hotshot

If anyone happens on this saw, I want to explain that Rexon put out a whole slew of saws under various brands. This saw is the as the Rexon VS4001A or Hitachi CW40 or the Tradesman VS4000W. The PCB370ss by Porter Cable was in this same family, but had the angle gauge in the table as did the Craftsman 21601 and Rexon VS4002A. In the US, the Hitachi CW40 was the most popular saw that was identical to this, and was sold at Lower. You can look at the reviews for that saw for more some more opinions on this same saw under a different brand.

For those living outside the U.S., you also may have this same model available to you. This saw is manufactured by Rexon and is also sold under that brand name as model 18" Rexon VS4500R. Reference: http://www.rexon.net/home03.aspx?ID=$2001&IDK=2&EXEC=D&DATA=718

Chiloquinruss, The promotional videos don't show the arm going up very far. If you were sawing 1 or two inch thick material, would the arm go up far enough to thread the blade right back down through the wood without bending the blade? From what I can tell, this seems to be an awesome saw. One day I hope to take one for a drive. -----Randy

Still on pursuit of that portable scrollsaw, this is the 9th scrollsaw I've taken home since starting this hobby,and this is the worse piece of Junk imaginable. Proxxon, you should be ashamed to ship products outside your country and tarnish the reputation of great German engineers. I was warned by a friend that these were bad, and I read the bad reviews and thought, "The saw can't possibly be that terrible." I was curious, and got it cheap on ebay. I needed a portable saw, and it is definitely portable. Summary: The design of this saw is beyond poor. This saw makes the latest Ryobi look awesome, and that is saying something. You can trust me and just take may word for it or your can read the following write-up of the suckiness. 1. Plastic Case. This really makes the saw feel cheap, but admittedly, the saw arms were more rigid than I expected. 2. Looks like motor came from a childs toy and feels weak like a toy. Didn't take much to bog it down. 3. Bottom blade holder is beyond reach of your hands, You have to remove the side panel, guide the blade down through the hole in the table, and into the hole in the shaft/clamp, while using a tool with long shaft to tighten the screw in te barell style blade clamp. Since there is a wide variance to where the blade can be clamped in, finding the center of the clamp will rely on your visibility through the side panel, which is tricky. In order to see the bottom clamp clearly, I had to turn the saw on its' side to look through the "cave like" access panel that is in the side of the saw. (Yes, really) 4. The second worse thing about this saw is the tensioning mechanism. It was crazy trying to get blades in this saw in a way that I could get enough tension. I kept having to adjust where the blades were in the clamps, then depress the clamp into the hole while trying to use their feeble tool to tighten the screw. What a mess. 5. If your doing small hobby parts or christmas ornaments, the size might be ok. I'm a coin cutter, so it was definitely big enough for that, but for most mainstream projects, the table will be way to small 6. The worst thing is that once the blade is loaded and tensioned, It cuts like crap. Seriously. There is a roller built it for stabilization, if you can believe that. If you use this saw, you will need that to make it "more" usable. Though I'm highly critical of this saw, there were a few positives. 1. The vibrations are within reason, especially at lower speeds which is surprising for a saw this light. I must mention that was without even being fastened down. Add a little mass, and magic will ensue. 2. The saw is so small, and weight was so light so you could take it anywhere. You can carry it with one finger. 3. The noise was minimal. 4. If you were using a spiral, you could use the miter gauge or other guides to make "perfect" cuts. Some folks see that as silly, I kind of like that. 5. Can cut thin Balsa with ease, and other materials with some patience (a little sarcasm) 5. If you are really looking to dissuade someone from this hobby, give them this saw as it will perform that task flawlessly. (just a bit more sarcasm) To be absolutely fair, if someone was using bigger blades on very soft wood where changing blades/tensioning task was much less frequent, this might get the job done for someone doing piddly stuff.

Why on earth would I buy a cheap saw with all the other really good saws in my stable? I work in a craft store once a month, and when things are not busy, I thought it would be nice to have a portable saw that I could have onsite to scroll coins when the going gets slow, and, the Ryobi was $99, same as Harbor Freight. Plus, from what I could see in the pictures, there was one particular feature to this saw that made it stand out from all the other saws of this style. The standard clamps took pinless blades, which was my biggest requirement, and the fit and finish of the saw seemed decent. I have a few other "Green" Ryobi tools, and a few are really good. So why not. So today, I'll give a candid review of the latest Ryobi Scrollsaw, the Model: SC165VS Positives: Vibration is about what I would expect for a very light saw.. If it runs on high, it will really need to be clamped down. Clamps: It is pinless and it uses a Hegner type approach to squeezing the blade between two pieces of metal. This means the clamp knob never touches the blades, and thus no Hockey Sticks. However, unlike the Hegner, the first time I put a small blade in, the clamps didn't open back up all the way, and now I can't even get a #5 in the clamp. Will probably have to pry it back apart. Power: Seems ok for thin wood, but I'll come back after I try something thick with it FIt and Finish: Mostly Positive, except they didn't put the Spec label on straight, and some of it is peeling up before I even got it out of the box. Apart from that, no complaints. Negative: 1. Neither clamps have positive stops to hold the blades in the center of the clamp, so that means you had better not have shaky hands or problems with spacial judgement. 2. Bottom clamp is not easily accessible from the bottom of the saw which makes blade changes, as noted below, extremely painful 3. Insert is not even close to flush with table, meaning, it will catch your wood. Superglue on the bottom could be used to bring it back flush. 4. Holes in insert are massive, meaning, without a zero clearance insert, it is next to impossible to cut small items. 4a. Since you have to remove insert to change blades, using a zero clearance insert becomes much more challenging 4b. The large holes in the insert will also catch the wood. 5. The dust blower is weak, and the nozzle is attached to the Hold Down arm. The actual hold down piece can be removed from the arm, but the dust blower is still in the way of the insert removal 6. No quick tensioner/de-tensioner. Tensioner is in rear of saw. In fretwork, this would get tiring in a hurry 7. No positive stop for table angles, so you will always have to find and adjust to lock in on zero. 8. After using thinner blades, clamp do not re-open enough for larger blades. There are no words to describe how I feel about that. Can you imagine having to use a screwdriver to pry back open the clamps after changing blade sizes? 9. Top Feed Only. Blade Changes: By far, the most unforgivable thing about this saw is the process to change blades. 0. Reduce tension in back of saw to lower top clamp/arm 1. Move the post up that holds the dust blower nozzle 2. Remove the Insert from the table 3, Depending on your lighting, you may have to shine a flashlight down the hole to see the clamp 4. Placing the blade through the hole, try to balance the blade in the middle of the clamp (remember no positive stop) 5. There is an unreachable thumbscrew on the bottom clamp, but no worries, there is a 6 inch tool that can be guided through the bottom of the table to that thumbscrew. So steady that arm, insert the tool deep into the saw into the knob, and tighten. 6. Replace insert. 7. Now top feed workpiece over blade 8. Place blade in top clamp, and try to keep it center of clamp 9. Use thumbscrew to tighten top clamp 10. Use back knob to re-tension 11. Now, lower rod holding blower nozzle back into position over work piece Easy Peasy? After that, you might be ready for a break. When someone asks what typically differentiates the better saws from the cheaper saws. For me, the blade change mechanisms are the most notable, especially as relates to accessibility of that bottom clamp. I knew I wasn't paying for a Dewalt, but still, the problems with this saw are design, not quality or cost of materials. I was prepared to deal with some less than ideal aspects of this saw, but, I still needed it to be usable, and for the frequent blade changes that I do, this saw is not usable. Bottom line, this was a very poorly designed saw and even at $99 I'm disappointed. If I cut puzzles, or solid animal shapes, or other stuff that didn't require constant blade changes, I might be able to tolerate this saw, but as it is, I think I'm going to have to return it, and you can bet I won't recommend it ever

I also have this Hegner, but I do not use it because it doesn't have the up front quick tensioner, it is Single Speed, and because it is lighter, it has more vibration than my Multimax 22. I bought my saw with stand for $80 off Craigslist, and although it is fully functional (minus the blower), I still feel a little taken. This saw needs the heavy stand too keep that vibration under control. To make it usable, it also needs the rear quick tensioner, and of course a quick clamp. There are different clamps for different size blades. The middle size that comes with the saw will not hold the very small blades many users use. Hegner recommends the clamps that ship with the saw for blades #5 to #9, so most users will want to go much smaller than that. If you use very large blades, there is another clamp you will need to buy to fit those sizes (most folks never use blades that big). So here is the what I consider a more realistic cost/configuration for this saw. Saw plus Stand: $845 Rear Quick Tensioner: $63 Quick Clamp $32 Clamps for small blades $22 (If you use really big blades, add another $22 for the big clamps. Shipping $35 (This is the only item that cost less than I expected. I live in TN, so your shipping may be a bit more or less depending on where you are.) Total $997 So, we are right at $1000 for a 14", bottom feed only saw that isn't variable speed. Really? To make this saw worth it, Hegner would need to drop the price very significantly, add variable speed, redesign top arm for up front quick tensioner, then add the essentials noted above. ---------Randy

Pros (not in any order) 1. Large Table 2. Quiet/Smooth (Wife says is sounds like a sewing machine) 3. Head tilts instead of table making it ideal for Bowls, inlay, or any angle cutting 4. Saw is build solid, and the tilt mechanism is very accurate and smooth. 5. Easy blade changes without tools 6. Top feeder and Bottom feeder 7. Blade Travel can be adjusted for more aggression/less aggression by turning motor. 8. Stand height can be adjusted. 9. Seyco is very EX focused and very capable in providing support 10. Sealed/Protected Power switch (Though most users use the foot switch) 11. Quick Tensioner is right up front, easy to access, and very fast to use. Cons 1. Clamps are Aluminum. This means your are always trying to be careful "not to strip the threads". Even still, I stripped the threads on the bottom clamp and had to re-order from Seyo. These should be Hard Steel. 2. More complex mechanics make repairs more difficult 3. In a well adjusted saw, there is still more blade travel than Hegner/Hawk. If I need less blade travel, I use my Hegner. 4. No repair centers within easy reach of most of it's users 5. It may be half the price of Hegner, but it is still quite expensive. 6. Adjusting arm height with back knob changes blade travel, and on a tuned saw, always for the worse. I've been using this saw for years, and every time I sit down to it, I'm still impressed. ------Randy

Depending on what I'm working on, I sometime continue with a trashed project to completion because I've already spend the money on materials, so it is free practice to increase my skills. I have a totaled fretwork piece in the shop right now that I can practice on to get warmed up, and get my feel for the saw, before starting anything new.

When I started coin cutting, there seemed to be a general consensus amongst the coin cutters using the Jewelers saw that the Jewelers saw was the only tool with enough control and accuracy to do highly detailed cutting. A few of the advanced cutters would cut the "Tree of Life" designs as a demonstration of what they and their tool could do. Being a scroll saw fanatic, I didn't buy the assertion that the scroll saw was inferior for detailed cutting. I think this is a good demonstration of the scroll saw capabilities in this realm. I participate in a few metal working/Jewelry groups, predominately dominated by folks using the Jewelers saw. It's interesting to see the reaction when some of the members realize, that their might be "another way". I ran across the basic design on google, and placed it inside a heart border so that I could make a pendant out of it. This was cut on the Eisenhower. -----Randy

The good thing about the Ex saws, you can glance at the table and tell exactly how much use they have. For a like new EX21, I would probably try to get them down some, but that is pretty good price.

This is an Eisenhower. I originally printed the pattern for the Kennedy, but there was no way on earth that was going to happen, mainly because of the eyes.

Here is the Pattern: The pattern was commissioned specifically for our community, so it is free to use. The pattern is scaled to 100 mm, but should be able to be scaled up or down from there. I scale all my stuff to 100 mm because if I want to scale to an exact size, like 123mm, all I have to do is print to 123%. The magic of metric. Pakastan_Wolf_100.pdf

Well, I liked cutting it, but the design is just too small for coin. The eyes are really hard to see.

So, I took a normal Celtic Heart cut, then using the Arbor Press/Dapping Kit from Harbor Freight to dome it. Turned out pretty neat I think. ------Randy

Crap . . . . . we cross posted, but you were faster . . . . I was beat to the punch again :-)

It's Smoke and Mirrors: There are just a very very very few manufacturers that make Scrollsaw and Jewelers blades, and everything else you see out there is a re-brand: http://www.haunstetter-saegenfabrik.de: This German company makes Olsen and a few obscure specialty blades under their own brands. Niqua: The other German company makes brands: Niqua (non-U.S.), Flying Dutchman, and most other blades marked "Made in Germany" SCIES (Pegas/Grommet): These guy are really making a mark now. They lead in the Jewelers Blade market by a mile, and seem to be quickly becoming the Scroll Saw blade of choice (my opinion). This company is very willing to sell their stuff under house brands and various labels for many vendors, but if it is marked "Made in Switzerland, then these guys made it. Kapoor Engineering Tools: These blades made in India and represent the bottom of the bottom for blades. They sell more blades in the Jewelers blade market, but also carry the cheap blade market on the scroll saw side. There may be another company in India that is also selling this kind of crap, but I'm not sure. No doubt, that companies rebranding blades from these manufactures just hide the source company. I'm pretty sure you could put similar blades under the magnifier to identify the manufactures.

Unless you are angle cutting, stick with your Type one. I also have a 788 Type I and have been cutting some coins with it lately to make sure it is viable for coin cutting . . . . like I have been telling everyone it is. :-).

Stay clear of any new EX made in China until we have sometime to determine if these are sound or not. If not buying new, if the saw is in good shape and Green or Purple, you are good. If it is black, make sure the arm tilts and not the table. (The older black EX with tilting table are no longer supported and parts are not available.) Regardless of the saw, if it is used, you do not want to commit to a purchase until you have seen (and heard) it run through the entire speed range. If buying new, buy King for now, or Seyco. --------------Randy

Already sold it! Yayyyyyy

Ah ha, you caught that . . . . Yes it is touching, but I hid the support by cutting away the surface material by angling the coin up. I do that from both sizes. This makes it look like the horse is floating with no support. Here is a close up of that strategy from another coin I cut:

I have cut this pattern just a few times in the past, but I wanted to post here because this is probably the best I've ever cut it. This is one of those patterns that gives me opportunity to improve myself with every cutting. I don't cut it often because it doesn't sell well . . . . because I have it priced way too high . . . because it is a pain in the backside to cut. (Cross Posted to SSWC) In case some of you wonder how I can cut that small, especially since my eyesight is not the best . . . I am of the belief that most of the veteran cutters on this forum are better cutters than I am, but I cheat by using 4+ reading glasses plus a magnifiying lamp along with plenty of light. Here is what it actually looks like under heavy magnification. The trick is not cutting small because in metal that is easy. The trick is clearly seeing the pattern. Of course seeing it clearly, sometimes means printing it on quality paper, not cheap copy paper. (CA glue seeps through some paper, making it fuzzy/muddled)

Peter, actually, there is a very important place for you on the forum because if you visit here enough, you can start to get a feel for what the community would like improved in your saws and services. When General first released the dust collection mechanisms, folks were excited, but that excitement quickly turned into frustration as the membrane started capturing little pieces and became a nuisance. When the consensus amongst the consumers started trending heavily negative against this design, there did not seem to be a good feedback path to General. Norm Frampton (Generals Sales and Marketing guy) used to receive feedback, but not sure if any of that feedback left his office or not. I hammered him on the need to change the color from "Grizzly/Harbor Freight Green", but don't know if my pestering did any good (but we were all happy to see that first anniversary black). So, King can "one up" General and create tool improvements that are vetted by those who are experts on the use of their tools. This is a great place for King to get the Pulse of the scroll saw community if it really wants to make a positive difference in it's products. So is there a place for you here? Not only is there a seat for you at our table, that seat is pure gold.

I suspect Jet may be the exception as they already have their support infrastructure stood up and try to protect their reputation as a premium brand. And of course, Seyco also sells Jet, so that might add a second source for that flavor if you buy from Seyco. To find our nearest Jet Service center: http://www.jettools.com/us/en/service-and-support/service-center/

Yes, you have the "original" manufacturer version made in Canada. Seyco started advertising these in about May of 2006. Not only that, but did you know the Purple Excalibur originally had the Dewalt type tensioner and no knob in the back? Which type does yours have? The pre EX21 saws had the tension lever like today, but with the introduction of the EX21, they initially switched to this design as an improvement, but according to Ray at Seyco, the existing EX customers preferred the lever, so they reverted to the original EX tension levers. Here is a picture of that original EX with Dewalt style tensioner:

Kev, that is a good point, one that I had not considered. My EX saw did come through Seyco. Still, the amount of stiffness would have caused many people huge issues, so I can't believe that would be normal.