Laguna/Grizzly

[Andre Cormier]

Hi,

This forum has been been very helpful in helping me make a decision for a bandsaw. I have read so many good reviews on the 513x2 that I am seriously considering it. I've even looked at the 514x2. They seem very good value for money.

I've been looking at the Laguna LT16-3000 at $1795 with free shipping. The ceramic guides seem very good.

At My door Price;
513x2 $989
514x2 $1389
LT16-3000 $1795


I also looked at the regular LT16 and I like the fact that it's made in Europe and has the better motor. But overall I think I would prefer the additional features and cheaper price of the 3000 series even if its Asian made and has the Leeson motor.

I prefer buying quality tools that I enjoy using. 1800$ is about max what I would like to spend including shipping.

1. How do the lower end Laguna saws compare to the Grizzly saws

2. Where would the LT16-3000 fit in in terms of quality among other bandsaws?

If I lived closer I would pick up the $1700 MM16 for sale on this site. Looking for the next best thing in my price.

Are there other Saws that I should be looking at?

Thanks

[Van Huskey]

That one is a tough one, especially with the sale price of the Grizzly...

If you offered me both price independant I would choose the Laguna for its one big advantage, the guides. They are easily worth $300 of the difference to me. It becomes harder to justify the next $100. In the end I would probably spend the extra money on the Laguna even though it is an Asian saw it is a really nicely specced and designed one but correctly outfitted the price will climb above your budget. Rick Markham just got one recently and seems very happy with it, you may search for his posts. All that said there is something to be said for the larger wheeled Grizzlys though.

I will throw out 3 other saws, 1 well within the budget and two budget busters.

1. The Jet 18QT3, I really like the redesigned Jets MUCH better than the last version and will go on sale from July 2-9 and will be $1,359.99 shipped with liftgate.

2. The Grizzly G0636X, a cheaper but excellent rival to the Italian built saws, but will be a little less than $2200 to your door.

3. The Laguna LT18 3000, also about $2200


Now for my "real world" suggestion, I don't know how hard the $1800 budget is but I assume you planned to spend some more to actually outfit the saw because even a Ferrari wil no tires isn't very useful. I say get the Jet or the Grizzly and if the Laguna deal on 3/4" RK blades and Driftmaster fence is still going on in the deals and discounts forum add those for about $500 more then add a Lenox Diemaster 2 quarter inch blade for contours along with the Carter stabilizer and you will have the best resaw/contour 18/19" saw setup you can buy new for under $2000.

[Rick Fisher]

I think the Grizzly saws are the best bang for the buck .. period.. but if you want to go to the next level.. the Laguna saws are it..

Laguna, Mini-Max, Felder and Aggi's are the top end woodworker saws, without getting freaky with the money..

I have 4 European tools, they where all expensive, and I don't regret buying one of them.. The cost fades into memory long before the saw is even broken in..

Having said that.. if your not in the mood to spend the money.. Grizzly is a good choice.. A good friend just took delivery of the Shop Fox 21" x 5hp Bandsaw.. I helped assemble it .. Dang.. that is a serious saw .. ( same as Grizzly) ..

[Bill ThompsonNM]

Hmm, looking at your options -- I'd sure be tempted to grab a trailer and head to NJ for the mm16 even if I lived in California. But then living here in NM my wife didn't blink an eye when we popped down to Phoenix (8 hrs each way) for a good deal on a Unisaw.

[Mike Archambeau]

Have you considered the MM16 for sale in the classified section. It can be had for $1700 and it is a mighty fine saw for that price.

[Josh Bowman]

I have that Laguna saw. I've cut maple boards on edge that were 5" wide and 8' long. I've cut half dried 10" maple logs right down the middle. It's very powerful. I've cut 1/2 log blanks in circles. The saw is very simple and well built. I have the drift master fence and wouldn't give it up. Recently I broke a blade (my fault) The saw sucked the blade up into the lower pulley area and chipped the upper saw guides, cut up the table insert and knocked the belt off the motor pulley. After I clean up the floor :o. I put it back and reversed the chipped upper saw guides and was up and running. That night I emailed Laguna about it and the next morning Chris Keil had contacted the service dept. to have them sell me all the parts I needed at wholesale. The dual 4" dust collection is very effective, with all the use I've given he saw, not much saw dust is ever found piled anywhere, like my old saw. The price is high, but it is a great saw. Good luck.

[Mark Woodmark]

+1 for the Agazzani. Talk to Jesse at Eagle tools in California

[Andre Cormier]

Thanks guys, this is helpful.

The LT14 SUV has also got my attention. 14" resaw and a 3hp motor.

It's basically comparable to the LT16-3000 but has a smaller table and you lose 1 3/4 of throat. 300$ cheaper and slightly cheaper blades.

I guess it depends on what I intend to do but Is 1 3/4 difference in the throat going to make a big difference?

[Andre Cormier]

Oh yeah, and I could not convince the wife on the 40hr road trip to get the MM16:D

[Bill ThompsonNM]

Honeymoon.... It's all in your approach !:D

[Rick Markham]

As Van said, I have been very happy with my LT 16, I have had no issues with using it so far. It came in perfect shape, and went together without any problems, it has performed flawlessly. Definitely invest in the Driftmaster fence and the Resaw King blades, as with any saw. the blades included are adequate, mine have been way better than I expected, but aren't nearly as good as the aftermarket blades available. The wheels were both perfectly coplanar, no vibrations, the saw frame and body seems extremely rigid and well reinforced, I have no problems tensioning a 1" wide Resaw King blade, the guides are beyond wonderful, and easy to set up. So changing blades is probably as easy as it gets. I am super pleased with what I recieved, it passed the nickel test out of the box. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlM9Z1L0Ykc

I will admit the grizzly saws are especially tempting, and having looked at them after buying my Laguna, I would have put a whole lot of serious consideration in them. You can get a whole lot of saw for the same money.

The MM and Agazanni, are also highly reviewed saws, and definitely contenders, I would have jumped on the chance had a used MM shown up on CL around here.

I originally was looking at the 14SUV too, it was backordered when I ordered my saw, and Tim (Tito is now the rep, great guy too) worked with me on a "deal" to get me the LT16. As far as the throat difference, not sure if that matters much to me, the 2" of resaw is somewhat of a wash for me too, I haven't come across anything over 12" I have needed/ wanted to resaw. It is a true 12" resaw too, it is actually 12.75" from the table to the bottom of the guides at their highest position.

I honestly think whichever route you go you are going to get a great machine. I personally haven't had any issues with Laguna's customer service, Tim always went way and above what I have ever expected in this business, and Tito has been very helpful with my dealings on blades etc. I think largely their customer service problems have been addressed. Grizzly on the other hand has very well proven (on this forum) that they will gratefully make everything right. Shiraz has proven that.

[Andre Cormier]

Your probably right Bill, either way, a bandsaw holiday is a tough sell.

Rick--thanks for the great write up on the saw. I called Laguna to ask questions on the LT16 and they are the ones that pointed me to the LT14 SVU. Fortunately they are both is stock so I am left with the decision. The price difference adds a nice drift master fence.

This will actually be the first bandsaw that I own. For now resaw will be it's main purpose. I think that the capacity of this saw will more than meet my needs but don't want to get "bigger-saw-itis" in the near future either. 14" LT14 SUV --Grizz 19" 514x2 = same price :eek:

This 14SUV saw has similar features found in a slightly bigger saws (HP and resaw height). Smaller table size I can live with and I'm sure heavier wheels help on the bigger ones.

So when moving up to a bigger saw, how important is the increase in throat size?

I'll figure it out sooner or later..........

Thanks for the help

[Rick Markham]

My honest take on the 14 SUV and the LT16 came down to my purposes, I wanted resaw, and being my only saw the ability to cut curves. Resaw was my main focus too. Something to consider, and one of my deciding factors in buying the LT16 instead of waiting a few weeks for the 14SUV to come in, was wheel diameter size. Putting a carbide tipped blade on a 14 saw, sometimes stresses the weld and the blade will eventually fail, one of my considerations was that a 16" wheel would put less stress on the blade, I would have loved the LT18 but it was a bit outside of my budget. Just a thought. Everything I have read regarding the 14SUV is outstanding, it is the smaller version of the 16HD and hopefully someone in here that owns one will chime in with their experience regarding their blade life experiences. For me, the LT16 was "the best" choice I could make affordably at the time. It will be a long time before I can outgrow this saw (if ever) and when I do, it will become a dedicated curve cutting saw, in which case the throat size might matter a bit. When it is time for a bigger saw, it will be a dedicated resaw machine, and is gonna be a monster. The driftmaster is a definite pleasure to use. The first thing to do when you get it is take the instructions out, crumple them up, and throw them in the trash... it's where they belong. Then switch the handle to the right side (it's easy two bolt change) and come talk to us here ;) Any machine that you get, definitely get the driftmaster, and the laguna guides, they really are far beyond top notch!

[Van Huskey]

The more you look the harder it gets...

[Rick Markham]

Van is dead on about that!

[Alan Lightstone]

I'm perfectly happy with my 14SUV, FWIW. Driftmaster fence and RK blades are a must.

[Andre Cormier]

The more you look the harder it gets...

Yes I am feeling the madness now.........

A few of you mentioned the Aggi saws and I'm just getting the info and price on those saws right now. I'll probably make my final decision sooner or later. Hopefully before I get too :eek:

For someone looking at a new MM16; they have a $300 off rebate. Not sure for how long.

Andre

[Van Huskey]

Yes I am feeling the madness now.........



Not only does it get harder to decide, it tends to get more expensive... :eek:

[Scot Ferraro]

I have owned my Laguna LT18 for 9 years now and it is just as awesome today as it was when it was delivered. Support from Laguna has been top-notch and I personally think that the ceramic guides are the best upgrade for the saw, regardless of make. I have looked at the 3000 series saws up close at the showroom and they are well built machines and very capable (and I personally like the blue aluminum accents). If I were buying, the Leeson motor would score a few points for the Laguna vs. other brands and if you opt for the HD series saws you get a Baldor motor.

It is a tough decision and I am sure that you will be happy with whatever you decide -- there are users here that own and operate all of the different brands of saws and everyone is going to have an opinion on which make/model is best.

Scot

[Harold Burrell]

The more you look the harder it gets...

Yeah...tell me about it...:rolleyes:

[Greg Portland]

Is 1 3/4 difference in the throat going to make a big difference?That depends on what you're doing. A large table is very nice to have for most operations. Throat depth comes into play if you are cutting large bowl blanks or are using your bandsaw for wider ripping operations. I would not worry about HP ratings unless you plan on using a power feeder or are milling a lot of slabs.

[Andre Cormier]

Thanks to numerous comments on this thread I was leaning more towards the 16. Then I found out that there was a better deal on the LT18-3000 and that it would only be $200 more. I can`t really pass that up. RK blade is included in that deal. The DM fence will have to wait for now.

So I`m waiting for an email from eagle tools to see what they have to offer before making a final decision.

Van----- you had it right, the longer you look the more expensive it gets. I would have had the 513x2 (nothing wrong with that) for $1000 if I stopped looking. now I`m in more than double. But I like buying and using quality tools and hopefully I won`t feel the need to buy another bandsaw in the near future.

Thankfully the household financial officer (HFO-aka wife) approved the budget bust.

[Van Huskey]

Van----- you had it right, the longer you look the more expensive it gets. I would have had the 513x2 (nothing wrong with that) for $1000 if I stopped looking. now I`m in more than double. But I like buying and using quality tools and hopefully I won`t feel the need to buy another bandsaw in the near future.

.


I have had the same problem, mine is compounded by the fact I have had much longer to look, I am building a new shop, started at a 514x now up to a Agazzani B-24. The problem is it isn't stopping, I want Laguna guides, a Driftmaster and NOW I am looking at power feeders, it is getting stupid expensive. Was takling to the wife about it and she ask offhand how much is this gonna cost, I replied you don't want to know and she said you're right I don't. God love here!!!

[Rick Markham]

Yeah, that's why I had to "buy in" before the wish list got too outrageous... Now when I get that bigger house... I will need a second bigger saw :D Better start saving my pennies now... by that time my tastes are going to cost me a fortune.