help with buying a scroll saw

[jeffpoo]

i was needing some help on which scroll saw to buy,,,i would like one with the quickest blade changes ,,and where the arm raises up,,to be honest i like the excaliber,,but it seems like they have got alot of negative reviews,,plus i cant seem to actually find new ones for sale,,most are reconditioned,,,and im kinda scare of that,,,i like the pegas,,,,but the excilaber just kinda sticks in my mind,,,can anyone give me some advice on the excaliber,,or for that matter on any scroll saw

[FrankEV]

I'm happy with my 21" Pegas. If buying today, I might consider the 30".

If you buy one  definately get the stand also.  Great stable setup. 

Also needs a good separate min 5x mag light as the saw does not come with any attached light like some other saws do.  Mount on a separate structure, not the saw, for best ease of use.

The Pegas blade clamps and tensioning system work well, although I find the lower clamp a PITA to find the slot when doing it just by feel, especially for the spiral blades I mainly use. 

From what I've read herein, many use Pegas and are very happy with them. 

 

[don in brooklin on]

I have an original EX-21 that was made in Taiwan.  Now about 12 years old and used practically every day and is as good as the day I bought it.  The only thing I did was replace the blade holder with Pegas blade holders.  I think all the bad press on the Excalibur came when the manufacturing was moved to China.

The original design is now sold under the King Industrial name.  Not as expensive as the Pegas (In Canada about $200 cheaper). I hear good thing about it.

What ever you decide on get a foot switch if not included in the package.  I have the dead man one from Harbor Freight.  

 

[BadBob]

I have the newer Pegas and the Excalibur EX21 Taiwan version with Pegas blade clamps. I purchased the EX21 used after seeing a video about the blade changes and have never regretted it. Today, if I were purchasing a new saw, it would be the Pegas. Lights are not an issue. There is a lot of steel in these saws where you can attach magnet mount lights. LED sewing machine lights work great for this.

I have zero problems inserting blads in the clamps.

I also have considered the Seyco saw but I did not like the table. I prefer my waxed steel.

[TAIrving]

Several brands of scroll saw are based on the original excalibur design: see the article " Excalibur Scroll Saw - What Happened?" posted in Resources, Articles in this forum.  The Pegas, Seyco and King scroll saws are excellent examples of this design.  But the scroll saw now marketed as "Excalibur" is a lower quality version of that same design.  

 

 

[OCtoolguy]

Unless you are lucky enough to find either a Canadian or Taiwan Ex, stay away from that name. King and Excelcior are supposed to be well made. I have 2 used Ex's one Canadian and one Taiwan. Both great saws. I did put Pegas clamps on both. Built my own stands. If I were in your shoes, I'd buy a Pegas. There has been no negative feedback as far as I know. In the scroll world the topline saws are Hegner, later model Hawks (ask questions), Seyco and Pegas. The best mid-priced saw seems to be the Dewalt or Delta. Wen has cone out with a similar saw as well as Rikon. But Pegas would be my suggestion. Best of luck with whatever saw you choose. 

 

[kmmcrafts]

Welcome to the scroll saw village!

I don't have much for recommendations from what's already been said.. other than to say in some cases what saw is best can vary based on what type of scroll sawing you're going to be doing most.. IF doing very large fretwork projects from thin material I'd go with a Hawk.. for a top of the line type saw.. IF doing smaller to medium sized fretwork I'd go with a Hegner or Pegas.. 

The Jet brand is very similar to the Excalibur type saws too and made very well.. I find them to be better priced than the Pegas or other models.. however I do not like the table design on the 22" saw but I do really like the 18" Jet.. they sometimes run a sale on these and it's hard to beat the price even if you wanted to add the Pegas blade chuck.. still way cheaper than the Pegas if you can catch the sale.. many times throughout the year that saw is offered at just a little over $700 and some places offer free shipping where most others do not. Also Bearwood offers a refurb Pegas that's not priced too bad but has more of a as-is type warranty too.. I guess they supply some sort of warranty but not much of one. 

Good luck with whatever you choose and give us a update when you do get something.

 

[Juan Rodriguez]

I was in your shoes a couple of years ago. I got caught in the hype and I purchased a Pegas 21 inch saw. It was one the biggest mistakes I have made when purchasing a woodworking machine. I know a lot of scrollers own a Pegas and are happy with them but I was not as fortunate.  

My Pegas broke down in less than three months of slight use. The saddest part of the story is how I got jacked around by the seller and the manufacturer. Apparently, they were having communication problems as to finding someone to fix it and unfortunately, I was caught in the middle. This scenario went on for over two months with back and forth e-mails and no significant progress on how and when to fix it.   Finally, the manufacturer decided to do the right thing and send me a label to return the unit ( I am glad I kept the box it was shipped, otherwise they would not have accepted the unit). 

It was a very trying and frustrated two months episode in my life. So, don't get caught up in the hype, do a lot of research and ask a lot of questions from whom you decide to buy from. Good luck.

[Sycamore67]

Before I recommend a saw, it would be good to know what kind of scrolling you will do.  Are you new to scrolling or what?

[OCtoolguy]

18 hours ago, Juan Rodriguez said:

I was in your shoes a couple of years ago. I got caught in the hype and I purchased a Pegas 21 inch saw. It was one the biggest mistakes I have made when purchasing a woodworking machine. I know a lot of scrollers own a Pegas and are happy with them but I was not as fortunate.  

My Pegas broke down in less than three months of slight use. The saddest part of the story is how I got jacked around by the seller and the manufacturer. Apparently, they were having communication problems as to finding someone to fix it and unfortunately, I was caught in the middle. This scenario went on for over two months with back and forth e-mails and no significant progress on how and when to fix it.   Finally, the manufacturer decided to do the right thing and send me a label to return the unit ( I am glad I kept the box it was shipped, otherwise they would not have accepted the unit). 

It was a very trying and frustrated two months episode in my life. So, don't get caught up in the hype, do a lot of research and ask a lot of questions from whom you decide to buy from. Good luck.

Juan, you're the first person I've ever heard that had a bad experience with the Pegas saw. I sure hope you got it all rectified to your favor. I also hope that whoever you purchased it through has gotten their customer service up and running the way it should. Also, it may have been a case of growing pains on the company with a fairly new product. Not that that is any excuse.