SawStop: PCS 1.75 vs Contractor?

[Reagen Ward]

I'm going to buy a SawStop, probably this week, and I need help deciding between the PCS 1 3/4hp and the Contractor models. Can any of you who have purchased one or the other weigh in? I'd greatly appreciate your input.

It's an upgrade from a 1980s Delta contractor that I've just sold. It'll be a major stretch financially, and I'm having trouble deciding between the high price of the contractor and the even higher price of the PCS 1 3/4hp. I want/need the big 52" deck, T-Glide fence (my Vega went with the Delta), cast iron inserts, etc, so the price difference is about $600-$700. That's much could buy a jointer and planer on craigslist, and I don't have either of those yet.

If I get the contractor, I'd eventually build it into a nice cabinet like you sometimes see on here and LJ. If I get the PCS, I'll have to pony up another $200 for the mobile stand - my shop is my garage. My primary focus is cabinets and built-ins, not fine furniture.

Here are my thoughts:

Contractor is a lot cheaper.
Contractor can be mounted in a nice shop-built cabinet, making it taller for a tall guy like me.
PCS can be upgraded to 3hp if ever needed for about $500 and a lot of effort, but it's doable (I called to confirm).
Contractor cannot be aligned as easily as the PCS.

Thank you for your input!

PS: This thread is to discuss the relative merits of two SawStop models. If you wish to discuss whether or not Steve Gass is a capitalist or socialist or both at the same time, please do it somewhere else. If you make this thread into the same pro/con argument junk I see elsewhere, I will find out where you live and subscribe you to the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog. I will walk my dogs in front of your house and always forget a bag. I will call you at 2AM just to talk about my day. You've been warned.

[Michael Weber]

I'm too frightened to say anything.

[Prashun Patel]

If you can at all swing it, I'd just upgrade yr elec to 220 and get the PCS. You'll not have to upgrade in the future. The Contractor and Hybrid are good options (IMHO) only if you are permanently space or power constrained, respectively. Pay the price now, and save yrself cabinet-saw-lust forever.

FWIW, there are also some great 'budget' cabinet saws that'll give you lots of after market $$ to spend on souped up guards and safety devices. I know you did not ask for this, but I WILL say this minor criticism of my PCS: it discourages me from using a dado stack because you have to swap the blade cartridge to use the stack.

[Reagen Ward]

If you can at all swing it, I'd just upgrade yr elec to 220 and get the PCS. You'll not have to upgrade in the future. The Contractor and Hybrid are good options (IMHO) only if you are permanently space or power constrained, respectively. Pay the price now, and save yrself cabinet-saw-lust forever.

You mean a 3hp PCS? I love that idea, and have 220 capabilities, it's just a matter of money. The 1 3/4hp PCS is already borderline insanity for me. But your point is well taken, and I agree.

I know you did not ask for this, but I WILL say this minor criticism of my PCS: it discourages me from using a dado stack because you have to swap the blade cartridge to use the stack.

That's an interesting point about the dado brake - my levels of laziness are the subject of academic study, so it is quite possible that I'll be similarly discouraged.

[Prashun Patel]

Sorry, yes, I meant the 3hp PCS. I only push this point because I went from a contractor to hybrid saw thinking it'd be the best of all worlds. My Jet Proshop DID work just fine. But if you run thicker/harder wood, then it's nice to have the power of a 2+hp saw. Also, note that the 1.75 saw does not have the blade guard with the dust port as does the 3hp PCS.

[Jerome Hanby]

If you have the cash to spend, get the best saw. If you are like most of us, you will be using it multiple times on every project and it will be money well spent.

[Joseph Tarantino]

a different take here. unlike many woodworkers, when i think of equipment, i look at what i want to do functionally and then get the least expensive most reliable piece of equipmet that will execute that function. my more intensive woodworking began about 8 years ago and i still have my ridgid 2412 10" contractor saw with its 1.5 hp 110v motor. it has yet to encounter something it can't handle. likewise with my second TS, which is a 10" emerson electric built 1 hp c-man contractor saw which easily handles whatever i throw at it. both these saws perform well because they are aligned properly and i use the correct sharp blade.

IMHO, if the SS contractor saw will provide you with the functionality you need, you can also get 2 additional pieces of equipment. as for long term, you can always add a bigger fence or create a base with additional tablespace so a contractor saw acts like a larger cabinet type saw. let what you want to do drive your decision. all to often, the knee jerk reaction to a "what kind of TS should i get" question is "get a 5 hp, 220v or 3 phase unisaw with a commercial 52" bies fence" when all the operator wants to do is make jewelry boxes.

[Neil Brooks]

I think Joseph's take and Jerome's take can both be equally right.

Are you just starting out, and looking to make jewelry boxes, but have this inkling that you may want to start making cabinets, in the semi-near future ?

Buy more saw than you think you need. Buy once, cry once.

Are you pretty sure that things LIKE jewelry boxes, pen holders, bird houses, and cutting boards are ALL you'll ever build ?

You can get by nicely with a 1.75hp saw, and -- like Joseph said -- increase its utility, later, by other means.

Is cash a real issue, but .... you'd like a saw you can grow into ? The used market offers some screaming deals on cabinet saws.

For a couple years, I've been very happy with my Bosch 4100 contractor ("jobsite") saw, but ... it was either time to build a base/cabinet for it -- to stabilize it AND give me additional support for larger pieces -- or buy up.

And ... watching the WW shows, and the lightning-fast feed rates that THEY use, on THEIR saws, with stuff like 8/4 butternut and hard maple ... told me it was time to buy up.

So ... yeah ... cash and objectives ... to me ... kind of rule, and are very personal decisions.

If you HAVE the cash AND the room .... who ever regrets buying too much tool ???

[Matt Kestenbaum]

As a matter of disclosure, I am a VERY happy owner of the 3hp PCS. Most of the post's have been predicated on how you feel down the road--either when you become dissatisfied with the either the saw's capacity for denser/thicker stock, or need the greater precision/tighter tolerances to support your projects. Trying to guard against the re-purchase has been a focus.

For the sake of argument though I would offer another way of working out the choice...that of residual value. Which of the saws in your decision set is most likely to hold its value best over the longest horizon? For resale! I would suggest that the contractor model is the most likely to have the better resale value in a few years. Awareness of the technology is growing faster that ever and the word the saws quality is also getting attention father away from the woodworking world, which will create a broader market. If you read the stats about Sawstop's change to the market place (love'em or hate'em the issue has drawn out a lot of interesting data about tool sales, marketing and purchasing trends), the smaller the format of the saw the larger the number of units sold in the market. Besides, that it will be easier for a new owner to pick up and move to their shop. On the (future) used market, a hybrid saw buyer will be faced with same compelling dilemma that we are discussing here now.

I assume you might never need to make an upgrade (taking your work style and project needs at your word!), and so the Contractor saw might serve you best and cost you less. A win! If not, you are likely to recoup more of your money selling the contractor saw and applying towards a new saw. (Only THEN, will I join the chorus of voices encouraging you to go 3hp PCS)

Good luck with the decision!

[Jerome Hanby]

To bring up a completely non functional point, how many times have you spent too much money on a tool but still get a big grin every time you walk into the shop and see it? Flip-side, how many times do you see a tool you settled on to save a few dollars and grit your teeth? Personally, I wouldn't buy either model, I like old iron. But, I'd say buy whatever is going to make you happy whenever you walk into the shop. I bet both saws are top notch and if you can score an 8" jointer for the difference in price, the the lower priced model will look even better sitting beside the jointer.

[Reagen Ward]

Wow, such great input. Thanks to all! Now I have even more considerations to take into account, but that makes for a more educated decision, right?

BTW, this kind of response was exactly what I was hoping for and needed - a great welcome to the forum.

[John Coloccia]

FWIW, I spent a lot of money upgrading my SS Contractor. The PCS was not available at the time. If it was, I would have no doubt just simply bought the 1.75 or 3hp PCS.

[Reagen Ward]

What kind of upgrades did you get? Now I'm curious.

[John Coloccia]

What kind of upgrades did you get? Now I'm curious.

Cast iron wings, 36" fence (I guess that's not technically an "upgrade" as the cheap one is available on the PCS as well I think), tool free throat plate, dust collection blade guard. Maybe something else...I forget.

The 3.0HP comes with the upgraded blade guard. The 1.75 does not, though I would add it. When you look at the price difference between what my saw actually cost and what PCS costs, the PCS starts looking a lot more reasonable.

[Peter Aeschliman]

I have a 3HP PCS. Love the saw. Easily my favorite and most-used machine in my shop. That said, I hear loud and clear that you have budget constraints. I think it's important for you to listen to that. By some of the logic here, everybody would be buying Mercedes instead of Hondas. Most of us can't afford to buy stuff with that mentality 100% of the time.

My understanding is that the only difference between the 1.75 HP and 3HP PCS is the motor. The 1.75HP unit is a cabinet saw, not a hybrid saw. I had a 1.5 HP Jet contractor saw before I traded up to the sawstop. I only ran into trouble when I was trying to rip 8/4 hardwood. The motor would bog down and I'd get burning. But I never did try a thin-line rip blade. I was always using a combination blade. I suspect most of that problem would've been alleviated if I tried a thin kerf rip blade.

But you specifically said that you do mostly cabinet cases and built ins. Which means you'll be using 3/4" plywood and 1" thick face frame stock. No question in my mind that a 1.5 or 1.75 HP motor could handle that. With a good fence on the contractor saw and the dust collection upgrades (the blade guard is excellent), as well as a good, heavy duty rolling cabinet, I don't think you'd notice an appreciable difference between the contractor saw and the 1.75 HP cabinet saw.

I recommend the contractor saw for the work you do and the budget you have.