| Review by Dan Corbin | posted 222 days ago | 1974 views | 1 time favorited | 31 comments |  |
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- Ridgid BS1400
- Brand: Ridgid | Category: Bandsaws
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I’ve heard a lot of good things about Ridgid brand, especially their table saws. I had been looking at a bandsaw from Harbor Freight, but with the Ridgid band saw only $50 more, I thought it was a no-brainer. I really should’ve saved my money for something better….
I was excited to get my new bandsaw home and start cutting up some wood. But from the get-go, this was a bad experience. When the unit finally arrived, the box was in very poor shape. Fortunately, there was enough Styrofoam that none of the components had been damaged. Ease of assembly was fair, except for the missing hardware, which required a trip to Southern Fasteners (a specialty fastener store) for the missing metric carriage bolts. The v-belt supplied with the saw is too long to be tensioned at all, so I made a good many trips to Tractor Supply to find the right size v-belt. But even with the proper-size v-belt, the metal stand was too flimsy to support the tension (tensioning the belt was drawing the bandsaw and motor towards each other, meaning perpendicular to the blade was NOT parallel to the ground!), so I cut a piece of 3/4” MDF to go under the stand and stiffen it up. Of course, that meant another trip to the store for new fasteners (I just went the SAE equivalents in this case). The upper and lower wheels were nearly a quarter inch out of being co-planer, so I ordered some metric shims from McMaster-Carr (they charge a LOT for shipping!). Even after all of this work, I turned the thing on and it began to vibrate like it was possessed (it was literally walking itself across the floor). The problem is both the upper and lower wheels are VERY off-balance. I bought a pack of lead weights from Michael’s (they’re in with the pinewood derby stuff), but it took the whole package to balance the top wheel. I’m going to have to make another trip for another pack so that I can balance the bottom wheel, but that means taking it out of the bandsaw because the bearings are too stiff for the wheel to free-spin.
The only thing that was as expected is that the blade supplied with the bandsaw is very cheap and needs replacement. I didn’t expect such poor quality from Ridgid, and I am very sorry that I bought this bandsaw. I would have been much better served with a bandsaw from Klingspor or Woodcraft, which while more expensive, wouldn’t have required an engineering degree to get up and running!
Buyer beware, and save your money for something good!
-- ~ Dan, North Carolina, http://www.BluewoodCreations.com
31 comments so far
Bob817
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607 posts in 554 days
#1 posted 222 days ago
Sorry for your headache, Why don’t you return it? Doesn’t it come with a Lifetime Warranty or some kind of Gaurantee?
-- ~ Bob ~ Newton, N.H.
patron
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12071 posts in 1512 days
#2 posted 222 days ago
send it back
cheaper or not
it should at least try
and do
what it was designed for
once you start walking with your left foot
you will be walking that way forever
best to get a tool
that works
so you can enjoy
-- david - only thru kindness can this world be whole . If we don't succeed we run the risk of failure. Dan Quayle
DIYaholic
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7329 posts in 846 days
#3 posted 222 days ago
I’m sorry about your experience.
I’ve been looking into entry level bandsaws, as such I’m stearing clear of the Ridgid BS (could mean BandSaw or could mean Bull$#!T). After some research and advice, I’m trying to squirrel away more money for a better BS.
Thanks for sharing your experience and helping others avoid the same frustrations!
-- Randy-- I may not be good...but I am slow!
greg48
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214 posts in 929 days
#4 posted 222 days ago
Sounds to me like a three star rating was over rated. Maybe one star for cleanliness.
-- Greg, No. Cal.
Blackie_
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1666 posts in 684 days
#5 posted 222 days ago
Dan sounds like you might have been better off with the HF model, I’ve been very happy with my Grizzly GO555P 14”, it’s going on 2 years now using it on a daily basis flawless.
Sorry to hear of your problems I don’t think I would have gone through all of what you went through, you pay for an item you should expect no less then a great tool.
-- Randy - If I'm not on LJ's then I'm making Saw Dust. Please feel free to visit my store location at http://www.facebook.com/randy.blackstock.custom.wood.designs
rance
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3856 posts in 1332 days
#6 posted 222 days ago
Yeah, why was HD not your first stop to get the problems addressed? IMWTK.
-- Backer boards, stop blocks, build oversized, and never buy a hand plane--
Dusty56
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10532 posts in 1859 days
#7 posted 222 days ago
rance read my mind…..why ??
-- When did quiet and quite become the same word ? I'm guessing about the same time as your and you're did.
BenI
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252 posts in 350 days
#8 posted 221 days ago
Thanks for the review and sorry for your experience but I can’t imagine how much work you went to trying to make it work instead of trying to return it/calling Ridgid/etc. Plus I’m confused how it got 3 stars?
-- Ben from IL
ChuckV
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1756 posts in 1699 days
#9 posted 221 days ago
I believe that Dan rated this as two stars, shown on the left. The three stars on the right is the average of all four reviews of the BS1400.
-- I was walking down the street, something caught my eye, and dragged it 15 feet.
knotscott
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4209 posts in 1547 days
#10 posted 221 days ago
The Ridgid BS is not one of their better tools. Return it.
-- Happiness is like wetting your pants...everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth....
Arminius
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219 posts in 1975 days
#11 posted 221 days ago
Gonna try to talk you in off the ledge…there is a very good bandsaw in your shop now, but you are absolutely right that it takes some work to get it there.
The tires need to be replaced. The blade needs to be replaced. The 3/4” you put at the top of the stand is probably not enough (I laminated two such pieces). The drive belt should probably be reinforced too. Once I remounted the wheels, they were actually very close to co-planar.
Here is an older thread, where I made similar comments. Once I got this saw tuned, the strong motor and the cast iron frame made it all worthwhile.
gfadvm
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6650 posts in 861 days
#12 posted 221 days ago
You are a lot more forgiving than I am. I’d have taken that back to HD in a heartbeat. Tools that don’t work out of the box are one of my pet peeves. Thanks for the review.
-- " I'll try to be nicer, if you'll try to be smarter" gfadvm
nwbusa
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874 posts in 457 days
#13 posted 221 days ago
I’ve read many times that the Ridgid bandsaw is the weak link in their tool lineup. It’s a shame, too, as most of their other tools are good quality. Sorry you ended up with a saw you’re not happy with. Thanks for posting the review.
-- John, BC, Canada
dbhost
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4748 posts in 1403 days
#14 posted 221 days ago
The Ridgid BS1400 has a well publicized poor reputation for quality particularly dealing with the stand being exceptionally flimsy… It’s a pity you didn’t get that info prior to spending your cash. Conversely the HF 14” 4 speed saw is actually well regarded by those that own it…
However if you want a FULL featured 14” band saw that is well made, go with a Grizzly G0555X.
If you can still do it, take that Ridgid back…
-- Manufacturer of fine quality sawdust since 1984. Comments and advice on my shop welcome. Check it out at http://lumberjocks.com/dbhost/workshop. Gladly accepting shop build donations!
a1Jim
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87312 posts in 1748 days
#15 posted 221 days ago
When tools don’t work the way they should it’s always disappointing. I hope another model will work better for you.
-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/
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