Any Rikon 10-305 or Grizzly 9" cub owners out there... Your thoughts?

[David Ruhland]

I am looking for a small lightweight bandsaw...I currently have a Rikon 10-326 that i use for resawing. Would use the smaller one for finer cuts, circles, light use etc... I see there is a junior version of my 10-326, (the 10-306) but it is a lot pricer than the 10-305 I was also looking at the new Grizzley Cub 9 inch with Laser for $199.,

Anyone own one of these 10-305 or grizzly Cubs? Honest opinion please...

[Tom M King]

I have the same saw as the 10-305, except it has Craftsman doors on it, from when it was also sold by Sears. It's my smallest of three bandsaws, and gets used more than the other two. I was surprised at how good it was from the time I took the styrofoam off of it out of the box. If I was looking for a small saw again, I probably wouldn't go for the more expensive 306 either. If it was the only bandsaw, I probably would.

With a 24" dedicated to resawing, I could get by easily without the 14", with the little saw here. About the only thing the 14" gets used for is circles too large to bother with on the little saw.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I have had a 10-305 since last spring and am very happy with it. I have a Jet 18" that I bought used for heavy work, the Rikon is only used for tight curves and such but it has been a huge time saver. I can make the straight cuts on a part on the big saw and then walk over to the little saw to cut the tighter curves. I also looked at the Grizzly but for some reason decided the Rikon seemed to have better reviews, but I can't remember the details now.
Zach

[Robert Hazelwood]

I had the 10-305. Its decent for its size and would probably be fine as a dedicated curve cutting saw, as long as the 10" throat doesn't impede. My biggest complaints with it were:

-a crappy fence (irrelevant for your use)

-difficult to adjust guide bearings (they move as you tighten them down). I really hated those guides and so the saw rarely ran with them properly adjusted. Again, not as big of a deal if you are not trying to get very straight cuts.

-No quick tension release, and the tension mechanism has no spring, it's just a threaded rod that pulls the upper wheel up. Works well enough, but its annoying to de-tension and re-tension, so the saw stays tensioned usually. If you don't use the saw consistently and leave it sitting tensioned you can put a flat spot on the tires.

The 10-306 seems to rectify those problems. They may not be as big of a deal if its just going to be a secondary saw for curve cutting. Overall the saw is pretty solid and I haven't seen anything else in its class that's better.

[Carl Beckett]

I recently sold a cast iron 14" Jet and replaced it with the 10-306. Yes it is more $ than the 10-305, but some of the basics are the same. Overall I think it is a nice little saw.

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?269707-Downgrade-a-bandsaw&p=2870120#post2870120

[David Ruhland]

And wouldn’t you know woodcraft has a sale on the 10-306 starting today. Lol

[glenn bradley]

I have the 305. Got it cheap at the announcement of the 306. First let me say that the quality is surprising for the price point. It often won the bake-offs in small bandsaws. I have made a fence to replace the poor excuse that this saw has for one. I have no issue with the guides but I did take them apart and take some of the sharp edges off the fixtures that made them hang up when you try to slide them. A hex driver (like a screwdriver) for a few bucks makes setting them much easier also.

The small Griz got the nod for folks that need a saw to haul up a ladder to the roof or those that need one to be really portable but, still stout.