Why no love for Rikon?

[Chris Hachet]

I am looking for a bandsaw and am probably going to buy a vintage American saw or a Laguna...Or an Italian saw if I can save up that much money. So I don't have a horse in the race.

But I don't understand why I run into so many woodworking people who have a negative opinion of the Rikon Saws. They seem like a rather solid product, especially at that price point.

Also, for as versatile as they are it seems like very few woodworks talk about bandsaw very much.

Does anyone have any idea why bandsaws are not more common topics of woodworking conversation and why so many people have a negative opinion of Rikon?

Thanks to everyone who responds!

Chris

[Bruce Page]

There are numerous bandsaw discussions here, do a search on it. I bought the little 10" Rikon as a secondary BS when it first came out. Within a year the tires cracked and fell off. Rikon sent me new tires with wheels attached and it's been a good saw since. That said, it's things like that that hurt a reputation.

[Van Huskey]

Personally, I am a fan of Rikon saws for the price, they are often the ones I recommend in a specific price range, that is since they revised the guides last year. Prior to that their guides were poor and it often knocked them out of being the best value at a price point. With this fixed they tend to be at the top of my recommendation list in the 900-2000k range. So the guides were indeed and issue, which is fixed and beyond that I haven't seen much if any negatives and customer service seems to be pretty solid. Both their professional 14" and 18" saws are among the best at their price point with the professional 18" being the best saw around $2k, my favorite at the 2K price range used to be the Hammer 4400 but I honestly like the Rikon better in many ways and the Hammer priced has gone up since it was my $2k favorite.

There are never enough BS threads IMO but there are quite a few around here.

[Ben Rivel]

Yea I just didnt even consider them after I read a couple bad stories around the net and didnt see many praises. I saved my money for a Hammer.

[Malcolm McLeod]

I have the 10-345 (18" 2.5 hp) and has been a good saw for me. It will resaw 10" cherry at 1/16" all day - - or at least longer than I can.

It is the best I've used - - but I've never used old saws or the high dollar jobs - - so take this for what it's worth.

Only complaint is it needs a start interlock to the tensioner. I am procrastinating adding it myself, but should be fairly simple.

[Frederick Skelly]

I have the 14" saw. Bought it 4 years ago and it does everything I ask of it. Had a minor problem the first year and they talked me thru it on the phone. I'd buy it again.

Fred

[Jerry Wright]

I have the 10-325. Have resawed lots of cherry at 12" for door panels. Love it!

[Stew Hagerty]

I looked at what I could get from them and decided that for the price, I liked the Grizzly better (G0555X). I bought the Griz and never looked back.

[Alex Snyder]

Another Rikon owner here. Love my 14" 10-326 and benchtop sander. My primary wood is rock maple. Doesn't bat an eye at it. Of course, it is more about blades than how a saw spins.

[Jeff Duncan]

I just bought a little Rikon 10" bandsaw for a specific project and I still can't wrap my head around how they can make a saw, and then another company can sell it for $220, and everyone still makes a profit??? Comparatively speaking I need a replacement guide on my small horizontal bandsaw and for that small cast iron part it's almost $100! So the fact that it cuts wood for that price is pretty amazing, but it actually runs pretty good as well. I wouldn't want it for a main saw, but for someone who just does small hobby projects I think they'd get a lot of use from it.

good luck,
JeffD

[Barry Richardson]

I know a couple of folks with the 14" Rikons and they love them. If I were starting out again, I would probably buy one....

[Robert Engel]

I have a Rikon 18" 10-345 and I like it alot. Well built. Plenty of power and its a beast when it comes to resawing.
My only complaint is with the guide adjustment system. I don't like the cam type adjuster.

[Chris Hachet]

This is all really good to know!

Did not think that I was insane when I looked at them and they seemed seemed​ like a decent saw.

[Matt Day]

I cant recall hearing anything negative about them. What i recall is only good things, especially the bang for your buck 18" model.

[Dan Rude]

I have what many people think is the Rikon. My is a 14" C-Man though it matches up to the smaller 14" version. It only has the 6.5" resaw, which at the time I thought was enough. I did outfit it with the Carter system and really like it. The issue with this model is the limited supply of blades made for it. So far I have only used only Craftsman brand. I may order a few custom ones in the future. i am planning on buying either the 14' or 18" Rikon in the future. Dan

[ed vitanovec]

I had the 2nd gen 18" Rikon and it was a great Bandsaw. When I get into the market for another Bandsaw I will most likely get a Rikon.

[Patrick Curry]

When I was in the market for a bandsaw ~$2k, it was either Rikon or Laguna.

There is a lot of love for the Italian made bandsaws on this site. I have no experience with Italian or 1960 era domestic saws so I can't speak to them.

I ended up up purchasing the Laguna LT3000. It has a 4hp, 18", love the ceramic guides, and the frame is more than stiff enough to run my 1" resaw king blades tight. no complaints with the saw. If I'm missing anything, I don't know it.

I sold my POS table saw earlier this year and have been working with a track saw and this band saw. Hardwood projects aren't slowed down a bit.

Table or slider saws certainly meet a number of needs, and I'll probably buy one or the other letter this year, but a god band saw is essential to my work

[Mike Cutler]

Chris

I've had an 18" Rikon 10-340 for almost 12 years, and it has been a very good machine. I have zero buyers remorse.
When I did the review of the Rikon 10-340 in 2/2005, here on the board, I was pretty honest about the machine. I did have two issues, but they were minor in my opinion.( I've had quite bit of contact about that review through the years.)
At that time Rikon reached out to me and offered to replace the machine. I declined as I had had already fixed it and it cost me zero dollars. They did send me a starting capacitor for the motor, which suffered from infant mortality, and it took all of 10 minutes to replace.
I have run many board feet of hard, dense, tropical hardwoods through that machine since I've had it. The tuning I arrived at for it in the spring of 2005 is still being held. I literally walk out, apply the tension, check the tracking and go. I have not adjusted the tracking on that saw between blade changes in 10 years. It gets adjusted only when a new blade is put on. I set the table and blade for 90 degrees and it is still there. My fence runs parallel to the blade and requires no compensation for "drift".
I did alter the fence pretty significantly, but my machine is re-saw specific. I have another bandsaw for "curvy" work.
For the $$$$ it was a heckuva deal.

[John K Jordan]

...Does anyone have any idea why bandsaws are not more common topics of woodworking conversation and why so many people have a negative opinion of Rikon?


Bandsaws may be discussed more by woodturners since they are widely used for cutting up green wood and for prearing wet and dry blanks for turning and there is quite a bit of discourse there. On the other hand I know flat workers whose bandsaws get only rare use and you will probably never read discussion starters from them.

As for Rikon, due to the price I suspect they sell a LOT of saws and if even a small percentage of those wrote about an issue it might seem like "so many" people.

I personally have used the 18" Rikon for over a decade and it sees almost daily use, much of it with very thick green and dry wood. Like most bandsaws it did take some initial adjustment but nothing major after that. The saw is accurate, powerful, and has good dust collection. I'm not a big fan of their guide adjustments but I've learned to use them effectively. I replaced the tires after about 10 years of use. The starter capacitor went about the same time and Rikon was prompt and reasonable with a replacement (unlike Jet with their 600% markup on starter caps!) Everything else has been flawless.

I also have a 14" Delta purchased around 2000. It took a lot more tuning to get it right and I also used it heavily with big wood. Even considering the expected beefiness needed for the larger saw, I consider the Rikon a better design and the materials and construction higher in quality.

JKJ

[Al Weber]

I bought one of the 18" models probably 10-12 years ago. It was a kit needing major work to ream holes in the frame to align the lower bearing guides, problems with the shaft alignment that caused blade oscillation, and any number of other quality problems. After about a year of working on it, I finally got it set up so it worked well. I think the biggest issue is whether you get a good one or one that slipped through their quality checks. I sold it a year ago as I was downsizing my shop and did not have access to 240 v electrical service in the new home. I bought a Laguna 1412 that was perfect in fit and function upon assembly. I do think Rikon is a viable option at their price points as long as you get a good one. If you get a bad one, all bets are off.

[Chris Hachet]

Bandsaws may be discussed more by woodturners since they are widely used for cutting up green wood and for prearing wet and dry blanks for turning and there is quite a bit of discourse there. On the other hand I know flat workers whose bandsaws get only rare use and you will probably never read discussion starters from them.

As for Rikon, due to the price I suspect they sell a LOT of saws and if even a small percentage of those wrote about an issue it might seem like "so many" people.

I personally have used the 18" Rikon for over a decade and it sees almost daily use, much of it with very thick green and dry wood. Like most bandsaws it did take some initial adjustment but nothing major after that. The saw is accurate, powerful, and has good dust collection. I'm not a big fan of their guide adjustments but I've learned to use them effectively. I replaced the tires after about 10 years of use. The starter capacitor went about the same time and Rikon was prompt and reasonable with a replacement (unlike Jet with their 600% markup on starter caps!) Everything else has been flawless.

I also have a 14" Delta purchased around 2000. It took a lot more tuning to get it right and I also used it heavily with big wood. Even considering the expected beefiness needed for the larger saw, I consider the Rikon a better design and the materials and construction higher in quality.

JKJ


Thanks for your response, it did look like a really decent product when I checked it out.

[Chris Hachet]

I bought one of the 18" models probably 10-12 years ago. It was a kit needing major work to ream holes in the frame to align the lower bearing guides, problems with the shaft alignment that caused blade oscillation, and any number of other quality problems. After about a year of working on it, I finally got it set up so it worked well. I think the biggest issue is whether you get a good one or one that slipped through their quality checks. I sold it a year ago as I was downsizing my shop and did not have access to 240 v electrical service in the new home. I bought a Laguna 1412 that was perfect in fit and function upon assembly. I do think Rikon is a viable option at their price points as long as you get a good one. If you get a bad one, all bets are off.The 14/12 is an amazing saw, congrats and thanks for replying.

[Shawn Pixley]

I bought the Rikon 10-325 (14") about ten years ago. After getting it set up, it has been a workhorse ever since. I use it primarily for resawing. Are there better saws? Yes. But I got mine for under 400$. IfI had to get a new BS, it would have more HP to give a faster feed rate. That would be a more expensive saw and I would need to upgrade my electrical panels and distribution.

Am I happy with my Rikon, yes!