Are Masterforce Band tools sold at Menards good tools for a home shop?

My understanding is that the Masterforce tools at menards are just rebranded from other companies (same production line, different finish/colors). That particular band saw is also a rikon and a few other companies. I have the craftsman version you linked to and so far it’s been a good saw. I’ve compared their drills and drivers to my Makitas before and they seem to look very similar. I’ve also heard some are Bosch clones etc. I think they are fine though its been hard to find reviews of them online. If you end up getting it please do post a review.

-- Matt, Illinois, http://www.reintroducing.com

The Masterforce tools I own are as follows

10 In Contractor Table Saw
6 inch Jointer
13 inch Planer
Variable Speed Drill press
4×36 inch sander with 8 inch disk
3×21 belt sander
12 volt lith ion drill and drivers
Several types of bar and ratcheting clamp.
1 1/2 hp router and plunge kit

I have not had any issues with any of them except I had to modify the Trunions on the table saw in order to align to blade to the table.

I have run 500 board feet of oak and maple through the planer and it has yet to need a blade change

In my research before buying these items I found that they are pretty close if not the same as Ridgid and Craftsman. Hence I do not have and will not buy the 14in Bandsaw. As Matt said the 10 In saw you listed is a Rikon. I would not hesitate to buy it.

-- He: Can I get the plans for that? Me: Plans???

Just my thoughts without doing any research, I would expect the craftsman to have better quality bearings and probably a little more precise alignment. The Craftsman is the same as the Rikon the others have mentioned. I don’t think the Masterforce is, since I see it doesn’t have the alignment adjusting knobs that you see on the Craftsman.

That said, I would not expect either of these saws to be much in the way of resawing or other heavier duty applications. The Masterforce claims 4-1/8 resaw capacity and the Craftsman shows 4-5/8 max. cut depth, but the motors are not sufficient to handle such cuts and I doubt the alignment could be made precise enough.

I would tend to go with the Craftsman for basic hobbyist applications. But then, I don’t mind building a basic wooden stand to attach it to. If you really want the metal stand that comes with the Masterforce, I don’t think it would perform much less than the Craftsman. Woodjunkie seems to have had pretty good luck with their tools, so I wouldn’t put them completely out of the quesiton.

Again, I haven’t researched either of the saws. This is just my off-the-cuff opinion.

-- I'll grow up when ketchup bottle farts stop being funny.

I was just looking at the masterforce stuff the other day. The big table saw is identical to the craftsman 21833/ridgid 4512. What caught my attention was the 14 inch bandsaw. looks pretty nice and looks like it could take a riser. I was also looking at the 6 inch granite jointer that looks like it probably comes from steel city. also they had a nice looking 13 inch planer. overall though, they dont seem like great deals, costing just as much as major brand stuff