Small bandsaw - Rikon versus Craftsman

[Dale Critchlow]

I need a small bench top 10" bandsaw. I have searched and read the Sawmill Creek Forum comments. I found that the Rikon 10-305 and the Craftsman 921400 (or 903299) are the best options. Apparently, they look very similar and are likely made in the same factory. The Rikon costs about $280 and the Craftsman about $180.

The question is what you get for the extra $100. I am willing to pay it if there are some real technical differences.

Does anyone have some information which compares the two; such as quality of the guides, tolerances, bearings, etc.?

Dale

[Larry Frank]

I bought the Rikon when it was on sale for the same as the Craftsman version. I could not find any differences between them. I really like it for small jobs and the guides are fine and blade tracks good.

I put the Carter Stabizer guide on it and it now can cut really tight curves.

[Tom M King]

They are exactly the same saw. I have a Centauro 24" dedicated to resawing, an old Delta 14" pimped out with all the upgrades for general use, and bought the 10" Craftsman to use up on scaffolding to cut Cypress shingles for fantail hips. The 10" is a very decent little saw. It comes very well packed in it's box. Unpacked it, turned it on, added some tension, and it's been working trouble free.

I looked at the Rikon and the Craftsman. They are identical except for the color and badge. I bought the Craftsman on sale with free shipping or pick up in store. I have a store convenient, so I picked up. With shipping and other charges, the Rikon would have been about another hundred bucks. I may sell the Delta since I can do about anything I would use it for with the Craftsman. It's a surprisingly useable little saw.

[Brett Luna]

I have the Craftsman flavor of that saw and I agree with Tom, it's pretty darn good for what it is. I got it at a really nice sale price and the research I did at that time showed no significant difference between it and the Rikon.

[Roger Pozzi]

The Rikon name is all you get for $100.00. I bought the Rikon on sale for about $20.00 more than the Craftsman at the time but, I needed it and Sears didn't have it.
I set mine up according to Alex Snodgrass' directions and have never looked back! My first use was to re-saw a piece of bubinga 4" wide and it came out perfect. I have used nothing but Olsen blades with fantastic results.

[Robert Engel]

I don't buy any Crapsman tools anymore. Its sad what's happened to them.

[Joe Spear]

It depends on the tool and when it was made. Their version of the Bosch 1617 router a few years back is a good one. I have it and use it. Their version of the small Rikon bandsaw, as has been said, is good. Their zipcode saws were not bad. The quality seems to come and go in waves. I recently read that Sears may be in trouble financially. Let's see if they survive.

[John McClanahan]

[QUOTE=The quality seems to come and go in waves. I recently read that Sears may be in trouble financially. Let's see if they survive.[/QUOTE]

Along with the lifetime warranty on some of my tools! :eek::eek:


John

[Michael Stein]

I had the 10" Craftsmen, but recently sold it due to space constraints. I also have the 14" 10-325 Rikon. If I weren't in a one-car garage, I would have kept the Craftsman also... That said, the MAJOR difference between the two is the Craftsman carries a one-year warranty, while the Rikon carries a five-year warranty.

On top of that, if I were in the market, I would RUN over to the Highland Woodworking website, and pick up the Rikon for $199 + shipping (unless, of course, the shipping makes it cost prohibitive), in which case I would do a "ship to store" on the Craftsman. Or see if a local store would price match the highland price.

[Tom M King]

Highland has had that sale price for a long time. I looked at it when I was looking for a little, lightweight one. I even posted a thread asking about it here. They get something like a $45 "surcharge" on top of regular shipping. Sears is free shipping, or free pickup in store. Our local Ace Hardware has the Craftsman for $199 all the time. I bought mine for $167 on sale from Sears. Look at it online, and they'll offer it on sale in a day or two. It's the same machine. The Rikon badged one is blue, and the Craftsman badged one is charcoal gray. I'm sure they come out of the same factory in very well packed custom fitted Styrofoam inside the box.

[Dale Critchlow]

Thanks guys,

We decided to go with the Craftsman. We looked it over at the Sears store and it seemed to be reasonably well built.

Dale

[glenn bradley]

Did anyone mention warranty?

[Tom M King]

No warranty is worth a 50%+ premium on price-especially when you're talking about a less than two hundred dollar tool. The doors lift off. They're the only things that are painted different colors.