Contemplating purchasing a Femi saw.

[DieselSaves]

I'm slowly building my fabrication equipment up to do more paying work, ornamental and the like. I'm also hoping to build a few side hack frames for my dirt bikes and see where that takes me. I anticipate working with smaller materials mostly 3" or under for tubing, angle, and strap. I have seen the Kama saws and liked the setup but couldn't afford one if I wanted. Came across the Femi made reverse rotation saws and they look like a far more affordable option. The one I'd like is the NG160 but I see today on fleaBay that they make a smaller version for about a third the price.
Anyone tried these little saws and have a review of them?

 

[MBeaty]

I have one, though I have not used it much yet, I have enjoyed it each time it has been used.

I bought mine off of Craigslist for around $200 which is considerably less than the list price. Mine is kind of an odd ball model suited for light industrial use rather than homeowner use. Consequently it is wired for 240v, so I had to buy a control transformer to step the voltage up so I could use it off of any 120v outlet.

The model I have is a 783, which I don't even know whether it can be found in the US. It is basically the same frame and size as the 782 saw, but has the variable speed motor like in the NG saws. Mine also does not have the reverse rotation.

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Overall I am impressed by the construction and the quality of the cuts. The saw is solid and can make remarkably straight cuts. On a piece of 1.5" 3/16 angle I was cutting, I was able to take off a sliver across the full cut that was right at 0.011" thick across both sides of the cut.

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If I was buying one new and paying full retail I would start looking at the NG 120 and higher saws. For full retail price they are expensive, but fill a small niche market between a nice but large industrial machine and a small homeowner quality machine.

 

[shoot summ]

The main office is not far from me, I see them demo the saws at the fair every year. I will have one some day, but can't justify the cost right now as I'm not doing that much fab work right now.

 

[DieselSaves]

Thanks for the info. I am stuck between the poor quality small saws and the big saws that won't fit nicely in my smaller metal working area. I am relatively isolated geographically and none of the good stuff filters in here used. If I'm after nice tools I have to do my research and then order one in.