canada CSA require 16A overcurrent protection for the A3-31).

The smoothness has to be seen to be appreciated however, the capacitor run motor is almost as smooth as a 3 phase motor.

I have to admit that some of the features leave me smiling, just like my BMW (Bike Made Weird) some of the idiosyncrasies are so...........German..............:D, although the quality and longevity are great.

P.S. Dan, it's far more expensive to install a start contactor, and install the capacitors remotely. That probably influences which machines it would appear on.

[John Harden]

I have to admit that some of the features leave me smiling, just like my BMW (Bike Made Weird) some of the idiosyncrasies are so...........German..............:D, although the quality and longevity are great.

Do you by chance mean three switches for turn signals (left, right, off), when almost everyone else in the world uses one? :) They just changed that by the way on the new bikes. One switch now. Yeah!!!!!

In all serioussness though, I have come to like the slow, smooth start up of my J/P. It is in fact just as smooth as the 3 phase motors on my Saw/Shaper. I only have to hold it down for about 2 seconds.

Its the opposite of the "bang" on startup many of us have had from motors with less than quality components.

Regards,

John

[Chris Tsutsui]

Looking at the A3-31, I just can't get over how weird it is that they make you hold the "On" button down until the motor comes up to speed. Why can't they put a start capacitor in this?

I asked a Felder rep this question and he said it might have to do with the conversion of this being a Euro Machine to a USA machine since I"m not sure if you have to hold the button down in Europe.. (I don't think you do)

Personally I want to believe it's there for a soft start sort of feature to gradually spool up the motor/pulleys/belts and it means the current draw won't be as dramatic.

Fun story, I actually wasn't shopping at all for a J/P, but I saw on CL that a guy was selling an A3-31, brand new, never been opened for $2250. Then I asked around on the forums here and people like Ron convinced me to not pass up on the opportunity. It came with mobile base, digital readout, and all the spare parts and manual in mint condition. Then the guy threw in a nice L-N block plane for an extra $20. So that was my big gloat and deal of 2009.

I sold my Delta 6" planer for $160 and my lunchbox makita 12" planer for $150 and I don't miss them one bit. Now I don't know what I would do without the Hammer! I'm so thankful for the advice I received on this forum to get it!

Anyways, if you do a search on the forums, I'm sure my reviews are lingering.

[Ron Kellison]

I don't want to rain on the Felder/MiniMax parade but I notice that no one has mentioned the possibility of getting the Grizzly 12" J/P. With the difference in price you could sell your current table saw and upgrade to a full cabinet saw.

Regards,

Ron

[Ted Calver]

Roger...here are some pics of the casters. The unit is very stable, even with the wings in the upright position and it moves in any direction without a problem on my slanted garage floor. I have one of the Harbor Freight hydraulic tables and used that and an engine hoist to raise the machine enough to drill the holes for the casters.

[Tom W Armstrong]

I don't want to rain on the Felder/MiniMax parade but I notice that no one has mentioned the possibility of getting the Grizzly 12" J/P. With the difference in price you could sell your current table saw and upgrade to a full cabinet saw.

Regards,

Ron

Hi Ron, You have a great point. I'm doing some research on the Grizzly and the Jet J/P tonight. The Grizzly is now about $2800 with shipping and tax for me. The Jet is available for about $2500.

Thanks,

Tom

[Peter Aeschliman]

keep in mind that the grizzly and Jet units have spiral cutterheads at that price (the felder and MM don't).

But on the flip side, the Hammer and MM are set up to do a slot mortiser accessory, which is pretty appealing...

but then again, judging by the exorbitant cost of their accessories, you could buy a standalone slot mortiser from Laguna ($1k) and still come out pretty far ahead.

:) ;)

[John Harden]

keep in mind that the grizzly and Jet units have spiral cutterheads at that price (the felder and MM don't).

But on the flip side, the Hammer and MM are set up to do a slot mortiser accessory, which is pretty appealing...

but then again, judging by the exorbitant cost of their accessories, you could buy a standalone slot mortiser from Laguna ($1k) and still come out pretty far ahead.

:) ;)

Ever wonder why Felder or MM don't offer spiral cutterheads on their J/P's? Their top of the line four function combo's can get up over $40K nicely appointed, with accessories. If spirals were the end all, it'd be a simple add.

Spiral cutterheads are not needed on the Felder or Minimax. Unlike the Grizzly, they are designed, engineered and machined quite well. My 16" Felder will joint and plane anything I toss at it, even Katalox, without a problem. I've used the equivalent MM J/P and it is of a similiar quality. Have you ever used one? Whole different world.

The internals on a Hammer are made in Austria utilizing the same engineering standards as used in the Felder.

Laguna's main office is about 10 minutes from my work place. I've spent some time there and looked over their machines carefully. I don't see myself making a purchase from them.

Many of Felder's accessories are top of the line, commercial quality Aigner stuff that is simply re-branded. You can usually get at least 20% or more off if you buy when you get your unit. MM offers similiar discounts. Pay no attention to list prices.

If your goal is to spend less, buy a Grizzly or Jet. If you're looking for quality, buy Felder or MM.

Regards,

John

[Mike Konobeck]

I have the A3-31 on order and someone close by had one and I had a chance to check it out before purchasing. No doubt the quality was there but that does come at a price and to each their own on what is a value.

In watching the video of the A3-31, in EU they don't have to hold the button down. The guy running the machine just hit it and walked over and away he went. Kind of funny they can't get it to work like that in the US. Everyone has made some good points but just curious what they have to change to make it work here.

[Chris Padilla]

Roger...here are some pics of the casters. The unit is very stable, even with the wings in the upright position and it moves in any direction without a problem on my slanted garage floor. I have one of the Harbor Freight hydraulic tables and used that and an engine hoist to raise the machine enough to drill the holes for the casters.

Those casters are SWEET!! So it appears the caster itself is off-center? I see that they'll raise your equipment ~3 1/4"...not too bad. Do they lock in place?

[Ted Calver]

Chris, The caster wheels themselves don't lock. You lock the caster in place by cranking the red thumb wheel which lowers the pads onto the floor and raises the wheels up.

[Roger Jensen]

Mine were just delivered today (I am looking at one now).

You are right about the height. The wheels are offset a little over an inch, and there is a rubber foot right under the post. If you don't need to roll it there is an orange thumb screw that lowers the rubber foot (I assume you turn it enough to take the weight off of the wheels so it can't move).

Since I don't want to lay my A331 on its side I'll have to figure out how to lift up the entire unit to expose the holes for the posts. This should be interesting.

Roger

[Scot Ferraro]

Hi Roger,

I used a floor jack and some 2x and did it at the same time I got it off the pallet. The front holes are easy as there are holes already there that need to be widened slightly for the post. The rear holes are more difficult as you have to drill them from scratch. A right angle drill makes it easier. The casters are very smooth and I find with the weight of the machine that I do not need to lock them down or lock all of them down for small jobs. If I have a lot of planing and jointing or if I work with bigger timbers then I will lock them down. The added height is a bonus for me.

Scot

[Doug Shepard]

If you can borrow an engine hoist, raising the A3-31 up for adding the casters is a piece of cake. I ended up going with the ratcheting version on mine.
http://www.clevelandcaster.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=16&idcategory=3
I've got a set of Zambus (like the GLC ones) under my MM16 and that star wheel can be stiff to turn at times. The ratchet is sweet.

[Roger Jensen]

Hi Roger,

The added height is a bonus for me.

Scot

Thanks. I'm 6'2" so the extra height is good for me as well. However, I guess it rules out using the A331 as outfield support for my SawStop, since they were both 34 1/2 inches tall before the wheels.

Roger

[Chris Padilla]

If you can borrow an engine hoist, raising the A3-31 up for adding the casters is a piece of cake. I ended up going with the ratcheting version on mine.
http://www.clevelandcaster.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=16&idcategory=3
I've got a set of Zambus (like the GLC ones) under my MM16 and that star wheel can be stiff to turn at times. The ratchet is sweet.

Yikes...$220 in casters!! LOL Well, it would be nice to move my 16" J/P around more easily...that is for sure....

[Doug Shepard]

Yikes...$220 in casters!! LOL Well, it would be nice to move my 16" J/P around more easily...that is for sure....

They dont move any differently than the Zambus/GLC type but there's a huge difference in the ease/speed of raising/lowering the foot pads. After losing an argument with my driveway a year ago and breaking my hip, $220 was worth it to me to minimize the amount of time I have to squat or bend down to do the slow hand adjusment.

[Roger Jensen]

$220 sounds high, but now that I have the thumbwheel version I wish I would have known about these. I'm sure moving the thumb wheel for four wheels will get tedious.

[Rod Sheridan]

I have the A3-31 on order and someone close by had one and I had a chance to check it out before purchasing. No doubt the quality was there but that does come at a price and to each their own on what is a value.

In watching the video of the A3-31, in EU they don't have to hold the button down. The guy running the machine just hit it and walked over and away he went. Kind of funny they can't get it to work like that in the US. Everyone has made some good points but just curious what they have to change to make it work here.

The one in the video is 3 phase so the motor doesn't need a starting winding.

Regards, Rod.

[Roger Jensen]

My biggest issue with the slow startup is that they need a special warning label! Who reads all those little yellow stickers anyway? I assume they're typical consumer safety legalize and UL notices. They should have a big label (maybe one you have to take off to use the system the first time), explaining the startup issue. I almost upgraded to a heavier breaker to address the problem. It was only by trial and error I figured out I had to hold it down. I never knew it was on the label until I read about it in this thread.

Roger

[Chris Padilla]

It is always amazing to me that such high-end machines that do all sorts of neat stuff have such poorly written manuals. It doesn't make any sense except to say that the manufacturers just aren't interested in spending the money for a good, well-written, comprehensive manual.

[Chris Padilla]

They dont move any differently than the Zambus/GLC type but there's a huge difference in the ease/speed of raising/lowering the foot pads. After losing an argument with my driveway a year ago and breaking my hip, $220 was worth it to me to minimize the amount of time I have to squat or bend down to do the slow hand adjusment.

So the ratcheting mechanism...it appears to pull out...then you just crank it? Can you provide some pics? :)

[Doug Shepard]

So the ratcheting mechanism...it appears to pull out...then you just crank it? Can you provide some pics? :)

No pics but the 3 diagrams on the bottom of the Cleveland Caster page link probably show it better than my cams macro capabilities could anyway. In the top diagram at the bottom, there's a small triangle sticking past the housing on the RH side. That's the lever that changes the ratcheting direction. The 2nd diagram at the bottom shows the ratchet lever arm all the way extended, and the 3rd diagram with it tucked inside. You just pull the lever arm out and start cranking and raise or lower the pad depending on which way you have the direction lever flipped.

[Rod Sheridan]

It is always amazing to me that such high-end machines that do all sorts of neat stuff have such poorly written manuals. It doesn't make any sense except to say that the manufacturers just aren't interested in spending the money for a good, well-written, comprehensive manual.

Hi Chris, in their defence, it's in the manual, page 42, section 9.2.1 where they instruct you on how to start the single phase machine. I've included the instructions from the manual below.

1. Connect the machine to the mains supply

2. Push button: press and hold

3: When the machine has reached the maximum rotational speed, release the push button.

Section 9.2.2 covers starting the polyphase machine, where you simply press and release the start button.

There also is a large warning label right beside the start/stop push buttons, covering the starting procedure.

It seems to me that those are pretty clear instructions and include a warning label beside the push buttons.

Regards, Rod.

P.S. I don't know if it's in the manual Roger has, there may be different revisions.

[Chris Padilla]

Rod,

I guess I was speaking in general...my Minimax manuals leave much to be desired.

[Rod Sheridan]

Rod,

I guess I was speaking in general...my Minimax manuals leave much to be desired.

Chris, so does some of the Felder stuff. I love the electrical drawings with German writing.

Fortunately the symbols are the same so I can follow the drawings.

Regards, Rod.

[Roger Jensen]

BTW - ClevelandCaster has better prices than GreatLakes:

http://www.clevelandcaster.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=12&idcategory=15 (http://www.clevelandcaster.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=12&idcategory=15)

I asked GreatLakes about upgrading my casters to the racheted version, but they wanted 25% ($40) to restock the first ones. I realize returns are expensive to process, but you would think they could waive/reduce the restocking fee to upgrade to a more expensive unit. Also, they have price matching before you order but not after, so I could have saved $35 by going with ClevelandCaster in the first place.

Oh well, it still looks like a good caster and will be easier to use than the Hammer version.

Sorry for making this thread so long, but I wanted folks to know about the better pricing availble for these casters.

Roger

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Roger, thanks for the caster information, however I noticed that the caster weight rating is 50Kg.

Isn't the A3-31 300Kg?

Regards, Rod.

[Roger Jensen]

According to the product specs on the ClevelandCaster web page, the weight limit for four casters is 1100 pounds.

http://www.clevelandcaster.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=16&idcategory=3

Am I missing something?

Roger

[Rod Sheridan]

According to the product specs on the ClevelandCaster web page, the weight limit for four casters is 1100 pounds.

http://www.clevelandcaster.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=16&idcategory=3

Am I missing something?

Roger

Yes you are, that's not the same caster as in the first link, different part #.......Rod.

[Alex Silva]

I also do have an A3-31 (bought 2 months ago) and it's a pleasure to use (and look at)... Yes you have to keep your finger on the button while powering the machine.. but I like it... exactly the same when I'm in my car.. listening to the engine. Don't tell me that you wouldn't buy this machine because of that !

By the way, there's a coupon for greatlakecasters so you can get those for 15$ each. I bought 8 of those and installed 4 on my Laguna made in Italy bandsaw.

And the digital gauge is a must.. don't even think about not ordering it

Cheers,

Alex

[Tom W Armstrong]

Alex, where's this GL coupon you're talking about? I've ordered four for the $35 or so price already, but I'd get some more if I can get them for $15/each.

Thanks,

Tom

[Alex Silva]

Try 'CM' at checkout. It worked less than 2 months ago. Let me know

Cheers,

Alex

[Tom W Armstrong]

Try 'CM' at checkout.

Yes, it still works and 25% off! Where were you last week when I ordered the first set. :)

It drops them from ~$38 to ~$28, not $15 but a much better price.

[Alex Silva]

I bought 8 of these LV-1710-NYP-S-M12 for less than 15$ each for my Hammer planer and my laguna bandsaw

Alex