Choices

[ardenwoodcraft]

EX21 owner here as well. Never had a problem with it and it's done all I have asked of it. Not sure I would want to pay the current Axi price for one though, although still cheaper than Hegner. I'm glad I bought mine when I did!!

I do a lot of stack cut items with lots of interior cuts and the tool-less blade clamps and lift up - stay up arm is invaluable to me for this type of work.

I have never had the chance to use a Hegner so these are purely my opinions on the saw I own.

I do know Excalibur scroll saws are as rare as hen's teeth on the second hand market compared to Hegners but if you see one and the price is good I don't think you could go far wrong with it.

Hope this helps,
Regards,
Dave.

 

[NazNomad]

Unless you're going to make a lot of baskets or shells, you're paying for a tilting head that you'll rarely use (in my opinion).

I can count on one hand the number of items I've made that needed anything but a perpendicular cut.

 

[martinka]

Unless you're going to make a lot of baskets of shells, you're paying for a tilting head that you'll rarely use (in my opinion).

I can count on one hand the number of items I've made that needed anything but a perpendicular cut.

I have only cut one piece with the table tilted in about 5 years, though I might utilise it more if I had an Excalibur next to the Hegner. When the house is sold, who knows what might happen

 

[AES]

So far I've tended to use my scroll saw for making parts for other stuff, not the "typical" scroll saw pattern-type items you see, and so far, no Intarsia (though that latter may change a bit next year).

Nevertheless I do find the tilt facility quite useful and overall, probably use it in about 20% of cases. So as they say, "your mileage may vary", but I do think that if you do have it you'll find yourself using it a fair bit - it's so much better all round than a tilting table. But I certainly wouldn't say you should buy an Excali just for that feature. As is so often the case, an awful lot depends on exactly what you want to do with the tool.

Happy Christmas to all

AES.

 

[finneyb]

My suggestion, if you want to be happy (which is, after all, the main point of life), is to get to a list of about three, then buy whichever of the list is the colour you most favour and get on with using it.

I've got to disagree !!!! It's not the colour you like best it's the colour SWMBO likes best

Brian