Hi guys. To float the topic in a broader sense than the individual feedback that's been around so far. Do ceramics deliver substantial real benefits, or have real disadvantages? Why? Are some layouts/types better than others? Does the choice of ceramic grade matter a lot? i.e. are there cheap types/poor layouts that don't work well?
There's several types about:
(1) 'Lagunas' (now also offered by band saw makers ACM from Italy - not sure who the originator is, but they are also optional on some larger models of Startrite in the UK)
(2) Ceramic faced Euro style rotating disc guides.
(3) Cool block like inserts for smaller saws.
(4) More?
Eiiji F has posted elsewhere of fitting a set of the Laguna guides to his (600mm/24in?) Felder bandsaw, and reports a significant improvement in finish when resawing with a Woodmaster CT. He's also reporting rapid wear when resawing on the OEM thrust guides.
I've meanwhile just coughed up for a set of replacement stock European style thrust guides for my recently bought but as yet unrun used Agazzani - which despite not having done much work were badly grooved. They were not turning freely either though, and the blade was in poor shape and needing lots of force to get it to cut - so the high wear rate may or may not be typical. I certainly saw nothing like that on my 10 year old previous saw, but then it never did any deep re-sawing.
Ceramics to my mind may have two potential advantages:
(1) The option to adjust them in to touch the blade without overheating to damp out the sort of (largely invisible) small amplitude vibration in the blade that was giving my previous saw fits.
The double contact points top and bottom on the Laguna layout may conceivably enhance this effect.
(2) The ceramic may last much longer.
Against that I seem to be picking up a view that non-rotating ceramic thrust blocks can groove fairly quickly and cause tracking problems. Which if true may suggest that the Euro style rotating disc format in ceramic might be the better bet.
Bottom line. Do ceramics in general and any one guide format in particular offer substantial real world advantages/disadvantages? Or as somebody local suggested when asked (based on zero knowledge mind you) - are they just more gilding of the lily/bolt on bandsaw bling/another opportunity to spend money on tools that don't necessarily deliver much??? The conventional wisdom has it that guides are only incidental, that it's really blade to wheel set up that determines performance....
ian