Spend my money on a new BS

[Doug Shepard]

Despite an initial electrical switch problem (that was taken care of relatively quickly by MM ) and wishing I hadn't bought their mobility kit, I dont have any reservations about recommending the MM16. Get the Lenox Tri-Master blade for it if you're planning on resawing. That thing cuts veneers like butter and leaves a pretty smooth surface too.

[Andy Hoyt]

There's another reason to go with the MM16.

You get to have "some fun" like Doug did.

[Joe Fisher]

All,

My MM16 will go on today's truck

The show special is awesome. In addition to a price break, they throw in a 3 blade package and the mobility kit. I'm getting Roy's old machine

Thanks again, gang.

-Joe

[Joe Fisher]

and wishing I hadn't bought their mobility kit

Would you share the reason for this, please?

-Joe

[Cory Newman]

I'm also in the market for a new bandsaw. I am curious as to why no one mentioned the Rikon 18" as an option. I have been strongly considering that one. Granted the MM or the Laguna are probably a better saw, but I don't know if they are that much of a better saw to justify the large price difference?

[tod evans]

I'm also in the market for a new bandsaw. I am curious as to why no one mentioned the Rikon 18" as an option. I have been strongly considering that one. Granted the MM or the Laguna are probably a better saw, but I don't know if they are that much of a better saw to justify the large price difference?

cory,
i`ve never seen a "rikon" anything.....they`re another new tai/chi offering. the saw i owned before going to minimax was a 20" rockwell that i outfitted with a bigger motor and good guides.....i think most will agree that saw would be superior in performance to the "rikon"? well today i`d take a minimax 16 over the souped up rockwell and not bat an eye.
if price is the issue dissregard brands and shop price-vs-specs there are numerous importers of tai/chi equipment out there. if you don`t mind investing sweat equity there are lots of good/great older american or italian saws out there that can be had for pennies on the dollar....02 tod

[Jeff Singleton]

I had a MM 18" for about 10 years and it was a good saw but the guides were crap, I put Carters on it. I sold that an got a 1926 Oliver 30". Cuts like new and looks it also, nothing it won't cut. Getting ready to sell that because a Oliver 217 just fell in my lap. If LOYL says buy anything then go nuts and buy a Tannewitz GH, they are only $20,000 plus or minus, at 8000 fpm there is not much you can't do with that saw. Oh, you will need a 10 ft. ceiling for it. Good luck with whatever you buy.

Jeff Singleton

[john whittaker]

Cory...first, Welcome to SMC.

I don't own either a Rikon 18" or MM 16 but I have had the opportunity to use each one several times and spend some time checking them out. My experience comes from tearing down and fixing up some old iron band saws, which gives you a sense of what makes a band saw "good"

My opinion on what I saw....The Rikon is a pretty good saw for the money and its class. It is very similar to most of the other thi/chi products out there. If money was a limiting factor it would be worth considering. But every aspect of the MM seemed far better than the thi/chi's. IMHO the MM had a far superior frame, motor, wheels, bearings, table mounting, table, fence, guide system and adjustments. You asked if the higher price was worth it. Only you can answer that for you...but in my opinion the higher price is justified.

[Cory Newman]

Thanks

Money isn't the deciding factor - I'd prefer to buy the better tool than to feel the need to upgrade at a later time. I've had my hands on a Rikon but haven't had the opportunity to play with a MM.

[Mike Cutler]

I'm also in the market for a new bandsaw. I am curious as to why no one mentioned the Rikon 18" as an option. I have been strongly considering that one. Granted the MM or the Laguna are probably a better saw, but I don't know if they are that much of a better saw to justify the large price difference?

Cory.

I have the Rikon 18". For the $$$ it's a very nice saw. It's not an MM, Laguna, or an Aggazani though.

The difference comes down to tolerances, and repeatability. Everytime I use my saw I have to check the tracking and the guides. If I raise the guides I have to check the thrust bearing clearances. Change the table tilt, and you'll need to break out the sqaure. This isn't a big deal for me, it only takes a few minutes, but for some people it would be a major annoyance. The more expensive the machine, the better machining tolerances I would expect, especially on the upper guide bearings that are suspended on a ratcheting post.

My Rikon is only for resawing. It isn't set up to do anything else. I have a Jet 14" for the smaller stuff.

In my case, budget played a major part in the decision making process. I don't think you could go wrong buying a Mini-Max if the budget allowed. I would go bigger than the 18" though.

Of course, the wood doesn't know the country of origin of the machine that it was cut on.

[Cory Newman]

Cory.

I would go bigger than the 18" though.

Really? I've only got a 12" now and I can only think of one time when I really needed a bigger saw. Do you really find the need for the larger capacity often?

[Rob Bodenschatz]

Okay, I'll bite. We at SMC are a family of sincere folks sharing ideas and helping with each others problems.
I seem to notice you may have a problem and find it hard to believe in your honesty.
All that aside, the photo you display in your post is a disacration of the Flag of the Untied States Of America. I find that offensive and in totally bad taste. Please take your nonsense some place where it may be appreciated, like Irac.

Richard

Agreed. I've already reported this "person" to the mods so I hope they'll be taken care of shortly.

[Doug Shepard]

There's another reason to go with the MM16.

You get to have "some fun" like Doug did.

I'd almost forgotten about that. I'll forever live in shame.

Would you share the reason for this, please?

-Joe

This is pretty much a Love-Em or Hate-Em thing. I suspect the folks that like them have much smoother floors that I do. On my floor the thing frankly scared me. It would lurch quite often if I hit a rough patch. With one hand on the Johnson bar there's only so much you can do to try to stabilize it while moving it. Fortunately I never had the saw tip over but it sure made me nervous. Quite a few folks (myself included) followed Bruce Page's lead from this thread
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=10507

[Randy Gillard]

I have a MM16 and just love it. I upgraded from a 14" machine, and the difference is like night and day. You can't go wrong with a Minimax.

[Joe Fisher]

Ah, thanks for the clarification.

I'm planning my shop layout such that I won't need to move the BS, so i'll just need the mobility kit to get it in place. I've got epoxied concrete floors, so roughness shouldn't be an isuse.

Besides, it's free!

I'm so excited. I can't wait for it to get here

-Joe