Axminster TS200/250 standards

[Rhossydd]

Given the number of TS200 & 250 owners here and the amount of threads that have been generated about these saws, I thought the following might be of interest;

Quoted from a current eBay listing for a TS250 on their eBay shop;
"Item was returned to us due to the saw being damaged in transit.. Our service team have since aligned the blade to the maximum adjustment and ovalised some holes, so the blade is now as parallel as possible with the slots in the table. Even on maximum adjustment, it is still 0.5mm out of square which is not bad at all for a Hobby Rated Machine! "

I'll leave it to others to work out the exact tolerance that suggests, although without knowing where they measure that it's difficult to be too precise, a bit like the saw I suppose ;-)

My own TS200 is much better and I'm happy with it, but YMMV.

 

[glynster]

I always think it's preemptive defensiveness the way they call the cheaper stuff "hobby rated" - it must greatly reduce the amount of complaints but I still resent the term "hobby" for some reason. I have the TS-250 and am quite happy with it. I noticed that the updated models - the TS-200-2 and the 250m-2 both have what looks to be a much improved fence (thats the only upgrade I can see except for a pointless extra leg) - I bought mine mid last year so I have the shoddy fence and it does let it down. I asked in store this weekend and was told that they do plan to offer the new fence and rail as an upgrade in the next few months - which knowing Axminster means don't hold your breath.

 

[petermillard]

I always think it's preemptive defensiveness the way they call the cheaper stuff "hobby rated" - it must greatly reduce the amount of complaints but I still resent the term "hobby" for some reason.

I think they used to refer to the lower-end range as 'light trade' - I'm sure calling them 'hobby rated' is a way of (re)setting expectations.

Pete

 

[RogerP]

... bit like sellers calling stuff "budget range" when they really mean "cheap and rough".

 

[n0legs]

I don't own either of these but I can see how people may be getting annoyed. Maybe a joint letter to Aminster from the collective owners of these saws, listing the issues and problems with them might be in order.
Certainly voicing your disappointment at their recent public statement on how they rate their own product and the accuracy they seem to imply as being acceptable.
Hobby, budget or not Axminster have set themselves up as being tool specialists, I for one would have thought their buyers and quality control would have been much better than, let's say, B&Q etc.
Sourcing products at a reasonable price should not be difficult for people who know (or care) about their product range, which obviously gets sold on to the customer with his/her own expectations.
Concentrating on your profits isn't always the best way to carry on in business.

 

[Rhossydd]

I don't own either of these but I can see how people may be getting annoyed.

You're rather missing the point here.
My original post just highlighted what Axminster are saying is an acceptable tolerance of blade alignment. You also need to consider this particular saw isn't being sold as perfect, just 'good enough'. Presumably the original purchaser has been supplied with a new machine with better spec.

As a TS200 owner myself, I've read almost every thread about the saw here and most people that make the effort can achieve better tolerances than that. Also most owners end up quite satisfied with their purchases.
There have recently been some grumbles here about price changes when a couple of people missed out on particularly good deals, but that's life and not really any reflection on the quality of the machine itself.

I don't think it's reasonable to expect every machine they sell to be completely perfect. One has to accept that if they sell different grades of products, the quality and performance will depend on price.
Just consider the economics of the TS200. Currently on sale for £194 with a side table extension (the last few are at Axminster store as I write) and some here have got them even cheaper in the last month. Take off the VAT and they've been sold for about £160 delivered.
Just how much perfection can you expect for that sort of cash ?
That people can spend a few hours raising these from hobby spec to something really rather good is something to be celebrated, not complained about really.

 

[Bodgers]

... bit like sellers calling stuff "budget range" when they really mean "cheap and rough".

Not sure that applies here really.

This particular one is in fact advertised as not being perfect.

I am fairly happy with the hobby range so far.

I have the HS250 Axy bandsaw, which is pretty much fault free and you get a lot of for your money.

The TS200 is definitely capable of being better than 0.5mm out, it just needs setting up and tuning. I would question them on this though, because potentially being out by this much could end up being a safety issue as it may induce kickback if the misalignment binds a work piece between fence/blade. I suppose there is always the option of ignoring the t-slots and just compensating by aligning the fence setup to the blade.

My TS200 has a few QA issues, but most of those seem caused by the way it has been handled before it was put in the box rather than any manufacturing defect.

I bought the TS200 has something that was a step up from cheap and rough. Don't forget there are a lot of aluminium topped saws that are cheaper than the TS200 that don't match up to it.


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