My intro to the Ex 21......Hawk Ultra 26VS for sale.

[Blaughn]

An Excalibur 21 "New-in-Box" popped up on eBay and I jumped on it.  It arrived and I have finally had a chance to use it.  My "like new" Hawk Ultra VS 26 will be going up on Craigslist as soon as I take a break from using the Ex-21.

 

The Pros:

 

The reduction in vibration is massive.  Even at max speed, the Ex-21 produces a lower level of vibration than my Hawk.  This directly impacts accuracy and even operator fatigue.

 

Top-feed:  My back is thanking me for the top-feed feature.  The advantages to top-feed are probably, in part, a personal preference issue.  I must say, I do not miss the pretzel posture needed for bottom feed and the speed of moving to a new cut path cannot be ignored.

 

Speed control placement (versus Hawk) - The need to adjust speed requires far less movement with the Ex than the Hawk.  

 

Tilting Blade vs Tilting Table.  Superior control and immediate comfort level with level-table-tilted-blade design cannot be ignored.  It just feels right.

 

The Cons:

 

The Ex dust collection design is a joke.  It traps small dropouts and works against top feeding.  The Hawk, on the other hand, has no dust collection provision.....

 

The stand footprint is too big (versus the Hawk,)   The side-to-side footprint of the Ex-21 stand seems excessive (8-10" more than the Hawk 26).  The stability of the saw does not require the wide, side-to-side footprint.  I am working out of a shop where floor space is limited so this matters to me but this will not be a factor for folks with no floor space issues.

 

The Verdict (Steeped heavily in personal opinion)  :  

 

In My Humble Opinion - the Ex deserves its position among the top rankings of available scroll saws. I hope General is able to secure a new factory and that they are able to successfully navigate the rocks and shoals of quality control vs Asian mfg.  Prior to retirement, I spent 16 years sourcing out of Asia and fully understand the risk/challenge/complexity facing General as they attempt to bring a new factory online.  There are a number of General employees who are raking in more frequent flyer miles than they ever thought possible.

 

All in all, I will put my Hawk 26 up for sale without any regrets.  I do wish the Ex had the cast-iron table the New Jet features but that is minor compared to the other features that fit my personal preferences so well.

 

I know of one other New-in-Box Ex-21 located in Northern California (Redding area).  If you are looking send me a PM.

 

Bruce

Edited October 28, 2016 by Blaughn

[WayneMahler]

There are pros and cons to every saw. I enjoy my EX-21 but have never experienced other top saws. 

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

As mentioned pros and cons of each saw and I will take my RBI saws any day of the week. It is a rythem you get into and the more you use it the more it fits you. I do not even bend over when threading the blade on my rbi. I love bottom feeding because this is what I grew up with and know the best. Those blades bend for a reason. For the amount of times I tilt my table I can count on one hand. 

 

Another good saw hits the market. This site is a treasure for saws. Good luck with the new saw and hope you make lots of projects with it. Thanks for the review. May help someone. 

[Scrolling Steve]

The EX was my first saw and after 21/2  yrs of use I can think of no reason to change to any other brand.

[hawkeye10]

I have the EX16 and really love it but like others I took the dust collection off. ""It sucks"". I had a DW788 but it was bad and I took it back so I can't comment on it. I would like to try the RBI just for the heck of it.

[Bill WIlson]

Earlier this year I upgraded from a Dewalt to the EX-21.   I agree with your overall assessment of the EX.  I like mine very much and am happy with it, despite having many good years of service from my Dewalt.  I do think the dust collection feature on the EX needs re-thinking and the stand does have a much larger footprint than what is really necessary, but those are small quibbles.

 

As for the Hawk, I've not used one enough to really comment on it.  They do seem to be almost universally well regarded though and their build quality/durability is excellent.  It comes down to the features of the saw that fit best with the user.  I considered the Hawk before I purchased the EX, but I didn't care for the blade clamping system.  After using the Dewalt for so many years, I thought it might be more cumbersome for me to get used to.  In fact, I went with the EX primarily because, in addition to being a better made saw, it had several features that were similar to the Dewalt and I knew the learning curve would be very short.  After scrolling for about 20+ years, that was kinda important to this old dog. 

[trackman]

As for me I like the wide footprint of the stand.  I rest my foot on the bar that goes across the front and my other foot is on the power switch.

[woodknots]

I've had my ex-21 for almost 4 yrs now and I removed the dust collection right away and came up with this. It works pretty good it slides back when changing blades. I used 1" pvc pipe to make it I didn't glue it up so it move easily. 

[Phantom Scroller]

i would cry if my EX-21 broke.