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Thread: LT18-3000 vs 514x2

  1. #1

    LT18-3000 vs 514x2

    So I thought I had my mind made up for the LT18-3000 but I'm not sure if it's worth the extra 600$ over the 514x2.

    Sorry to start another which one to buy post, but you guys come up with great points that I wouldn't think of and I will probably end up with a better machine for my needs.

    Has anyone seen the Asian Lagunas and Griz side by side, better yet used them?

    The notable differences for the Laguna are the Guides, One more HP and 3 1/4" more resaw.

    I've never owed a bandsaw and this is making my decision more difficult

    Here are examples of questions I'm asking myself:

    -Given the same blade and a properly tuned machine will they perform equally for rip cuts and Resaw.

    -Is one more frustrating to use than the other

    And lots more like that....

    Thanks again

  2. #2
    Quote Originally Posted by Andre Cormier View Post
    So I thought I had my mind made up for the LT18-3000 but I'm not sure if it's worth the extra 600$ over the 514x2.

    Sorry to start another which one to buy post, but you guys come up with great points that I wouldn't think of and I will probably end up with a better machine for my needs.

    Has anyone seen the Asian Lagunas and Griz side by side, better yet used them?

    The notable differences for the Laguna are the Guides, One more HP and 3 1/4" more resaw.

    I've never owed a bandsaw and this is making my decision more difficult

    Here are examples of questions I'm asking myself:

    -Given the same blade and a properly tuned machine will they perform equally for rip cuts and Resaw.

    -Is one more frustrating to use than the other

    And lots more like that....

    Thanks again
    I originally started out comparing equally priced machines from Grizzly and Laguna. That is the GO514X2 and the LT14SUV. In this comparison, I was leaning heavily to the Grizzly because the bigger size was just too much to ignore. My gut was telling me that the Laguna would be the higher quality machine.

    I have now decided that the difference in price of $500 or so is going to be well worth getting the higher quality Laguna AND the larger size of the LT18/3000. I'm sorry I don't have specifics for you, but I agonized over this for weeks and finally just made the decision to go with the Laguna.

    One of the things that really helped me make up my mind was watching ALL the Laguna bandsaw videos. My impression after watching the videos is that these people really know how to build a better quality bandsaw.

    I've also read a couple of threads here at SMC where people had problems resawing with their Grizzly's, and I said AH HA! See, this is what would happen to me. I'd go for the lower price saw, figuring it had all the features and size I was looking for, and it certainly looks well made, but then when I actually go to put it to the test on resawing, it would turn out not so good.

    Have you seen the videos of Torben slicing paper-thin veneer off a block of wood? Impressive. I have not seen such a video of a Grizzly doing the same thing.

    Torben talks about the guides actually coming in contact with the blade, not just close to the blade. He talks about how that stabilizes the blade and keeps it from fluttering as it comes off the upper wheel. I don't know if this is true or not, but again, I'm impressed with his ability to convey these technical tidbits in a video. Other bandsaw makers should take note.

    On the other hand, I'm a little leary about buying a Laguna product. A few months ago I placed an order through Laguna for an oscillating belt sander and a Pro 9' Sliding Panel Table Saw. The sander came in first, the saw was delayed. I took delivery of the sander and everything was fine until about a half hour into using the sander and the oscillating part broke. I cancelled my order for the saw. I'm still waiting for the part for the sander. Would you buy another Laguna product after that?

    But my research into BS's points me in just a few directions, and one of them is Laguna. I'm hoping that the quality of their BS's is as good as so many of their users say they are. If that's true, there must be a big difference between the quality of their BS's and the cheap sander I bought from them.

    Hope this information is helpful.

    Greg

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Andre Cormier View Post
    So I thought I had my mind made up for the LT18-3000 but I'm not sure if it's worth the extra 600$ over the 514x2.

    Sorry to start another which one to buy post, but you guys come up with great points that I wouldn't think of and I will probably end up with a better machine for my needs.

    Has anyone seen the Asian Lagunas and Griz side by side, better yet used them?

    The notable differences for the Laguna are the Guides, One more HP and 3 1/4" more resaw.

    I've never owed a bandsaw and this is making my decision more difficult

    Here are examples of questions I'm asking myself:

    -Given the same blade and a properly tuned machine will they perform equally for rip cuts and Resaw.

    -Is one more frustrating to use than the other

    And lots more like that....

    Thanks again
    This thread has some good information http://lumberjocks.com/topics/3093

    Greg

  4. #4
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    I am not familiar with the saws, but I've dealt with customer service from both companies. My experiences with Laguna's customer service has been, and still is a disappointment; after multiple calls they still have not provided me with the answer to a simple question - the factory recommended thickness of the felt on a platen in a WBS.

    Considering that this is a normal wear item, their lack of response is a disappointment.

    Grizzly's customer service has been much more thorough and prompt, and has left me totally satisfied.

    The Laguna product may be a higher quality one than the Grizzly, but if they do a poor job of supporting it you're still left in a bind.

  5. #5
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    I would be interested to hear if the Asian Lagunas are in fact any better than Grizzly.
    They say "You get what you pay for" But at times all you "Get" is less money in your pocket.
    A band saw is the next item on my list to get. All info is welcome.
    "Remember back in the day, when things were made by hand, and people took pride in their work?"
    - Rick Dale

  6. #6
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    I have used both saws but never side by side and not with the same blade so that is the salt you take along with it being an opinion.

    The Laguna guides are great, the best I have ever used they support the blade very close to the work and are easy to adjust. Despite being Chinese made the saw is designed and built like a cousin to their Italian ACM built saws, the ergonomics and fit and finish are very good for the price point. The LT18 3000 has a foot brake, I am VERY big on foot brakes and far prefer them to motor brakes because they allow you to hands free stop the saw from anywhere around the table, not so with a footbrake. I consider the footbrake to be a requirement on a larger than 14" saw BUT this is just the way I work, but very logical to me.

    The 514X2 is a GREAT saw for the money and has the foot brake that is one of my requirements. There is nothing wrong with this saw however if budget permitted I would get the LT18 3000 over it any day.

    That said the real competition is not the 514x2 it is the G0636X which is priced basically the same as the Lt18 3000. This is a saw I have seen and toyed with on static display but never used. I must say this is a much closer race with the LT18 3000 and possibly wins by a hair even considering the Laguna guides. In the end I might buy the Laguna between the two because I know the guys at Laguna are more passionate about bandsaws than any other company I have dealt with.


    As for CS, I have had nothing but good luck from either company. I have only seen one thread regarding the posters unhappiness with Grizzly CS not be satisfied by the end of the thread, so with SMC as a resource I 100% confidence in their CS. Based on posts here and other forums Laguna did seem to have a period where some people (who became very vocal) were not satisfied with their CS, it appears thay have made a honest effort to rectify the issues. I think Laguna had some of their issues from changing their product line from fully Euro machines (and their quality) to partially Asian machines, I think some people may have ordered the less expensive Asian machines expecting the Euro quality and neither they nor Laguna was prepared for the issues that presented. In any event I would not have any qualms about ordering a bandsaw from either company.

    I will offer a different angle on your situation, since this will be your first bandsaw you might consider getting one of the many excellent 14" saws that are available and learning the machine there. When you decide you need more saw you will have a stronger personal basis to determine the correct upgrade path for yourself. They are easy to find used and inexpensive if you prefer new. When you do decide to upgrade you can either get a decent return on your purchase price OR keep the 14" saw for contour cutting and get a larger saw to dedicate to resawing.

    In any event get Duginski's and/or Bird's book on bandsaws, both are excellent and cheap on Amazon.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dave Lehnert View Post
    I would be interested to hear if the Asian Lagunas are in fact any better than Grizzly.
    They say "You get what you pay for" But at times all you "Get" is less money in your pocket.
    A band saw is the next item on my list to get. All info is welcome.
    See my post above for the Asian vs Asian shootout.

    BUT, save or spend the extra dough and get an Italian made Felder, MM, Laguna or Agazzani and remove the nagging question all together, in this lot the quality is far more level and consistent and you tend to get what you pay for although they aren't cheap. You rarely ever hear complaints about this group of machines.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Andre Cormier View Post
    House renovations aren't getting any cheaper so I was exploring to see if I could lower my bandsaw budget a little. I keep looking on CL for Italian saws but nothing ever comes up. I see a few older Jet 18" for 900$ but reviews for those are not the best.

    I'll let you know what I decide........If I ever get there

    Thanks
    The older model Jet was a poorly designed saw IMHO, the new traingle spine is quite decent for the price.

    The 514 is gonna be about the bottom of the "new" range that includes a foot brake. It is just about impossible to squeeze a new machine price lower than Grizzly on about any machine for a given capacity.

    If you decide on Laguna remember they are a boutique shop compared to Grizzly, and you have some room to squeeze. Free shipping right now so the machine price may not come down BUT you can look to breaks on blades. Also you could try calling about demo saws, they had a couple of 3000 series saws at IWF (not sure if they had a 18"), don't know if they sold them yet, don't think either was actually powered up, they were using a LT-24 for actual demos.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Van Huskey View Post
    The older model Jet was a poorly designed saw IMHO, the new traingle spine is quite decent for the price.

    The 514 is gonna be about the bottom of the "new" range that includes a foot brake. It is just about impossible to squeeze a new machine price lower than Grizzly on about any machine for a given capacity.

    If you decide on Laguna remember they are a boutique shop compared to Grizzly, and you have some room to squeeze. Free shipping right now so the machine price may not come down BUT you can look to breaks on blades. Also you could try calling about demo saws, they had a couple of 3000 series saws at IWF (not sure if they had a 18"), don't know if they sold them yet, don't think either was actually powered up, they were using a LT-24 for actual demos.
    From what I've been told, the next LT18/3000 saws are coming in September 20th.

    I would say that my experience with Laguna CS has been good, but I have waited forever for the part for my sander. If I bought a Grizzly bandsaw and needed a part, I bet I'd have it in just a few days.

    Such a tough decision, the Grizzly's look really nice. I'm just drawn to the Laguna for some reason. I keep going back to that video of the paper-thin wood floating to the floor, the guides, the heavier weight . . . .

    Greg

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Van Huskey View Post
    See my post above for the Asian vs Asian shootout.

    BUT, save or spend the extra dough and get an Italian made Felder, MM, Laguna or Agazzani and remove the nagging question all together, in this lot the quality is far more level and consistent and you tend to get what you pay for although they aren't cheap. You rarely ever hear complaints about this group of machines.
    I'm not willing to buy a saw from a company that does not have good information on their products on a website for me to look at. Agazzani may be a good saw, but I'm not buying it.

    Greg

  11. #11
    Well I think It's going to be the Laguna. Placing the order tomorrow morning.

    Greg, when did you find that information out about the LT18 coming on the 20th? I think they have one for me in the warehouse already as they called me to tell me it was ready for shipment a week ago. I had put some money down on one to secure a good deal they had going a few months back.

    I'll post a review once I've had the chance to use it a bit

  12. #12
    Well I don't know what I did but somehow my newest reply was in the middle of the pack, tried to delete it but deleted another one of my responses my mistake....oh well let's home this one makes it to the bottom of the list.

    Decision made--Laguna, ordering tomorrow

    Greg--when did you hear the 20th for the 18's to come in? I think they have one with my name on it in the warehouse as they called me last week to tell me it was ready for shipment. I had put some money on one a few months ago to secure a deal they had going on.

    Did you decide to order one after all?

    I'll post a review once I had a chance to use it a bit

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Greg Roberts View Post
    I'm not willing to buy a saw from a company that does not have good information on their products on a website for me to look at. Agazzani may be a good saw, but I'm not buying it.

    Greg
    I understand the sentiment and felt this way at first, the Agazzani seemed like a mythical beast from the hinterlands of a far off country. All I would say is if you are looking at the other Italian builts saws you owe it to yourself to give Jesse at Eagle Tools a call. Their CS and QC is somewhat legendary and the hands on QC they give their tools prior to packing the saw for shipment is a real rarity today. Their packing makes all the other machine manufacturers packaging that I have seen look like a joke. But I agree this is a machine you almost have to want to buy. In all honestly I would be happy with any of the Laguna (Italian), MM or Agazzani saws but I am drawn to the Agazzani and think the B-24 is possibly the best buy of any of the 18"+ Italian saws.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Greg Roberts View Post
    I'm not willing to buy a saw from a company that does not have good information on their products on a website for me to look at. Agazzani may be a good saw, but I'm not buying it.

    Greg
    This is information from a couple of years ago:
    http://web.archive.org/web/200612060.../agazzani.html


    I have the Agazzani 24, and have used a few other bandsaws, and read about peoples experiences on this site. I think the differences with the Italian saws is somewhat subjective-- it won't show up in the specs. I can tell you that the Agazzani cuts very well, and is a pleasure to use. No issues that I have read about where a blade does not track on the wheels, the saw can't tension the blade properly, etc. I can install any of my blades, and they cut the wood that is put in front of them. No weirdness that I have seen on other saws and read about.

    Now, the question is why would anyone buy anything other than one of the Italian saws, particularly when they come up used at almost giveaway prices. I have seen some SCMI saws that are huge and cheap, and seem like they would suite the needs of a hobbyist or small scale production woodworker for a lifetime. It's a bandsaw; what makes one good will last a lot longer than the gloss in the paint.

  15. #15
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    Just for reference the page that Stephen posted, as he mentioned, is a few years old. The specs of the saws Eagle imports has changed so you can't use it for info on the current saws.

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