Has anyone done a thorough comparison between Felder and Minimax Saw/Shaper combos?

[Joshua Bass]

I am trying to determine the key differences between the Minimax ST4/5 and the Felder KF 700 S combos. There are a slew of options on both of them and I was curious if anyone has gone down the path of comparing the two and collecting notable differences. Does either have options the other doesn't? I think the Felder has digital motorized lift and angles of the blade and shaper, but I dont see that option on the Minimax. The ST5 looks to be more comparable to the Felder 900 line, but there is no combo in the 900 line, just a saw. Any help or pointers would be appreciated.

[Jim Becker]

"In general", Felder tends to offer many a la carté options for their machines, so in essence you "build" the machine you want from a long menu. Some of that includes motorization options you can build in by choice. "In general", SCM/MiniMax tends to offer a package that is well equipped for the money with limited a la carté options. There is less motorization in the overall line.

Relative to accessories, Felder actually makes a bunch of things for their tools, but that's a good thing since they have a somewhat unique arbor setup and having things available from the manufacturer is handy. SCM/MiniMax takes standard tooling for things like saw blades, dados, etc.

I'm a very happy SCM/MiniMax owner, but could be equally happy with Felder, had I gone that way. For detailed questions about specific SCM/MiniMax machines, contact Sam Blasco. sam.blasco@scmgroup.com