E16 Mini Max vs. Laguna LT16 bandsaws

[Dave Attwater]

Hi All: this is my first post, and I'm hoping you can help. Here in Canada I have little opportunity to review and compare the two bandsaws mentioned in the title. However, I did see the LT16 at a recent show and was impressed. I would like to know your impressions on which is the better saw - the E16 or LT16 (not the MM16 and LT16HD). I appreciate that this can be subjective. The LT16 has a 3 hp Baldor motor while the E16 has a 2.5 (make unknown); the LT16 has ceramic guides while the E16 has euro guides; the E16 has a footbreak with microswitch while a footbreak is optional on the LT16. They both weigh about the same (320 lbs), have what appear to be good trunions and cost about the same ($1,350), with shipping extra (ouch!). It is not obvious whether the ceramic guides on the LT16 come at an additional charge. Any help would be appreciated. Regards.

[Ted Miller]

Dave, The last show I was at they had the LT16 for demo and I was impressed on the guides, especially for larger blades, I also saw the HD model as well and I think it may be my next purchase. My only dislike is the table size but I make a larger table with a fence once I get it home...

[Ed Kowaski]

The Mini Max is probably easier to get in Canada. Cooper & Horton in Toronto is the eastern distributor and Eurotech in Calgary is the western. You may get lucky and have a local dealer.

[Walt Caza]

Hi Dave,
Welcome to the Creek. I cannot help you with those specific models,
but I can share that Laguna ships a container to Toronto once a month,
I believe around months end. I suggest you contact their website and
read up on it, and follow it up with a phonecall to confirm details.
You do not indicate where you are in this vast country.

Minimax will deal with you direct, from
Austin Texas. I am awaiting a bandsaw from MM any day now.
They ship to Canada all the time, and know how to go about it.
My delivery is supposed to be by liftgate truck, with a pallet lifting
cart to bring it inside. I appreciate that MM will bring my machine to
my shop door. (500 pounds plus...)

My recent Oneida machine from New York, they only wanted to bring
to a freight depot across the border in the US. I had to move it from
there, at over 500 pounds, and clear it through customs myself,
with papers in triplicate, or hire a middleman to broker at a fee.
This caused more details, stress and delays than I would have preferred
in what should be a happy shop acquisition. (and spendy too!)

I can only speak to my experience regarding C & H. I did contact them
for a quote. They were so slow to respond that I had dismissed them
as a viable option. I did eventually receive an alarmingly high quote
from them in Canadian dollars, along with a looong wait time.
Experience teaches that service and support beyond the initial sale
are very important, and hard to anticipate in advance.
From what little I had to go on, that was 3 strikes against them
in my eyes. (I doubted they really were in the MM business...sorry)

It would be time well spent to research the experience of others with
the companies in question regarding customer service...
Good luck with your tool shopping,
Walt
:)

[Ed Kowaski]

I've never dealt with C&H, Eurotech has been good to me. SCM owns a good chunk of C&H so for sure they are in the MM business. I'd suggest not emailing either company, they are old school phone call type folks.

Congrats on the new saw Walt! Pity you had to go to Austin to get it. Perhaps an email to SCM Italy about your dealings with C&H would be good. ;)