dewalt 788 or excalibur

[Jason.Boushard]

I found a used 788 on craigslist for 250 I am pretty sure I can get it for about 175. I was ready to buya new 21 inch excalibur but with the savings I could get some other power tools. what do you guys think?

[scrollgirl]

The Excalibur is more of a 'precision' machine. If you do highly detailed designs, I think you will have a better job with that. If you are cutting a large quantity of simpler designs (like simple ornaments, etc.) and are looking more for speed, the DeWalt would do fine. You can adjust the Excalibur to cut a little more aggressively (my partner Keith has an article on how to on our site) but you cannot reach the same level of precision on the DeWalt.  That isn't saying that you can NOT cut precision on the DeWalt. I have done some very detailed stuff on mine. But it is far EASIER on the Excalibur to make the most intricate pieces. I have both saws and use the Ex for the detailed stuff and the DeWalt for the 'production' stuff.

Also - if it is a "Type 2" (newer) DeWalt, you may have issues. The newer saws are made much cheaper (they weigh about 14 lbs. less than those with the Type 1 motors). I have heard many stories of bad customer service on them, so unless you are a pretty much 'do it yourself' type of person, you may get stuck if something goes wrong. I hear from a LOT of people on saws and these are really the best assessments I can give along with my own experience. My DeWalt is a type 1 and it makes more noise than it used to, but it still cuts the huge amounts of simple ornaments that I sell for production without issue. However, I DO have to change to my Excalibur when I am doing any type of detail. I say to myself "I couldn't cut this on the DeWalt". That is my honest opinion.

I suppose it is up to what you would like to use it for.  If you aren't sure - go with the Excalibur. You won't regret it.

Sheila

[Jason.Boushard]

I am deffinetly a detail guy, I draw and paint and build wooden ships so maybe I should go with the excalibur anyways. I can hopefully sell some of what I make and use that to buy other machines.

[scrollgirl]

Then you NEED the Excalibur. I have the 21" and it is plenty big for the stuff I do. It may seem like a lot of money, but I honestly think that you will have issues with a DeWalt doing that kind of work (unless you are really, really (really!) lucky) and will wind up buying the Excalibur anyway down the line. I am a firm believer in investing in yourself.

Sheila

[Bill Wilson]

I currently have an Excalibur 21, which replaced a Dewalt that I had for many years.  I just got it earlier this year and haven't made a lot of sawdust with it yet, but I like it so far.  That said, I really liked my Dewalt and cut some very fine detailed patterns with it.  It was a type 2, but I never had any issues with it.  I can't imagine being able to cut fine detail much easier with my EX, but I'm willing to be pleasantly surprised.  If you are still considering the Dewalt, I suggest taking it for a thorough test drive first.  As Sheila mentioned, there were some quality issues with some of the type 2's, especially earlier on in their production run.  If the Dewalt is a good one, @ $175, you would be getting a pretty good deal.  I sold mine for $200 and thought the price was very fair.  I don't use mine professionally.  One of the complaints I've heard about the Dewalt is that for heavy, production use, they don't hold up as well.  I'm talking daily use, for several hours/day.  For a more casual user, they can be an excellent saw.  I'm not trying to talk you out of the Ex, by any stretch.  I think you will be very happy with an EX.  I upgraded because my Dewalt was getting a little long in the tooth and I'm hoping the EX is the last scrollsaw I need to buy.

[Wooden Lace]

I currently have 5 Dewalts - all type 1 - and 2 Excaliburs, a 21 inch and a 16 inch.  Those 2 have been so frustrating to me that they just sit there and look cute, while I use only the Dewalts.  I've cut lots of very intricate things....like Keith's filigree 12 days of Christmas ornaments....with the Dewalts with no problems.  It does cut much more aggressively, but you just have to learn to not push the wood so hard when you are cutting small details.

I think a lot of our preferences for things like scroll saws is dictated by what we learned on and what we are used to.  I learned to cut intricate details with the Dewalt, so it's not an issue for me. 

 As far as the customer service for Excaliburs, I don't know of anywhere except Seyco in Texas that works on them, so quite an expense to send them in you don't live close.

For the difference in price, I'd sure give the Dewalt a try. 
Nancy

[Jason.Boushard]

maybe you should sell me your excalibur woodlace lol

[don in brooklin on]

I have an EX-21 and love it.  I do all sorts of stuff on it and never had an issue.  If you plan on doing a lot of angle cuts for inlays, lettering or bowls the tilting head is a lot easier.

I teach scrolling at our club and we have 7 DW728 and I only teach 5 at a time as we usually have one down at a time. Lucky we have someone who can fix them.  The DW is way more aggressive and I hate that the arm does not stay up.  We use a block of wood at the club and it I had one I would have to get one of the lifters.

I think if all depends on how much scrolling you plan on doing as the difference in price is a lot but I if money is not a real big issue go the EX route an you will love it. 

For service, I have only had one issue and I called Montreal and they were real helpful.

[Wooden Lace]

Looks like there's another player entering the field, with the introduction of the new Jet scroll saw.  From the video on Steve's site, they seem to have taken features from several saws and combined then into one.  At first glance it looks quite a lot like the Excalibur, but the cast iron table is nice, instead of the Ex's lightweight table where the finish rubs off.  Don't care for the bottom blade holder that needs taken out...kind of like the Hegner, but the top blade holder is much different, in that it tightens and tensions all in one movement.

Guess the real problem here is that they are backordered and not actually available yet.   The other problem for me would be that you have to feed the blade up from the bottom of the workpiece, and I always do it from the top down.  That way I don't need to go to the chiropractor from all that neck twisting to see the bottom of the wood!

It will be interesting to see how people like it once they're actually in use.
Nancy

[Jason.Boushard]

no bottom feeder I have a bad back so that wont work.

[dirtrider73068]

I was in same boat when buying a new saw wanted the dewalt but the issues with the type 2 turned me away. If going to spend that much on a tool I don't need to work on it or deal with issues. Just like the reasons sheila posted I went with the ex and love it. Runs smootb cuts smooth and can rotate the motor to cut more agressive or make it cut slower so to say but get more detailed cuts. I had a craftsman at first it cut aggressive and had to becareful or would cut too much or would break parts off because of the aggressive movement of the blade.

[herrwood]

Not machine specific but unless you know how to make repairs buying a used tool is always a gamble. Like buying a used car in that  there usually is some reason it is being sold and there is no odometer on a saw so no way to know what mileage it has on it

[sawdust703]

Nothing against the ex, because I know very little about them, only what I've read. I've got friends that own dewalts, & after seeing & using my VS220 Hawk, That I bought used in pristine condition, say they wish they'd have looked harder at the Hawk before buying the DeWalt. Out of the five saws I own, my Hawk is my work horse. I can cut the finest detail work, stack cut, you name it w/it. I've made beer steins to Grandfather clocks. I make dream catchers of all kinds. I cut my own feathers with the Hawk. I believe investing in a scroll saw takes some serious consideration, research, type of projects you intend to do with it, & your budget. Hawk has the best tech support & parts replacement in the business. IMO. Also, buying used equipment of any breed may be getting into somebody else's headaches. Walk lightly there. If possible, get your hands on it, spend some time cutting with it. Listen to it. Research it. Its your investment, so invest wisely. I'm sure you'll do what you think is best for you. Good luck, & keep us posted. Enjoy your endeavor!

[termite]

if you look on the motor you can see the date it was made. if it was made in Canada it is an
older saw.

[EIEIO]

If you're an experienced sawyer and plan to stay in the game for a long time, the Excaliber is a great investment. But if you're new to this, you might try out the used DeWalt and see if it's something you really want to do.  A used DeWalt will not be hard to sell again if you want to trade up to the Excaliber, and a new Excaliber will always be available when you're ready. I have not seen the Jet saw, but I was considering the Jet Jointer-Planer until I read the customer reviews. If it's a new  device from Jet, you might want to wait a few years and let others enjoy the bleeding edge.

I use an EX-21 and would not go back to a tilting table saw. The tilting head makes angle cutting a lot easier. The new Ex guts will make it a quiet, highly reliable and accurate machine for a long time.