Replies

1. 
   WillGeorge | Oct 24, 2007 06:09am | #1

   Laguna? I called them before I got my Rikon..

   I was treated like dirt.. Enough said on my part... I asked questions.. OK so I did not get anybody from Ricon so I did not get so mad!

2. 
   WillGeorge | Oct 24, 2007 06:14am | #2

   This is the lowest cost I've seen for a saw with a riving knife which makes it very appealing.

   Get a Powermatic or one of the new Grizzes.. The 12 inch Grizz looks more than nice! OK so I had a bad experience with Laguna..

3. 
   mapleman | Oct 24, 2007 06:56am | #3

   Mr Potter,

   As a person who has kept an open mind about Laguna until I bought a product from them I can say a few things with certainty:

   Do Not expect a call back from anyone after your credit card has been charged. Not the service dept, not the parts dept, and certainly not your salesman because they are slick to customers calling them trying to get answers and/or parts, etc.

   Don't expect to get parts unless you are willing to wait months for a new batch to come in. But I can guarantee they will tell you that you are "at the top of the list" when they do come in. Like that makes a difference.

   You better speak chinese 'cause you're going to have to if you want to understand the manual. And you will need good vision to see the blurry dark photos in the manual which will definitely be run off from the office xerox.

   I don't know where you live but I would rather hitchhike to your house and make a riving knife from scratch and install it than see you piss your money away on a great product with lousy service.

   Good luck, hope you get a grizzly or powermatic.

   Lee

1. 
   PTPotter | Oct 24, 2007 06:57pm | #4

   Thanks for the input, I think I'll pass on the Laguna. 

   I live in Canada so Grizzly is not an option.  They won't ship here or honour the warranty if I import it myself.  Apparently they have an aggreement with busybeetools.com where they won't export to Canada and BB won't export to the US.

   I have been seriously considering the PM2000 which I can buy in Buffalo which is only a 1 hour drive from where I live.  I have emailed PM and there would be no problem with the cross border warranty, however, they don't currently have any service reps here and it would not be very practical to haul a 600 pound table saw out of my basement and drive it back to Buffalo if I ever need service.

   Sawstop is not in the budget so I will probably have to go without the riving knife and get a General or a Steel City.

4. 
   vincentedwards | Oct 24, 2007 07:40pm | #5

   I have done a lot of research here.

   I own a laguna bandsaw, so the reps are always very helpful to me when I call.
   I have never had a problem ordering more blades.

   I spoke with a laguna rep about this saw and he had a few very helpful insights.

   1- The saw in question is essentially the same as the steel city deluxe tablesaw. I was told this directly from laguna. The main difference being that the saw has a riving knife whereas the SS doesnt... yet. As I understand it, steel city will be releasing several new and updated tablesaws after the new year. One will be the granite top saw which is cheaper than the laguna and has a riving knife. I was told by a rep that they will update their whole line from the top down with riving knives as soon as they can... no dates yet.

   2- Laguna doesn't know much more about the saw yet... it's too new.

   ______

   In light of this, steel city has much better customer support than laguna. Period.
   If you can wait for them to deliver the riving knife, then I would buy SS.
   If not, rest assured that the laguna is basically the same saw.
   I don't think thier customer service is as bad as it was made out to be. Maybe just
   one bad rep?

   For a few hundered dollars more, I would still suggest you choose the powermatic.
   Or, since you're in canada, what about a General tablesaw. The ones made in canada are
   supposed to be excellent. (but no riving knife)

   I have the same debate about waiting for the riving knife... I got lucky and someone let me keep their unisaw until next spring, so I'm going to wait it out.

   Vincent

1. 
   sykesville | Oct 25, 2007 01:38am | #6

   I have no stock in Laguna, but I do have a 16HD. The service reps actually called ME three time to ensure everything was fine and I had no other concerns. There was the slightest imperfection in one of the tires when the bandsaw arrived and they sent me an entire wheel because I felt I shouldn't have to change a tire on a brand new machine. And it's not just the service, the Laguna bandsaw is certainly the finest machine I've ever purchased. I wouldn't sell it for a couple hundred over what I paid. No bs (pardon the pun).

5. 
   Hastings | Oct 25, 2007 04:42pm | #7

   Potter:

   I, too, have a Laguna bandsaw (LT 16 HD). Clearly some people have had a very poor experience with Laguna, but I'm not one of them! The problem with anecdotal information is that we only see one side of the story and we have no idea how many occurrences of poor service vs. satisfied customers there are. Satisfied customers tend to be silent anyway.

   Some in this thread have recommended the Powermatic, but recently there was a thread saying that the arbor had problems due to inferior quality steel. You might want to check that out.

   Hastings

1. 
   mapleman | Oct 25, 2007 09:20pm | #8

   Hastings,

   The problem with anecdotal information is that we only see one side of the story and we have no idea how many occurrences of poor service vs. satisfied customers there are.

   I would suggest doing a search for "Laguna" here and at other forums and see how many people are satisfied with the service or products.

   I am happy to know you are a satisfied customer - and as I said I kept an open mind even after reading hundreds of threads detailing the poor service. I bought anyway - and I am sorry I did. I just like to make sure people know the all of the facts or what's possible (worst case) before making a decision like mine ($2000).

   I would also suggest for anyone to check in at the Laguna users forum - except the site gets almost no traffic (literally) and the owner/his wife/anyone high up in the company  has not posted to their own forum in years.

   Cheers,

   Lee

   P.S.

   Hastings,  I think you own their absolute best product (16HD Bandsaw) and have never heard of a complaint about that saw unless it was a very minor one. That was to be my next major tool purchase but I think I'll look at other vendors after my experience.

6. 
   joepez | Oct 25, 2007 10:40pm | #9

   i have two laguna machines, and they have always called me back and been very helpful. i have a lt 16 bs, and their tss of which both have been as advertized.

    just a note, i got rid of a 2 yr old pm 66 because of several design issues i felt were poorly designed and  the machine always had great reviews, but it didnt fit me.

   point being, go to a local store and spend some time testing and buy what fits you and your work habits. it comes down to availability, serviceability, price etc.

   things to look for that may or maynot affect your decision,

   where is the stop button? easy to reach while holding a workpiece?

   riving knife? fit and finish of machine? type of fence? table to the right of blade material? flatness? arbor runout? easy to tune and zero in? etc, you get the point.

   let us know what you get though, then we will all chime in!

   joe p

1. 
   PTPotter | Oct 26, 2007 07:00am | #10

   I really appreciate all the input.  I can't belive the range on responses on Laguna, nobody seems to be neutral, you either love em or hate em.

   I did get some good news from my local tool dealer, Powermatic will be available in Canada in the new year and he can get tools now so the PM2000 is looking very appealing.

   I've pretty much narrowed it down to either the General 650 or the PM2000.  I like the rock solid reputation of the General but the new design of the PM are very appealing.  Both are about the same price.  Its going to be a tough (but fun) decision.