Horizontal Bandsaw

[bdierks]

So the what is the differance between the Jet 7"x12" saw and the Harbor Freight brand saw. I have been looking very close at the jet and I am looking to buy it. but then i was at HF today and looked at theres, They look exactly the same. The anly differance i could find is the color and HF saw had a plastic belt cover instead of metal. Someone told me once that they had bought a milling machine from harbor freight and they went to repaint it, started to sand off the paint and found the JET logo painted on under the Chicago paint. So does anybody know the differance. Is it the motor or what?

 

[dink]

So the what is the differance between the Jet 7"x12" saw and the Harbor Freight brand saw. I have been looking very close at the jet and I am looking to buy it. but then i was at HF today and looked at theres, They look exactly the same. The anly differance i could find is the color and HF saw had a plastic belt cover instead of metal. Someone told me once that they had bought a milling machine from harbor freight and they went to repaint it, started to sand off the paint and found the JET logo painted on under the Chicago paint. So does anybody know the differance. Is it the motor or what?

There are probably more then the cover.....motor is going to be better on the Jet....probably more actual power.....and probably the HF one wont work out of the box

 

[-lecroix-]

they are the same bandsaw ... made in the same factory.

makes me giggle whenever I read that someone prefers the Jet stuff over the HF stuff because "it's better quality, tighter tolerances, better value, etc, etc, etc" ... when all they are doing is paying more money for the same exact piece.

 

[wilbilt]

I dunno...I have heard of guys buying the Jet version...and theirs cut straight right out of the box!

...unlike my HF saw...

 

[martell06]

do you guys who have the HF saw think they are worth the money?

 

[wilbilt]

do you guys who have the HF saw think they are worth the money?

Absolutely. Unless you can find a good deal on a used commercial-quality saw, the Chiwanese 4x6 unit fills the gap between the megabuck units and a hacksaw or chop saw.

I use mine for doing repetitive cuts where great accuracy is not important. It is nice to be able to clamp the piece down, start the saw and walk away to do something else while it is cutting. I wish I had bought one sooner.

 

[bdierks]

they are the same bandsaw ... made in the same factory.

makes me giggle whenever I read that someone prefers the Jet stuff over the HF stuff because "it's better quality, tighter tolerances, better value, etc, etc, etc" ... when all they are doing is paying more money for the same exact piece.

How do you know this for sure? Because i have heard of companys that have the same mold for the main structure of the machine. but the bolt on stuff (like the motor) would be different. There must be a way to know for 100% that they are the same. Because i also heard that Wilton comes out of the same factory as Jet.

 

[dink]

How do you know this for sure? Because i have heard of companys that have the same mold for the main structure of the machine. but the bolt on stuff (like the motor) would be different. There must be a way to know for 100% that they are the same. Because i also heard that Wilton comes out of the same factory as Jet.

Because Wilton owns Jet....or under the same company

 

[-lecroix-]

Jet, Wilton, Harbor Freight, etc. NONE of these guys make their own smaller, home user type cheap saws ... they contract with one company in China that makes them all.

I have seen pictures from inside this plant from guys that have toured this facility. Jet also makes a larger line of machine tools (14" x 40" lathes, "bridgeport-style" knee mills, larger saws, etc) and that is the business that I am in.

As far as the electrical components, each buyer (Jet, HF, Wilton, etc) may spec different components. This is why you will see different manufacturers on various components.

 

[bdierks]

Jet, Wilton, Harbor Freight, etc. NONE of these guys make their own smaller, home user type cheap saws ... they contract with one company in China that makes them all.

I have seen pictures from inside this plant from guys that have toured this facility. Jet also makes a larger line of machine tools (14" x 40" lathes, "bridgeport-style" knee mills, larger saws, etc) and that is the business that I am in.

As far as the electrical components, each buyer (Jet, HF, Wilton, etc) may spec different components. This is why you will see different manufacturers on various components.

So your saying that, Just because they may look the same, they may be realy different? because of what the specs might be? Makes since. So its a god bet that the HF unit is not near as good as the Jet.

 

[-lecroix-]

Just because you buy a Jet, doesn't mean you're getting a "better" CHINESE switch or electrical motor. It just means you're getting a "different" CHINESE electrical switch or motor.

So yeah, I suppose your logic could be correct, different is better. That is, if the logic lends itself to the fact that the Chinese **** from Wal Mart is better than the Chinese **** from K Mart and the Chinese **** from Target.

Let's take a closer look at this ... THIS is the Grizzly ($225 + $73.25 shipping) ... bragged upon all over the Internet as being better than the Harbor Freight unit.

Now the Jet ($256.00)... which is bragged upon as being equal and/or better than the Grizzly ...

Now ... lets look at the Harbor Freight unit ($179.00)...

Now, could someone please point out the differences OTHER than the colors?

 

[wilbilt]

The Jet has a nice handwheel instead of a crank for tightening the vise.

The HF saw I have is the green version, which has much crappier blade guides than the three saws you have pictured. I have heard that the red HF version is much better, and now see it is more like the Jet.

 

[brianpgriset]

Just because you buy a Jet, doesn't mean you're getting a "better" CHINESE switch or electrical motor. It just means you're getting a "different" CHINESE electrical switch or motor.

So yeah, I suppose your logic could be correct, different is better. That is, if the logic lends itself to the fact that the Chinese **** from Wal Mart is better than the Chinese **** from K Mart and the Chinese **** from Target.

Let's take a closer look at this ... THIS is the Grizzly ($225 + $73.25 shipping) ... bragged upon all over the Internet as being better than the Harbor Freight unit.

Now the Jet ($256.00)... which is bragged upon as being equal and/or better than the Grizzly ...

Now ... lets look at the Harbor Freight unit ($179.00)...

Now, could someone please point out the differences OTHER than the colors?

Not to be finicky, but that jet picture must be an older model, my JET looks a bit different. Mine has more robust metal legs, made from 14 gauge steel without a tray in the middle, also there is no handle on the end of the arm, and the work "JET" is cast directly on the middle of the saw.

That being said, I got mine a bit over $200, so I figured with the base and what I assume is a better motor (at least it is different) it was worth the extra coin. If I could not have gotten it that cheap I woulda done the HF unit.

 

[brianpgriset]

Looks like this:

 

[bdierks]

this is the saw i am looking at. Its bigger than the one you guys are talking about.

http://www.mroxpress.com/store/products/JET-414459.jpg

 

[W-Cummins]

Well all the pictures of the POS 4X6 saws are nice, but he wants a larger saw 7" X 12". (note) I'm not going to say it's made any better, but I don't think it could be worse!!

I had a wellsaw 58bw and that was a sweet little saw, if I didn't have the 1016 I would still have it....

William...

 

[-lecroix-]

Harbor Freight ... $659 plus shipping
Harbor Freight 7" x 12" Hydraulic Bandsaw

Jet ... $828 plus shipping from Amazon
Jet 7" x 12" Hydraulic Bandsaw

hmmmm ... again, looks the same to me ... minus the wheels & different color

 

[bdierks]

Harbor Freight also offers that saw ... Harbor Freight 7" x 12" Hydraulic Bandsaw

Compared to Jets ...

hmmmm ... again, looks the same to me ... minus the wheels & different color

These are th 2 saws i am talking about. so are the differances the same?

 

[-lecroix-]

The differences we discussed earlier with different motors, switches, etc doesn't seem to be the case here. Look closely at the motor in the above pics, the housings appear to be the same with only a different decal.

I'm betting they are the same identical saw with different paint jobs.

 

[MXtras]

They are the same saw. I have looked at both from a fit and finish perspective and concluded they are basically identical. I design machines for a living and was looking from the "should I buy or build" perspective.

The gearboxes are the same, the castings are the same, the craftsmanship is the same, the bases are the same. Personally, I could care less if the motor or the switches are different - those are easy to change and for me are considered expendable. It's the basic machine elements (castings, base, gearbox, machine layout and fundamental design) that make or break a deal for me, not the color of the knob on the switch.

I do not own either of these saws, by the way. I bought a used commercial saw, so you can take my opinion for what it is. They are the same saw from what I reviewed.

Scott

 

[MXtras]

I had the same thing pitched to me - the Jet equipment is manufactured to a tighter tolerance and the components are of better quality. I just couldn't see or feel the difference.

Jet might insist to the manufacturer that their paint looks better or that the manufacturer do a better job of cleaning for the Jet brand, but you look under the castings and they have the same yellow paint that looks like it was applied with a dead chicken.

Scott

 

[brianpgriset]

You should just dump the hole bandsaw idea and get yourself a good ol' power hacksaw. Now those are reliable machines!

 

[PurdueSD]

Harbor Freight ... $659 plus shipping
Harbor Freight 7" x 12" Hydraulic Bandsaw

Jet ... $828 plus shipping from Amazon
Jet 7" x 12" Hydraulic Bandsaw

hmmmm ... again, looks the same to me ... minus the wheels & different color

We had the jet at work and it couldnt cut strait to save its life. I order up the grizzly version thinking it would be better for my guys...hah what a joke. It cut strait for about a week and yes, they were almost identical. It works for everyday fab stuff where 1/16" and sometimes even 1/8" arent that important.

 

[Flathead Youngin']

i have some cheap stuff and some expensive stuff......couple of points.....

craftsman has "other" tool manufactuers make tools for them.....the LOOK the same but sears has them make it to their specs (some better some worse)

i know i was looking VERY seriously at the portable bandsaws that HF had a few years ago......in the picture, the looked EXACTLY like a milwaukee (or dewalt, i can't remember now) with the decals removed........however, when i saw them in person, the plastic had a cheap brittle feel, the motors looked cheap.....etc, etc......

in my shop at school, i have a new jet spindle sander and the other shop has a few year old grizzly spindle sander.....the jets finish looks better, it runs smoother, the tapered shafts remove much easier and the cast housing for the oil/motor has a better look to it

my point, nothing really, i just look at the product, try to be objective, weigh the price with my willingness to gamble, how much i'm really going to use it, i try not to buy electrical items from HF........

 

[eschoendorff]

Before you buy anything, read this first....

http://www.shopfloortalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10905

 

[toolfreak]

How does the craftsman pro 7x12 bandsaw compare? For some reason I can't get the pic on their website to enlarge, all it does for me is open a white box.

 

[bdierks]

SO how acurate is the jet bandsaw if i were maxing it out for size. will it be off a little? or do they cut fairly strait?

 

[-lecroix-]

like anything else manufactured in China ... it will more than likely vary from saw to saw ... you might get a good one ... you might not ... think **** shoot.