A new Pegas 16" Scroll Saw from Dictum

[Gogsi]

I was ready to buy Axminster's Trade 16” Scroll Saw and, was very disappointed to see they had no stock available and contacted them asking when the saw would be available.
They said that, regrettably it likely won't be until July. Oh NO !
Undaunted, I set out on a long journey to find maybe an EX-16 which the Axi is a clone of. I couldn't find anything except in the US where they wouldn't even ship to UK.

After much time and effort, I found it in its Pegas form at Dictum who, it seems, have it for around £10 less incl delivery ! Yahoo ! Especially since I much prefer the Pegas livery. It just looks so much better and, dare I say.........professional.

Anyway, I'd like to know your most valuable opinions about this particular beauty and purchasing from across the channel and I'm hoping there'll be no import duty, and a UK plug !

I read AES's several posts about the EX-16 and was very much enlightened. Thanks AES !

I'm so looking forward to getting what looks to be a simply fahbulous saw : )

 

[Droogs]

Congrats, I'm sure you will be very happy with your choice of machine. I wish you a lot of fun with it

 

[Gogsi]

Congrats, I'm sure you will be very happy with your choice of machine. I wish you a lot of fun with it

Thanks a lot Droogs : )

 

[timber]

Congrats, I'm sure you will be very happy with your choice of machine. I wish you a lot of fun with it

What a shame. I have a EX 21 for sale used it two or three times.
NO LIES. I only used it to make templates for my Revo Legacy that has now been sold. I saw one working before I bought it and was very impressed
Can;t get in my workshop anymore health problems.
Will put it on here later for sale

 

[AES]

Dictum are IME an EXCELLENT supplier (I visited them in Munich and got a hands-on "play" with both the Excalibur and the Hegner side by side in their workshops area - I chose the Excali). Never regretted that decision.

As the OP says, Dictum are selling the "proper" Excalibur (General International) range of scroll saws in the Pegas livery. Based on the number of adverse comments seen here over the last couple of years, the OP has done well NOT to buy the Axminster Tools clone (which WAS cheaper than the "proper" machine when I bought mine 5 years ago BTW) and although they look identical externally, apart from the livery, it seems that Axi have seriously compromised the internal mechanicals resulting in a LOT of complaints and Warranty returns (as reported here).

I'm sure you'll thoroughly enjoy your machine Gogsi, and assuming that you're any older than about 5 years old (!), I bet the machine will outlast you!

If Dictum haven't already shipped Gogsi, you may want to order some Pegas blades from them too, though I do believe that Axi Tools remains the sole UK dealer for Pegas blades (the makers of Pegas, Scies, will not sell direct to the public).

There are of course other blades to be had, good ones too. But personally, after a lot of experimentation, I've settled on Pegas. There's a sticky at the top of this Scroll Saws section with details of various blades, together with several .pdf download tables including a "general guide" on which type & "size" blade to choose for various jobs, and complete listings of all the Pegas blades available (which includes blades for metal, coping saw blades, and junior hack saw blades, etc).

Congrats on your purchase, let us know how you get on, AND lets see some pix of what you've made please.

 

[Gogsi]

Thanks so much AES for your reply full of good info. Looks like it was a blessing for me that Axminster didn't have any in stock : )
I knew about the fact that there are good ones and not so good. Am I correct in thinking that the ones made in Taiwan are the good ones?
Really appreciate your very helpful reply.
All the best and keep making lots of sawdust.

 

[AES]

Hullo again Gogsi.

I'm not sure if ALL the Excalibur scroll saws are/were made in Taiwan. Mine certainly was (it says so in the Manual) and I THINK (not sure) that all machines with the Excalibur name are made in Taiwan too.

Note that the original history of the Excalibur machines is that they were invented by a Canadian gent - the "primary" part of his invention being that even with a parallel motion the whole head tilts to one side or the other when you want to make bevel cuts - rather than tilting the table, like just about every other machine. AFAIK, though there are now several machines on the market with a titling head, Excalibur was the first (maybe, is still the only one, I'm not sure).

Anyway the above Canadian gent sold his original design to a Canadian company called General International and all their Excalibur scroll saws are made in Taiwan - that includes machines with the Pegas badge, the Excalibur badge, and as above, several other mainly US machines such as the Seyco - also tilting head). GI also make other wood working and metal working machines too, all apparently with a good reputation (so I've heard) but I don't know where they're made, sorry.

In the past, 5 years ago and more, when I bought my machine), being the UK distributor for General International/Excalibur/Pegas, Axminster Tools in UK sold exactly the same machine as yours and mine. But some short time after that, Axminster suddenly announced "their own version" which externally looks exactly the same as your machine and mine - except for a different colour, a NVR switch on the front, and a new name ("Axminster Trade") plus a different catalogue number.

As said in my last post, when I bought my machine I was a bit (shall we say "peeved") when a short while later Axi announced their own version, which apart from the details listed above, looked identical BUT had a lower price than I paid to Dictum.

However it appears that I was lucky because based on a large number of posts here, that Axi version has been "cheapened" internally, leading to a number of complaints about breakages, excessive vibration, etc, etc.

Now whether or not the Axi Tools own version is made in the same Taiwan factory as all the others above (but just to a lower specification in some areas); or if it's made in a different factory I do not know.

Just suffice it to say that like me, in buying your machine you've been lucky that Axi were out of stock - AND if you go on to say that you paid even LESS for your machine from Dictum than you would have paid to Axi (for an inferior machine) then you've been twice as lucky as me mate!

 

[Gogsi]

What a shame. I have a EX 21 for sale used it two or three times.
NO LIES. I only used it to make templates for my Revo Legacy that has now been sold. I saw one working before I bought it and was very impressed
Can;t get in my workshop anymore health problems.
Will put it on here later for sale

Hi Timber
I sent you a message. Did you receive it?
If not, maybe you can email me at [email protected] so we can discuss.

 

[MARK.B.]

I don't have a Scroll Saw and my Chief Accountant assures me I wont be getting one anytime soon . I notice that on the Dictum site that the Hegner variable speed was cheaper than the Pegas , I have seen a lot of people write how good the Hegner's are so can you tell me why the Pegas ? Are they better quality etc than the Hegner.

 

[Gogsi]

Hi Mark,
That's a question best answered by any of the much more experienced scrollers than me.
I'm sure most of the woodworkers here on UKW will vote for Hegner but some, like AES will definitely vote for Pegas.

 

[powertools]

A few years ago I did a lot of scrolling but not so much now.
At the time I tried to buy a Pegas saw but could not find a UK supplier I did not like the Axminster version due mainly to the colour I know that will sound strange but woodworking machines in white just seems wrong to me.
I am surprised that some of the UK sellers of Pegas blades don't also sell the saw.
I hope you are happy with your purchase and will update us.

 

[AES]

As per the above, I tried a Hegner Multi Speed 2 machine hands-on togther with an Excalibur 21. I wrote that purchase up on here, but that was 5+ years ago now. So in short (and please note ALL the following are simply my own opinion/experience):

1. I thought the Excalibur was VERY well made - materials, lots of high-qual bearings where it matters, excellent qual fasteners, and good competent assembly. BUT I thought that the Hegner was even better in all the above areas. So why buy Excalibur?

2. The Hegner was even more expensive than the Excali;

3.The Hegner is an old-fashioned design (no tilting head, "just" a tilting table). That hardly matters if you only want to cut bevels at just a few degrees inclination (off vertical), but if you want more, dependant on model, the Excalis will do up to 45 degrees each way. With steep angles the tilting head is MUCH easier to get on with (the 2 previous scroll saws I had with tilting tables, I always had the feeling that I was "fighting" to keep the work piece correctly centred on the table at steep angles). Some say that bevel cuts are not so important, and that may be true, depending on what work you do. But I've been surprised how often I tilt the head - partly because I do need steep angles now and then and probably also because it's so easy and quick to do - AND to return back to zero/90 degrees;

4. The quick blade changing and tensioning system on the Hegner is pretty good, but trying both side by side, I preferred the Excalibur system;

5. Not only was the price of the Hegner machine itself higher than of the Excalibur, but the price of Hegner spares - and many have now confirmed my own view on this - are absolutely outrageous, especially when compared with Excalibur. I have actually bought some Excali spares BTW, but only because the Manual suggests that it's a good idea to have some items in stock "just in case". So far have not needed to use any of them. In all cases though, delivery was quick & easy, and as said, prices were definitely reasonable. I haven't bought any Hegner spares (of course!) but from the prices quoted by others on here, various items are VERY expensive and delivery seems to be not as quick either.

So overall, after a careful side by side "play" on both machines (and not just 5 minutes mind, but at least an hour on each - thank you Dictum Tools in Munich - I found that choosing the Excalibur was a real no-brainer.

As said, that was over 5 years ago now, and all my experience since, and everything I've heard on here and from other scrollers using various machines, confirms my decision. There are several users of various Excalibur models on here (the "real" ones, NOT the Axminster Tools version) and they all seem to agree as well.

BUT again, caution please - all above are my own opinions/observations/experiences, and as the septics often say, "your mileage may vary"!

HTH

 

[Gogsi]

Hullo again Gogsi.

I'm not sure if ALL the Excalibur scroll saws are/were made in Taiwan. Mine certainly was (it says so in the Manual) and I THINK (not sure) that all machines with the Excalibur name are made in Taiwan too.

Note that the original history of the Excalibur machines is that they were invented by a Canadian gent - the "primary" part of his invention being that even with a parallel motion the whole head tilts to one side or the other when you want to make bevel cuts - rather than tilting the table, like just about every other machine. AFAIK, though there are now several machines on the market with a titling head, Excalibur was the first (maybe, is still the only one, I'm not sure).

Anyway the above Canadian gent sold his original design to a Canadian company called General International and all their Excalibur scroll saws are made in Taiwan - that includes machines with the Pegas badge, the Excalibur badge, and as above, several other mainly US machines such as the Seyco - also tilting head). GI also make other wood working and metal working machines too, all apparently with a good reputation (so I've heard) but I don't know where they're made, sorry.

In the past, 5 years ago and more, when I bought my machine), being the UK distributor for General International/Excalibur/Pegas, Axminster Tools in UK sold exactly the same machine as yours and mine. But some short time after that, Axminster suddenly announced "their own version" which externally looks exactly the same as your machine and mine - except for a different colour, a NVR switch on the front, and a new name ("Axminster Trade") plus a different catalogue number.

As said in my last post, when I bought my machine I was a bit (shall we say "peeved") when a short while later Axi announced their own version, which apart from the details listed above, looked identical BUT had a lower price than I paid to Dictum.

However it appears that I was lucky because based on a large number of posts here, that Axi version has been "cheapened" internally, leading to a number of complaints about breakages, excessive vibration, etc, etc.

Now whether or not the Axi Tools own version is made in the same Taiwan factory as all the others above (but just to a lower specification in some areas); or if it's made in a different factory I do not know.

Just suffice it to say that like me, in buying your machine you've been lucky that Axi were out of stock - AND if you go on to say that you paid even LESS for your machine from Dictum than you would have paid to Axi (for an inferior machine) then you've been twice as lucky as me mate!

AES, you are so very generous and kind with your words and advice. I really appreciate your wealth of information.
and, regards my "luck", if I wisnae Scottish, I'd say that I have the luck o' the Irish : )
Thanks again for all your help.

 

[MARK.B.]

AES thank you for your comparisons of the two,very informative and clearly explained