Dewalt saw vs. the "big boys"

[RocketMan]

I have read many things, most good and some bad about the Dewalt Scroll Saw. The same could be said for the RBI G4, the Excalibur EX21 the Hegner, and many other saws. Since many people are doing excellent work with the Dewalt saw, I am tempted to save my money and go with that saw.

However, I am thinking long-term and I am thinking that post-retirement, (or pre-retirement) I may chose to supplement my income with scrolling.

Everybody has their personal preference, and many people on this board are delighted with the Dewalt scroll saw. I just want to know if I am giving up anything by purchasing this so-called "middle-tier" saw? Am I giving up anything in productivity, cutting speed, cutting accuracy, vibration, or longevity by going with the Dewalt? If the answer is that it is just whatever you are comfortable with, and that most of the saws from the Dewalt 788 and the Delta P-20 on up to the most costly Hawks, Excaliburs and Hegners are equally satisfying for a full-time scroller (depending on personal preference, of course) than that is useful to know. On the other hand, if there is a jump in quality or some other measurable thing when you make the jump to the high end, I would like to know that as well.

Is there a reason why the Excalibur EX21 costs 50% more and the Hawk G4 costs more than double the price of the Dewalt (and the Delta P-20)? I do like the color of the Hawk G4 (and the Hegners) better than "ol yella", but if that is the only difference, I can't justify the cost differential.

Thanks in advance for your help.

sign me, "Confused in Clarksville"
-Alan

[Rolf]

Alan that is a tough one. It would be nice if you could try all of them before you commit. I have never used a Dewalt so I can't comment on it but I do like my G4. As you will discover we all Love our own machines.

[CanadianScroller]

I have alway been a proponent of low cost saws, because I havent has the money for more expensive ones.
I have used the dewalt, a hawk and the EX21.
I do like the EX21 and that ...so far.. will be the one I save up for.
I know there are personal tastes, I like the fact you can top or bottom feed and I like the fact the saw tilts and not the table. I think this is an advantagous feature for production cutting.
I cannot answer why some saws cost so much more than others, other than the obvious ones of overseas labour and material costs, and quality of parts.

[Neal Moore]

Alan...I'm not touting one saw over another but will share my experience with the DeWalt 788. I've had my saw, a type 2, for about three years now. The saw has several hundred hours on it and every project in my book was cut on this saw in addition to 50 or 60 other segmentation projects. I've used it for virtually every type of scrolling from fretwork to intarsia. The only problem I've encountered was a blown fuse which I caused by binding a dull blade in thick wood while cutting an "on the spot" turn. Woodcraft has a decent sale going on now on the DeWalt. If you live near a Woodcraft store you might ask to see the saw you're buying demonstrated prior to purchase. There have been some quality issues with the type two saws involving table flatness, knocking and excessive distance between the blade clamps. If you can see the saw demonstrated and the afore mentioned issues are not evident, it's probably what you're looking for and it will do anything the high end saws will do. My saw has paid for itself MANY times over and I'd buy another in a heartbeat!!!

[RAIN MAN]

Allen,if you are considering one of the big boys, I cant help but bring up looking into the Eclipse. It is one hell of a saw. check it out !!! Rain Man

[Rolf]

Just a note on the reasons for the differance in price.
I took my Delta SS350 ( $180) apart because of noise and vibration just to take a look. The plate that ties the back of the parrallel arms together is just a steel plate with a couple of holes punched in it, no bearings. I lubed it all with white lithium grease. A higher end saw would have bearings or at least oilite bushings. The other thing is the power. My RBI has a very high torque constant speed motor. What I mean is I set a speed and the saw will not slow down no matter what the load. So the bottom line is you get better quality commponents on a higher end saw.
Will that matter for the average hobbiest? That is a personal decision.
I have bought enough Cheap tools in my life and then had to buy again because they were crap. So I will always buy the best that I can afford and satisfies my needs.

[JohnB]

I have a Delta which has been superseded by my Dewalt. Plate that ties the arms at the rear had worn considerably at the pin holes. I re-bushed the holes and all was good for another 6 months or so, then the blade clamp gave up the ghost. I jerry rigged that but figured enough was enough and dug deep for a Dewalt.
The Delta was worth what I paid for it and I certainly got my monies worth from it.
I've kept it as a spare in case the Dewalt decides to go belly up and I have an important job to do.

Had the knocking problem with the Dewalt but sorted that and have been very happy with it.

[eendreno]

There's price and cost. I have many Dewalt tools. I purchased these with discount and manufacturer incentive deals from the big box home improvement stores. Service is non-existant. RBI has a service dept, and a support system that is the absolute best! Add to that a long very comprehensive warranty. I was making two inch thick corbels, and had a problem with the blade holding clamp, it cracked and died. i called service, they gave me more of the existing clamps, plus the new style. they also included all the upgrades that were done to the saw. I"VE dealt with most all the major tool companies, it's always part number, model number blah-blah. The gentleman on the phone knew the saw the parts, the production run and the changes. The folks at RBI are a pleasure to deal with and they do have what I believe to be a much superior product. Doug

[lucky788scroller]

John, I just realized you are using a yella saw. Is there an australian distributor of the Dewalt?? Dale

[JohnB]

Originally Posted by lucky788scroller

John, I just realized you are using a yella saw. Is there an australian distributor of the Dewalt?? Dale

G'day Dale,
Black and Decker handle the distribution in Oz of Dewalt tools. Dewalt is a subsidiary of B&D but we have no dewalt distributors as such.

They won't bring in the scroll saws as they reckon there is not a big enough market.

I did quite a bit of research regarding saws when the Delta went down for the 3rd time and common consensus seemed to be that the yella ones were best value for money.

The only other mid to top end saw in oz is the Hegner, but with prices for a 14" single speed at over$900.00 au it was not affordable as I wanted a larger machine and variable speed.

I got the Dewalt from ToolKing in the U.S. landed at my door for about $650.00, plus another $80.00 for a 240v to 110v transformer.

Boy that was a long winded way to say NO