Record Power SS16V Scroll Saw Review - Episode 115 

Thanks for the in-depth video on the record!!! Very well presented and easy to follow instructions with honest opinions!!!!👍

A most helpful and sensible review thanks Paul. RU-vid at it’s best. I’ve been wavering on a second hand one and will commit to it. If I get it I shall watch a couple more times. 🙏🏾

Thanks for posting Paul,sounds like a perfectly usable saw and looking at what you have been able to make using it,looks like my birthday list just got a major re-think!👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

Thanks for a really thorough review that not only includes the good, but also the things that you don't like to provide a full spectrum of things to consider. I am in the market for a scroll saw, and your video will help me out a lot in my decision making.

That's a very fair and reasonable review. It certainly wouldn't put me off buying that saw. a turning mate gave me a saw much like that but with Lidl's Parkside logo and it does just what I need to do. It's not the fanciest machine in the world but if I were to replace it with the best machine I would be throwing money away because I seldom need it. A friend of mine runs one of those Record saws all day long almost every day and it just keeps going and going and she is delighted with it. Good honest review.

Many thanks Paul. I am about to buy my first Scroll Saw, and your video has been very helpful indeed.

Hi Paul. A really helpful video. I've just bought the same scroll saw as you, and like you, it's my first one. I think for my purposes it will be fine. And for the price, I think it represents fairly good value for money. The tips you gave will prove really helpful, and save me agonising over things as I often do!

Hi Paul. Thanks for the review. I have the same model which is probably 18 months old now. I've never tried pinless blades and your review is most helpful. I do use dust extraction and found that 41mm waste pipe fittings work well. For an occasional user like me I think the machine is very good value for money. Thanks again. Andrew

Hi Paul. Thank you very much for very good review. Like you, I had never used a scroll saw before and so found your comments most helpful. I particularly liked the tip regarding using a thumb screw to clamp the blade and slightly lifting the machine up at the front. Once again many thanks. Phil

Great video. Just bought a Record Power sander & returned it due to threads that had gone, loose disc & cast bracket that broke on the first tighten! I like the look of this scroll saw though.

I'm about to buy my first scroll saw and find your review outstanding. I'm on a budget and will buy the WEN 3920 (in the U.S.). It's near identical to the one you reviewed (same features and construction). Really like the part about the thumb screws and propping up the front just a bit. Thank you very much for the thoughtful and complete review.

Great honest review and a few good tips thrown in. Looking at getting a scroll saw and this is in my top 3 now. Cheers

Hi Paul, a good addition to your saw would be a raised table about 1" thick, this will extend the blade life, take a board about 1" larger all round as the table size, in your case it doesnt need to be round and cut a slot to the middle of the table, slide the board in place and fix pieces of wood to the underside of the board and make fast, the board should have no slop or very little, in use, and even if you are doing internal cuts, just lift the work piece and slide your new table into place, you now have a new portion of blade to play with, i made one for my Hegner in 1986 and it still does the job, cheers Dave

Nice review Paul I’ve got one of these from makers central and I unboxed it and used it for the first time on my latest upload. I like the idea of the thumbscrew so I’m gonna get on that ASAP 👍🏻

Bought this saw the other day, wanted the axminster craft with the rotary tool but it's out of stock until September. Finding this saw good so far, getting used to pinless blade changes quickly. Only issue I have so far is the vibration at 80-100% speed. Have it bolted to the bench. Finding dust Extraction ok too. Overall happy enough.

A very in depth and honest review Paul, I had one a while back and it was fine, but I really didn't and don't have the patience for scroll sawing .. so I sold it, and only lost £20 on the deal, so it was a cheap way of finding out whether or not I would like the process ... I don't, but have the utomost admiration for those that do, like yourself :) Great video mate. Take care Mike

Thanks Paul, I've already got a scroll saw but, like you was getting fed up of using the allen key to change the blade, just ordered some thumb screws to make life a little easier. My scroll saw is a Katsu, very like the Record, but a bit cheaper, but it does what I need it to. Steve Good from the scrollsaw workshop has reviewed nearly all the scroll saws, and there is a huge catalogue of free patterns on his site. Have a good week :)

Liked your video and comments. I have the same type of scroll saw and found that if I rotate the blade cover plate so that the slots run front to back the blade doesn't touch it. My preference only. Cheers.

Good video, some good tips in there

A brilliantly informative video, Paul. Thank you. I make knives, and I’m looking for a scroll saw to cut the handle scale profiles out of the wood/micarta/G10 blanks, prior to gluing and pinning. This video covered all my questions. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻🇬🇧

A good review. I too have the same model and like yourself I have changed the pain in the neck set screw / allen key arrangement with a thumb screw. Also a small section of hard foam between the bottom blade holder positioned between the round bar and the lower arm prevents it from falling off when threading the blade through the work piece. I agree the plastic guard and the hold down is nothing more than a pain and like you they are back in the box. As you say the machine is only as good as the operator and yes it has its faults but for the occasional user it is fine.

Excellent review Paul, thank you.

A very good review Paul and as a scroll saw is on my wish list I think would consider buying this make A good idea using those thumbs screws ! Cheers, Bram

hi thank you ever so much I've just watched your first video the one where you're talking about your new scroll saw I've just bought a scroll saw it's not the same one but it shares many of the same features I also wanted an entry level saw I've been wanting to do a few projects for some time I bought mine from Lidl it was £49 so I wasn't expecting too much but it seems to work really well I was worried about getting rid of the guard but like you I don't really see the point and it seemed to get in the way I've only use pin blades so far and it was very useful to see how you attach the pinless blade for someone new to all this I thank you very much the Womble thing is because I have a reputation of making things out of bits of rubbish that everyday folks leave behind ha ha

hi sorry I forgot to add if you're new to this as I am don't try to cut round dowel the machine can grab it easily and throw at you. the other thing I forgot to tell you a friend of mine has his on a table which he raises up at the back it's only a homemade job but it makes it a lot easier to look down on the work hope this helps he also prints his designs and then uses a spray mount to glue the paper to the wood. you probably know all this but it's new to me

Excellent review Paul! A scroll saw is one of the tools I'll be wishing for next, so every piece of information is a good one, since I've also never used one, let alone owned one. Many good tips (the piece of wood to counter the weight), also, I was thinking, if you make a hole in your table top and fix the scroll saw table to yours, wouldn't that make the arm tilt instead of the table?? ;) Yuval

Great review thanks. Big help. Buying 1st scroll saw. Narrowed choice down to this one or the lumberjack ss405. Same price and similar features for both but no youtube reviews for the lumberjack which has put me off a bit.

Great tip about the thumb screw, thanks

Update on My saw....after doing loads to cut down the vibration the saw finally shit itself, blade stopped going up and down and the motor sounded like it was jammed. Took the covers off and discovered the bolt had came out that attaches the arms to the motor and the bush behind had fallen out. Luckily no damage to the threads, so put it back together and started it up. No vibration anymore. Quieter and cuts far better. Conclusion....poorly assembled in the factory🤦‍♂️

Hi have you a link or details on the name of the thumb screws you used,please? I looked on ebay but not seeing the same ones you used

Thank you. Handy.

Great review - thanks! Do you know if this will accept 100mm pinned blades? I'm thinking about using it for a specific project that requires side cutting blades for a 600mm long cut - the only ones I've found are made by dremel but their machine looks flimsy. Thanks

nice video/review, thanks

Hi. Mine only works if I keep the on switch pressed in with my finger, any ideas?

Most of the cheaper brands are exactly the same, these scroll saws are mass-produced and rebranded by many different companies around the world, from Ryobi, Tooline, even Jet's cheaper scrollsaw is based on this style, to Scheppach, WEN etc I say this not to be snobby or anything, I use to have a Tooline branded one exactly the same... same issues... So your review can cover 90% of the cheaper brands of scrollsaw as they all have the same issues. They are a good entry-level scrollsaw, but the more you do the faster you do grow out of them as you said for the odd project here and there. I was fine with mine for years... till I started doing more and more... Then got a "Carbatec" rebranded Excalibur and never looked back... the difference is chalk and cheese. * The more expensive one's usually don't have the plastic insert meaning your work is supported better by the table especially doing the real fine stuff... Dust collection is usually better, changing blades is quicker and easier, and the natively take pinless blades with the cumbersome adaptor, they usually less vibration, as you suggested, the tilting head not the table (both left and right ) You normally only set your tension once at the back of the saw, and the lever you talked about releases or adds the set tension to the blade, then the thumb screw to release the blade. On mine then the arm lifts out of the way help reset for your next cut.. Also have a small workshop... since you haven't bolted it down, then if you clamp the saw to your bench you will reduce the vibration... less vibration will help...

Hi. Good review. Would you still recommend this saw?

Hi Paul jus bought this saw after watching your video and seems to do the job well! Can you tell me the model of your magnifying lamp and where you got it, as I could do with one like that.

hi paul, is it definitely an m5 screw? ty.

Does anyone know if there is a "correct" orientation for the black insert. I just notice that I have mine different to this video and when I looked in the manual I see it oriented differently in various images. I have been having some problems with mine not cutting well on larger pieces (yes, using correct blades.) and found there seemed to be too much spring in my insert, I shall try this orientation and see if that helps.