# Pegas Own Brand Scroll Saws



## Droogs (10 Jun 2017)

I was browsing the SCIES website looking at their Pegas blade range and discovered that they also actually do their own scrollsaws. At first look they do seem to be rebadged Excalibers. Does anyone have one or any experience of them? Am considering getting one as as time goes on along with recent health isues it seems it may be time to rely a bit less on my Mk1 fretsaw and Mk2 Chevalet for my marquetry stuff.


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## linkshouse (10 Jun 2017)

Could you provide a link. I did a search for scies and found scies.ch which did have Pegas blades so I'm assuming that's the site you mean, but I couldn't find any machines.

Phill


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## AES (10 Jun 2017)

Yeah, I have one - a mid-size Excalibur, called 21 (the table is actually 23.5 inches front to back, the actual throat dimension is 25.5 inches).

Before buying my saw (70th birthday pressie from my good lady) I did a lot quite a lot of research. I also tried my machine alongside a Hegner and chose the Excali.

The somewhat complicated story is this:
Some years ago a Canadian bloke developed the present range of Excalibur scroll saws, the main feature of which, apart from the parallel arm "up and down" linkage like a Delta for example, is a tilting head (rather than a tilting table).

A while ago that bloke sold out to a larger Canadian company called General International (who also makes various other wood and metal working machines - apparently all well regarded). GI made a number of detail differences and improvements to the basic design.

AFAIK, all Excalibur scroll saws (I'm not sure about other GI machines) are made in Taiwan, but don't let that put you off, the general engineering quality of mine is EXCELLENT, AND, unlike Hegner for example, spares are reasonably priced.

Even if you think the tilt head facility is not so important, don't be so sure., I've found mine to be invaluable, and NOT just for "normal" scroll sawing jobs either - it's easy to move the head, solid as a rock, dead accurate, and very easy to bring back to zero degrees (vertical). A further pointer - a couple of machines new to the market also now have tilting heads that look very similar to the Excali range - Jet for example.

Which brings us to SCIES. A Swiss company that also makes excellent files both hand and Swiss files, plus wood rasps. They are based in the French-speaking part of Switzerland in a place called Vallorbe, which is also the brand name of their files, etc. They also themselves produce the Pegas range of scroll saw blades there.

GI do NOT sell direct to the public, only through distributors/importers - e.g. the UK distributor is Axminster Tools. The distributor for Switzerland and Germany (and I think Austria too) is the above SCIES company in Vallorbe. Certainly when I bought my Excali (from Dictum in Germany, where I also had the chance to try it alongside the Hegner) the machine I took home with me actually came from SCIES in Switzerland (although as is often the case here, it was cheaper in Germany than it would have been buying it from the local Swiss agent of SCIES here)!!!!

"Talking" to Claymore of this parish ("Brian") I discovered that apart from very minor differences, such as a NVR switch which my machine does not have, his "Axminster Trade Excalibur 30" machine that he bought from Axi is 99% the same as the my Excali bought as above. My "German/Swiss" machine has GI, Excalibur and Pegas badges on it, but I THINK if I'd bought mine from the Swiss dealer, it would "only" have had a Pegas badge on it (or perhaps Excali as well).

When buying some spares about a year ago (no breakdown, just the "standby" items recommended in the Manual), SCIES would NOT sell direct to me, I had to order from either Dictum in Germany, or the local Swiss dealer. I chose the latter but of course, he didn't have them in stock so had to order them from SCIES on my behalf, who sent them to me!!!! Such is the international tools business.

So unless things have changed in the last year or so, if you contact SCIES direct, seeing as you come from UK, they will send you to Axminster.

But in all material respects, all Excalibur scroll saw (are by General International of Canada, but manufactured in Taiwan) are 99.9% the same machine, whatever the badge on the side says.

If you want any further info I'd be happy to help, but perhaps you may like to start off with a couple of posts I made a couple of years ago in this section, the 1st headed "Biting the bullet" which explains in detail why I chose Excali over Hegner and the 2nd about the (considerable hassle) I went to buying a foot switch for it.

HTH, if you need any more info just ask (or PM).

AES

P.S. Several other members here have Excalibur scroll saws and seem very pleased with them, like me.


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## Phil Pascoe (10 Jun 2017)

One of the reviews of that on the Axi site says the guy is annoyed that it won't take a foot switch so if you need a foot switch go for something else.


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## AES (10 Jun 2017)

Not quite true phil.p. When I asked Axi, they agreed that the foot switch they have is not suitable. But there ARE some that can be used. Give me a while to look it up and I'll post a link to the one I'm using.

Later ........

AES


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## Phil Pascoe (10 Jun 2017)

No worries - it's not important. I just found it odd.


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## powertools (10 Jun 2017)

phil.p":3829rp7m said:


> One of the reviews of that on the Axi site says the guy is annoyed that it won't take a foot switch so if you need a foot switch go for something else.



That could be because many internet reviews are left by people who have little understanding​ of what they have purchased.
I wonder if some of the tool sellers who are members of this site and sell Pegasus blades will also offer this saw.


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## AES (10 Jun 2017)

OK gents, after a break for a nice din-dins, here's the links to my 2 posts on this subject:

1. biting-the-bullet-ex-21-t89722.html

(why I bought the thing in the 1st place - in preference to a Hegner);

2. post977730.html#p977730

(about the foot switch I bought for it)

BTW, does anyone here know of a quick way to find your own posts (i.e. a topic started by self)? I've just found it quite difficult.

Re the footswitch, they are not, IMO, an essential. But you DO get used to having one and I wouldn't be without it now - especially as I count myself as very much a beginner at this lark (in terms of finished "produce" anyway).It's SO easy to stop for a mo when a cut gets "difficult". But I guess that in the end, they're a bit like electric windows on a car - we didn't have any for years, but now we all have them and we wouldn't be without them!

Also, if you do follow that 2nd link, I should warn you that I still believe that I could have bought something just as good for less money. It is, after all, only a spring-loaded On/Off switch. 

But as the link says, the machine was brand new at the time and I didn't want to void the Warranty - especially since the Excali motor is plated as being 60 Volts DC. Bearing in mind that there's 220/240 Volts AC going in at the plug end there's obviously some "electronickery" going on, not only for the fully adjustable speed but also for the rectification (full wave I guess) to change 240V AC to 60V DC.

So I went for the switch shown in the 2nd post.

Hope all that helps - BTW, since AXI are the UK dealer for Excali, perhaps by now they DO have a foot switch to suit.

AES

AES


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## Droogs (12 Jun 2017)

@linkhouse, here's the link to the pdf file just scroll down past the band saw blurb:
http://scies.ch/en/bijouterie_htm_files ... -%20V6.pdf

@aes, merci vilmal, that really helps. allways fancied the excalibur machines in preference to the Hegner. but now I know it's the same as Axi's then will just go for that. though do like the colour of the pegas machine more. Wish I'd known about them when I lived in Adliswil. Also at the top right of the page is a link to your own posts


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## AES (12 Jun 2017)

My pleasure Droogs, glad to have been of help (I get plenty of help from others on here).

Speaking of which, you wrote, QUOTE: Also at the top right of the page is a link to your own posts UNQUOTE: Blimey, all the time I've been a member here and I've never even noticed that!!!! What a dorfi.

Adliswil eh? My good lady's got relations living there.

AES

Edit for P.S. Thanks for the link to the new SCIES Catalogue, I hadn't seen that. Re the colour, I guess that changes every so often (though perhaps not). Mine is all black, apart from the table, which is grey. And BTW, did you notice that funny "band-scroll saw" thingy? That's quite a machine, though very expensive. I've seen one "in the flesh" though it wasn't working unfortunately. The only thing you can't do with that is inside cuts - the blade is a continuous loop, like a band saw. Wonder if Axi will do that too, eventually?

AES


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## powertools (12 Jun 2017)

Droogs":1xwy18wg said:


> @linkhouse, here's the link to the pdf file just scroll down past the band saw blurb:
> http://scies.ch/en/bijouterie_htm_files ... -%20V6.pdf
> 
> @aes, merci vilmal, that really helps. allways fancied the excalibur machines in preference to the Hegner. but now I know it's the same as Axi's then will just go for that. though do like the colour of the pegas machine more. Wish I'd known about them when I lived in Adliswil. Also at the top right of the page is a link to your own posts




I am pleased that i am not the only one. I like the brand name and the coulor scheme.


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## Aggrajag (13 Jun 2017)

I love my Excalibur, it's rock solid, can't fault it for quality.


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## AES (13 Jun 2017)

Good Aggragig. I'm very pleased with mine too.

AES


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