What do you think about JET tools?

[mastercabman]

I am thinking about getting a band saw.When i worked in a shop,we had a 16" or 18" band saw(don't really remember size and make)We never had any problem,it was an industrial tool after all.
Now,shop has been closed for a few years,and I'm trying to get my little shop with some tools,but i am limited with space(very small garage).I'm only using my shop for little side job or project i have at home.
Most of my tools i have are job site size.Everything is on wheels !!
I noticed that JET has a new line of tools(bench top)  10" band saw,miter saws,job site table saw,small press drill,and some other.
I am looking at the 10" band saw witch looks pretty good.But I'm not sure if JET is worth investing in.But for the price about $300.00 it's not a bad deal.
I did consider DELTA but i get a lot of not so hot reviews.
So what do you think about JET?    What about the size ?  10"?  Should i look at a bigger size like a 14"?  I just want a band saw to do basic band saw cutting,nothing too big.

 

[JayStPeter]

I think Jet makes some really good tools, some decent tools, and some mediocre tools.
For bandsaws, I'd look at 14" saws.  I remember reading a review of the 10" saws somewhere and all of them had issues that I thought were unsat.  Check out the Grizzly 14" 'Ultimate' if you need to cut costs (maybe even if you don't).

 

[mwhafner]

I have a 14" Jet, and love it.  If you can possibly find space, I would go with a 14" or larger saw.  At least for me, the added flexibility is well worth the space and cost.  
If I was in the market now, I would also have to give the Rikon and Steel City models a look.  Both seem to get great reviews.

 

[Neill]

I bought their hybrid table saw with the 52" professional fence and table about 10 years ago.  I am a hobbyist so I do not use it regularly but it has performed flawlessly.  I am currently using a Forrest Woodworker II (30 tooth blade).  I also have the Freud 8" Super Dado set that I use with it.

I bought it in the first place because it had better reviews than Delta for the saw itself and the fence.  It was also less expensive.  I could have bought the Biesmeier fence but that would have made the price differential even higher.

Only two problems I encountered when I initially bought it were that (1) accessories were more readily available for the Delta and (2) Jet's Customer Service.  I know that accessories are now more available for Jet than they were 10 years ago.  When I initially bought the saw I had a question during the initial setup.  The guy I spoke to could not have been more curt.  I wound up figuring out the problem myself.  Hopefully this has improved as well.

I also had to buy an aftermarket miter gauge.  The one that came with it was truly a piece of crap.  It was not even a good paperweight.  But I guess that is not unusual.

Hope this helps.

Neill

 

[fidelfs]

You should check the Rikon 14" It is a great machine.
Rikon 14 Deluxe Bandsaw
and the video

 

[nickao]

You will get no bigger bang from a buck than from a Grizzly Band Saw. As long as you pick out the correct model Grizzly offers some of the best band Saws out there.

Go here:

http://www.grizzly.com/products/mach-specs.aspx?key=420000]Grizzly Band Saws

Some of the Band Saws here are not as good as others but a few of these models are the best deal ever.
Like the 14" for 375.00.

I have had three Grizzly band Saws and loved them all.

Compare prices not saw sizes. Many will say well this 14" is better than the Grizzly 14" or what not, but I bet it is 50% more money if not even higher. So compare the Grizzly by price. If you are looking at a 14" for 800.00 then see what grizzly model is 800.00. If you compare that way you will see for the money and performance Grizzly has great Band Saws.

 

[polarsea1]

A good little inexpensive saw is the craftsman 10" which looks identical to the Jet except it's selling right noe for $170.00.

Craftsman 10" saw

 

[mastercabman]

Thanks to all of you so far.I'm also going to look at  bigger saw(14")
I'm going to take my time as i need to get back on track with my spending money!!! ;D

 

[Tinker]

I have a 16" Reliant BS with (supposedly) 12" rip capacity.  That is 12 " if you chop off the end of your ruler.
I also have an ancient 9" Rockwell-Delta-DeWalt BS that is about 60 or 70 years old.

Also a couple of Jigsaws.  My old Milwaukee jigsaw I made a plate so I could use it upside down.  I also have the Festool jigsaw which i will also set up for upside down use. (BTW: I think I saw that Bosche makes a jigsaw blade that cuts on both strokes.  Sounds great for this type of use)  If i were still doing site work, I would go for best 14" BS that I could afford (my 16" was the cheapest and I did not listen to my old experienced voice from within that told me "Cheap ain't cheap".) for home or shop use.  A good jigsaw with an upside down plate for use on sitework projects.  Also handy for in shop where holes need to be centered within wood.

I do like have two BS's as I keep a 1/2" blade on the larger saw.  Any scroll work or curves that cannot be done with the 1/2" blade are done with 3/16" or 1/8" blade on the smaller BS. 

Tinker