[jgred]

I am going thru this dilemma right now as well.

 

[spineman]

Just bought the Rikon 10-326 after an extensive eval of all options including Laguana. Here were the final points.
1. 5 year warranty. They believe in their product. Laguna 1 year. Come on Laguna.
2. Blade Guide system rocks! Super fast, toolless.
3. Awesome fence. State of the art.
4. Two miter slots!
5. Fence works on both sides of blade when tilited 45%
6. Rack and pinion table. Fast, accurate.locking arm
7. Storage below.
8. Awesome manual. Inside reference sticker.
9. Fit and finish is great.
10. Smooth and 13"+ resaw capacity.
11. Very nice 5/8" blade included.
12. Complete tool kit in nice zipper pouch.
This saw has blown me away. Industry standard. IMHO. Could not buy anything else even for $1,000 more with these features. Laguna was the saw to bea t and they blew it away! No more dilemma.
Only wish? Electronic brake on THIS saw.

 

[mgmine]

I totally agree. Besides all that you listed the Rikon just looks like a more substantial saw, a bigger saw, a better saw.

 

[Gentile]

I like my Rikon. It's a 325, no brake. I never thought I'd need the brake, I don't.
Only problem with the BS is adjusting the bearings onderneath the table…
I keep a 3/4" blade on it and a 1/4" blade on my old Delta.

 

[kelvancra]

As to ceramic vs bearings, I've had both, and the standard steel guides that eat blades.

Any problem with the bearings systems was - ME. Once I got past me, they were fine.

I will say, regarding bearings, my Powermatic bearings run twenty each through Powermatic and takes five up and five down. HOWEVER, the same bearings from a bearing supplier run about $7.00 for eight or ten.

I did have a bit of trouble with seals still allowing dust in to bearings. In response, I went against the rules, pulled the seals and packed the bearings with molybdenum grease I had on hand, reinstalled the seals, mounted them and now it's been months since one has given me any problems.

If I allow the bearings to press against the blade [so they're running all the time (and except when I'm running my Carter Stabilizer guide, which I love)], I have problems. If I leave a couple thousandths gap, I don't.

 

[ArtMann]

I may be the only one here who owns and uses both a Rikon and the Laguna 14/12 bandsaws. The Rikon is an older model but the characteristics are similar to the newer ones. Obviously, I like both of them. I use the Rikon for fine curve cutting and utility work and the Laguna sees almost 100% resaw duty. The fit and finish of the Laguna is far better than the Rikon but fit and finish don't determine usability. My biggest complaint with the Rikon is that the saw guides are grossly inferior to those of the Laguna. They are difficult to set and the bearings fail so often that I buy them in tubes of 10. I very seldom adjust them. If I did, I would either get rid of the saw or buy after market guides. If this is going to be your only band saw, I recommend you just budget in a replacement blade guide system from day one. The Laguna is more expensive but has no such flaws.

 

[Mainbuilder]

I had the Laguna HD 16 for about 7years. Incredible saw. Some drawbacks are the bottom door hitting the fence handle so it will not open all the way without removing the fence. And blade changes meant adjusting the bottom guides which is a challenge. The simple solution was adjust it wide and leave alone. I know these have been mentioned before but what bothered me was laguna has been getting feed back on these issues for years and their newest model 14-12 has the same problem. It doesn't speak well for customer relations when they don't respond. Both are easy fixes. As for Woodcraft their salespeople push the laguna. I have not met a sales person who has used either saw let alone could make a comparison. Use you best judgement based on your needs, and listen to your peers, they know what is going on

 

[willcare]

I've had the 14-12 for a year and love it. The quality is very high and the service is great. Called them because the fence was not flat, and got a new one in the mail several days later. Ceramic guides are great. Only drawback is no brake.

 

[jsk12]

What I like about the Rikon is the bearings vs the ceramic guides on the Laguna. As was pointed out of YouTube they aren t solid ceramic they are only a coating which wears out and the replacement cost is $100 dollars!

- mgmine

are there any good third-party replacements that are cheaper?

thanks

 

[mgmine]

Sorry I don't know if there are any good 3rd party suppliers. I went with the Rikon and couldn't be happier. This my 2nd one and I only got the new one because I liked the newer bearing system better. I sold my older one for a hundred less than I paid for it and ended up with a brand new saw for not much extra money.

 

[jsk12]

Sorry I don t know if there are any good 3rd party suppliers. I went with the Rikon and couldn t be happier. This my 2nd one and I only got the new one because I liked the newer bearing system better. I sold my older one for a hundred less than I paid for it and ended up with a brand new saw for not much extra money.

- mgmine

thanks, i think i'm def leaning rikon cuz of warranty and price of bearings

 

[AHuxley]

Sorry I don t know if there are any good 3rd party suppliers.

I am pretty sure there are no third party suppliers of the ceramic inserts. Space Age Ceramics makes them and they don't even have the Laguna versions on their site. However, the cost of replacing the guides should not be a deciding factor. You will replace the bearings on the Rikon many times before you wear out a set of the ceramic guides. The ceramic guides have no moving parts and are so much harder than the blade backer it would be rare if a hobbyist ever wore a set out. I have seen a couple that have been well used in hobby shops from the early days of Laguna supplying them that have no visually perceptible wear.

 

[jsk12]

Sorry I don t know if there are any good 3rd party suppliers.

I am pretty sure there are no third party suppliers of the ceramic inserts. Space Age Ceramics makes them and they don t even have the Laguna versions on their site. However, the cost of replacing the guides should not be a deciding factor. You will replace the bearings on the Rikon many times before you wear out a set of the ceramic guides. The ceramic guides have no moving parts and are so much harder than the blade backer it would be rare if a hobbyist ever wore a set out. I have seen a couple that have been well used in hobby shops from the early days of Laguna supplying them that have no visually perceptible wear.

- AHuxley

interesting, i might still lean rikon cuz of warranty but now you have me thinking….

thanks

 

[kroginold]

I know this is an older thread, but because there are some recent posts, I want to correct a statement made earlier about the laguna guides. The guides are solid ceramic, not a coating. The YouTuber who put out this misinformation looked at the metal from his blade that had worn off on the ceramic guides and thought the guides had worn through. The ceramic guides are SOLID but over time the metal from blades will wear off on them. This does not affect the function of the guides. Also there is no "fuss" to setting them up. Unlike bearings or the older cool blocks system, ceramic guides are meant to touch the blade, so they are very easy to position.

 

[mgmine]

As an aside without any set up or fooling around I was able to resaw a piece of wood to the thickness of a saw blade, about 1/16" thick. The blade wasn't even touching the bearings, I simple put it on and started sawing. The Rikon 10-326 is by far the best bandsaw I have owned . When it goes on sale I would snap it up. As far as bearings or guides I have no opinion which is better but I have never worn out the bearings on any of my saws. With the 5 year warranty from Rikon they would replace them for free if they did wear out. Speaking of warranty you won't find any better customer service. I had a sander that I bought off ebay and the bearing on that was shot. I called Rikon and ordered a new one. When it came I couldn't figure how to get the old one out so I called them again. The guy I was talking to went to the back room and took a machine apart with me standing by on the phone just so he could explain step by step what to do!

 

[jsk12]

do you think using graphite spray on the bearings might help? the graphite dries so im guessing the bearings shouldn't gunk up, haven't tested it though

 

[AHuxley]

With the 5 year warranty from Rikon they would replace them for free if they did wear out.

Guide bearings are considered a wear item and not covered under warranty unless they are DOA. With heavy use, one will go through maybe a set a year possibly two sets of bottom bearings. With light use, say once or twice a month, it is possible to get several years before having any issues.

 

[newwoodbutcher]

I have the 19" Rikon. After a bit of learning curve it performs well.when the guide bearings started growling I switched to Space Age Ceramin guides. I recommend them. One of my WW buddies has the Laguna. I played with it a bit and I think it's a superior saw to the Rikon , build quality mostly.

 

[mgmine]

do you think using graphite spray on the bearings might help? the graphite dries so im guessing the bearings shouldn't gunk up, haven't tested it though

- phillywoodshop

Don't worry about the bearings, you can get after market sealed bearings for under $1 dollar each. I'm not sure what others use their saw for but I consider myself a typical home user and have never had to replace a bearing on any brand of band saw that I have owned. I have had to replace bearings on the table saw and got aftermarket ones for a fraction of the cost that Delta was selling them for. Go for the saw that you want just don't get something like a Grizzly.

 

[kelvancra]

I've had to change bearings on my saw(s) several times. All it takes is spacing out and setting them too tight or to run constantly. Too tight can even come from running green or wet wood. HOWEVER, like mgmine says, they can be bought from bearing suppliers on the cheap.

If I went to Powermatic, I'd pay around $200.00 for a full set of guide bearings, but I get them from suppliers for about ten bucks for eight or ten, including shipping.

I do have problems with seals allowing fine dust in, so I experimented and packed a couple bearings with moly grease. I don't remember if I used some of my ceramic ones or standard steel ones, but they've been going far longer than the last set.

I should note that several of the sets just needed the seals removed, soaking in solvent and rinsing to remove gunk, then new grease or oil (I didn't have the extra's handy back then).