MM16 or Laguna HD16

[Jim Becker]

One thing I would change: a better tilt mechanism for the table.

The current version(s) have a much better tilt system than mine! (But I almost never tilt it anyway) That was a change they made concurrent with the 14" resaw height and they are actually related--the "new" trunion/table mount was lowered. As far as I know, that design continues with the new 16" resaw height version.

[John Scarpa]

Thomas,
Excellent choice! Yes I'm another MM16 owner. Mine is a few generations back like Jim's. My only regret? Didn't have room for a bigger one.

Have fun with it.

John

[Jim Andrew]

I must have bought the last '04 model MM had left, just received it last
week. Don't even have it running yet, they said I need a 30 amp circuit
with#10 wire to the machine, and don't have it in yet, so have not fired it
up yet. Really impressed with the weight and look of the machine. Also,
got them to throw in the cool blocks and the circle cutter for the sale price.
Doesn't hurt to ask. Jim

[lou sansone]

tom

I do currently have the laguna lt 24 and it is really a pretty good saw. As you have seen here @ the creek there is definitly a preference for the mm16. Looking at (MM) their equipment on their web site it does seem that their BS's are heavier than the laguna saws. I am not all that sure it matters as much as some posts seem to indicate, but that is the fun of this type of forum. People and guys in particular like to say "mine is bigger and better". Hey that is fine with me. At this point I can say that the laguna 24 runs really pretty good. If I had it to do over again, and I was to buy a modern saw, ( and I might ) I would probably buy the MM 32" or the 34". I would probably be more tempted to look for a used moak, northfield or tannewitz 36" machine. But we digress

good luck and best wishes
lou

[Thomas Rudolph]

Gentlemen...thanks once again for taking the time to respond to this posting, what a great forum you have at SMC. Look forward to being a part of it in the future. I'll send pics of the uncrating!!

[mike lucas]

I have an 1995 LT18, and my Brother has an 1998 MM18, my Laguna is at least twice the machine as the Mini Max one. I know you can't compare a machine from 7-10 years ago to the ones made today. But I have seen the brand new ones from this year of both companies. And from what I have seen, Mini Max has caught up pretty much, but by no means have they surpassed Laguna.

If I were buying one of these saws today, it would be another Laguna.

By the way, my Brother says the same thing, he too would buy a Laguna. Everyone has there own favorite tool, brand, or whatever. I say to you, that you should send for an information packet from both companies, as well as a couple others, then if possible, go to a tool show that has both brands. You may even be able to find a local shop that has one of these saws so you can try them first hand.

Regardless of which one of the two you decide to purchase, you should be happy for a few decades!

[Steven Wilson]

MM18????? Do you happen to mean an S45. I don't think they were importing the Centauro bandsaws then. IIRC they had their own S45 bandsaw and yes it's much lighter duty than the MM16, MM20, MM24, MM32, MM36 bandsaws made for MiniMax by Centauro.

[Paul B. Cresti]

Mike,
No such thing as an MM18 & back then MiniMax only had one saw the S45 and it is no where near the MM (Centauro) line of these days. Second what are you looking at? If you look at pretty graphics and hyped up guide system then I guess you can say the Laguna (the lighter of the ACM line and that is a fact) is nicer. If you look at strength (steel thickness), beam strength (due to increase in steel thickness), an absolutely massive tensioning mechanism along with a 1-1/4" guide post vs the 1", overall weight (which means smoother operation in a bandsaw), etc... then guess who wins, ....MM, no contest. Not quite sure what you deem as important in a bandsaw I guess

[Gene Wilson]

I am getting ready to purchase my first and probably my last bandsaw. I've been reading the post here with great interest. I have narrowed my choices down to the Laguna HD16 or the MM16. I'm leaning towards the MM16. In my research I have come across this article:

http://woodcentral.com.ldh0138.uslec...cles_437.shtml

My question is, have any of you MM16 owners expericenced the fit and finish issues mentioned in the review. Also, the fence system? Have any of these been addressed by MiniMax.
I would be very interested in hearing your comments.

Thanks, Gene Wilson

[Richard Wolf]

Gene, I have a MM 20. My saw was perfect when delivered. All bolts were tight, no rust, blade tracked well. One washer on the lower blade guide had to be removed to allow enough adjustment for large blades. Other people have had issues, and some of those people had difficult times correcting those issues. I think you have a great chance of getting the help you need from MM as opposed to other manufactures. I think alot also has to do with your expectations. Just because you are spend large amounts of money for a commercial size bandsaw don't expect that you will not have to tweak some areas. I think that the mentality of European machine manufactures, is that if you buy one of these machines you should be able to maintain and adjust it on your own. I think this is why the instruction manuals stink. Luckily for us, there are support groups online, (MiniMax owers group on yahoo) that should be able to help with almost any question that comes up. There is also a downloadable manual there to help you set up the saw.
The Laguna ia also a great saw and when I purchased my MM I looked hard at the Laguna, I needed a copy lathe at the same time and the MM fit into my needs better. I am very happy I decided to go with MM.

Richard

[Ted Shrader]

Gene -

Note that the WC article was writen in 2003 - see the very bottom.

I had none of the problem he encountered when I received my MM16 in early 2005. It is one of the second generation machines and was on sale prior to the release of the latest version. I am still amazed every time I turn it on and use it. Great machine!

Regards,
Ted

[Jim Becker]

My MM16 (two generations back from the current model) has been outstanding. And the fence is dead-on. The one you will be buying will have greater resaw, more power and the new design table tilt system which is more convenient than the one I have. (Not an issue for me since I very rarely tilt a bandsaw table...)

[nic obie]

Like Jim, I own one of the first generation MM 16's. Unlike Jim, I had a few problems, crooked fence and a bad switch. After talking to my salesman on the phone the parts came in 4 days. Minimax paid for all the shipping. These guys are great to deal with and I'm looking forward to dealing with them again. (Jim Strain darn near had me walking out of the Vegas show with a jointer/planner, but that's another story ). If you buy the MM I'm sure you'll be very happy. You would probably be happy with the Laguna HD too. I just think you would be happier with the Minimax.

I always get in trouble for saying this, but as to Laguna's blade guide system, I Just don't see the point. They can't handle small blades either. If you must use ceramic rubbing guides you can always buy MM's optional guide holders. They work with anything 1/2" round including 'cool block' type of material.

[Gene Wilson]

Thanks for responding. Ted, I did see that the review was a couple of years old. I'm hoping that with this new model I won't see any of the issues mentioned in the review and have an experience like you did Richard. I know that any machine can come out of the crate with problems. Then it's how the company deals with you that is very important. I have spoken to both companies. Both were very friendly and helpful, the guy from Mini Max went into full detail about everything and really knew his machine. I had a hard time gettin' him off the phone! So, this bears out all the praise on customer service. I'm probably going to order the MM16 this week. I'll let you know how I make out.

Thanks, Gene Wilson

[Keith Weber]

Wow! What a heated debate! I think that the bottom line is that both companies make very good saws and each have very happy customers. I don't think you'd go wrong with either saw. I didn't have to think too hard to make my decision. I bought the LT16 because I felt it offered the best price/performance ratio for what I needed. MM did not have a similar saw (3 hp, 12" resaw) for the $1300 that I paid.

Keith