I am in the market for a sliding table saw. While doing research I have found dozens if not more options. The origins of this style saw seem to be European and there are a few big names that usually come up:
Felder
SCM
Altendorf
Martin
Each with multiple options and grades (consumer through fully automated industrial).
Where it gets interesting is the when you dig into all the other brands. Many companies have jumped on board with this style saw. There are so many varieties that it is difficult to even compare them at this point. Grizzly and Laguna have their versions at a reasonable discount from the equivalent Felder or SCM. It seems almost all of them are made in china and many are rebranded or modified of similar base saws. Some of the very high end models might be still made in Europe, but I know even the Euro-brands have started outsourcing to China as well.
Chinese manufacturers have been pushing a lot more "retail" through sites like Alibaba for many things including machinery. It seems easily possible to save 5-10k of the sticker price of a name brand saw and have the exact same parts inside it. I have seen a couple of reviews of these saws with mostly positive results. The biggest complaint was arranging shipping.
One of the brands I was really interested in is Lead Machinery. They appear to be a really close knock off of Felder for way less money.
https://greatlead.en.alibaba.com
Has anyone gone this route or dug into it enough to determine whether a direct-from-china saw is worth pursuing? or is it possible to separate the good from the trash? I find it difficult to image so many of these saws are being fabricated and nobody is actually buying them.
This decision would be way easier if I could walk into a showroom and touch one, but rolling the dice on something completely site unseen is hard to swallow. Lead appears to at least attend major industry shows in China.
Felder
SCM
Altendorf
Martin
Each with multiple options and grades (consumer through fully automated industrial).
Where it gets interesting is the when you dig into all the other brands. Many companies have jumped on board with this style saw. There are so many varieties that it is difficult to even compare them at this point. Grizzly and Laguna have their versions at a reasonable discount from the equivalent Felder or SCM. It seems almost all of them are made in china and many are rebranded or modified of similar base saws. Some of the very high end models might be still made in Europe, but I know even the Euro-brands have started outsourcing to China as well.
Chinese manufacturers have been pushing a lot more "retail" through sites like Alibaba for many things including machinery. It seems easily possible to save 5-10k of the sticker price of a name brand saw and have the exact same parts inside it. I have seen a couple of reviews of these saws with mostly positive results. The biggest complaint was arranging shipping.
One of the brands I was really interested in is Lead Machinery. They appear to be a really close knock off of Felder for way less money.
https://greatlead.en.alibaba.com
Has anyone gone this route or dug into it enough to determine whether a direct-from-china saw is worth pursuing? or is it possible to separate the good from the trash? I find it difficult to image so many of these saws are being fabricated and nobody is actually buying them.
This decision would be way easier if I could walk into a showroom and touch one, but rolling the dice on something completely site unseen is hard to swallow. Lead appears to at least attend major industry shows in China.
