Has anyone had a chance to compare these two? Or have you used one or the other? I like the fact that Laguna now has the Baldor motor and ceramic guides but I worry about customer service and overall quality. I’m not leaving an MM24 out of the picture but for now my thought are between the Agazzani and Laguna. All comments welcome.
Dale
Replies
The 24" marketed by mini-max in the US is a Centauro. I live in Brianza,which is the furniture center of Italy. You will have a hard time finding a professional shop that doesn't have a Centauro in it. Mine is the 60cm (24") which is what Centauro considers their smallest professional band saw. Agazzani is O.K.; ACM who builds bandsaws for Felder is the other best brand.I don't know who builds Laguna bandsaws but they look to be alot like the Framar saws (guides excluded) and at a guess they look to be pretty good saws.
Philip
Haven't used an Agazanni, but we have two or the large Lagunas at school, a 24" and a 28": both great machines, but I prefer the 28".
-Jazzdogg-
Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.
I have a minimax 20" bandsaw and a minimax T124 copy lathe. The machines are absolutely top grade. You will never hear a minimax owner complain about customer service. It is world class and assistance is only a phone call away.
I did like the ceramic guides from Laguna, so I purchased a set for my mm. They work great and have made a great bandsaw greater.
Bear
Edited 3/1/2005 9:25 pm ET by Bear
Some of the Laguna saws have been made by ACM. I don't know if they still are. ACM also makes some of the saws for Bridgewood sold by Wilke Machinery. That said, as an owner of a Laguna bandsaw (a 16" Meber) and a Minimax combo machine, I'd look long and hard at the Minimax offerings, mainly for a more responsive company.
Does the Mini Max, Laguana, Agazzani, Centauro, in 18" and 20" have the "Quick Release Blade Tensioner" ?
Ardmore
Does the Mini Max, Laguana, Agazzani, Centauro, in 18" and 20" have the "Quick Release Blade Tensioner" ?
I really think that's just a gimmick. You're nowhere near the elastic limit of the blade, and that level of static stress does absolutely no harrm to bearings. I think whoever thought that idea up had no engineering training at all. To me, it's just one more thing to go out of adjustment.
Blades either get dull or break fom metal fatigue due to constant flexing. Bearings usually fail from spalling caused by turning, not by sitting still.
All I want in my equipment is sturdy, durable, and easy to use, but then I'm kind of old school. I'd take a saw without quick release before I'd buy one with it.
Michael R
Hey Ardmore,MiniMax and Centauro are the same saw. Centauro makes them for MM.Niether the MM nor the Laguna have a quick tension release, and as the previous poster suggested, any kind of quick release would be pretty hard to engineer for a large bandsaw.I have a MM16, and recently a visiting woodworker who has a Laguna 16, commented that the tensioning screw for the MM was located in a more convenient spot than on his saw. I then pointed out some of the other features of the MM and he was favorably impressed.Tom
I own a Laguna, but the consensus among most I have talked with is the Agazanni is better overall.
Dale,
When I was shopping a few years ago, the only real difference bewtween the MM and the Aggi was that the Aggi had the "tires" vulcanized onto the wheels. I opted for the 20" Aggi, and it is a great saw. Recently I purchased a 32" (800mm) Zimmermann from a pattern shop that closed, and it also has the vulcanized "tires". Most of the patternmakers that I have talked with loved the Zimmermann tools, and boy were they expensive. This new guy has a 25" resaw height. It will be awile before it is up and running as the new sho[ is still under construction.
As to the Laguna, there have been negative comments on cust. service posted here and elsewhere, but I have no experience and hence no comment.
Alan
http://www.alanturnerfurnituremaker.com
Alan,
We have several Laguna Tools at school - bandsaws, jointer, planer, tablesaws - and there are a few challenges we have to deal with; keep in mind that putting any tool in front of 600 students per semester is the ultimate acid test, and not at all what one would expect is his or her own shop, so feel free to construe my coments as indicative of a worst-case scenario:
Plastic/nylon parts break easily, including switch assemblies, bandsaw door hinges, handles...
Bandsaw blade guides tend to squirm out of position as you tighten them.
Tablesaw gears used to raise and lower the blades have a penchant for self-destruction. I've heard this is a widespread challenge with their tablesaws.
Jointer outfeed table sags a little too easily, requiring more frequent adjustments than the other jointers in our inventory (SCMI, Powermatic, Delta).
FWIW,
-Jazzdogg-
Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.
Jazz
I think you meant this for the original poster.Alan
http://www.alanturnerfurnituremaker.com
i have owned the ag 24 for a few years. I have been happy with it. Eagle tools is in my area and they support the machine 100%. Any small issues I have had jesse at eagle tools has made prompt and fair resolutions to.
if i were in the market i would not look at laguna. mini max maybe.
jeremiah
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