In order from least recommended to highest recommended:
5) Grizzly 17" GO513, $1116 (closeout price with shipping).
https://www.grizzly.com/products/Grizzly...2-HP/G0513
https://www.grizzly.com/products/Grizzly...on/G0513X2
I respect the Griz. I know you all love them. They do a great job for the "best bang for the buck" category. And this is a giant 17" saw, which is much bigger than the stuff I recommend. Sigh. I just can't get over the bearing guides. Mounting the guides this way makes no sense. The back bearings just gets destroyed over time [I had a 20" Delta with this arrangement and it happens within months]. The side bearings are also positioned in a way that doesn't work the way bearings are designed to work. Life is too short for these sorts of things.
I like the G0513X2, but at $1314, this saw is getting out of the $1000 category and while it has well positioned side bearings it still has a rear bearing facing the wrong direction and no brake. Unless you really need a 17" saw, there are better options...
4) Powermatic - 14" Bandsaw, Model PWBS-14CS, $1170 on sale this week.
https://www.woodcraft.com/products/power...3ae3000bf8
This is a classic design with classic strengths, but considering the new competition, there are better choices for the money.
3) Jet - 14" Steel Frame Band Saw, 13" Resaw Capacity Model JWBS14-SFX, $1100
https://www.woodcraft.com/products/14-steel-frame-band-saw-13-resaw-capacity-model-jwbs14-sfx?via=573621bd69702d0676000002%2C573621e069702d0676000f61%2C5764018e69702d3ae3000bf8
I wanted to like this saw. It's beautiful. It's got striking features: great fence, best in class heavy wheels, great guides [that are, ahem, positioned correctly--although noticeably smaller than the Rikon], good on/off switch, best in class blade tension arm, large table, decent dust collection and nice weight. That's an impressive list of merits.
However, there are some nasty flaws in the details. The table trunnions are surprisingly small. Jet is obviously saving money here. If you work with heavy materials like large logs, def avoid this saw. Clearly, Jet doesn't think folks are gonna notice this.
Additionally, the lower guide bearings have a metal shroud around them creating a total headache to adjust. It seems designed to protect the bottom bearings from falling debris--which is a fine goal--but I'd rather have the access to adjust them.
This is a reasonable choice. I use this saw at work and the dust collection is surprisingly good. That said, I think option number 2 and 1 below are smarter picks.
2. Laguna - Laguna 14 bx Bandsaw 110, $1400
https://www.woodcraft.com/products/laguna-14bx-bandsaw-110v-1-75-hp?via=573621bd69702d0676000002%2C573621e069702d0676000f61%2C5764018e69702d3ae3000bf8
Oh my what a beautiful tool. I'm always torn between buying for beauty and buying for function. I don't want to admit that a beautiful tool affects my decision-making but there it is. This Laguna, with it's stunning paint and dynamically placed typography [with the exception of the switch which looks like a toy] is clearly outside of the $1000 category but has stunning features that justify the additional investment: inspired dust collection, strong table trunnion, nice wheels and a fantastically designed disc brake system [like on a bike] that switches the motor off simultaneously. Wow, be still my heart.
There are downsides. The fit and finish is hit and miss. The fence quality is astonishingly cheap, to a comic degree. Also, the guide adjustments are made from a surprisingly cheap, flimsy plastic. I'm surprised by Laguna's audacity to make such obvious and easily-avoided missteps.
The ceramic guides are a conversation. There's a lot of material out there that suggests this is the better way to do it, but the folks I've talked to at Burns Tools [who have a history of giving me great advice] like other saws better [they like the Jet, they don't have a Rikon on the floor]. The folks at WoodCraft in Mass [great store!] also roll their eyes at the Laguna. This Woodcraft sells 10 Rikons [see below] for every 1 Laguna [they also sell the Jet, which is noteworthy]. Woodcraft has a working shop in their store to teach classes. They're extremely familiar with both the Laguna ceramic guides and the Rikon guides and prefer Rikon's. They say the Rikon has a clear advantage over the Laguna in re-sawing. This makes sense to me, Laguna's rear ceramic guides make me nervous. I have a hard time believing this system will save more blades and require less fuss than a guide system with correctly facing bearings.
[June 20 2020 Update: if you look in the Laguna manual it recommends rotating the rear thrust ceramic pad every 8 hours to avoid getting a groove. Ugh: I prefer systems that are not designed to fail. Also heads up: ceramic guide can spark creating a potential fire hazard. If you're using a dust collector than take note.]
The Laguna is a great saw. It gets a lotta love from a lotta reviews, and HAS A BRAKE, great dust control and with many solid details but the ceramic guides have details that are not well implemented as well as some core issues and the fence is a joke. My guess is that Laguna got used to being king and has gotten lazy. These details decrease confidence and slow down my desire to spend $1400--the most of any of these saws--particularly when you could get the new Rikon below for $300 less.
A note on the Laguna 14-12: Don't buy this saw. The Rikon for the same price goes complete circles around it.
1. Rikon - 14" Deluxe Bandsaw, Model 10-326, $1100
https://www.woodcraft.com/products/rikon...3ae3000bf8
This isn't a perfect bandsaw. $1000[ish] gets a good saw, not a perfect one. However, this Rikon delivers the best mix I've found of the most essential elements.
Standout features include STUNNING GUIDE BEARINGS that beats everything in this class. They're huge bearings positioned correctly and use an innovative spring to make them adjustable without tools. Imagine that. The Rikon also features an impressive geared trunnion table angle adjuster and oversized release [both of which no other saw in this category has] that makes angling the table noticeably easier than other saws here. To make cutting plastics and metals easier the Rikon adds the capacity for adjusting the belt for high and low speeds [again: no other saw in this category has this].
The Rikon fence is great and my second favorite, a hair below the Jet. The Rikon fence has an innovative dial to easily adjust it's parallel-ness with the blade--which again no other saw in this class has. Do you see a trend? Rikon is fighting hard. The Rikon has a solid-enough trunnion, although the Laguna is def better, and the Rikon has wheels about as good as Laguna and a tad underneath Jet.
Take note that this Rikon also has the capacity to upgrade to their new digital control and variable speed motor that features a brake for an additional $650. You read that correctly: you turn a knob and the saw gradually changes speed. With this feature the saw also constantly adjusts power so you never feel a lag. It's almost worth it for the brake alone. Here's the details: https://www.rikontools.com/product/10-326dvr
Flaws of the Rikon include terrible dust collection, possibly the worst on this list. The quick release gets the job done but seems underwhelming compared to others like the Jet. I'm nervous about the Rikon's fence support bar which hangs way too far without support. I'm also rolling my eyes about the plastic adjustment cranks which are noticeably less quality than most saws on this list.
A note on the Rikon 324: if at all possible, upgrade to the 326. The amount of features you get for the money is significant. This explains it well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzRCBLVuuN8
----------------------
SUMMARY
5) Grizzly 513: Needs an expensive guide upgrade, so just get a better saw to begin with.
4) Powermatic 14CS: Meh.
3) Jet 14-SFX: Top fence & wheels. Good dust. Below average trunnion and good luck adjusting those lower guides.
2) Laguna 14BX: Top dust and brake. Very Strong core functionality. Terrible fence and guides with issues [and a surprisingly loyal following]. See this video.
1) Rikon 326: Top guides and many features not found on other saws, good fence. Strong core functionality. lowest price in this group. Terrible dust.
----------------------
Additional Notes
The reason I'm writing this is that all of this is really hard to quantify. I [thought I--see below] made a decision to purchase the Rikon but my heart is still connected to things I love in the Laguna (aesthetics and the brake) and the Jet (fence and the support of folks I trust who have saved my bacon many times). But there I'd be in the store staring at Laguna's terrible fence or Jet's ridiculous trunnion and just not be able to pull the trigger with either. But it's close. Cheers to my colleagues here who landed on a different conclusion--these are all great saws that will enable us all to make great things. The world would be boring if we all came to the same conclusion. But definitely don't get a Laguna or Jet until you at least take a look at the new Rikon 326.
----------------------
June 28, 2019 Update
I thought I was gonna get the Rikon. But then a 80's/90's Delta 14" popped up on CL in cherry condition for $400. It's got great trunnions, all metal parts/knobs and has super styling look. So I'm getting that, a new $180 Grizzly fence, and a new dedicated vacuum that automatically turns on for well under anything on this list.
My best advice: follow CL for a few months and wait one out. And yes: it totally cracks me up that I gave ceramic guides such a hard time above and yet I'm probably gonna upgrade this vintage Delta to ceramic blocks in the near future. Cheers Laguna fans.
----------------------
Aug 10, 2020 Update
I love this 14" Delta but decided to make it a dedicated curve saw and get a 18" bandsaw for straight cuts. Here's my notes on $2K+ Bandsaws.
5) Grizzly 17" GO513, $1116 (closeout price with shipping).
https://www.grizzly.com/products/Grizzly...2-HP/G0513
https://www.grizzly.com/products/Grizzly...on/G0513X2
I respect the Griz. I know you all love them. They do a great job for the "best bang for the buck" category. And this is a giant 17" saw, which is much bigger than the stuff I recommend. Sigh. I just can't get over the bearing guides. Mounting the guides this way makes no sense. The back bearings just gets destroyed over time [I had a 20" Delta with this arrangement and it happens within months]. The side bearings are also positioned in a way that doesn't work the way bearings are designed to work. Life is too short for these sorts of things.
I like the G0513X2, but at $1314, this saw is getting out of the $1000 category and while it has well positioned side bearings it still has a rear bearing facing the wrong direction and no brake. Unless you really need a 17" saw, there are better options...
4) Powermatic - 14" Bandsaw, Model PWBS-14CS, $1170 on sale this week.
https://www.woodcraft.com/products/power...3ae3000bf8
This is a classic design with classic strengths, but considering the new competition, there are better choices for the money.
3) Jet - 14" Steel Frame Band Saw, 13" Resaw Capacity Model JWBS14-SFX, $1100
https://www.woodcraft.com/products/14-steel-frame-band-saw-13-resaw-capacity-model-jwbs14-sfx?via=573621bd69702d0676000002%2C573621e069702d0676000f61%2C5764018e69702d3ae3000bf8
I wanted to like this saw. It's beautiful. It's got striking features: great fence, best in class heavy wheels, great guides [that are, ahem, positioned correctly--although noticeably smaller than the Rikon], good on/off switch, best in class blade tension arm, large table, decent dust collection and nice weight. That's an impressive list of merits.
However, there are some nasty flaws in the details. The table trunnions are surprisingly small. Jet is obviously saving money here. If you work with heavy materials like large logs, def avoid this saw. Clearly, Jet doesn't think folks are gonna notice this.
Additionally, the lower guide bearings have a metal shroud around them creating a total headache to adjust. It seems designed to protect the bottom bearings from falling debris--which is a fine goal--but I'd rather have the access to adjust them.
This is a reasonable choice. I use this saw at work and the dust collection is surprisingly good. That said, I think option number 2 and 1 below are smarter picks.
2. Laguna - Laguna 14 bx Bandsaw 110, $1400
https://www.woodcraft.com/products/laguna-14bx-bandsaw-110v-1-75-hp?via=573621bd69702d0676000002%2C573621e069702d0676000f61%2C5764018e69702d3ae3000bf8
Oh my what a beautiful tool. I'm always torn between buying for beauty and buying for function. I don't want to admit that a beautiful tool affects my decision-making but there it is. This Laguna, with it's stunning paint and dynamically placed typography [with the exception of the switch which looks like a toy] is clearly outside of the $1000 category but has stunning features that justify the additional investment: inspired dust collection, strong table trunnion, nice wheels and a fantastically designed disc brake system [like on a bike] that switches the motor off simultaneously. Wow, be still my heart.
There are downsides. The fit and finish is hit and miss. The fence quality is astonishingly cheap, to a comic degree. Also, the guide adjustments are made from a surprisingly cheap, flimsy plastic. I'm surprised by Laguna's audacity to make such obvious and easily-avoided missteps.
The ceramic guides are a conversation. There's a lot of material out there that suggests this is the better way to do it, but the folks I've talked to at Burns Tools [who have a history of giving me great advice] like other saws better [they like the Jet, they don't have a Rikon on the floor]. The folks at WoodCraft in Mass [great store!] also roll their eyes at the Laguna. This Woodcraft sells 10 Rikons [see below] for every 1 Laguna [they also sell the Jet, which is noteworthy]. Woodcraft has a working shop in their store to teach classes. They're extremely familiar with both the Laguna ceramic guides and the Rikon guides and prefer Rikon's. They say the Rikon has a clear advantage over the Laguna in re-sawing. This makes sense to me, Laguna's rear ceramic guides make me nervous. I have a hard time believing this system will save more blades and require less fuss than a guide system with correctly facing bearings.
[June 20 2020 Update: if you look in the Laguna manual it recommends rotating the rear thrust ceramic pad every 8 hours to avoid getting a groove. Ugh: I prefer systems that are not designed to fail. Also heads up: ceramic guide can spark creating a potential fire hazard. If you're using a dust collector than take note.]
The Laguna is a great saw. It gets a lotta love from a lotta reviews, and HAS A BRAKE, great dust control and with many solid details but the ceramic guides have details that are not well implemented as well as some core issues and the fence is a joke. My guess is that Laguna got used to being king and has gotten lazy. These details decrease confidence and slow down my desire to spend $1400--the most of any of these saws--particularly when you could get the new Rikon below for $300 less.
A note on the Laguna 14-12: Don't buy this saw. The Rikon for the same price goes complete circles around it.
1. Rikon - 14" Deluxe Bandsaw, Model 10-326, $1100
https://www.woodcraft.com/products/rikon...3ae3000bf8
This isn't a perfect bandsaw. $1000[ish] gets a good saw, not a perfect one. However, this Rikon delivers the best mix I've found of the most essential elements.
Standout features include STUNNING GUIDE BEARINGS that beats everything in this class. They're huge bearings positioned correctly and use an innovative spring to make them adjustable without tools. Imagine that. The Rikon also features an impressive geared trunnion table angle adjuster and oversized release [both of which no other saw in this category has] that makes angling the table noticeably easier than other saws here. To make cutting plastics and metals easier the Rikon adds the capacity for adjusting the belt for high and low speeds [again: no other saw in this category has this].
The Rikon fence is great and my second favorite, a hair below the Jet. The Rikon fence has an innovative dial to easily adjust it's parallel-ness with the blade--which again no other saw in this class has. Do you see a trend? Rikon is fighting hard. The Rikon has a solid-enough trunnion, although the Laguna is def better, and the Rikon has wheels about as good as Laguna and a tad underneath Jet.
Take note that this Rikon also has the capacity to upgrade to their new digital control and variable speed motor that features a brake for an additional $650. You read that correctly: you turn a knob and the saw gradually changes speed. With this feature the saw also constantly adjusts power so you never feel a lag. It's almost worth it for the brake alone. Here's the details: https://www.rikontools.com/product/10-326dvr
Flaws of the Rikon include terrible dust collection, possibly the worst on this list. The quick release gets the job done but seems underwhelming compared to others like the Jet. I'm nervous about the Rikon's fence support bar which hangs way too far without support. I'm also rolling my eyes about the plastic adjustment cranks which are noticeably less quality than most saws on this list.
A note on the Rikon 324: if at all possible, upgrade to the 326. The amount of features you get for the money is significant. This explains it well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzRCBLVuuN8
----------------------
SUMMARY
5) Grizzly 513: Needs an expensive guide upgrade, so just get a better saw to begin with.
4) Powermatic 14CS: Meh.
3) Jet 14-SFX: Top fence & wheels. Good dust. Below average trunnion and good luck adjusting those lower guides.
2) Laguna 14BX: Top dust and brake. Very Strong core functionality. Terrible fence and guides with issues [and a surprisingly loyal following]. See this video.
1) Rikon 326: Top guides and many features not found on other saws, good fence. Strong core functionality. lowest price in this group. Terrible dust.
----------------------
Additional Notes
The reason I'm writing this is that all of this is really hard to quantify. I [thought I--see below] made a decision to purchase the Rikon but my heart is still connected to things I love in the Laguna (aesthetics and the brake) and the Jet (fence and the support of folks I trust who have saved my bacon many times). But there I'd be in the store staring at Laguna's terrible fence or Jet's ridiculous trunnion and just not be able to pull the trigger with either. But it's close. Cheers to my colleagues here who landed on a different conclusion--these are all great saws that will enable us all to make great things. The world would be boring if we all came to the same conclusion. But definitely don't get a Laguna or Jet until you at least take a look at the new Rikon 326.
----------------------
June 28, 2019 Update
I thought I was gonna get the Rikon. But then a 80's/90's Delta 14" popped up on CL in cherry condition for $400. It's got great trunnions, all metal parts/knobs and has super styling look. So I'm getting that, a new $180 Grizzly fence, and a new dedicated vacuum that automatically turns on for well under anything on this list.
My best advice: follow CL for a few months and wait one out. And yes: it totally cracks me up that I gave ceramic guides such a hard time above and yet I'm probably gonna upgrade this vintage Delta to ceramic blocks in the near future. Cheers Laguna fans.
----------------------
Aug 10, 2020 Update
I love this 14" Delta but decided to make it a dedicated curve saw and get a 18" bandsaw for straight cuts. Here's my notes on $2K+ Bandsaws.
