Minimax SC4e vs Felder

[Nancy Strevelowski]

Which saw in the Felder lineup is comparable to the minimax SC4e? anyone want to share some pros and cons of each?

[Erik Loza]

The K500 is probably the most apples-to-apples to the SC4 Elite. As far as pros and cons, what do you want to know? I've sold both.

Erik

[Nancy Strevelowski]

i think i'm fine understanding the features, is the felder K500S worth $2300 more? that my predicament.

both seem similar in terms of accuracy, and build quality. i think the cons for Felder are clear with custom blades, all accessories sold separately. cons for minimax seems to be less general information about the saw. any chance anyone wants to chime in to comment?

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Nancy, I consider the separate accessories from Felder a positive as I can order exactly what I want, same for the machine, you can specify table size etc.

In my case I bought a short stroke slider with outrigger, scoring saw and dado capability as well as a stock feeder.

Custom blades wasn't an issue, I had my existing blades bored out for under $20 each and new blades are available from pretty much every manufacturer. I happen to like FS Tools.

One item you haven't mentioned is location, are either of the vendors close to where you live?

Both are great machines by the way...............Rod.

[Orlyn Gaddis]

I was faced with exactly the same dilemma several years ago. I ended up choosing the Minimax SC4 Elite based on price and the better customer service I received from Minimax. It was a real pleasure dealing with Sam Blasco. He was great at communicating with me and he got me a very good discounted price on the saw. I couldn't seem to deal with Felder on price and they were not as responsive in getting back to me with answers to my questions. Sam also followed up with information on various jigs he has made for his saw that I have since made and that have really complimented my saw. I have no regrets about my decision in buying the Minimax saw and have been totally impressed with the saw.

[Joe Jensen]

Both quality machines. Have you had a chance to play with each? Late notice but AWFS Fair is in Vegas right now and both Felder and SCM will be there with machines you can look over.

[Erik Loza]

...is the felder K500S worth $2300 more? that my predicament...

Here's my 2-cents on the whole MM vs. Felder-thing: You OK with a Honda or Toyota or do you need to have a BMW or a Mercedes? There is nothing wrong with any of those brands but that's essentially the question you need to answer for yourself. When I was with Felder, most customers came to me because they wanted own a Felder. Felder spends a TON of money on marketing and putting forth an image about what their brand should represent. SCM Group and Minimax put almost no money into marketing or advertising and instead, depend on independent reps and dealers to handle that for them. Some put the effort into it (like Sam Blasco), some don't. Folks came to me on Minimax because they wanted a reliable sliding table saw, not because they wanted to say they owned an SC4 Elite. Personally, I would buy from whoever you happen to be the most comfortable dealing with since you're probably going to see this machine for the first time when shows up on the delivery truck. Hope this all makes sense and best of luck with your research.

Erik

[Randy Henry]

I'm in the process of pricing out a Felder K700S. Hasn't been a pleasant experience at all. I've been communicating with a sales rep by email on a price for the basic saw and the options I asked for (base price was on their website). The sales rep emailed me back a "new" basic price that was app. $1000 higher than the listed price, calling it a factory promotion. I asked what the promotion was and was told to review all the spec's and options on the website. Their website is not the easiest to navigate. Right now, I am on hold until I decide if dealing with Felder is worth the hassle. I don't think I should have to spend a sizable amount of time trying to figure out what the factory promotion is. I would think the rep could send another email just stating what/why the new price is so much more. The most concerning point for me is, if buying a Felder product is this much trouble, then what will their customer service be like after the sale? Buying a $15k saw from pictures is a gamble, something that I'm trying to digest. The salesperson sure isn't making it any easier.

[Jim Becker]

My two-and-a-half-cents is that both vendors make great, quality machinery. And as has been said, "who" you are working with can make a big difference in the process. The one contrast I'll add is that SMC/Minimax sells machines that are primarily "packaged" for a given price while Felder has a lot of focus on "options" which may or may not drive up the cost, depending on what you decide to add to your order vs the other vendor. So it's very important to be sure you are comparing equivalently equipped machines. I personally preferred the SMC/Minimax method when I was buying because the packages gave me everything I needed without having to slice and dice it beforehand. But I'm a hobbyist and my needs not so specific to require building up a design from scratch. For many folks, Felder's methodology is better if they have clear needs that go beyond what would typically be put in a packaged solution. In the end, the tool that shows up in your shop is going to be top-notch and enjoyable to use. And that's what counts the most, not the paint color or name on it.

[David Kumm]

Find out if the K500S has the heavier 700 internals vs the Hammer design. There is at least one 500 model with both the X roll table and 700 internals. Some 500 have the hammer internals with the X roll. I don't know how the 500 ( with the 700 guts ) differs from a full 700 but you should find out. Then compare those pictures to those from the SC4e. The X roll is a great design for a slider but I'd want the 700 blade flask and arbor assembly or that of the SC4e rather than the Hammer. If you intend to move the machine much when using it, I'd look at the build of the base too. Long stroke sliders depend on the base to keep their settings unless you level, shim, and never touch it again. Moving machines adds a whole new set of problems. Dave

[Andy Giddings]

Find out if the K500S has the heavier 700 internals vs the Hammer design. There is at least one 500 model with both the X roll table and 700 internals. Some 500 have the hammer internals with the X roll. I don't know how the 500 ( with the 700 guts ) differs from a full 700 but you should find out. Then compare those pictures to those from the SC4e. The X roll is a great design for a slider but I'd want the 700 blade flask and arbor assembly or that of the SC4e rather than the Hammer. If you intend to move the machine much when using it, I'd look at the build of the base too. Long stroke sliders depend on the base to keep their settings unless you level, shim, and never touch it again. Moving machines adds a whole new set of problems. Dave

I'm going to respectfully disagree with the comment about moving machines :-) I move mine all the time using a pallet jack as my workshop doubles up as a garage (Hammer C3) and, so far, it hasn't caused a single problem. I check it every now and again to ensure all of the critical measurements remain within a reasonable tolerance.

[David Davies]

While I own Felder mostly I do have an SCM 24" bandsaw I bought from Erik and I considered both brands when buying my KF700. Something you may want to consider is the the support you can receive from the Felder Owners Group on Yahoo groups. If at any point down the road you have questions you'll get a ton of support from the (original) FOG. You may want to join the Felder group and introduce yourself.
Dave