Just bought one, so a little late to ask for advice. But I'm still on the fence about it. After reading online reviews and FAQs, and a bit of online window shopping, in real life there were only four models I was able to see in person, even going to three big-name stores in The City. And I didn't come home with the one I intended to buy...
So I'm curious which bandsaws are in use by the members here, particularly if someone has experience with a light-duty desktop bandsaw.
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A run-down of my impression of each of the four available models:
Skil 3386-01. This felt really chincy. Flimsy lightweight plastic. The included fence guide was like a toy.
Ryobi BS904. For the same price as the Skil, this seemed all-right from the demo model. Still plastic of course, but not so flimsy or loose-fitting as the Skil. The table felt secure and the roller guides looked good.
Craftsman BAS230. On the surface this appears to be the same as the Ryobi with a different color of plastic and different name tag. The roller guides may have been different. One thing that was definitely different, the table on the display model could not be locked tight - it moved sideways when in the "0" position.
Craftsman 21400. This one was a bit more expensive and a lot heavier than the others, advertised as a 10" instead of 9. The fence seemed to be good enough to maybe be actually functional. There's very little plastic on the 21400, not even the doors, and the table is especially heavy.
According to online info, the Craftsman 21400 is a rebranded Rikon 10-305. The Rikon costs considerably more but without a expert side-by-side comparison of materials, features, and specs there's no way of knowing whether they are completely identical.
So I'm curious which bandsaws are in use by the members here, particularly if someone has experience with a light-duty desktop bandsaw.
------
A run-down of my impression of each of the four available models:
Skil 3386-01. This felt really chincy. Flimsy lightweight plastic. The included fence guide was like a toy.
Ryobi BS904. For the same price as the Skil, this seemed all-right from the demo model. Still plastic of course, but not so flimsy or loose-fitting as the Skil. The table felt secure and the roller guides looked good.
Craftsman BAS230. On the surface this appears to be the same as the Ryobi with a different color of plastic and different name tag. The roller guides may have been different. One thing that was definitely different, the table on the display model could not be locked tight - it moved sideways when in the "0" position.
Craftsman 21400. This one was a bit more expensive and a lot heavier than the others, advertised as a 10" instead of 9. The fence seemed to be good enough to maybe be actually functional. There's very little plastic on the 21400, not even the doors, and the table is especially heavy.
According to online info, the Craftsman 21400 is a rebranded Rikon 10-305. The Rikon costs considerably more but without a expert side-by-side comparison of materials, features, and specs there's no way of knowing whether they are completely identical.
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