Thread: Carba Tec or GMC SCMS?

"I will have little use for them after these projects are finished. "
Buy a second hand one from cashies then sell it when finished.

I have been looking but have not seen one yet.

Originally Posted by Alfred

Hi All

I am looking at getting a SCMS and though I would love to have one of the fancy European or Japanese ones, I will have little use for them after these projects are finished. So..........

Alfred

Once you find one project, there will always be another to follow, buy something good that will last long enough to do your deck, your "in-laws" deck, your neighbours deck and everything else you will work out you need to do as well once the bug bites.

keep in mind that they are big suckers, so stashing them somewhere is not always easy if you are not going to use it often.

Hvae you thought about only geting a CMS? You can still easily cut decking baords etc (although you will struggle with timber for the substructure of a deck) and they are much cheaper and smaller.

Trav

Thanks for the responses folks.

Yes I have thought about getting a decent CMS, buy it will not do all the cuts I would like to do. I would like to be able to make some trench cuts.

Know about the bug! Been sucked in before with my other hobbies!

Anyone out there with or have used either one of them or better still, both?

i'm guessing the Carbatec one is branded something like TWM. I've had one of the 10" versions for over two years now and apart from a blown engine brake switch ($25) It's been great. The 100T TCT blade was great, but now I need to get a new one (too much work )
The new version of this saw is a 12" and comes with the T type grip like on the Dewalt SCMS, and seems a more refined build than the older 10" jobs. The 12" I have seen in a local hardware for $450. If you can spare the extra $50, the 2inches do make a bit of difference.
And they say size isn't eveything
As for GMC stuff, well I won't go into that debate, suffice to say I'd be looking at Ryobi first.

Hope that helps.

Cheers

Karl.

p.s. forgot to add that a 60T blade (makita brand) is like $60, so factor that in!

Ohhhhh! There is a new 12" version? Where can I see it?

No one else owns or have used one of these?

I have used the GMC(broke it) and replaced it with the Carbatec 10".

All I can say is the GMC is made to a price point and while if you treat it with kid gloves, it gives a reasonable job. I cut over 100 square metres of brushbox without a hitch.

When I moved to another job that needed compound angles, the table broke on its central pivot point. No worries...Bunnies gave me my money back and was promptly replaced with the Carbatec.

This saw has not missed a beat. I am a little angry I did not buy this the first time as the GMC blade tended to wander when trenching....and the flex in the chassis was annoying.

my advice...go the Carbatec

Thanks for that! Looking around, I saw that Timbecon has the 12 inch version of the same saw. It's branded under the Sherwood name at it's priced at $599. I can get a used Makita 1013 for that price, but without any warranty.

I will probably pick up the Carba Tec this weekend.

If anyone else has an opinion, please post!

I've got the Carba-tec one and am very happy with it , my brother has the Makita it is cloned from & you can hear/feel the difference in quality, but $700 is a lot of quality :eek: & the Carba-tec one has been going for 2yrs now very happy with it, although significantly louder than the Makita.

Thanks for the input. I just came back from Carba Tec and just my luck, they have sold out of the saw! Will be looking at the use Makita now I guess.

Ok since I am now going upmarket, what should I look for? Makita, Dewalt........?

Are you better off waiting for Carbatec to get a new one in?

Trav

Carba Tec said that it is a discontinued item. It is not in their new cattledog.