I got a Laguna 1412 with an band saw guide upgrade kit off of Sawblade.com. The old blocks were an issue but the upgrade kit worked out fine. A complete upgrade from the previously installed guides.
That would solve most all of the criticisms I have heard about the Laguna.
Now, it is said the ceramic guides have an advantage over bearings on re-saw of green or pitchy wood as they scrape clean vs building up on the surface. The issue is not the technology on the Laguna, but the execution. Some have issues, some do not. When I rough sawed some green wood, I did get some build up on my bearing guides but that was rough work. Before I try to do useful re-saw, the wood is always really dry. If you are a turner and are cutting green wood blanks, that may be a different question I have no experience in. In a perfect world, we would have bearing blocks that are universal and quick-mount so we could choose bearing, rear only, or ceramic/metallic/wood fixed guides depending on the job at hand. Unfortunately I live in Hillsborough . Great, but not "Perfect".
Could just roughing up the anodizing on the Laguna guides solve it anyway? I have not seen anyone really focus on a fix, just complain. Of course, ceramic guides you don't have to take apart and re-grease as "sealed" bearings are not and even good NTK bearings get fine dust in them and seize. I only have to clean mine about every 6 months.
Not bashing Laguna, just trying to open all questions. All the saws in question should be lifetime tools. Being lifetime, ignore the price and get the correct tool. I am waiting on the Laguna new fence to put on my Harvey. I was close to buying their Fusion 3 TS saw but did not like the short distance from near edge to the blade. It is said to run " as smooth as an old Powermatic". With the experience of my C-14, I bought the Harvey TS. It was tough between old-school and a SawStop. I decided against the PCS as I worried about long term availability of the electronics. Burden of my time spent doing failure analysis at STK. I had always dreamed of a Powermatic, but no longer saw any advantage for the price. So I bought the dinosaur. A curious note, the TS insert is the same shape as Powermatic 66. Hint on OEM?
So, it is a tough choice, Rikon or Laguna. As I could do 3 HP, Harvey added into the mix. ( my choice) Baleigh and Oliver being similar but could not see any advantage. Don't forget Felder. Good tools but don't advertise to the consumer much so they get overlooked. ShopFox has the EU style disk side guides, but is otherwise a Grizzly. The small Powermatic may be a good saw and not too over-priced. Old C frame style and only 6 1/2 inch resaw. Griz or Jet seems to be fine if you get a good one. Some don't. I would buy a Win before a new Delta. As a reference, I have never done more than 8 inch re-saw.
I do not understand the need for 2 or variable speed on a woodworking band saw. Metal yes, wood no. The low speeds do not seem to be low enough for metal work. Maybe someone could enlighten me.
FWIW, Sawblades.com is my generic source for bands. Truth is as far as I know, the actual band stock comes from only a couple factories, so the brand you buy is only the welder and packager. ( but if true, why do Bosch blades seem to suck?) I did have straightness issues with some 1/2 inch bands but my 3/8 and 1/4 are fine. I have moved to the Laguna 3/4 carbide and the weld seems to be very strait and flat. No thump-thump when sawing.
Yes, I over-analyze everything. Engineering mentality. Drives my wife crazy. Spreadsheets for everything. I have bought the wrong tool too many times and that is way too expensive. Details matter to me.