Ryobi 225 Watt, 150mm Band Saw with Light HBS150L

Works well but uses up blades quickly – With the right band-saw blade, this bandsaw works well. The 3mm blade is meant for curved work and thin stock and hence I bought and tried to use the 10mm blade, which doesn't actually fit because it rubs against the blade guard. So the 6mm wide blade ended up being the perfect compromise. One of the problems I had was that the bearing guide was bent meaning that the blade goes through a slight kink before it reaches the table. Maybe this was the reason I went through blades regularly, bearing in mind that Ryobi sell these for $30 each.

I've never really used the mitre-gauge so I can't comment on it. The rip fence (parallel guide) is a bit flimsy and never tends to actually lock parallel to the cutting line, so I never use it. There is also a small metal guide which you can remove to cut slightly thicker stock.

Cleaning is easy but it can be a bit fiddly replacing blades, considering it's such a small machine. This could be a problem if you have big hands.

Compared to hand-sawing, it's much better. But as a band-saw you're probably better off buying the bigger 230mm version (safer, less stress on the blades because they don't have to bend as much around the pulleys). You'll most like have better blade-life in the long-run and counter-intuitively, would be much safer because you can get your left hand in to control the work-piece properly.

Needs a Total Rebuild – These saws need a complete rebuild and a new blade to get them to cut straight and smooth. I bought the HBS150L and first up found the lower drive wheel was warped. Took it back to Bunnings and exchanged for a new saw with wheels that ran true. Next, it was impossible to adjust the guide rollers close enought to keep the saw blade running true when cutting. I turned up some slightly larger rollers for the top and bottom guides on my lathe and all was well.

I had to readjust every setting on the saw to get it to run smoothly. Assembly was very poor.

The supplied blade was a disaster. The welded joint was not straight. Threw that in the bin and ordered a new blade from a specialist blade supplier.

If you have the time to fiddle, the saw can be made to work properly - but not straight out of the box.

Saw now performs well for my hobby needs. Small. Ideal for hobby needs. Poor Assembly. Needs to be rebuilt when you get it home.

Do not buy this! – I got this because the price tag was low and I was after a thin blade to do some fine work. Snapped three blades in two weeks. The machine is a bizmol. It is almost impossible to adjust and set up the bearings so that the blade moves smoothly, it has way too much vibrations. The workmanship of it is so wonky, you spend hours setting it up and then it breaks the blade whilst just running free without anything being cut. Too much frustration not worth the attractive price. Good price, thin blade. Atrocious manufacturing, a blind monkey would make it better.