Thumper Posted January 4, 2015 Report Share Posted January 4, 2015 Hi all. First off, Happy New Year. Now, down to business. I am currently using a Carba-Tec 16" saw, similar to the current Jet one. I have been using it for a bit over a year now. It works fine but is a bit difficult to work with at times. I don't do a heap of work on it, as I only have a small shed so it is put away when not in use. I am thinking of upgrading as Carba-tec have a sale at the moment. I am looking at the Carba-Tec 18" scroll saw. Carba-Tec 18" Scroll Saw : CARBA-TEC Is it worth upgrading to this model? I know its a Hegner copy, but I can't afford a Hegner. Or should I spend a bit more and go for a General 21" Scroll Saw? General Scroll Saw : CARBA-TEC Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Brad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NC Scroller Posted January 6, 2015 Report Share Posted January 6, 2015 Go for the General. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombatie Posted January 6, 2015 Report Share Posted January 6, 2015 First of all do you do a lot of cutting? Do you need or want a bigger saw? I haven't looked at the Carba -Tec saws for a while but from memory they seemed to be good saws. How easy is it to change a blade in your currant Carba-Tec saw? Sorry about all the questions. Marg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thumper Posted January 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 HiI think I will probably go with the General Excalibur.Its a fair bit more than I wanted to spend, but after hearing your comments and a bit of research, it looks the better way to go.Would it be best to get new or if it can be found, second hand?Thanks again.Brad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amazingkevin Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 There out there but i've only seen a few ,guess their keepers There's a 30-or 32? on craigs list for $750 in florida,but it only lasted two weeks ,somebody scooped it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky2 Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 Thumper, personally I'd go for the new one over a used one, that is if you can afford it. I never liked buying someone else's problems, which is what you could be doing by buying a used one. The EX21, if you buy it, should be the last scroll saw that you'll need to purchase. I purchased one three years ago, and I am as happy today with my purchase as I was the day I bought it. I don't know what type of cutting your going to be doing, but, if your going to be cutting anything on an angle you definitely want the EX. A lot of people don't realize, just how much of an advantage it is to have the head tilt rather than table, the blade changes are about as easy as you can get. The saw runs oh so smoothly, and there's no vibration with the saw running. I may have a bit of a slanted opinion on the General or EX21 as we call them, simply because I own one, bur I'm basing my opinion on what I've used in the past to cut with. I went through two Delta scroll saws, and used a Dewalt for four or five months while waiting to save up enough money for my EX21. The Dewalt was a loaner from a friend, he didn't use it much, it was a descent saw, but, it's no General. And last if not least, the pride of ownership you feel every time you look at your new General, is priceless! Len Scrolling Steve 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amazingkevin Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 I'll take one please! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrolling Steve Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 Thumper, I have owned my EX21 for about a year and love it!.........A solid saw that i believe will last many many years....Go for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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