Jet vs Rikon 10in Bandsaws.

[Bernie Kopfer]

i have a 14in Laguna BS that works as well as expected and due to its power and stability would like to set it up for resawing and leave it that way. For detail work and curves etc. a good 10in should meet my needs. It appears that the two best ones at the present time are the Rikon and the Jet. There is a significant price difference and i wonder is it justified in terms of quality of cut, ease of set up and use, reliabity and so on. And I do want the smaller footprint of a 10in saw. So if anyone has experience with either or both of these machines I would appreciate your observations and opinion. Thanks

[Curt Harms]

I'm not really familiar with the 10" band saws but if I were in the market, I'd look at the 10" Craftsman as well. It and the 10" Rikon look real similar, at least on the outside. I know Sears is not always loved here but I wouldn't be surprised if Rikon parts would fit just fine should they be needed. And sometimes Sears prices with stacked discounts can be pretty attractive.

[John McClanahan]

Those two saws do look a lot alike. The same questions get asked about the 14" saws, too. I have the Craftsman 12" version. I feel it is a good value and am happy with it. The only problem i"ve had was the blade guide bearings didn't last very long. I was able to replace them for $16 at a local bearing store.

John

[Rich Engelhardt]

What ever you do, for God's sake avoid the Delta Shopmaster like the plague if you run across one in your searches.

If you run across one that someone is offering anyone $10.00 just to come haul it away - it's still way over priced!!!

As you might have guessed, I got stung with one & as a result, I refuse to have anything else made by Delta in my shop.(w/the exception of the 8.5" CMS I bought long ago)

[Joseph Tarantino]

... It appears that the two best ones at the present time are the Rikon and the Jet. .....

rikon. isn't even a close choice. better tool and better company.

[Keith Outten]

Bernie,

I purchased a Rikon 10" band saw a couple years ago. I have been very pleased with the saw in fact impressed by the performance of such a small band saw. I've used mine to cut plastics, wood and even resawed Corian pieces with the stock 1/4" blade. Its light and could even be considered portable if an onsite job came my way. I have mine on one of the plastic video carts in my shop and I use it often. For the money its a jewel IMO.
.

[Ellery Becnel]

I also purchased the Rikon a few years ago. I have been very satisfied with its performance. I have cut numerous hardwoods for end grain chopping boards and it has performed
Well. A sharp blade, propped settings, and a good setup will always work well.
I can not comment on the other two brands, just the Rikon.

Ellery Becnel

[Matt Schroeder]

I purchased the Sears 10" Rikon "equivalent" (Sears model 124.21400) a couple years ago and have been very happy with it. It has resawn 4" QSWO and maple for different projects using a 1/2" Woodslicer just fine. With a narrower blade it does all the curves I have wanted without a problem. I got it for about $140 by watching for discounts and using some reward points. I also liked that I could pick it up at Sears to see the box and had a local place to return it to if necessary rather than worry about UPS leaving a broken box on my doorstep.

Matt

[Julian Tracy]

I bought the Menards 10" metal framed bandsaw last year for about $169 on sale and have been very impressed with it. From the pics and knob locations, it would appear to be the same as the Jet version.

I already had a larger bandsaw, just bought the 10" for the same reason as the OP, but have used it for many many tasks.

Even the stock blade is impressive - never did take it off actually. I've resawn 3" maple and Cherry with pretty good results. It's probably the best stock blade I've ever used on a a bandsaw - most you throw out right away.

It has a quick release blade tension lever, quick open doors, decent little fence and a table extension out rig deal (took that off) that some could find handy.

Like the Rikon/Jet versions, it's built like a tank with a heavy duty welded frame and the $169 price came with a steel stand, though I did not use it.

The cast iron table is held by a pretty lightweight single trunnion - you wouldn't want to be thumping 4x4's on it, and the blade guide bearings are a bit mis aligned and could use some tweaking in terms of adjustment, but at the $170 price point, I don't think I've seen a better deal on a solid little bandsaw.

My impressions were also based on having seen the 10" Jet at a Woodcraft for a bit over $300 and being pretty unimpressed with it at that price, not to mention the garish color scheme.

But at $170 or so, it's a great value imo.

My other bandsaws have been the Ridgid 1400, a Minimax S45 and currently a Powermatic 143...

JT

[Dave Kirby]

Rikon appears to be a far superior bandsaw and I've heard they have great customer service too. Even the 10" version looks good. That would be my pick, hands down.

[Frederick Skelly]

Have heard lots of good things about the 10" rikon but have not used it.

I own both a rikon 14" bandsaw and a jet 12" bandsaw. Both good. The jet seems more solid to me for some reason.

@ Joseph Tarantino: Was surprised by your comment about rikon being a better company. Can you describe what happened to make you feel that way? Just curious. Ive dealt with both companies and had no issues (at least under jets old ownership).

Fred