Looking to upgrade from an old Elektra-Beckum BAS 315 bandsaw to soemthing with a better resaw capability and improved table tilt mechanism. I've narrowed the choice down to the Record Power Sabre 350 or 450 or the Itech BS400. The 350 is clearly a cheaper option but I think I might regret not having the extra grunt available. The Sabre 450 and Itech come in the same price ballpark. The Sabre seems to have a slight edge on both width and depth of cut, they take the same range of blade widths from 6-30mm. The Itech weighs an extra 11kg at 160kg - and I always think weight is a good indicator of quality - most of that probably in the solid wheels at 400 mm diameter. It's frustrating that the only reseller (S&S) are on the other side of the country so I'm faced with buying a machine unseen..
The one aspect of the Itech I'm unsure about is the table height; at 860mm it's lower than almost any other bandsaw I've seen. The Record 350 and 450 come in ta 1029 and 900 respectively, the Laguna 14BX at 965. My existing saw is higher than any at 1080mm - so a full 22cm or nearly 9 inches above the Itech. At 6ft 2inches I appreciate not having to bend forward to look closely at the cut line.
Does anyone own an Itech BS400 (or one of its previous incarnations as Startrite etc.) and/or does anyone have any observations on how well a lower table height works for them?
The one aspect of the Itech I'm unsure about is the table height; at 860mm it's lower than almost any other bandsaw I've seen. The Record 350 and 450 come in ta 1029 and 900 respectively, the Laguna 14BX at 965. My existing saw is higher than any at 1080mm - so a full 22cm or nearly 9 inches above the Itech. At 6ft 2inches I appreciate not having to bend forward to look closely at the cut line.
Does anyone own an Itech BS400 (or one of its previous incarnations as Startrite etc.) and/or does anyone have any observations on how well a lower table height works for them?
