I have an opportunity to pick up one of these at the upcoming IWF trade fair. Show price and at this point both companies keep adding extra’s as the price differential for the Show is only separated by $50 for both which includes shipping.
They are close in what they do as far as HP. 4.8 vs 4.5.. Both have 16″ cut height. Jury is still out till I see the machine quality of wheels, trunnions, pulleys, belts, springs, foot brakes, tires, etc. I already have a good picture of which has the best dust collection from close up pics of those details. I know which is heaviest. I know the difference in the two guide systems (ceramic .. Euro) and know the strengths and weaknesses of each.
I test drove both these machines about 4 years ago and know which I would have chosen at that time. But… competition is fierce and the gap has closed in that comparison as both have made improvements to their former weak points (one even has changed manufacturer) to bridge the gap.
Does anyone have one of these machines (including the Bridgewood PBS 440, which is almost the same as the LT 16 HD x16) and have any negative issues with them? Table flatness, switch or motor failure, vibration after the saw is fine tuned, broken trunnions, pre-mature tire wear, ease of blade change and guide adjustments, out of balance wheels or pulleys, in-ability to get replacement parts, etc.?
Any in-sight would be appreciated. I believe both are good investments, but I go over the details with a fine tooth comb as I only want to do this one time. My goal is to squeeze every ounce out of my buck so I can forget about the issue of which BS was the better deal and move on.
Thanks…
SARGE..
Replies
I have the older model MM 16, and love it. MiniMax is a great company regarding customer service. I also have friends with the Laguna HD16, and love that as well. In the end, it's the Lexus BMW Mercedes argument (or the Mantle Mays one). You won't lose with any of them. NOw that Laguna uses Baldor motors, that is something to consider, but my MiniMax motor is certainly up for anything I have thrown at it. One thing no one ever seems to consider with a bandsaw but does with the table saw. Spend mucho bucks on the blade. Either machine (I know nothing about the Bridgewood) can run the 1" Lennox carbide blade. FWIW, Iturra also sells a 1/2" carbide blade for both machines. I tried the TImberwolf blade, which is a low tension blade on the MM, and it was not great. The MM is a high tension machine--it will give you the 25000 psi you need for a carbide blade no problem.
Morining Daryl..
You answered one of my main questions with your reply about the 25,000 psi on the older machine. They have beefed up the back-frame to 5mm and the newer machine should get even less flex to upgrade that mission. If you can achieve and maintain 25,000 psi with the older main frame without resulting drift or tracking problems, the thicker frame should be a plus in their camp.
Does your older MM run the 3.6 HP and was it made by SOGA as the current machine? I used one of the older machines before the 2005 beef-up and it was a T-54 tank. I suspect it might have been up-graded to an Abrams's with the suttle changes in HP and main frame thickness. It appears the whole design has been based off a slight down-sizing of the Centauro's larger production models which are geared for commercial use daily.
And I couldn't agree more about a blade. I am a dedicated 24T rip on the TS and 60T cross-cut on my SCMS. Matching the blade to the job is important from my point of view. I favor bi-metal for ripping and carbide or Wood-slicer for veneering the pricey exotics on the BS as I have a smaller BS for dedicated curve cutting running the smaller carbon silicone blades with cool blocks.
Thank you very much for your in-put and time to reply...
SARGE..
Sarge, it's the older 3.6HP model. I've run 12" high maple for resawing through the machine. That is a fairly slow feed. When I did it with some 6" maple, it was no effort at all.I've heard great things about the WoodSlicer blade. I can'timagine anything better than the Lennox though. When used with care it's a very smooth job. It's a wonderful machine. And the people at MiniMax from the president down have been great.I've learned to be leary of blades a saw manufacturer supplies. I have a Felder saw, and their blades are not good at all. I went back to my Amana and Forrest blades, rebored, for a much better job. Minimax did throw in a bunch of regular blades, and frankly, for inecpensive blades they are fine. The carbide was part of a show deal several years ago, and it is sensational.
Thanks again Daryl. I spoke with Erik at MM about 30-40 minutes several days ago and grilled him pretty well with questions that reached the point of "nitty-gritty". He surpassed my expectations with knowing his product, technical skills with the MM and being up-front with answers. Never did he knock the competitor when they were mentioned.
Still would like to hear from some Laguna owners of the newer LT 16HD. They changed manufacturers a while back and the newer machines are coming from ACM as opposed to the Meber line past I believe.
Off to part time work as my wife is looking over my shoulder which is probably an indication that the check-book will come up missing shortly there-after. :>)
Regards...
SARGE..
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