AFTER DECIDING TO BUY A NEW BANDSAW, I READ ALL THE FORUMS AND TECHNICAL IMFORMATION I COULD FIND. ALL THE COMPANIES SUFFER SHIPPING DAMAGE, DEFECTIVE PARTS, AND PARTS OUT OF STOCK. THE MM FORUM CONTAINED NEW BANDSAWS WITH SWITCHES THAT DON’T WORK, STICK, PANIC BUTTONS THAT DON’T WORK WARPED TABLES THAT 2 CUSTOMERS HAD TO PAY TO REGRIND TO RESONABLE TOLERANCE( SPECS ON CAST IRON LESS THAN GRIZZLY). ONE BANDSAW ARRIVED COVERED WITH RUST BLISTERS FROM TOP TO BOTTOM ( THEY WERE GOING TO SEND HIM TOUCH UP PAINT, BANDSAW FENCES THAT DON’T LOCK SQUARE AND HAVE TO BE MODIFIED BY OWNERS ADDING THEIR OWN PARTS FLYWHEELS WITH METAL SALVAGE STILL ATTACHED, AND THEN YOU HAVE TO REMOVE THE BACK WHEEL ON A 1,000 LB. MACHINE TO PUT ON A WIDE BLADE. ONE YOUNG FELLOW BOUGHT A NEW COMBO MACHINE USED FOR A TEST- UPON TRANSPORTING IT TO HIS SHOP IT WOULD NOT WORK PROPERLY. HE WENT PUBLIC ON THE FORUMS AFTER HE COULD NOT GET ANY HELP AND WAS LEFT BEGGING AND WILLING TO PAY FOR ANY TECH TO FIX HIS NEW MACHINE- HE MAY STILL BE FLOATING AROUND IN CYBER SPACE. MY PIONT IS NOT TO BASH MM ,BUT TO PORTRAY ONE COMPANY AS PURE AS THE DRIVEN SNOW AND ANOTHER ONE AS THE GREAT EVIL TO POTENTIAL COSTUMERS IS NOT FAIR, AS TO THE CLAIM THAT YOU HAVE TO OPEN BOTH DOORS AT ONCE ON A LAGUNA BANDSAW- MOST PEOPLE DO WHEN YOU WANT TO CLEAN THE CABNEIT OF DUST OR CHANGE A BLADE. MY BANDSAW ARRIVED WELL PACKAGED, ON TIME , AND CUT PERFECT AND SQUARE RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX , THE SALESMAN AND FOLLOW-UP WAS FIRST CLASS, AND I GOT EXCELLANT PRICE. I GUESS IF THE SALESMAN WAS GOOD ENOUGH TO WORK AT MM HE IS GOOD ENOUGH TO WORK AT LAGUNA. TO BE QUITE HONEST I DOUBT THAT IAM THE ONLY SATISFIED LAGUNA COSTUMER OUT THERE. FUTHERMORE I THINK IT IS A GOOD THING THAT BOTH THE SALESMAN AND OWNER’S WIFE ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT A DISATIFIED COSTOMER TO RESOLVE ANY PROBLEMS WHICH IS MORE THAN MANY COMPANIES WOULD DO. MY APOLLOGIES TO MM AND THEIR OWNERS IN ADVANCE – THEY ARE A GREAT GROUP OF PEOPLE ,MY INTENT WAS TO USE THEM FOR THE PURPOSE OF ILLUSTRATION . I LIKE THE MINIMAX PEOPLE AND THEY ALSO MAKE A QUALITY PRODUCT WORTH CONSIDERING AND BUYING- DAVID R. OTEY
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Replies
YOUR CAPS LOCK KEY IS STUCK
SORRY, IAM NEAR LEGAL BLINDNESS- DAVID
UNDERSTOOD, WOULD IT HELP IF OUR POSTS TO YOU WERE IN BOLD CAPS?
Since the house is on fire let us warm ourselves. ~Italian Proverb
Just increase the size of the text as all
caps text is hard to read read.
Life is what happens to you when you're making other plans .
Edited 9/24/2006 9:57 am ET by JerryPacMan
you whine alot for an adult-sun
"<you whine alot for an adult-sun>"That's pretty obnoxious, even by the admittedly lowered standards of us "citizen journalists". I think he was trying to be helpful, you might want to listen to constructive advice.To return to your original post, I don't have a dog in this fight, but I believe that Laguna, MM, Agazzani, Bridgewood- all make good machines, and all have occasional problems and recalls. What was striking about the Laguna post is how many people had bad experiences with their post-sale customer service, and how many buyers had experienced Laguna sales tactics that disparaged the competition. The latter suggests poor training and limited knowledge of at least some of the sales staff. This experience was not shared by other manufacturers. While this is not a scientific sample, it is disturbing, especially given Ms. Laguna's post.Glaucon
If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...
"SORRY, IAM NEAR LEGAL BLINDNESS- DAVID" It would help a great deal, in that case, if you could simply insert paragraph breaks, and lots of them. I find all caps plus no paragraphs extremely difficult to read. All caps is pretty hard as it is.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
FG,
I, too, had trouble reading the post.....so....in order to help everyone out and get to the point of the post rather than the style of the post....
After deciding to buy a new bandsaw, I read all the forums and technical information I could find. All the companies suffer shipping damage, defective parts, and parts out of stock.
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The mm forum contained new bandsaws with switches that don't work, stick, panic buttons that don't work warped tables that 2 customers had to pay to regrind to reasonable tolerance (specs on cast iron less than grizzly). One bandsaw arrived covered with rust blisters from top to bottom (they were going to send him touch up paint, bandsaw fences that don't lock square and have to be modified by owners adding their own parts flywheels with metal salvage still attached, and then you have to remove the back wheel on a 1,000 lb. Machine to put on a wide blade.
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One young fellow bought a new combo machine used for a test- upon transporting it to his shop it would not work properly. He went public on the forums after he could not get any help and was left begging and willing to pay for any tech to fix his new machine- he may still be floating around in cyber space.
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My point is not to bash MM, but to portray one company as pure as the driven snow and another one as the great evil to potential costumers is not fair, as to the claim that you have to open both doors at once on a Laguna bandsaw- most people do when you want to clean the cabinet of dust or change a blade.
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My bandsaw arrived well packaged, on time , and cut perfect and square right out of the box , the salesman and follow-up was first class, and I got excellent price. I guess if the salesman was good enough to work at MM he is good enough to work at Laguna. To be quite honest I doubt that I am the only satisfied Laguna costumer out there. Furthermore I think it is a good thing that both the salesman and owner's wife attempted to contact a dissatisfied customer to resolve any problems which are more than many companies would do.
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My apologies to MM and their owners in advance - they are a great group of people, my intent was to use them for the purpose of illustration. I like the Minimax people and they also make a quality product worth considering and buying- David R. OteyRennie
A man is a fool if he drinks before he reaches the age of 50, and a fool if he doesn't afterward. Frank Lloyd Wright
I just read the mentioned thread, and agree that Laguna should be monitoring the forums as do Lee Valley and Freud. My best tool company experience has been with Freud. I bought a dado set and used it maybe 6 times over a 2-3 yr period ( due to moves and no shop setup mostly during that period) Then I took it out and used it again. the second time I took it out I noticed that one of the teeth on one of the outside blades was loose - I touched it and it came off. I am extremley careful with this set ( in use, store and general care) due to price and I know that at no time was any metal hit with the blade
I emailed Freud and asked how much it would cost to get the tooth replaced and was told to mail it in and they would replace it free of charge (other than my expense of mailing it to them - they paid return shipping). I expected the tooth would be replaced and was pleasantly surprised to get a brand new blade in return.
" There'll be no living with her now" - Captain Jack Sparrow
Years ago I was the manager of a company and a Freud salesman came in wondering why we were not buying any tools from him. I told him they were not quite the qulaity we wanted. He persisted. So, I let him bring in a new blade to put on our machine to show us how well it worked. We saw how it worked and then out our blade back on and showed him how well it worked. There was huge difference. He walked out and never returned. They had good service but not a product I wanted to sell to my customers.
Edited 9/26/2006 1:12 pm by gb93433
Years ago I ocntacted Laguna about a bandsaw. After reviewing their literature I realized it was not the quality of machine I really wanted. So I passed and bought a used Oliver 192 18" bandsaw. Have never regreted my decision.
Interesting post...more of a MM bash than anything.
Sounds like buyers regret.
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