Found the exact same thing. Good review. And I found that the blades are available almost everywhere. The powermatic that I was looking at was special order only
I agree with you , the quality is incomparable. This is why I bought my new 14/12 bandsaw. a legacy saw which will last 20-30 years or more, much like the older General equipment.
I'm not sure if you switched from the ceramic blade guides to bearing type guides, but Carter makes some excellent guides, I have them on my old Jet. I've been looking at this saw for a while, but can't get myself to pull the trigger, but when I do, it's getting bearing blade guides.
@@levelupstudio_gstock We had one issue where it was the blade at fault (made the wheels shake)but never had one that came unbalenced but Laguna custermer service has always helped my customers with any issues.
Thank you, great video, I'm about to be in the market and am looking at the Laguna as well. Di you per chance consider the Harvey models? Also on my short list.
Hi Carlos. I did consider for a short period but at the time Harvey was still a relatively new offering (to me anyway). That and the fact that I was able to touch and feel the Laguna helped a lot. Having been a year or so I will say I’ve seen a bit of a “shake” in this saw develop. Haven’t been able to solve yet but have found an approximate .0010 out of round on the lower wheel. It’s unfair to say it’s anything to do with the saw with so little data yet. It really could be a tire, the blade, or something else causing the vibration. I have yet to contact Laguna either.
@Level Up Studio Custom Tables thank you very much for your response, I am trying to see where I can see these live. I have read that blade choice can make a huge impact. Appreciate the info!
Hi Dusty. I do still have it and overall I'd give it 4/5 stars. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and would like to see this saw a bit more balanced (I still get a small vibration that is worse the wider the blade). Narrow blades (1/2 or less) get barely any noticeable vibration. 100% truth - I don't ACTUALLY know if it's the blades or the saw (I got all blades from 1 place). Also, for what it's worth I know a lot of people RAVE about the "wood slicer" 3/4" resaw blade. I have NOT been impressed. It cuts very slowly, acts dull (dust is very fine), and didn't track nearly as well as any other blade I have. If I ever find an article/paper on how to balance it better, I'll definitely be trying it.
@@levelupstudio_gstock oh ok! Good to know about the blade, I was also going to buy one of those lol. I will have to do some more research on the blades! Appreciate the reply!
So if you are comparing an 18" bandsaw to a 15" bandsaw, you are comparing apples to oranges. What would happen if you compared your Laguna 18bx to an 18" Jet? The Laguna may still eek out an advantage but it would be a lot more fair, and a lot closer. I looked at the Laguna 14bx and was shocked at how poor the construction was and decided to drop it from my candidate list.
Fair point. I guess I didn’t consider that manufacturing quality would vary so much between saw sizes (even in the same line & brand). Did the 14bx not have the qualities I highlighted in the video? I know other viewers would benefit from that info! Thanks for sharing.
I have lost all faith in Jet, or any JPW brand. (Jet, Powermatic, Baileigh, Wilton). They used to be solid, but have gone through too many parent companies and are now terrible.
Found the exact same thing.
Good review.
And I found that the blades are available almost everywhere. The powermatic that I was looking at was special order only
I agree with you , the quality is incomparable. This is why I bought my new 14/12 bandsaw. a legacy saw which will last 20-30 years or more, much like the older General equipment.
Thanks mate. I've been tossing up about Laguna, and yeah, they look like "buy once cry once".
I'm not sure if you switched from the ceramic blade guides to bearing type guides, but Carter makes some excellent guides, I have them on my old Jet. I've been looking at this saw for a while, but can't get myself to pull the trigger, but when I do, it's getting bearing blade guides.
Good review, Have assembled many 14/18bx's and even the LT resaw models at the woodshop I work at. Details do matter.
Thanks Bob. Ever have an 18BX be out of balance and if so, how did you fix? High level steps?
@@levelupstudio_gstock We had one issue where it was the blade at fault (made the wheels shake)but never had one that came unbalenced but Laguna custermer service has always helped my customers with any issues.
Thank you, great video, I'm about to be in the market and am looking at the Laguna as well. Di you per chance consider the Harvey models? Also on my short list.
Hi Carlos. I did consider for a short period but at the time Harvey was still a relatively new offering (to me anyway). That and the fact that I was able to touch and feel the Laguna helped a lot.
Having been a year or so I will say I’ve seen a bit of a “shake” in this saw develop. Haven’t been able to solve yet but have found an approximate .0010 out of round on the lower wheel. It’s unfair to say it’s anything to do with the saw with so little data yet. It really could be a tire, the blade, or something else causing the vibration. I have yet to contact Laguna either.
@Level Up Studio Custom Tables thank you very much for your response, I am trying to see where I can see these live. I have read that blade choice can make a huge impact. Appreciate the info!
Looking to get the 18BX. Looks like its been 2 years since you got yours. Do you still love it? Thanks for making this video.
Hi Dusty. I do still have it and overall I'd give it 4/5 stars. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and would like to see this saw a bit more balanced (I still get a small vibration that is worse the wider the blade). Narrow blades (1/2 or less) get barely any noticeable vibration. 100% truth - I don't ACTUALLY know if it's the blades or the saw (I got all blades from 1 place). Also, for what it's worth I know a lot of people RAVE about the "wood slicer" 3/4" resaw blade. I have NOT been impressed. It cuts very slowly, acts dull (dust is very fine), and didn't track nearly as well as any other blade I have.
If I ever find an article/paper on how to balance it better, I'll definitely be trying it.
@@levelupstudio_gstock oh ok! Good to know about the blade, I was also going to buy one of those lol. I will have to do some more research on the blades! Appreciate the reply!
So if you are comparing an 18" bandsaw to a 15" bandsaw, you are comparing apples to oranges. What would happen if you compared your Laguna 18bx to an 18" Jet? The Laguna may still eek out an advantage but it would be a lot more fair, and a lot closer. I looked at the Laguna 14bx and was shocked at how poor the construction was and decided to drop it from my candidate list.
Fair point. I guess I didn’t consider that manufacturing quality would vary so much between saw sizes (even in the same line & brand). Did the 14bx not have the qualities I highlighted in the video? I know other viewers would benefit from that info! Thanks for sharing.
I have lost all faith in Jet, or any JPW brand. (Jet, Powermatic, Baileigh, Wilton). They used to be solid, but have gone through too many parent companies and are now terrible.
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