Grizzly 17" v. Rikon 14 or 16"

[David Markowitz]

I posted asking about bandsaws a few weeks ago.

Them's the choices at this point.

Particular questions I had:

Grizzly GO513 (17")--do the aluminum wheels/trunnion do anything negative. I realize they make a HD version with cast iron everything, but the motor is too much for my purposes and the white 513 is on sale. $800 on sale, delivered. http://www.grizzly.com/products/17-2-HP-Bandsaw-Polar-Bear-Series/G0513P

Rikon 10-325 (14", long frame)--claims 13" resaw capacity, but only takes .75" blades. I've read (in a recommended book) that the .75" on 14" saws overstates capacity. Anyone know if this is a problem? $800 on sale, delivered. http://rikontools.com/productpage_10-325.htm

Rikon 10-336--a 16" version, supposedly with the "bells and whistles" of the 18." Can't find any reviews. $1100 including shipping. http://www.rikontools.com/productpage_10-336.htm

[Brian Cosgrove]

I just saw on woodcraft's website that until nov. 24th, the 18 inch rikon is on sale for $999. That is $400 off and a sweet deal.

[Daniel Hatch]

Yeah this looks like a really good deal.
http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2005220/17458/Rikon-18-212-HP-Bandsaw.aspx
I just purchased the G0636X but I didn't know about this deal either. I am hoping the new timber wolf blades make a big difference in my saws performance. When you do get a saw make sure you give suffolk machinery a call and order 3 blades and get 4th free. Good luck I am sure you will be pleased with any of them since are all great saws.

[David Christopher]

David, I have the Rikon 10-325
I use the 3/4 resaw king blade most of the time ( with no problems ). it does have 13" resaw capacity, and I have used all of it a couple of times..it has plenty of power, and the saw runs really quite.....I would buy it again

[Dave MacArthur]

David,
All three look like good deals, and I think you'd be happy with any of the three. I myself would purchase the Grizzly based on 17", thousands of satisfied customers and glowing reviews, and their outstanding customer service.

Daniel--Welcome to the creek, and please post some info on your G0636x!

[eugene thomas]

i am glad like the 513 bought from grizzly in june or would be bumming cause the rikon now on sale was my first choice but was 1400 when bought my saw.

[Curt Harms]

I have the Rikon 10-325 and it does everything I've asked it to do. I bought it because I could move it to a basement shop easily by myself. I've resawn about 10" and it performs fine with any good quality blade. If the Grizzly 17" fits your situation--room, ability to move and electrical service--that sure seems like a lot of bang for the $$.

[Dan Karachio]

I own a 14" Rikon and really enjoy it, but like Curt I got it because of limited vertical space in the basement shop, getting it into the basement shop and 120. My friend has the 18" Rikon version and it is a nice saw. If I had an above ground shop I would have gone for one of the 17" Grizzly units in a heart beat. Also, FWW just did a review of "serious" larger bandsaws and Grizzly came out on top. They have the best fence and options for the price.

[Cary Falk]

I have the G0513X2 and am very happy with it. Rikon always gets good reviews also.

[Justin Bukoski]

Both are great saws. The only knock on the Rikon is blade changes can be a PITA. You can't go wrong with either one.

[Paul Johnstone]

Both are great saws. The only knock on the Rikon is blade changes can be a PITA. You can't go wrong with either one.

I know the woodworking mags say that, but I respectfully disagree.
I own the Rikon.. the blade changes are easy, because the slot is in front of the table.. No need to twist the blade.

I am not sure why people say this is a pain.. I guess you have to loosen a few knobs to remove the fence (which you don't have to do on other saws).. But if you are changing blades, you need to realign for drift anyhow. Don't see it as a big deal.

You have to readjust the blade guides every time you change a blade, but you have to do that for every bandsaw.

That 18" Rikon goes on sale once or twice a year. OP, you have perfect timing, it's a great saw. If you have a local Woodcraft, you won't have to deal with the headaches of frieght delivery, plus you are supporting a local store.

[Rick Huelsbeck]

I don't have any issues with blade changes. I've set up by Kreg fence so the blade will come right out without removeing it. I've used up to about 10" of the re-saw so far and it was no problem.

[Dan Karachio]

I don't have any issues with blade changes. I've set up by Kreg fence so the blade will come right out without removeing it. I've used up to about 10" of the re-saw so far and it was no problem.

Rick, I did the same exact thing and I am about 99.9999% sure your pictures right here on SMC were what helped me do this! So Thanks!!!

Speaking of reviews, seems FWW always says Rikon guides are fussy to set up, but quite honestly, though I can see what they are referring to, it is very minor. I don't change blades that often and when I do I have not found myself saying, "Gosh darn it, if these guides were easier to adjust I could have finished writing that movie script of mine."

However, if I were getting a big saw, Grizzly has models with beefy trunnions, foot brakes and that fence of theirs is perfect out of the box. Also, we see plenty of people praising their support when it is needed. Seems you can't go wrong.

[Curt Harms]

is a mystery to me, too. I'm using the stock fence with 2 bars with a gap between them for the blade to come forward. I had an old model Grizz 15", THAT was a pain to change a wide blade on. I also found that slightly less than 1/4" plywood makes good replacement throat plates for the Rikon 14". The stock throat plate is a rubbery material with a fairly wide slot. I was able to make replacement inserts that fit nice & snug using the flush trim router bit trick.

[Rick Huelsbeck]

Dan that was not me, that was James Dunn that originally posted the pic of his Kreg Fence and where I got the inspiration to do mine. Just want to give proper credit to the true genius here :D


Rick, I did the same exact thing and I am about 99.9999% sure your pictures right here on SMC were what helped me do this! So Thanks!!!

Speaking of reviews, seems FWW always says Rikon guides are fussy to set up, but quite honestly, though I can see what they are referring to, it is very minor. I don't change blades that often and when I do I have not found myself saying, "Gosh darn it, if these guides were easier to adjust I could have finished writing that movie script of mine."

However, if I were getting a big saw, Grizzly has models with beefy trunnions, foot brakes and that fence of theirs is perfect out of the box. Also, we see plenty of people praising their support when it is needed. Seems you can't go wrong.

[David Markowitz]

Thanks for the suggestions.

However, WRT to the 18" Rikon, I realize that's a deal, but it's 220v only. I'm concerned that some costly rewiring would be needed. Some helpful people suggested in an earlier thread that it would be both easy and cheap, but I'm not seeing it that way. I took a look at the FWW review (not impressed--information very sketchy and apples to oranges on comps).

I looked more closely at the GO513X's specs--it can be converted to 120v, and the Jet JWBS-18QT 1.75 HP version is natively 120v. I missed the 3000h sale on the latter, which is $1600 normally, but maybe black friday will bring it back down.

At this point, like for a lot of people it seems, it looks like the Grizzly will be the optimal choice. There's a sale right now, so shipped and PA tax will probably come in at about $1050.

[Van Huskey]

I just purchased the G0636X but I didn't know about this deal either. I am hoping the new timber wolf blades make a big difference in my saws performance. When you do get a saw make sure you give suffolk machinery a call and order 3 blades and get 4th free. Good luck I am sure you will be pleased with any of them since are all great saws.


Great saw! You might want to read this thread: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=149862&highlight=bandsaw

There are lots of "better" blades out there than silicon steel depending on what you plan to do. The TW blades are much better than the OEM blade though.


To the OP:

The 14" blade limitations are centered around cast clone saws not steel spined saws like the Rikon.

The onsale 18" Rikon is a great deal right now, but not having a foot brake is a fail for ME, though none of the other saws you are looking at have one.

The 16" Rikon is "new" just introduced at IWF and I have yet to see one since I saw the display there, but at present I would not consider it with the 18" in sale.

At the normal price the 513X2 is a MUCH better saw for the money than the 513X, table, guides, wheels, trunnion. But for the sale price the Polar Bear is an excellent value. The wheels aren't nearly the issue to me that the trunnion is. However, you may go without ever noticing it as an issue particularly if you do not cut with the table tilted. In the end it is great if your budget stops there, if not there are better choices.

[Curt Harms]

Thanks for the suggestions.

However, WRT to the 18" Rikon, I realize that's a deal, but it's 220v only. I'm concerned that some costly rewiring would be needed. Some helpful people suggested in an earlier thread that it would be both easy and cheap, but I'm not seeing it that way. I took a look at the FWW review (not impressed--information very sketchy and apples to oranges on comps).

I looked more closely at the GO513X's specs--it can be converted to 120v, and the Jet JWBS-18QT 1.75 HP version is natively 120v. I missed the 3000h sale on the latter, which is $1600 normally, but maybe black friday will bring it back down.

At this point, like for a lot of people it seems, it looks like the Grizzly will be the optimal choice. There's a sale right now, so shipped and PA tax will probably come in at about $1050.

I'd want a dedicated 120 volt circuit to power those saws. I think some people have relatively large motors plugged into a circuit which is also powering other stuff and then wonder why the machine has no power and why the lights dim. Or they're running it with an 18 gauge lamp cord. If you have an adequate circuit you should be okay.