when i was looking at manual bandsaw mills i found both excellent pricing and reviews of the ez boardwalk sawmills. seemed like alot of bang for the buck.
there's also woodmizer, timberking, linn lumber, etc, etc....
I'd been looking at mills since I joined this forum, getting literature, reading other users experiences, and finally even visiting demos, and buying a mill.
Most of the mills are priced pretty similar for what you are getting for materials. And most of them have some form of support.
When I first started looking:
(1) ALL my trees were small (acreage had been clearcut 30 yrs ago)
(2) I wanted to be able to transport it easily on my little 23hp tractor
(3) I was only going to be using it for building small sheds etc.
(4) An Alaskan Mark III just wouldn't do the volume
(5) I always want the best perceived bang for the buck
(6) I'm new, and will need some support
(7) I was trying to keep the $$ well under $5K, preferably under $3K (about what a new 880 w/ a 48" Mark III and all accessories - Long bar, extra chains etc.)
Well life happens, #1 changed (got some bigger trees), (2) is still good (3) now I also need a LOT of shelving and and wood to build cabinets, (4) thru (7) stayed the same.
Initially I focused on a BSM sold by Harbor Freight for as low as $1,600. But by the time I determined it was a rebadged Hud-Son Oscar 18 HF went to another mfg.
But in my search for under $5K mills I have determined the following:
Hud-Son is extremely portable because the lower end models are lightly built. Support seems pretty good in the Northeast.
Norwood, very good once built right (it's a do-it-yourself kit). Lot's of threads on here. They recently increased the price about a year ago when they introduced their new models. Good support.
Timberking is very good, even the low end has a 4 post head, but it's heavy. Good support network.
E-Z boardwalk EXCELLENT mills, they don't make many, are Amish based (a good thing), but of course support is limited because they are so small.
and
Woodmizer, good mills, WIDESPREAD support network.
I ended up going w/ a Woodmizer LT10,