Sold my 15 year old Grizzly (made in Taiwan) 14 incher with a riser block.
Got a Laguna 14-12 (also made in Taiwan). It is a heavy sucker. I
like the dust collection. None on the floor after playing with it two
hours. Like the lever tension release. Re-wired it for 230v, which
is very easy.
Just like every bandsaw I have owned, it has a drift, but this one
has a fence adjustment to compensate. I did have to drill out the
adjustment holes to get it perfectly aligned with the drift.
No opinion on the ceramic guides yet. I had to get a pet monkey
to adjust the lower guides--couldn't get my fingers around the knob.
Next time I will try tilting the table to the max to get to them.
I like the large cast iron table. I've seen "table saws" with no
larger.
Dislike the 'ratchet handles' on the tilt locks. I seldom use
them anyway.
No riser block needed, it will raise as high as the Griz did with
a riser.
Runs quiet with no vibration. With the cast iron wheels, it takes
a long time to wind down when turned off. Almost touched the blade
before it stopped, it spins so quietly and long. I have to get used
to that. (the long wind down--not the touching the blade).
--
G Ross