Quality Bandsaw in 2019?

[andrew whicker]

Hi,

I tried doing some internet research without posting, but here I am. I found the following 'high quality' bandsaw brands: Agazzani (dead), Steel City (dead), and Minimax (now SCM). So I'm guessing my best choice for a high quality bandsaw is Minimax / SCM or buy used?

I have a used Delta 2 speed that I want to throw in the river every time I use it.

I'd like to have some capacity to resaw and I would LOVE the table to be easy to manipulate (like tilt at an angle) without rinky dinky one screw holds everything together type crap that the Chinese tools are so good at.

I tried looking up bandsaw reviews for 2018 / 2019 and I get silly stuff like best buy is WEN or Jet. ??? I'm not buying WEN ever in my life.

It seems like the $2k range is Powermatic or Laguna. I'm guessing both of those are Chinese, but maybe their quality checks are decent? It's also a bit confusing finding an internet price / dealer for the MM16. I 'think' the price is $4500 new, but I'm not certain. I'd have to call, which I haven't done. I can't find any good bandsaw reviews for 2018 / 2019 that aren't targeted towards disposable bandsaws.

Maybe I should just keep my eyes open on auctions and other reputable used equipment dealers.

Thoughts?

Cheers,

Andrew W

[Justin Rapp]

it depends on your needs and your budget. It is hard to help without the primary questions answered. If you are in the 4k range your options are wide open. In the 1 to 2K price range, Laguna is seems to be a star these days. I researched for 2 years and looked at my bandsaws in the 1.5-2K range and went with a Laguna. A lot of people seem to like Rikon in this price range also. I looked at it and like the Laguna better.

If you start going to the 3 - 4K range, MM is an option as is the Italian models in the Laguna lineup.

[Matt Day]

That’s a long post that missing a lot of key information.

What’s your budget?
What size machine do you think you want?
What do you plan to do with it?
New or used?
Do you care where it’s made?

[Andrew More]

Have you taken a look at Grizzly? I see a LOT of happy YouTubers with the Grizzly 14" band saw.

[John C Bush]

I've had a Griz 531B 20" 5hp BS for ~10 yrs and it has been great for my needs-mostly resawing. The smaller sizes with larger resaw ht weren't available then but I like the larger table with geared tilt mechanism. I looked for the Italian mob when shopping but couldn't connect on a used one and the Griz value was hard to beat. I live 1 1/5 hrs from the Bellingham showroom so doing a visual of the various models helped clinch the decision. Worth a closer look. Good luck shopping.

[Greg Parrish]

Unless it sold there is a used 20” SCM in the classifieds right now that looks like a heck of a deal. Worth a look based on your post comments. The pictures made that one look brand new.

[Derek Cohen]

Andrew, you add Felder and Hammer to your list as well. I have a Hammer N4400, and it is very solidly built and has been equally reliable over 7 or 8 years so far.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[andrew whicker]

Thanks for the replies!

I'm trying to group saws into something meaningful:

Group 1)
- SCM / MM

Group 2)
- Laguna
- Powermatic
- Grizzly
- Rikon

Group 3)
- Jet
- WEN


I'd like to know more about Group 1 / Group 2. What are these brands? This is just a starting point. I'm looking at anything 14" to 18". Where do Hammer and Felder fit in? I'm assuming Felder is Group 1?

Thanks again and cheers,

[Justin Rapp]

Thanks for the replies!

I'm trying to group saws into something meaningful:

Group 1)
- SCM / MM

Group 2)
- Laguna
- Powermatic
- Grizzly
- Rikon

Group 3)
- Jet
- WEN


I'd like to know more about Group 1 / Group 2. What are these brands? This is just a starting point. I'm looking at anything 14" to 18". Where do Hammer and Felder fit in? I'm assuming Felder is Group 1?

Thanks again and cheers,

I would need to disagree with how you are grouping you list.

You need break up the mfg list by there offerings. For example, an Italian made Laguna goes to group 1. Grizzly and Rikon have machines that are in Group 2 and Group 3. If you want Jet in Group 3, you need to move WEN to group 4 or maybe even a 5. BTW, you are underestimating JET. I have a drill press and table saw from JET, and they are nice machines. Also as your cross brands, many of the machines are the same, just rebranded. Look at Jet and Powermatic, , PM PWBS-14CS and Jet's jwbs-14cs are similar - different base and PM has an upgraded motor. I also was looking at a planer - I saw the same machine (to the specs and from the pics) in 3 different paint colors from 3 mfg. Price difference was $1000 less for a green one vs a white one.

You are also somewhat all over the board. An 18" can pretty much do anything a 14" does, but a 14" can't cut really BIG stuff. Before you even get narrowed down to brand, you need to determine what size machine will fit your needs. Then set your budget and pick a model that fits both. Also in the 14" space, you could have a smaller saw mounted on an open or closed stand (like PM PWBS-14CS) or you could have a solid one piece frame saw (like a Laguna 14/12).

If you are looking for the ultimate top of the line do-all bandsaw for hobby use, than there is no reason to even discuss some of the lower tier'ed offerings and vice-versa - if you budget is $700, you need to be looking at Grizzly or Rikon.

[andrew whicker]

I would need to disagree with how you are grouping you list.

You need break up the mfg list by there offerings. For example, an Italian made Laguna goes to group 1. Grizzly and Rikon have machines that are in Group 2 and Group 3. If you want Jet in Group 3, you need to move WEN to group 4 or maybe even a 5. BTW, you are underestimating JET. I have a drill press and table saw from JET, and they are nice machines. Also as your cross brands, many of the machines are the same, just rebranded. Look at Jet and Powermatic, , PM PWBS-14CS and Jet's jwbs-14cs are similar - different base and PM has an upgraded motor. I also was looking at a planer - I saw the same machine (to the specs and from the pics) in 3 different paint colors from 3 mfg. Price difference was $1000 less for a green one vs a white one.

You are also somewhat all over the board. An 18" can pretty much do anything a 14" does, but a 14" can't cut really BIG stuff. Before you even get narrowed down to brand, you need to determine what size machine will fit your needs. Then set your budget and pick a model that fits both. Also in the 14" space, you could have a smaller saw mounted on an open or closed stand (like PM PWBS-14CS) or you could have a solid one piece frame saw (like a Laguna 14/12).

If you are looking for the ultimate top of the line do-all bandsaw for hobby use, than there is no reason to even discuss some of the lower tier'ed offerings and vice-versa - if you budget is $700, you need to be looking at Grizzly or Rikon.

That's fair. I'm trying to make sense of it. I tried looking up reviews, but I didn't find anything really cohesive. I mountain bike and I can read about $12k mountain bikes along side $2k mountain bikes. It is really confusing with these tools. Like you said, sometimes brands are the 'same factory', other times they have models made in Top Tier countries, other times they don't.

Figuring all this out is a nightmare.

14" could probably work, I'm not really at that point though. I'm still trying to decide what even makes sense. Like you mentioned above, I could spend an extra $1k for a paint job which is infuriating. Do you have to research every single model to find out where it is made? Doesn't this change year to year too? I mean Laguna by itself has multiple offerings in the 14" to 18" range.

It's a screwed up market for sure. I feel like I am not grasping what everything costs.

[Greg Parrish]

The good thing with that 20” SCM is that you could sell it for what you pay for it. My guess is that it’s probably sold since the seller doesn’t appear to have posted again but you never know.

That's fair. I'm trying to make sense of it. I tried looking up reviews, but I didn't find anything really cohesive. I mountain bike and I can read about $12k mountain bikes along side $2k mountain bikes. It is really confusing with these tools. Like you said, sometimes brands are the 'same factory', other times they have models made in Top Tier countries, other times they don't.

Figuring all this out is a nightmare.

14" could probably work, I'm not really at that point though. I'm still trying to decide what even makes sense. Like you mentioned above, I could spend an extra $1k for a paint job which is infuriating. Do you have to research every single model to find out where it is made? Doesn't this change year to year too? I mean Laguna by itself has multiple offerings in the 14" to 18" range.

It's a screwed up market for sure. I feel like I am not grasping what everything costs.

[Alex Zeller]

If nothing else works just look for a shipping company with a depot close to you and see if they have one near the seller. Grizzly uses UPS freight. They may not be the cheapest but you should be able to contact them directly. I'm sure as an individual you will pay a higher rate than what a company will pay. Just make sure to put enough insurance on it to cover your costs in case it's damaged.

[Justin Rapp]

If nothing else works just look for a shipping company with a depot close to you and see if they have one near the seller. Grizzly uses UPS freight. They may not be the cheapest but you should be able to contact them directly. I'm sure as an individual you will pay a higher rate than what a company will pay. Just make sure to put enough insurance on it to cover your costs in case it's damaged.

There are a lot - and UPS Freight, while I read some reviews they were not 'great' but people tend to post a review as a VENT so you need to realize that there are most likely 1000's of happy customers for that 1 unhappy customer that decided to post. Laguna used UPS freight when my bandsaw was delivered and they were really good. UPS has lift gate service for residential delivery and they also called me ahead of time asking is a specific size truck will be able to get in/out of my neighborhood.

There is also

[andrew whicker]

Unless it sold there is a used 20” SCM in the classifieds right now that looks like a heck of a deal. Worth a look based on your post comments. The pictures made that one look brand new.

Haha, ironically he is getting rid of it because he is moving to Utah (where I live). I imagine if I bought it and asked him to haul up to Utah for me, he would just keep it.

[Jim Becker]

Don't be confused about the MiniMax-SCM thing...SCM is the parent company and in recent years, they have just brought things more together into a single "range" from a marketing standpoint. The MiniMax name has been around for many decades (and a few other colors). Most of the recent naming thing has been more about decals, honestly.

As to your question about Felder, given dialog over a period of time here, I believe you could put them in your group 1 because of support as long as you compare specifications carefully. SCM/Minimax's line, while being refined over time for sure, has been around for a long time. Felder/Hammer hasn't been as keen on this particular tool, but they did a good thing to embrace the bandsaw more in recent years since it's very complimentary to other tools in their line, just as it has been for SCM/Minimax.