Chinese Sliding Table Saws?

[Cygnus A]

I am in the market for a sliding table saw. While doing research I have found dozens if not more options. The origins of this style saw seem to be European and there are a few big names that usually come up:

Felder  
SCM  
Altendorf  
Martin  

Each with multiple options and grades (consumer through fully automated industrial). 

Where it gets interesting is the when you dig into all the other brands. Many companies have jumped on board with this style saw. There are so many varieties that it is difficult to even compare them at this point. Grizzly and Laguna have their versions at a reasonable discount from the equivalent Felder or SCM. It seems almost all of them are made in china and many are rebranded or modified of similar base saws.  Some of the very high end models might be still made in Europe, but I know even the Euro-brands have started outsourcing to China as well. 

Chinese manufacturers have been pushing a lot more "retail" through sites like Alibaba for many things including machinery. It seems easily possible to save 5-10k of the sticker price of a name brand saw and have the exact same parts inside it. I have seen a couple of reviews of these saws with mostly positive results. The biggest complaint was arranging shipping. 

One of the brands I was really interested in is Lead Machinery. They appear to be a really close knock off of Felder for way less money. 

https://greatlead.en.alibaba.com

Has anyone gone this route or dug into it enough to determine whether a direct-from-china saw is worth pursuing? or is it possible to separate the good from the trash? I find it difficult to image so many of these saws are being fabricated and nobody is actually buying them. 

This decision would be way easier if I could walk into a showroom and touch one, but rolling the dice on something completely site unseen is hard to swallow. Lead appears to at least attend major industry shows in China. 
 

[Coop]

I think your last paragraph, less the last sentence would decide it for me. Don’t know where the four brands you mentioned are made but personally, I try and shy away from anything labeled made in China and that, unfortunately, is hard to do. The USA is backing itself into a China dependent corner, both financially and resources. 

[Woodenskye]

There is a lot of extra work importing a saw from China by yourself.  You need to take care of a lot of the customs paperwork and finding a shipping broker.  I read on a forum of a guy who did this and the machine was great, but the process was extremely complicated and took quite a long time.

[wtnhighlander]

I have learned from direct experience, not to assume lesser quality just because a product was made in China. But speaking from direct experience with other types of equipment built in China according to our company's specification, import costs narrow your savings margin quite a bit.  What looks like 30% or more savings now may be more like 10% by the time your saw arrives, and where will the after-sale support come from?

[Mick S]

1 hour ago, Coop said:

I try and shy away from anything labeled made in China and that, unfortunately, is hard to do.

I ordered some round over router bits on Amazon recently. The first time I used it the dust shroud on the bearing flew off. Yes, it was half the price. Now I have to return them, order new ones from Freud...

The brands listed by the OP are the ones he should consider. IMO Chinese sliders are not worth the risk.

[JohnG]

Don’t forget that now you’ll have a lovely 25% duty on the value of the saw in addition to the freight charges.
 

For freight, you’ll have to pay the ocean freight to get it to the port, then pay a trucking company to pick it up from the port and deliver it to you. And potentially a ‘last-mile’ freight company if the trucking company will not deliver to your door. 

Personally I’d just look at Felder/SCM, or just get the slider table on a Sawstop. Without seeing one or talking to someone with direct experience with one, the risk is far greater than the cost difference for me.

[Mark J]

If you have to arrange your own shipping for the item itself it's not likely the company is going to be able to muster much customer support.  What happen's if you need a part?  Who ships that?  Will there be someone fluent in English on the other end of the phone?  

And what's the resale value of the equipment if you want sell it later?

Just some thoughts.

[Maen]

Many of the big European brands do manufacture their machines in China. China offers everything. One of the main issues comes from the fact that China is a huge manufacturing base, with very good quality coming from companies that offer excellent service before and after sale through professional people,  at the same time, the bad quality coming from crapy companies also exist, and they are outnumbering the companies that worth working with.

 

People looking for cheap prices from china - in that I don't include people who are looking for good quality in affordable prices - are also outnumbering the people who are looking for good stuff.  After all, many small businesses in the vast majority of the  less fortunate countries simple can't afford to pay twenty thousand euros for a saw, and that’s when the cheap machines become a vital role in that country’s development path. So yes the cheap machines will get sold eventually and easily.

 

With that being said, If you want a sliding table saw from china that can be on par with the European quality, expect to pay for it, and you can save quite good amount of money compared to the very high prices of the European brands.

 

www.taqint.com

TAQ International - woodworking machines

[gee-dub]

I know I would not like "Made in America" to be based on 1980s Chrysler K-cars.  Careful vendor selection and help from places like this can narrow the field.

[drzaius]

17 hours ago, gee-dub said:

I know I would not like "Made in America" to be based on 1980s Chrysler K-cars.  Careful vendor selection and help from places like this can narrow the field.

The truth is that we can make things as badly as the Chinese and they can make them as good as we can. It's all down to the market and the North American market is just starving for cheaply made, low quality goods. When it comes to poor product quality, we have met our enemy and he is us.

[pixiestick01]

On 6/14/2022 at 5:01 PM, drzaius said:

The truth is that we can make things as badly as the Chinese and they can make them as good as we can. It's all down to the market and the North American market is just starving for cheaply made,, low quality goods. When it comes to poor product quality, we have met our enemy and he is us.

I know fewer places where the iron is plentiful and the quality less. Alibaba in China can be a good market. But even the radiation in iron needs to be questioned.

The damage it does is underestimated. He does not even look for quality in many products. Just everyone looking for mass production and very good cloning.