Bandsaw decision Rikon 10-347 or laguna 18bx?

[erin patton]

Hello all! I pretty much had my mind set on buying the Rikon 10-347, but realized today that they are back ordered until the 1st of May from the supplier I was going to use. After seeing that I noticed that the laguna 18bx was on sale for $1800. The 347 was $2000.

I'm wondering what you guys would do? Wait till May or buy the laguna?

$2000 is at the top of my budget. Also, both of these saws are bigger than I probably need at this time, but my bs situation isn't good right now. I own a crapsman 12" that needs new tires.

The new saw will be used for resaw and general use.

Ty, Erin

[David M Peters]

Looking at the specs (Rikon / Laguna), I'd say wait 'till May, for these reasons:

* Better motor
* Longer blade
* It weighs more
* Far better warranty period

I have a Laguna 1412 and am generally please with its ceramic blade guide system; I wish I could offer a comparison to the bearing-style used on the Rikon saw but can't.

[erin patton]

Thanks for the reply David. Waiting is the thing to probably do. One thing I'm puzzled by is that apparently the 347 is a hot saw right now for the price, and I can't find very much info on it online. No reviews, no videos, no bad comments... hardly anything. I can't even find when it replaced the 346.

I'm going to call a few places tomorrow to see if they have any. We'll see what happens.

[Art Tripp]

After many hours of research and trips to multiple dealers to look at the various options in the 14 - 18" bandsaw range, I chose the Laguna 18BX and have never looked back. I like everything about the machine and would recommend it without hesitation.

In the end, I think a person could be satisfied with most any of the Laguna, Rikon, Jet, as well as Grizzly and some other bandsaws, and the specific saw likely comes down to what an individual purchaser needs and wants, and the saw's particular features.

I created a variety of charts listing each saw's features side by side, and am well satisfied with the performance of the 18BX. I haven't found the 3hp on the Laguna to be lacking any performance capability and it handles cutting without a problem, though the Rikon does have 4hp. I really like the ceramic guide system on the Laguna and this was one of the more important factors in my final choice of saws. I'm not a big fan of the fence accessory on the Rikon for resawing, though haven't used one either. The fence stop on the Laguna is handy and I like the option of being able to flip it down for accurate repeat cut depths. I also like how the dust collection ports come out on the same side of the machine on the Laguna and am not a fan of the upper discharge on the Rikon which would intrude into the workspace area of my shop. I had been shopping for a while and when my local dealer had the saw at 10% off, plus had the saw in stock for pick-up (saving the $75 shipping charge that most dealers include), I pulled the trigger.

I chose the 1" Laguna Resaw King (though the saw is rated for up to 1-1/4", I prefer to work in the more moderate capabilities of my equipment and not push everything to the max) for resaw work. My other two blades are the Lennox Diemaster-2 blades with 1/2" 4tpi and 1/4" 6tpi.

In the end, I don't think you would be dissatisfied with either machine.

[erin patton]

Thanks for the reply Art. I know I would be happy with both of these saws. It's hard to pass on the 5 year warranty though.

Rocker and woodcraft both carry laguna and rikon and are about an hour drive from me. But, they don't carry anything over 14". I haven't seen either of these saws in person.

[Matthew Hills]

Do people find the warranty periods to be especially useful?

My impression is that most problems I've read about in forums have come up immediately, and I'm not aware of any manufacturer that has been totally immune to those issues.

Matt

[David Kumm]

They both look similar enough to be made in the same factory. Rikon comes from Qing Dao plant in China. Where is Laguna made? Dave

[erin patton]

Mathew, tbh it's just a talking point that gives me the warm fuzzy feeling! In all reality if I had had a claim in 4 years it would probably be like pulling teeth to have them honor it.

David, I'm not sure where laguna is made. Maybe Art knows. What is your opinion of either of these saws? There doesn't seem to be anything I can find in the used market right now.

[David Kumm]

Erin, it depends on how much resawing you will do. I've not had good luck with even the ACM 18" saws for more than occasional resaw. I like carbide blades at high tension which take more machine. Dave

[richard poitras]

I like the ceramic guides on my Laguna. I have had different saws with other guilds including one of the Rikon, Delta, and Grizzly saws all with ball bearing guilds and the ceramic are the best in my opinion.

[erin patton]

I won't be doing a lot of resawing in the near future, but I want the option if I need it down the road.

[erin patton]

This is the only thing better about the laguna compared to the rikon imo.

[Matthew Curtis]

I chose the Laguna when it was on sale black Friday. Picked it up same day. I also was looking at other saws but I do not think you can beat the Laguna guides. They are great. I have used everything from 1/8" to 1 1/4" blades on it. Works great. Nice big table. Foot break is great. The only down side is I had to move it . It is a big heavy saw. Very little to no vibration.

[erin patton]

After calling around this morning, it looks like end of april, first of may is when the next batch will be ready. The laguna will be in stock this week. Looks like I have some more thinking to do.

[Art Tripp]

I can't recall ever using any warranty services in the past, nor having an experience of something going bad in a reasonable period of time in which a longer warranty would have covered. The caveat to this would be my Craftsman hand tools (many of which are 30+ years old) and garden hoses of which I have had several items replaced over the years. I often try to buy a better quality equipment and have been satisfied with their performance, and while most things can eventually wear out, I haven't had any regrets from the overall service the equipment has given before finally failing and needing repair or replacement. A longer warranty can be something to consider and isn't a bad thing to have if ever needed. I also never opt for the optional extended warranty on anything when offered, and they are overwhelmingly structured for the seller to have the best odds of benefiting, and not for the consumer to financially benefit.

I was originally looking at the 14" - 15" bandsaws (Rikon, Jet & Laguna) and to see the various saws I had to travel an hour each way in three different directions (nice family day-trips with my CFO / wife alongside). Interestingly, one of the dealers had an 18" Jet on the floor and my initial impression was that it seemed much too big. The final dealer though had the Laguna 18BX on the floor, and while it was not on the list of saws I was considering (and was outside of my original budget range), I quickly grew quite drawn to it and after further research it became my number one choice and I now have one sitting in my shop.

Perhaps I am a bit paranoid, but with a big-ticket item and something that I want to perform more as a precision piece of equipment, I strongly find myself leaning toward purchasing new. I really like the security of knowing I am starting with something fresh and that hasn't had some type of abuse at some point. Granted though, there are bargains to be found in the used market, particularly if you can find newer or slightly used equipment.

The tag on my Laguna states that it is from Tiawan, but other than that, I'm not sure of any other specifics as to it's plant or origin. The world of manufacturers and their locations, as well as where the various components might originate reaches further than I have really researched, and my focus has often been on the overall product. Given two identical items of the same quality and price, one made entirely in the USA and the other of foreign origin, I would gladly choose the USA item - though that is rarely an option ever available.

In the final course of my decision making, I chose to go with a larger 18" saw over the 14-15" saws so as to not work within the upper limits of it's capabilities for resaw (tension issues) or other larger requirements. I actually had some concerns if there were any disadvantages of a larger saw over the smaller ones, but this hasn't been an issue at all. With this, the Laguna is rated for a 1/8" to 1-1/4" width blade and at the present my smallest blade is 1/4" which cuts nicely. I think I would like to do some work with a smaller 3/16" blade at some point though for tighter curves on craft-type items and I am not sure which direction I will go for sure, either a 3/16" blade for the 18BX or possibly the purchase of a 10" Rikon or perhaps a used 14" bandsaw - primarily fill the gap between my 18BX and my scroll saw and necessitate less overall blade changes. Still pondering.

Matthew Curtis... Do you have any input on using a smaller blade (1/8" or 3/16") with a Laguna saw? Do you use the standard Laguna guides, or have you used the Laguna "mini-guide" or the Carter "band saw stabilizer"?