Dale Murray
03-31-2017, 9:48 AM
Earlier this year I decided I needed an upgrade from my mid-70's 12" Craftsman bandsaw , the result was the purchase of a Rikon 10-342 18" bandsaw; a very worthwhile upgrade.
This would be a non-event, and not one worth noting here, if it were not for two things:
1. The retailer
2. How they handled a bad situation
The saw
I've had it setup for more than two months and extremely happy with it. Between the mass of the cast iron wheels and 2hp motor, I have yet to bog it down; granted I have not done much aside from resawing some 7" cherry boards.
The guides are easy to adjust and everything seems well thought out.
The dust collection is not as good as I had hoped but that may be my fault too - a lot of flex line between it and the DC. I am sure it will get better when I plumb the system.
Blade changes are a non-event.
I really dont know what else to say about it.
The only oops I could find from the factory was the wiring of the 120v outlet on the saw. After I replaced the existing power cord with a longer one I tested all the electrical connections and found the the 120v outlet on the saw had the positive and neutral reversed. I checked all my wiring, and it was correct. I pulled the outlet and found they were reversed at the factory - I will inform Rikon of this when I register the warranty.
Packaging
The only really hit I can have against Rikon in regard to this saw is packaging. This is a 365+lb tool and the crating is not at all sturdy.
My Honda lawn mower had a more impressive box and it was cardboard.
I made a crate to move my wifes childhood dollhouse and it is more sturdy than this crate.
You would be hard pressed to find something less sturdy than their crates. I will also bring this up when I register the saw.
I would like to add the quality of the crate had nothing to do with the next bit.
Damage
The first saw arrived in less than stellar condition.
It was shipped to my office and I thought our warehouse people had opened one side thinking it was for the shop. When I went to inspect it all seems good aside from one side being semi open.
When I got it home and removed all the film wrap I found it was NOT in good condition;
- cracked along the upper wheel housing on the motor side.
- the blade return opening (slot to remove the blade near the column) was smaller at the top than the bottom.
- upper and lower door hinges were broken.
- the upper door was dented by the upper guide column.
- the upper wheel housing was not in alignment with the lower wheel housing; it had been twisted.
I documented everything in photos and sent those to the retailer for review.
I also reviewed all of our security camera footage and found the crate had been damaged before it was ever taken off the truck - it was not my people who opened the crate. I took screen captures of the security camera footage and sent that to the seller too.
Ultimately, I had a nearly 400lb unusable saw in my garage and a bit freaked out about how to deal with it.
The Seller
I bought this from Circle Saw in Texas; I live in Illinois.
I searched the web and found everyone was selling this saw for the exact same price except Circle Saw. I was a bit curious/suspicious about this and found the reason why, the other sellers drop ship directly from Rikon whereas Circle Saw actually has them in stock. By stocking the saw they are able to sell it at a better price. Ultimately, I was able to save a couple hundred dollars.
The response of my contact at Circle Saw was that of alarm and concern in regard to the damage. When he reviewed the damage and security camera images he knew he would have to file and insurance claim with the shipping company.
He then went to the warehouse and pulled another Rikon 10-342 to ship to me. Before shipping his guys opened the crate to inspect, and reinforced the crate before shipping. The second saw showed up in stellar condition; this time I completely unpackaged everything before accepting it.
So now I have two Rikon 10-342 saws in my garage; one I can use and one that is a disaster.
In the end I was told I could do whatever I want with the damaged saw; neither party wanted it back and it is unusable due to damage (the cracks have gotten larger in the month it sat, btw). I've stripped the saw of everything and putting the body out for the scappers to take this weekend.
The take away
I am quite pleased with the quality of the Rikon 10-342, even more so after replacing the stock blade with a woodslicer blade.
Circle Saw handled this transaction and disaster professionally and proactively; they promptly replaced the damaged saw and had good communication throughout.
I really feel bad for them (Circle Saw); they are out a $1312 saw and now have to fight with a shipping company to get their money back.
This would be a non-event, and not one worth noting here, if it were not for two things:
1. The retailer
2. How they handled a bad situation
The saw
I've had it setup for more than two months and extremely happy with it. Between the mass of the cast iron wheels and 2hp motor, I have yet to bog it down; granted I have not done much aside from resawing some 7" cherry boards.
The guides are easy to adjust and everything seems well thought out.
The dust collection is not as good as I had hoped but that may be my fault too - a lot of flex line between it and the DC. I am sure it will get better when I plumb the system.
Blade changes are a non-event.
I really dont know what else to say about it.
The only oops I could find from the factory was the wiring of the 120v outlet on the saw. After I replaced the existing power cord with a longer one I tested all the electrical connections and found the the 120v outlet on the saw had the positive and neutral reversed. I checked all my wiring, and it was correct. I pulled the outlet and found they were reversed at the factory - I will inform Rikon of this when I register the warranty.
Packaging
The only really hit I can have against Rikon in regard to this saw is packaging. This is a 365+lb tool and the crating is not at all sturdy.
My Honda lawn mower had a more impressive box and it was cardboard.
I made a crate to move my wifes childhood dollhouse and it is more sturdy than this crate.
You would be hard pressed to find something less sturdy than their crates. I will also bring this up when I register the saw.
I would like to add the quality of the crate had nothing to do with the next bit.
Damage
The first saw arrived in less than stellar condition.
It was shipped to my office and I thought our warehouse people had opened one side thinking it was for the shop. When I went to inspect it all seems good aside from one side being semi open.
When I got it home and removed all the film wrap I found it was NOT in good condition;
- cracked along the upper wheel housing on the motor side.
- the blade return opening (slot to remove the blade near the column) was smaller at the top than the bottom.
- upper and lower door hinges were broken.
- the upper door was dented by the upper guide column.
- the upper wheel housing was not in alignment with the lower wheel housing; it had been twisted.
I documented everything in photos and sent those to the retailer for review.
I also reviewed all of our security camera footage and found the crate had been damaged before it was ever taken off the truck - it was not my people who opened the crate. I took screen captures of the security camera footage and sent that to the seller too.
Ultimately, I had a nearly 400lb unusable saw in my garage and a bit freaked out about how to deal with it.
The Seller
I bought this from Circle Saw in Texas; I live in Illinois.
I searched the web and found everyone was selling this saw for the exact same price except Circle Saw. I was a bit curious/suspicious about this and found the reason why, the other sellers drop ship directly from Rikon whereas Circle Saw actually has them in stock. By stocking the saw they are able to sell it at a better price. Ultimately, I was able to save a couple hundred dollars.
The response of my contact at Circle Saw was that of alarm and concern in regard to the damage. When he reviewed the damage and security camera images he knew he would have to file and insurance claim with the shipping company.
He then went to the warehouse and pulled another Rikon 10-342 to ship to me. Before shipping his guys opened the crate to inspect, and reinforced the crate before shipping. The second saw showed up in stellar condition; this time I completely unpackaged everything before accepting it.
So now I have two Rikon 10-342 saws in my garage; one I can use and one that is a disaster.
In the end I was told I could do whatever I want with the damaged saw; neither party wanted it back and it is unusable due to damage (the cracks have gotten larger in the month it sat, btw). I've stripped the saw of everything and putting the body out for the scappers to take this weekend.
The take away
I am quite pleased with the quality of the Rikon 10-342, even more so after replacing the stock blade with a woodslicer blade.
Circle Saw handled this transaction and disaster professionally and proactively; they promptly replaced the damaged saw and had good communication throughout.
I really feel bad for them (Circle Saw); they are out a $1312 saw and now have to fight with a shipping company to get their money back.