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  1. #46
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Flagstaff Hill
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    178

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    This has been an interesting thread which I have been following for some time. Today I took the plunge and bought one off ebay, due to the fact that they are out of stock and waiting for the next shipment to arrive they still allow you to place an order with the bonus of paying $379.00 and free shipping within Australia.
    Swarts Tools have advised me that it will be shipped to me around the 10 October 2016; so once I have the machine I will put it through it paces and follow up with a review.
    Cheers until the review.

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  3. #47
    Join Date
    Oct 2016
    Location
    Bacchus Marsh
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    11

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    G'Day All,
    Well, I ordered a SCMS yesterday fromSwarts in Sydney and received it today in Victoria, great turnaround. I unpacked it and set it up and it was square to .1 of a degree right out of the box, I am a bit of a pain in the bum about 'square' so I'll just bring into exact 90.0 degrees when the need arises, the fence was 90.0 to the top, unbelievable, I have had a few of these saws and I haven't seen this kind of accuracy out of the box. Hooked it up to my shop vac and it removed a fair bit of the dust. My shop vac is a home made cyclonic unit attached to a rather weak karcher shop vac. All in all a great unit, the test cut pieces were as smooth as, requiring very little if any sanding depending on the job. So far it looks like great value for money. Will add some more comments down the track as an update. Hope their other tools are just as good, looking to buy their linisher/disc sander unit.

  4. #48
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    FIFO to Pilbara
    Posts
    121

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    UPDATE - REVIEWThe 100 125 x 1mm cutoff wheels arrived last week - minimalist packaging, and everything OK.The wheels are comparable to the flexovit ultracuts I was using on the job just before - in fact I took one cut on some 1" heavy wall galv pipe with the flexovit, then changed the wheel/disc for one of the swarts discs and made all the remaining cuts using that...the wear rate, and cutting effort seemed pretty similar.I did get a pinch and blow one wheel apart - NOT swarts fault, and noticed the internal construction (weave of the mesh, etc) was similar to some of the other wheels I've broken over the years.so, based on my anecdotal (unscientific) testing, I'd say the swarts 125mm x 1 cutoff wheels are comparable to flexovits, and priced quite well. I will be buying more of them in the future.Des
    Quote Originally Posted by desbromilow View Post
    I came in based on a search for Swarts reviews. I've jsut ordered 100 cut off wheels and will report back on how those fair compared to the flexovits and smith and arrows I've been using (mostly flexovits)

  5. #49
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    16

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    Hi Mr Brush,

    Im sorry for the late reply, I didn't see the message come through the forum.

    Yes we have had a few back orders lately on the saws, the demand for the saw is rising I believe a lot to do with the great reviews the people have been so kind to write on this page. We are catching up with the demand but a couple of set back in the manufacturing process and then extended lead times got in the way a bit.

    We do have them in stock now though and they are available for immediate delivery.

    If we are ever out of stock though some of our stockists may still have them like Timbecon in Melbourne and Perth.

    Sincerely
    Samuel Jones
    General Manager
    Swarts Tools

  6. #50
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    16

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    Hi Gabstar,

    Thank you very much for your review, I`m really glad you are happy with it.

    Yes as you noticed it was pretty accurate out of the box, that something that we pride ourselves on. Many people don't realise as very few companies do it anymore but every single tool whether it be a $5 Multi-tool Blade or a $399 12" Mitre saw is pulled out of the box and given a full quality control here in our Sydney warehouse. We spend about 15 minutes on every single Mitre Saw setting the accuracy and checking the quality before it goes out for delivery to the customer. This is the only way we ensure that we have one of the lowest failure rates in the industry (currently at about 0.01%) as well as supporting the Australian economy by creating jobs.

    Thank you
    Samuel Jones
    General Manager
    Swarts Tools

  7. #51
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    16

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    Hi Desbromilow,

    Thank you for your review, I'm really glad to see you are happy with them.

    We put a tremendous amount of work into the testing of our abrasive discs and its great to see it paying off, we pride ourselves by not on being one of the highest quality discs on the market but also one of the cheapest.

    Be sure to keep an eye on our Metal Fabrication range as its growing rapidly by order of popular demand. Just in the last 3 months We have released #40, #60, #80 & #120 Grit Cubic Zirconia Flap Discs, 4.5" and 9" Ultra Thin Angle Grinder cutting Discs and 4" & 5" 6mm Thick Angle Grinder Grinding Discs.

    Thank you
    Samuel Jones
    General Manager
    Swarts Tools

  8. #52
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    16

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    Quote Originally Posted by digamma View Post
    Does anyone else notice the handle gets quite warm after the saw has been on for a while? I have to remember to turn it off at the end of the day or the handle is hot the next day. All that is in the handle is the switch for the laser.
    Hi,

    I'm sorry I didn't get back to you sooner I didn't see your post.

    That's perfectly normal, there is a transformer in the handle of the saw the turns the 240V electricity to 12V to power the laser. It will stay warm as long as the saw is plugged in even if the laser is off as the transformer is wried in before the laser switch. There are similar transformers in most saws with built-in lasers they are just in different spots. The heat will never do any damage. It great that you checked though.

    Thank you
    Samuel Jones
    General Manager
    Swarts Tools

  9. #53
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Brisbane
    Age
    57
    Posts
    1,311

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    I want a SCMS for workshop weekend use only. I want it to be easy to get v. accurate cuts.

    I have been saving up for one of these 2000W 305mm saws from Swarts. (Was thinking about buying their sander at the same time). However now Bunnings has a Bosch (green) 1800W 254mm sliding compound mitre saw with a laser, metric gauges, clamp, extensions and other features I was looking for. It is $373.

    From my point of view they both seem to do everything I want.
    The price is basically the same. $389 for the Swart, $373 for the Bosch.

    I was impressed with the customer service and reported accuracy of the Swarts SCMS on this thread.
    I haven't tried this Bosch but I have owned plenty of other Bosch (green) tools over the years and have always been happy with them.

    Pros and Cons:

    The Swart has a 305mm blade, the Bosch is 254mm.
    This translates to a 102mm cut depth for the Swart vs a 80mm cut for the Bosch. (According to specs).

    I trust Bosch and I have always had a good experience if I ever returned anything to Bunnings - even many months after purchase without a receipt (which if course costs me nothing to do).
    Returning something to Swart is obviously going to be expensive, with no guarantee they will accept it as a warranty claim.

    I wanted the 305mm blade but the ease and confidence of being able to address any warranty issue puts the Bosch in the lead for me.
    So now I'm trying to decide how important that extra depth of cut really is......

    Anyone tried out a Bosch PCM 1800 SD for accuracy?

    Please let me know if Swarts lowers their price on this saw because that would obviously change my calculations.

  10. #54
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Sydney
    Posts
    16

    Default Swarts Tools Reply

    Quote Originally Posted by DaveVman View Post
    I want a SCMS for workshop weekend use only. I want it to be easy to get v. accurate cuts.

    I have been saving up for one of these 2000W 305mm saws from Swarts. (Was thinking about buying their sander at the same time). However now Bunnings has a Bosch (green) 1800W 254mm sliding compound mitre saw with a laser, metric gauges, clamp, extensions and other features I was looking for. It is $373.

    From my point of view they both seem to do everything I want.
    The price is basically the same. $389 for the Swart, $373 for the Bosch.

    I was impressed with the customer service and reported accuracy of the Swarts SCMS on this thread.
    I haven't tried this Bosch but I have owned plenty of other Bosch (green) tools over the years and have always been happy with them.

    Pros and Cons:

    The Swart has a 305mm blade, the Bosch is 254mm.
    This translates to a 102mm cut depth for the Swart vs a 80mm cut for the Bosch. (According to specs).

    I trust Bosch and I have always had a good experience if I ever returned anything to Bunnings - even many months after purchase without a receipt (which if course costs me nothing to do).
    Returning something to Swart is obviously going to be expensive, with no guarantee they will accept it as a warranty claim.

    I wanted the 305mm blade but the ease and confidence of being able to address any warranty issue puts the Bosch in the lead for me.
    So now I'm trying to decide how important that extra depth of cut really is......

    Anyone tried out a Bosch PCM 1800 SD for accuracy?

    Please let me know if Swarts lowers their price on this saw because that would obviously change my calculations.


    Hi Dave,

    This is Sam Jones- I am the owner and General Manager of Swarts Tools. I saw your post come through so I just wanted to see if I could answer a few of your questions straight from the horses mouth.

    They are both great saws. I am very familiar with the Bosch saw, as they are made by the same factory and I work with the same design team that Bosch used.

    You had a concern about the warranty process which is always important. I want you to know we never ever leave our customers out of pocket- I think it is absolutely horrible that some companies make their customers pay for a fault caused by the factory. The only time you would ever have to pay return costs is if after you returned it we found either it was not faulty or you misused the saw.

    If you were to have a warranty you can either ring me up or email me and I will immediately arrange a Toll Ipec pickup to collect the saw from you, at our expense. We then generally repair or replace the warranty within 24 hours of receiving it and then send it right back. In saying that, warranties are not very common because of our strict Australian quality control. I haven't had a single saw come back under warranty in the last three years.

    We are also very flexible with our warranty process and approach each case individually. We focus on you, the customer, to suit your requirements because one size does not ever fit all.

    We also have a longer warranty than Bosch as theirs is 24 months compared to our 36 month.

    I thought I would also point out a few key features that our saw has that the Bosch saw does not.

    1. Double Bevel: The Swarts saw you can bevel to the left or the right making repeatable cuts easily without needing to always flip or spin your timber.

    2. 100 Tooth Blade: Our saw has a ultra fine cutting 100 tooth TCT saw blade that gives a brilliant finish.

    3. Front Mount Vice: The saw has a unique front mount quick set horizontal vice like a metal saw so you can very quickly secure your job.

    4. Internal Sliding Mechanism: As you would have seen in the pictures, our rail slides are quite unique. They are fixed and the swing arm moves along them meaning that you can put the saw on a bench right up against a wall and not have the rails coming out the back hitting the wall. The rails stay in one place and only the swing arm moves.

    5.Cutting Capacity: As you mentioned, we have a larger cutting depth however we also have a much longer stroke at a massive 340mm which I think is very important.

    There are plenty more great features like these but I will not ramble on. They are all listed on our website though.

    I hope that my post will help you make your decision and please feel free if you have any further questions to email me on [email protected] or write back on the forum.

    P.S If you email me and are interested in both the sander and the saw I can put together a great package deal for you to lower that price a bit.

    Thank you
    Samuel Jones
    General Manager
    Swarts Tools

  11. #55
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Horsham Victoria
    Posts
    5,713

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    Point 4 is a big win for me.

    I do not have the swarts SCMS for fact that I already have the DeWalt 12" with a max depth of about 120mm.

    Having zero clearance on a wall is a big big win especially if you have limited space. I had considered the bosch glider (high end and expensive) but it is too heavy as an everyday user to take in and out of the vehicle.

    One day when my DeWalt has had the gong I will revisit the swarts. I have other tools from them and as yet have no found one Inwould not personally recommend.

    Point 1 led to me returning a saw I was allowed to test prior to purchase. It only laid over in one dirrection

    Dave TTC
    Turning Wood Into Art

  12. #56
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Canberra
    Posts
    5,124

    Default

    I think it's AWESOME that a manufacturer and importer is on the forum supporting the products they sell.

    Its a neck to strangle if there's a problem, but it shows confidence. There wouldn't be a person here who doesn't want to support a local player.

    I've been considering an SCMS for some time. I've hesitated as its a nice-to-have, but after rereading everything here, looking at the ebay offer and thinking about how trivial $379 is in the big picture, I'll be buying one.

    Thanks to DaveTTC too. If any bloke knows the daily use of an SCMS its him. Big vote there.

  13. #57
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Brisbane
    Age
    57
    Posts
    1,311

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    Looking into this more closely.... The Swarts SCMS comes with a 100 tooth blade. The Bosch comes with 40 tooth blade. I hadn't noticed that when I first compared them.
    The stroke at 340mm vs 335mm is the same on both but they are not the same saw of course. The Swarts is 305mm and the Bosch is 254mm. Which translates into 105mm depth for Swarts SW1045 vs 80mm for the PCM 1800 SD. I keep thinking that cut depth will eventually be important to me.

  14. #58
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    Eltham, VIC
    Posts
    65

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    I'm not sure if this post belongs here, but the Swarts SCMS is available for 20% on Ebay for a short period ($320 delivered until Jan 15) using code CSITE20. I don't have a need for one (already have a SCMS) but it sounds like a bargain to me so thought it worth posting in case anyone was considering a purchase.

  15. #59
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Brisbane
    Age
    57
    Posts
    1,311

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    I just bought mine in time for Xmas. I am happy with it. I will write up a review with some pics later.
    In the meantime I can recommend this SCMS. Definately value for $320.

  16. #60
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Brisbane
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    57
    Posts
    1,311

    Default DaveVman review of Swarts Tools SCMS

    As promised here is my review of the 305mm SWARTS Tools SCMS. I have no conflict of interests or advantage/disadvantages with discussing any tool manufacturer/supplier.
    In a perfect world I would have bought a top of the line 305mm Bosch Blue Glide Saw with double laser. These have come down in price and are now $1029. However both the 305mm Swarts SCMS and the Bosch 235mm PCM 1800 SD are about one third of that price and actually in my budget range. There may also be other similar ones but I liked the features of these two. You can read my earlier post about comparing these 2 saws.

    In the end I did not want to do without the 100+mm cutting depth of the 305mm saw. However what sealed the deal for me was when Samuel at Swarts pointed out something I had initially overlooked. The Swarts tools machine comes fitted with a 100 tooth blade. The Bosch PCM 1800 SD comes with a 40 tooth blade that I would want to swap out. This in effect makes the Swarts tools machine actually cheaper yet it is 305mm saw versus the 235mm Bosch. I also got a small discount by ordering the saw with another tool. I’ll write a review of the shop vac separately.

    The Swarts SCMS has fixed rails that the saw slides on. Other saws in this price range have the rails moving. When mounted in a workshop, this gives the Swarts machine an advantage because you’re never in doubt about how much space is required behind the machine.

    I finally ordered my tools the week before Christmas. The process is easy, efficient and there are different payment options. Samuel was very helpful. He was out of stock and his new stock was held up in Customs. He explained this to me immediately. He didn’t take my money until he was sure that he could supply the items promptly. In the end Customs released the container earlier than expected and I got my new machines in time for Christmas.

    The courier Swarts uses is fantastic. The guy not only waited for us to answer the door but he had a quiet word with my wife before I could come to the door. He said he didn’t want to come rolling down the drive with the boxes in case it was a surprise Christmas present.

    The saw is very well packed. In fact I wish I had the space to keep the box and packing in case we move house. In my case the slider on the saw was not locked. This meant when I first lifted the saw up, the entire thing slid back and put a lot of strain on my bad back as I lifted it out of the box. It is possible that in the rush to get this to me in time for Christmas somethings were overlooked.

    The instructions and setup adjustments are clearly documented. Some people have reported the saw being accurate right out of the box. Mine was accurate on one axis but not the other. I needed to adjust the vertical alignment. Unfortunately, that particular adjustment requires a very long 4mm Allen key down 2 long slots to some hex keys that you can not see. The Allen key supplied with the saw is not long enough. Fortunately I have a tool that does this but others might not be so lucky. The adjustment screws are down the holes at the back of the machine as indicated on the pic.
    20161226_152358.jpg

    Everything else seemed to be in alignment so I didn’t need to make any other adjustments and went ahead and made some test cuts. They were all fine so far.
    20161226_152653.jpg

    When I was deciding which saw to buy, Samuel from Swarts listed their extra clamp as an advantage. I took little notice of this at the time. However right from the first moment I used the saw I realised the advantage of this unique clamp. The SCMS comes with a vertical clamp like other similar saws. It also comes with a horizontal clamp as shown on the left in the picture above. This is a quick release clamp and so it is very fast and easy to clamp your work piece this way. It also ensures the work is hard against the fence. I hadn’t noticed my scrap wood in the photo was not square until I put it in this clamp. Both clamps can be mounted on either side.

    The laser is on a separate switch than the blade so you can take your time setting up your cut. You have to remember to turn the laser off but this is not an issue for me, since all tools get turned off at the end of the day. The laser can not be adjusted. This is my only disappointment with this saw. I would have liked to micro adjust the laser to allow for the thickness of the blade. Not being able to do this diminishes the purpose of the laser in my view.
    20161226_152631.jpg
    The saw comes with a dust bag, which is about as useful and any of these kinds of things. Which is to say, it is more of less a waste of time just like on all the other similar tools. Here it is after some test cuts and inside it is basically empty.
    20161226_150329.jpg
    However there is some good news. The bag can be pulled inside out. It is only held on with a replaceable zip tie.
    20161226_150355.jpg

    This zip tie can be cut and you are left with a perfect fitting that includes a wire support for a 50mm flex.
    20161226_150919.jpg

    I bought a large 50mm flex with my cyclone and it fits perfectly onto this fitting with a band clamp. I can then plug or unplug this assembly from the SCMS. The wire sits inside the hose and stops it drooping immediately when it leaves the saw.
    20161226_151133.jpg
    Of course, like all SCMS most of the dust is kicked out by the blade and not caught by this dust port but that is another topic entirely.

    I have been able to run my shop vac, radio, fan and this saw at the same time on a single 10A circuit without any problems. I’m not sure that would be the case if I was cutting 100mm hardwood but so far so good. I have picked it up and moved it around a few times but in my case this is not normally necessary. It weighs 21kg. You can buy a stand for it from Swarts if you work on site but I bought it to live in my workshop.

    The pictures you see here are me testing it on my assembly table. It lived there for a couple of weeks. I have now set it up on it’s own table that is on large casters so I can easily move it around the shed or even outside. The front casters are lockable. (I like to work outside in the car port but it is not flat). At some stage I might build a special cabinet for it.

    The cuts are accurate and smooth. I have been using it as a drop saw and cross cut saw on pine, MDF and plastic. The 340mm width capacity has been helpful already. I’m very pleased with the saw thus far. I have various mitres and bevels to do soon so it will get a real test over the next 3 months or so.

    As mentioned, Samuel from Swarts Tools is a pleasure to deal with and I wish all our deliveries came from the courier they use.

    I am no expert on SCMS but this is definitely better than the cheaper ones my family and friends have. At the time I did my research it was the best value for money in my opinion. I’d recommend it to you.
    So I hope this review is useful. I’ll try to remember to come back and give you an update once I have done those projects where I need various mitres and bevels.

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