I can't speak to the comparisons. All I can say is that I bought a Mini-Max s400p (MM16) four years ago (based on input here) and I'm incredibly happy I just sucked up the initial pain in the wallet. It's the center of nearly everything I do in the shop. Running a 1" Woodmaster CT tensioned at 25K+ is just amazing. I use it four or five days a week cutting everything from cedar to oak to cherry up to 12/4 and occasionally beyond. Or veneer. It just works, and works well. That's my main guideline, I cannot stand having to "fuss" with machines.