Pat,
I cannot find a web page that I saw long (several years) ago that compared
the various retailers' 4X6 (and similar nomenclature) saws. My
recollection was that they were pretty close in design and features. Some
saws were reported to be made in Taiwan and others in the PRC. Paint
scheme aside, the primary differences that I recall was differences in the
ratings of the electric motors and that one of the parts was a casting on
some saws (I remember the Homier being one of these) and it was a stamping
or whatever on the majority of the others. I cannot even remember which
part that was; it really was not a discriminator for me because in some
instances stampings can be superior to castings (depends on the application
and design, etc.). Based on that review I purchased a Homier. The
decision to purchase a Homier was based not on the Homier being a superior
saw but rather it was because I could purchase it for $99.95 (plus tax) at
a local Homier sale, it offered the best deal for me. Had Homier not been
available I would have purchased the HF, once again based on price and free
shipping. Had HF not been available, I would probably have driven to
Grizzly and bought their saw, the deciding factor being price and to save
shipping costs. After that, who knows, Enco, Cummins...?
Many companies sell these saws. Homier, HF, Grizzly, Jet, Enco, Delta, and
so on. My belief is that they are pretty much the same basic saw (see
below for a difference of opinion). I - personally - recommend that you
make a factor other than the retailer your discriminating factor (price,
dealer reputation, dealer location, color, etc.) For instance, Enco offers
their 5"X6" (which I am pretty sure is the same saw) for $179.95 but they
also offer a model with a UL motor for $239.95. Maybe the UL motor will be
a discriminator for you. Maybe the Jet's motor is UL, I don't know.
Sometimes you can find a machine tool supplier that offers the choice of a
USA made motor. I don't know if this is the case with the 4X6 but if it
important to you, see if you can find a dealer that offers that option.
I have used my saw but not extensively. I am extremely pleased with it.
It has cut through 2" 12L14 just great. It is arguably the most important
tool in my shop, particularly given that I have an upcoming task that will
require making several hundred cuts in some 1/4" X 1" flat steel.
The below links may be of benefit for you. You may also wish to do a web
search and try to find the comparison that I mentioned but the last time I
tried it I could not find the site.
I do feel that I should note that at least one person feels that the Homier
is not on par with the others. You will find his comments about halfway
down the page (do a search on Homier):
I recommend that you read the entire page because one gent (George
O'Connor) apparently owns or works for a firm that sells replacement parts
and upgrades for the saws and as such has probably seen a lot of them and
can thus gives an opinion based on a wider base of experience than most of
us - and especially me. Incidentally, I believe his reference to:
should probably read:
Regardless of your choice you will probably want to tweak or modify your
saw (improving the base is usually the first modification) and regardless
of your selection I figure you will be happy with the purchase.
Good luck,
Charles
"johnrunchey"
<runchman@amerite To: 4x6bandsaw@...
ch.net> cc:
Subject: [4x6bandsaw] Re: Need help deciding which bandsaw
12/11/2003 07:21 to get
PM
Please respond to
4x6bandsaw
I'll chime in in favor of the HF saw also. I bought one of these a
while back, and as someone that usually avoids HF stuff like the
plague, I think this saw is great.
But yes, get a new blade. And keep an eye on it while running so you
can keep the motor from burning up if it jams.
Have fun,
John in Illinois
--- In 4x6bandsaw@..., "Pat" <york01@c...> wrote:
Hi,
I am new to this forum and need some input on which saw to receive as
a Christmas present from my wife. I was leaning towards the Harbor
Freight which is presently on sale for $149.99 at the HF store in
Rockford, IL. Then I went to Menards for some electrical supplies and
eye-balled the Jet HVBS-56M model they had on display. The Jet has a
price of $259.99 on it. I have only seen pictures of the HF saw, but
from what I can tell the only difference between the Jet and the HF
is that the Jet has an adjustable material stop, and adjustable
levelers on two of the legs. I then found out that my wife is going
to get the Jet saw on the advice from her brother. I guess I would be
happy with either saw, but is the Jet worth the extra $100.00. I
would hate to see her spend more money than needed. I will be using
whatever saw I end up with for cutting mild steel angles, bar, and
flats. I have read some of the previous posts but did not find
anything that stated that one was better than the other. Any
information on the differences between the two saws would be greatly
appreciated.................thanks,
Pat.
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