Rikon 10-325 for $500 or wait for Laguna?

[Patrick Irish]

I'm limited on space in my 2 car garage but the GF/soon to be fiance plan to buy within 6 months to a year.

I don't have a bandsaw and find myself making risky cuts with other tools because of it.

I came across a used Rikon 10-325 with rolling base, 3 blades, and a new carter scrolling guide. Probably can get it for $500 and 3 hours total driving. Good deal in itself? Reading that the stock guides are terrible.

Or I guess I can wait 6 months to year and when we sell, buy a new place with a 3 car garage and I'll 'hide' the purchase of a Laguna or 18" Grizzly.

[Frederick Skelly]

Patrick,
I have the previous generation of that saw and it does everything I ask of it, including thick resaws. I've had no issues with my guides. If it's reasonably new and in good condition, $500 is fair. (I paid $700 new on sale 4 years ago.)

If you really think you can find a Laguna at close to that price, I'd wait for the Laguna "just because it's Laguna" and because extra horsepower is always good on cars and tools. But there's absolutely nothing wrong with that Rikon, in my experience.

Let us know what you buy!
Fred

[daniel lane]

I can second Frederick's comments. I have the earlier generation and have had no issues. If I didn't have one and had your option, Patrick, I'd definitely go for it. That's a great deal!


daniel

[Van Huskey]

The only issue with the saw is the guides, they are among the most fiddly to set correctly. User feedback is the reason they completely redesigned the guides for the 10-326 last year, which are actually very good and can be bought as a retrofit. It really is the only weak point of the saw for the price. The price is very good assuming the saw is in great condition and while I prefer the line of Laguna 14" saws you are looking at double the money for the 14/12 even when it is on sale. I will say jump on it and if the guides bother you then you can replace them, but the less you have used bandsaws the less the guides will bug you.

[Art Mann]

I own and use both the Laguna 14/twelve and the older Craftsman version of the Rikon 10-325. I have had the Craftsman for a long time and still use it regularly. I can verify that the blade guides are awful to adjust and require a lot of trial and error. Changing blades is a big hassle. That doesn't matter much to me because I seldom change blades. I always keep a narrow blade on it for detail and scroll work. I use the Laguna exclusively for resaw work. Contrary to what you sometimes read, you do not have to have a 19+ inch saw to resaw 12 inch wide lumber. You just have to take your time. Before I got the Laguna, I used the Craftsmen to do resawing and it worked fine up to 8 inches.

[Steve Demuth]

The 10-325 is a good enough saw, once you've got it tuned in. I bought mine new a couple of years ago, and the fit and finish was pretty poor - I've had to shim the guidepost to get it to track, and it took some filing to get the guide carrier square on the post. The top wheel had a fair bit of wobble that required some shimming of the carrier. And as others have mentioned, due to poor fit and finish, the guides were a pain in the ass to adjust - I eventually replaced them. But with all that done, and properly set up, the saw has been very reliable. I resaw up to 10" on it with no difficulty, and using a blade with extra set have even sawed wet logs up to 10" cut depth.

Net: if someone offered me $500 for mine, I'd sell it and replace it with something probably a little bigger, and definitely upmarket, but short of that, it meets my needs.

[Adam Petersen]

I have the 10-325. I love the saw but hate the guides. HATE EM!

New guides is on my list of things "must purchase". Wish I would have bought it a year later so I could have gotten the new version. Now I have to buy upgraded ones from RIKON, or find other aftermarket ones. All joking aside, the guides really do suck.

[Curt Harms]

The guides on the 10-325 are sloppy when loosened all the way. If I leave the screws just a little snug then adjust they're less sloppy. I also replaced the bearings with wooden blocks. I like blocks better than bearings for narrow blades. The Rikon replacement guides are $149 at Highland.

bandsaw_guide1.JPG

[lee cox]

If I were you I would buy and wait until something better comes along. Sell the saw and upgrade. I owned one which I sold when a used Minimax 18 when it came along. At least now you have something to use.