# WEN 3.5 Amp 10 in. 2-Speed Bandsaw



## crzy4wood (Nov 15, 2013)

I'm thinking of buying a WEN 10" bandsaw which has nothing but good reviews everywhere I search. I want to know your opinions of this saw if you own one. I'm NOT looking into buying anything more expensive than that because it it absolutely not necessary now and I barely use a bandsaw but would like to learn more. The only thing that I'm confused about is the horsepower which is at .33. What is a .33 horsepower? Is it more than 1/2 horsepower? Is that a good motor for a machine of that size? I've seen videos also on its performance and it does pretty well. 
Thanks in advance.


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## Milled (Dec 15, 2013)

.33 is smaller than .5


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## Woodchuck2010 (Jan 19, 2016)

> I m thinking of buying a WEN 10" bandsaw which has nothing but good reviews everywhere I search. I want to know your opinions of this saw if you own one. I m NOT looking into buying anything more expensive than that because it it absolutely not necessary now and I barely use a bandsaw but would like to learn more. The only thing that I m confused about is the horsepower which is at .33. What is a .33 horsepower? Is it more than 1/2 horsepower? Is that a good motor for a machine of that size? I ve seen videos also on its performance and it does pretty well.
> Thanks in advance.
> 
> 
> ...


That would make it 1/3 of a horsepower. Less than half. You might have a little harder time cutting thicker harder stock, but it's a good start.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Save your money. You will NOT be happy with a crappy band saw.
Bill


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## crzy4wood (Nov 15, 2013)

Bill, could you be more elaborate? Did you own one? What was the problem? Why was it crappy?


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## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

$256 plus tax at Sears for that is too much. You can find an 80's Craftsman 12 inch for a lot less that will do more work for you.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

Other than motor and paint job, that one is practically identical to the Steel City 50110, which had a 1/2hp motor.

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szcAW24kse9PGhvevHj2+XOEOkn9IzHRWLKPpNUHpSuD9qK2gQR1WqEHzVL7pAfmhgPrDNPEVNZ7rMc9xCoJocnnrx97+4ethJz59/t7MZnSv9LHOWVo6Z+vU5At1ViZIhSTlYN5S6sJiOzgTubvWIMgGqVsxN4W6PnLY1RpI2RfjM+SuQMGQ9LpHxqtA7UCXAuUpxWDwUAm71BZhNFGdysbQMww3VIfyluwpOgoJAMNMAAAAA=

Haven't used them much, but we sold the Steel City ones until they went out of business last year. They are light duty saws that are OK for cutting smaller and thinner stock, but even the 1/2HP ones we sold were underpowered for serious work. I can't imagine what the 1/3HP ones are like. The other issues were poor alignment of the blade guidepost and very light construction. It's just not built to stand up to much.

You don't mention what you want to do with it, so maybe it fits what you want. If you plan to do much band sawing at all, you'd be better off spending a little bit more and getting a decent 14in saw, IMHO.


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## crzy4wood (Nov 15, 2013)

Thanks guys. I'm on a budget so I really can't spend over $300 on a bandsaw. Plus the space I have is very limited too. And I wouldn't be using the saw that much either. I guess I'll stick to my jigsaw


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## DirtyMike (Dec 6, 2015)

Jose, my wife bought a ryobi 10 inch band saw for her craft making. I must say i wasn't expecting much from a cheap small band saw but i was surprised. I use it a lot to cut smaller pieces and it cuts very well. side note, most of the 10 inch band saws are made by the same manufacturer in china. good luck


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## shampeon (Jun 3, 2012)

Jose, look for a used saw. With a $300 budget, you can very likely find a decent 14" saw on Craigslist.


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## TheWoodRaccoon (Nov 9, 2015)

I think you'll like this Rikon better, it gets lots of good reviews, and fits your budget.

http://www.amazon.com/Rikon-10-305-Bandsaw-Fence-10-Inch/dp/B0032YZB2S

But, you can look on Craigslist, or even use the new apps like OfferUp to find a good 12 inch or 14 inch saw for cheap.


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## crzy4wood (Nov 15, 2013)

Shampeon, I looked at used ones in Craigslist but the good ones are pricey.


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## TheWoodRaccoon (Nov 9, 2015)

Just the video alone that's on amazon about the WEN bandsaw would make me think twice about buying it:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016VD8GAA/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687742&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0032YZB2S&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0PPKMC34EQV950RYVR9H


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## crzy4wood (Nov 15, 2013)

WOW, I guess the ratings from Sears, Home Depot, and Amazon are BS then. Funny thing is, I forgot to mention, I just got the WEN planer a week ago but I have not test it yet. Another tool that has great ratings also and the videos are not disappointing.


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## crzy4wood (Nov 15, 2013)

There's this video 



 and this video


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

> WOW, I guess the ratings from Sears, Home Depot, and Amazon are BS then.
> 
> - Jose


No, they aren't. What you have to remember, however, is that most of reviews are written by people who have never used something better. That's the case with a lot of power tools, so you have to take the reviews with a grain of salt, sometimes the whole shaker. People who are serious users bypass this level of tool, so never review it.

I'd love to have all those reviewers go use a decently set up, good quality 14 inch band saw and see if they would still have the same rating for the entry level saw.


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## TheWoodRaccoon (Nov 9, 2015)

> WOW, I guess the ratings from Sears, Home Depot, and Amazon are BS then. Funny thing is, I forgot to mention, I just got the WEN planer a week ago but I have not test it yet. Another tool that has great ratings also and the videos are not disappointing.
> 
> - Jose


NOOO! Return that Planer!!!!! I bought the same one, and it was a disaster! the infeed/outfeed tables were a good 1/4 inch too high at their pivot points, with no way to adjust them. The allen screws that held the rear blade guards in place would not line up. and could not be put back in. And to top it all off, the cutterhead was not parrallel with the inner platin! The right side of the cutterhead was 1/16 inch lower than the left, and would'nt cut evenly. I bought a Delta 22-555 for $289 from UNIKOIN on ebay, much better.


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

> I think you ll like this Rikon better, it gets lots of good reviews, and fits your budget.
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Rikon-10-305-Bandsaw-Fence-10-Inch/dp/B0032YZB2S
> 
> ...


Or this one that's the exact same saw with different branding. I bought the Cman last month on sale for 170 and it's fantastic. Yes, it's small which is exactly why I bought it. I need one with a small footprint. IMHO, this saw can't be beat for the $. It's no 14" Laguna but it meets my needs and hit my budget.

The WEN may be just as good for you. Just wanted to give you another option.


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## crzy4wood (Nov 15, 2013)

I read that the WEN planer has adjustments to fix the misalignment, there's a YouTube video how a guy did it and had no more issues with alignment. I'm confident it will work just fine for me.


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## crzy4wood (Nov 15, 2013)

Thanks HokieKen I'll take a look at it.


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## crzy4wood (Nov 15, 2013)

Just for curious fun. I was looking at reviews for harbor-freight 14" bandsaw and surprisingly saw good reviews. I will never again buy power tools from that store again after the disaster of a drill press I bought a year ago. I returned it the very next day and bought me a Craftsman 10" drill press and I'm very happy with it to this day. But it's weird to see good reviews for a bandsaw from Central Machinery.


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

> Just for curious fun. I was looking at reviews for harbor-freight 14" bandsaw and surprisingly saw good reviews. I will never again buy power tools from that store again after the disaster of a drill press I bought a year ago. I returned it the very next day and bought me a Craftsman 10" drill press and I m very happy with it to this day. But it s weird to see good reviews for a bandsaw from Central Machinery.
> 
> - Jose


Take reviews with a grain of salt. Like JT said, you never know the background of the reviewer. Also, people often feel the need to justify they money they spent on an item so they don't feel like they got hosed which can bias a review.


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## ste6168 (Mar 12, 2015)

I have the 10" Craftsmen which, besides color, is identical to the Rikon. Both of which also look identical to the Wen. I also have the Rikon 10-325, but this 10" saw is a very nice saw, as long as you work within it's limits. I am actually in the process of getting rid of my 10" craftsmen due to space constraints, but when I move into a larger shop space, I will get another one of these. I wouldnt hesitate to buy the Wen brand, if the price was good enough.


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## TheWoodRaccoon (Nov 9, 2015)

> I read that the WEN planer has adjustments to fix the misalignment, there s a YouTube video how a guy did it and had no more issues with alignment. I m confident it will work just fine for me.
> 
> - Jose


Most if not every planer have little adjustment screws below the infeed/outfeed table to adjust the "angle". On mine, the hinges that the tables pivoted on were too high, and there's no way to fix that. As for the cutterhead, im not sure how that can be fixed. Good luck to you. BTW, how much did you pay? I got mine for about $270 from sears.com


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## crzy4wood (Nov 15, 2013)

WoodRacoon, I paid bout $125 out of pocket at Sears after coupons and gift card. I'll post reviews about the planer when I test it.


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## TheWoodRaccoon (Nov 9, 2015)

> WoodRacoon, I paid bout $125 out of pocket at Sears after coupons and gift card. I ll post reviews about the planer when I test it.
> 
> - Jose


Wow! If you can get it running nice and everything adjusted, $125 is a pretty good deal if it doesnt have any of the problems mine had. That sucker's HEAVY too! Weighs about 80lbs, compared to my Delta which weighs about 55lbs.


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## boxcarmarty (Dec 9, 2011)

If it's anything like the WEN chainsaw that I bought, you would be better off walking away and never look back. It quit after having it a month, and the company wouldn't stand behind the warranty. They told me that they couldn't find my warranty information on file (the little card that you fill out and mail in), therefore they wasn't gonna cover it. Pretty convenient for them, right???


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## dalepage (Feb 6, 2016)

I am convinced that buying a tool based on the price is the WRONG way to use your money. This saw has so little power that you will only be able to used it like a jig saw.

I would absolutely not take up the floor space with this tool. You will be very limited in its use. As a minimum, buy a Grizzly and spend as much as you can to get the biggest they have for the buck.


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## crzy4wood (Nov 15, 2013)

Thank you guys for the heads up. I'll consider getting a good saw in the future when money is available. I was also skeptical about the WEN bandsaw horsepower so now I know better. I'll keep an eye out on Craig's List too.


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## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

It's believed that between 20% and 30% of all online reviews are fake. As has been mentioned, many of those that are real are written by inexperienced users. WEN is a relatively unknown name, so I'm not sure where numerous reviews would come from, and am a little suspicious that only a subset are credible.

The Rikon is a more proven option.


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## crzy4wood (Nov 15, 2013)

These two models are pretty similar, almost a clone of each other. I don't have issues with craftsman tools either. So that craftsman bandsaw is something for me to consider.


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## crzy4wood (Nov 15, 2013)

Ok guys. Lesson learned the hard way. I returned the planer back to the store faster than Fred Flinstone going for Brontosaurus steak. Very poor job it did planing. I'm not going to go into details. Thanks all for your inputs.


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