Thinking of upgrading to SawStop

[Denny Rice]

I am in the process of looking to purchase of a new cabinet table saw. Late last year I was at a woodworkers convention and seen the SawStop up front and personal for the first time. I didn't give it much thought at the time, but the more time I've spent doing research on the saw, the more I like it. The construction seems sturdy, the finish on the saw (power coated) will last a lifetime. I would like members of Sawmill Creek to give me their 2 cents. Why or why not they like or dislike the saw. Thanks!

[Peter Aeschliman]

I've had a PCS for 2 years or so now.

I absolutely love the saw.

Cons:
-Expensive
-chipboard/laminate fence faces are hit and miss. Lots of complaints that they aren't straight. The tubes are, but the plywood faces often need replacing.
-the dust collecting blade guard is very good generally, but I have two complaints: 1) when trimming an edge (meaning, the offcut side of the blade isn't buried in the cut) most of the dust escapes. 2) when you have really narrow off-cuts, they can get trapped between the blade and the guard. I did have one kick back on me because of this, but I saw it coming so i had plenty of time to make sure I was standing to the side.

Pros:
-safety
-extremely well made
-the best un-packaging experience I've ever had.
-aligned from the factory
-heavy, durable, etc etc

There hasn't been a single moment of regret, even after the high price. I'm not rich by any means, so it's not as if I didn't notice the change in my bank account. But even then, no regrets.

[Frank Stolten]

As someone who previously had a serious (and very expensive) table saw accident before SawStop was on the market I bought one (actually my wife insisted I buy it) as soon as it became available. In strictly economic terms it was a no-brainer and cost a fraction of what my previous accident cost. Even more important is the safety aspect which is just too important to pass up. The cost differential was easy to justify and once I became fully aware of what a high quality tool it was I never gave the cost a second thought. I highly recommend it.

[Brent VanFossen]

I have the 5hp Industrial. It's more saw than I intended to buy, but it was used in excellent condition for less than I planned to spend on the 3hp PCS.

It's just an all-around pleasure to use. Safety benefits aside, it's first rate. Runs smoothly. No complaints at all.

Negatives? None.

[Alan Lightstone]

Pros: All of the ones Peter said. I can't emphasize the amazing un-packaging experience enough. They can retire the trophy on instructions, packaging, organization, etc. I took pictures and sent them to friends.


Cons: Wish I had bought the ICS or PCS.
Expensive - true, but that's relative. Fingers and doctors/hospitals cost money too.
Dust collection is not awesome with the Contractor's saw out of the box. I built a cabinet and it's 90% better, but probably not as good as their cabinet saws.

Fence was straight for me. Even better now with Wixey DRO attached and General micro-adjuster.

[Rich Riddle]

I have used them side-by-side before in a woodworking shop owned by special services (military). After that, I chose a Delta Unisaw. Most of the patrons of the shop also used the Unisaws and not the Saw Stop models. I found the Unisaw a more accurate saw with a better fence system. The Unisaw also seemed manufactured better. You have more limited choices of blades and cannot use painted blades on the Saw Stop.

[Kevin Guarnotta]

I've got the sawstop. Yes it was expensive, but I needed to upgrade my saw anyway. I thought it might be gimmicky, or poorly made. I was wrong. After seeing it in person-I think it is a very good quality saw. I didn't bother comparing to other saw of it's caliber-as I love having all ten fingers. I also have other people using my saw, and I don't want to worry about it.

[Rod Sheridan]

Pro...........Safety, quality of saw

Con..........It's still just a cabinet saw.

If you're safety concious and use the guards/splitter/riving knife all the time on your present saw, consider a Euro slider like the Hammer K3.

I have the B3, it replaced a General 650, you couldn't convince me to go back to a cabinet saw.............Rod.

[Mark Ashmeade]

It was the same price as a Unisaw (3HP PCS). Very little to choose between them in quality of construction, ease of use. The Unisaw had front controls for bevel, the SS did not. I preferred the blade guard on the SS to the Unisaw. The fence was just about the same, maybe slightly smoother on the SS. In other words, as a cabinet saw, there's nothing between them of significance.

Therefore, the stand-out differentiator has to be the safety feature. One has it, the other doesn't. Game over, decision made.

I've had it six months or so, had a lot of happy shop time using it. No regrets whatsoever. If I had bought the Unisaw, which is a very nice saw, I would have doubt in my mind, given that for the same money, I could have had the safety feature.

I do find it a bit fiddly to change the cartridge for the dado cartridge, but that's fine. It drives me to use my RAS for dadoes, and the SS for grooves only. I much prefer the RAS for that task, as I can see what I am doing more clearly.

Yes, the setup and depackaging exercise was straightforward, and a good indicator of the quality of the machine. Since it only took me one day out of the 20 year life of the saw, I put it with the cost in terms of significance. Neither would be a decision factor, when viewed in terms of how long I plan to own the saw.

I would buy another without a second thought.

[Matt Meiser]

I just moved from a Unisaw to a Sawstop 2 weeks ago. Really nothing to dislike about it so far besides the politics of the company. The latter held me up for maybe the last year or two--I really wanted the saw but didn't want to give them my money. Finally I realized that there's a lot of products I buy (and like) from companies who's politics I don't agree with. For example, I didn't agree with a lot of things Steve Jobs was doing, but still bought plenty of i* devices for my household over several years.

Compared to my old Unisaw, beside the very obvious difference, the only thing that's significantly different is the dust collection below the blade is significantly improved by the shrouded-blade design. Above the blade, seems to be about the same as my Shark Guard--which also didn't get much of anything on a side cut like Peter mentioned with the SS guard. Its the nature of the cut IMHO. When the blade is buried most of that dust gets carried under the table but it can easily escape to the side if exposed. Functionally, a Unisaw is a great saw and the Sawstop is a great saw. That said, the current production, the Unisaw would be the LAST saw I would consider because I just don't believe Delta is going to be with us long--too many bad signs coming from them. The older ones will have abundant parts supply for years to come in the used market.

My fence was straight but I know what Peter is talking about as I had a similar issue with a Biesemeyer.

[Mark Ashmeade]

That's interesting, Matt. I would have the thought the Taiwanese buyout would have protected the company for quite a while. Chang Type Industrial got a foothold in the lucrative US market with an indigenous brand, I think that's something they would like to keep hold of. Looking at WMH's annual report, they make quite a lot of Swiss Francs out of Jet & Powermatic. I would think Chang would do the same. What signs have you seen that they are endangered?

[Eduard Nemirovsky]

I have SS contractor type for last 3-4 years ( bought one of the first when it came on market). Nice saw for hobbyist work, I did add slider from Exaliber, add box under saw for better dust collection.
I am thinking to change for a small slider saw, like Hammer.
By the way -SawStop service is better then any other service I used in my life.

Ed.

[Matt Meiser]

What signs have you seen that they are endangered?

- Parts unavailability, a problem that has been going on for a couple years now with a with a new variation on why and when every few months
- Machine unavailability (though I did just hear that a local Delta shop has a new Unisaw on the showroom floor)
- Refusal to pay rebates unless threatened with legal action

I bought a Delta drill press at the beginning of last year. Its a really nice machine, but I'm hoping i don't live to regret it.

[Matt Meiser]

By the way -SawStop service is better then any other service I used in my life.

I saw this in action on a used saw a friend bought on CL, only to get it home and find out someone basically neutered it. SS was very helpful in getting it back into proper condition. That was a turning point for me in my decision.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Pro...........Safety, quality of saw

Con..........It's still just a cabinet saw.

If you're safety concious and use the guards/splitter/riving knife all the time on your present saw, consider a Euro slider like the Hammer K3.

I have the B3, it replaced a General 650, you couldn't convince me to go back to a cabinet saw.............Rod.

I agree with Rod, as usual. A cabinet saw is a cabinet saw. All the quality in the world just means its a cabinet saw that won't need fixed. A Euro slider can actually bring something new to the game. I despise Sawstop's politics, but it's a personal decision.