CalgaryPT Which 7x12 saw are you eyeing?
Hi Janger. Thanks for your question. I'm a bit of a research junkie/geek, so you'll probably regret asking the question
I have just started, but so far I've looked at the Craftex (BusyBee house brand), Princess Auto (various manufacturers), Magnum (KMS house brand), Harbor Freight, King Industrial, Grizzly, Baileigh and Ellis models. The USA discount options (Harbor Freight and Grizzly) mostly drop off when you factor in quality vs. shipping and import duties (Free Trade was a wet dream). As you may know, when you look at performance reviews Harbor Freight crashes and burns. They're hit-and-miss "passable" even if you buy the extended warranty AND live next door to an outlet—which we don't in Canada
. Grizzly is far better (about the same quality-wise as Busy Bee who they had a "non-compete" clause with for many years until recently)—but the warranties, shipping and parts/service for Canucks can be scary, or so much of a pain you just suck it up and write off the the purchase as a financial lesson, vowing to never buy from them again (welcome to the club).
Magnum 7x12's are the KMS house brand (like Craftex for BusyBee). Princess Auto's 7x12 (SKU: 3460015) is similar to BusyBee, but above Harbor Freight models in quality from what I have heard, experienced through a few cuts myself, and read online. One advantage of the PA model is that PA excels at customer service/returns and seems to have no issue if you don't like the product (at least in my experience). I think the PA model is somewhere between Harbor Freight and Grizzly. However, for me, 3/4 HP is what I call "Kraft Dinner Passable": it's OK....but would be GREAT with some extra cheesie dust (HP).
On to the "Made in the USA" models. First, this isn't always 100% true. As with so many claims, you need to evaluate the "Manufactured in" vs "Assembled in" nonsense, which most companies hide in semantics and legalese. Bottom line is if the extra dollars you pay go for higher labour/union costs in North America vs. better quality parts, then you're just paying extra money to SAY your band saw is made in North America. Assembly likely isn't your issue. It's probably not any better quality, assuming it works out of the gate and has a good warranty. Ellis and Baileigh models are WAY too expensive for a retired guy like me—even though I've previously imported both a Baileigh 48" Mag Brake and an Ellis Belt Grinder a few years ago through Ecco Machinery in BC. I just have a small residential garage hobby/shop in NW Calgary. But with the dollar the way it is, and the darn import and shipping costs on the US stuff........I'm dying here. Also, just try importing industrial machinery into Canada w/o a business name—you get treated like an al-Qaeda operative by Canada Customs.
I looked at the 1500 Series bandsaws from Ellis. But when I called a dealer in Manitoba that handles the import duties and CSA Approvals (req'd on all USA machines) they said they had issues with it and pushed me towards the 1600 Series. Sadly, that's a $5500+ CDN price tag (w/o shipping) through Empire Tools in Winnipeg. Also, the Ellis machines are "dry" saws--no coolant systems, which I am skeptical of...but I'm trying to remain open-minded and not think they are just trying to hose me on consumables (do I sound negative?). Every industrial saw I have seen at metal shops uses coolant, so....this tells me something....even for my small hobby shop environment. Of note here is that Baileigh isn't all USA built as perceived. Ellis is better in terms of North American-built from what I can tell, but you still pay for those union-impacted labor costs (not a judgement, just an observation).
Having said all this, I'm leaning towards the King KC-712DS (
Dual
Swivel) for a few reasons. First, I want a swivel model. In a small garage where you can't pivot your stock on the saw vice this is a deal-breaker. If the saw only cuts 90 degrees horizontal and you need to pivot the vice and stock to cut a 45 degree mitre, that means you need a lot of room to swing a 12 foot piece of tubing (I didn't do the trigonometry on it, but I just know stuff in your shop needs to get moved to make it happen). I also like that it is a 1 HP model (unlike the Princess Auto "Heavy Duty" 3/4 HP 110V model (which I doubt is
actually a real 3/4 HP)). The King Industrial is pre-wired for 220V which I also like, as I have an unused 220V single phase plug in my garage. The Magnum, while gear-driven (a big advantage), cannot be re-wired to 220V (a big disadvantage) at least for me.
Best of all King Industrial is out of Quebec (despite their silly hockey team, Celine Dion, several other things Albertans hate). Yes, the machines are Asian-made like others, but they do have all the parts and service. KMS told me the Magnum models (which are pretty good all around, sold to schools etc., so don't get me wrong) lack a bit when it comes to parts. KMS carries the most common parts for the Magnum house brand—such as Acme nut replacements, etc., according to the Calgary store Manager (Vince). But King has been around since 1910 (in various forms), and has ALL parts. I actually called King from Calgary to Quebec today to ask about this model and any problems they had with it. I really wish I spoke French. The guy I chatted to was great and SOOOOO polite, but struggled with redneck Alberta English. I liked that their call-routing covered Parts, Service and Complaints, as well as an option to chat to a real person still (who does that anymore?).
I'm in the grey zone of gear drive vs. belt operation for a 3/4 inch blade. Higher end 1 inch saw saws use a gear box. I could buy the Magnum (KMS) 7x12 with a gear box (which I am still considering), but I wonder if a low end gear drive sounds like it has more potential for pain than a simple replaceable pulley/belt and motor drive (as on the King KC-712DS) that I can source parts for easily? If I were running a commercial metal shop I'd think differently and go for a gear driven 1 inch model. But if I had that kind of money I'd be hanging out on investment forums and not geeking out about metal fabrication as a hobby anyways.
That's my 2 cents worth (0.78 USD). Hope some of it was helpful. My first preference is the King KC-712DS at about $2700 (plus lift gate service). Second preference is the Magnum MAG-UE712SG at $1999 (plus lift gate service). There are some higher end machines that I have excluded, but I'm already in divorce territory at this price range when my wife finds out
Cheers.
P.S. I'll be letting my old 4x6 go for charity prices in the Classified section of this forum in a few days...just to help out the newbies.
