Value of 1998 Unisaw Never Used

[Michael Dromey]

I would like to some input here. What do you think the value of a 1998 Unisaw Platnium Edition with mobile base that was never used be? What do you think would be a fair price? I am slowly getting rid of cheap power tools. I am thinking of purchasing this one. Post what you think. I saw this on craigslist. I am curious what you will post. I haven't seen it yet. So I don't know what condition it is in. I will find out what the asking price is then post it.

Mike

[Bruce Page]

Mike, what is the table size and which fence? 3hp?

[Michael Dromey]

The ad didn't say about table size. I assume the fence is a Bes. Not sure.

[Mike Heidrick]

$800-$1000 for a single phase 3hp-5hp - that is what it would be worth to me.

[Dick Mahany]

I bought one of those US made platinum edition Unisaws about that time. Had a 52" Bies fence and extension table. 3 hp single phase. Cost me $1800 US without tax and free shipping ( from Tool Crib before they turned into Amazon) . If I could buy another for half the price, I'd jump on it.

Edit: Delta isn't what it used to be back then and spare parts availability is a widely reported problem now. I still have mine and see no reason to ever change to another saw, but I'm concerned about what may happen if it ever breaks and I need parts.

[Kim Gibbens]

His ad says that it needs a new table board. My unisaw that I bought new in 98 has the 50" table and I believe it is particle board. Hard to believe that it is unused from his description. Ad header says $1500 and body of ad says $1600. I think he's a little high on his price at either of those price points. Plus you're looking at a 6 hour round trip. Still a nice saw. You can always offer lower and go up.

Kim

[Paul McGaha]

$800-$1000 for a single phase 3hp-5hp - that is what it would be worth to me.

I agree with Mike's price range. That's about what it would be worth to me. That sounds a lot like my saw except mine was bought about 2002. Mine doesn't have a mobile base. My saw is the Platinum color, 3 HP, 52" Biesmeyer fence. Cost about $1,700 back then if I remember correctly. No riving knife. Mine has a Biesmeyer splitter.

Good luck with it. Love mine. It's been a pleasure to own it and use it.

PHM

[Michael Dromey]

Well I found out he is asking $1600. I thought that was high. I was thinking $1000 or slightly less would be fair. I now have a cheap Craftsman contractors saw. Boy did I think it was worth gold when I bought it. It is the biggest pile of metal I have ever had. I wanted to use other words. As far as I am concerned the Unisaw one of or possible the best saw ever made. We will see what the new owners of Delta does to the brand.

[Rich Riddle]

$1500 or $1600 seems high, but $800 to $1000 seems low. I have a 2002 Unisaw with 3HP motor, 50" extension, professional fence, and mobile base. It certainly isn't new. I was going to list it when my new saw arrives in March/April but mentioned it to a few folks. Two woodworkers offered me more than $1000 as soon as they learned it would be sold.

There were countless local ads for cabinet saws when I looked, and $1000 saws were junk. Personally, for less than $1000 the Unisaw would be kept as a good backup with no reservations. If I had a chance to purchase a never used or lightly used and very well-maintained Unisaw of that vintage, $1200 to $1300 would seem a fair range to both the buyer and seller.

[Cary Falk]

A similar discussion came up a few weeks ago and got pretty heated. That saw does not have a warranty even thought it has never been used so that is the same as used to me. What it went for in 1998 is not important. I have tools that went up in value and could get the same amount for them used that I paid for them new. The Unisaw is not one of them. The Delta name is not what it was. Parts are hard to come by through the new Delta. This is a left tilt saw more than likely and you can't find parts on the used marked as easily as the right tilt ones that had interchangable parts back to 1939. I'm not going to give you a price other than what the guy is asking is way too much. Location is a big part of the equation. What you have to do is weigh the cost of a used Uni with no warranty, no riving knife, and poor dust collectoin to a G1023 delivered for $1400. If you wait for a sale you can get it for about $1250. I know everybody is going to jump on me and say "But it's is a Uni....blah, blah,... build quality,.....blah, blah, blah." I have had both. They are in the same class of saws in every way, shape, and form. I no longer have the Uni. In the end though, you will not be able to tell which projects I made on my Delta contractor saw, Uni or Grizzly. They all cut the same.

[Rich Riddle]

Cary,

It sounds as though you have a personal agenda against the Unisaw. I currently own one being replaced but have nothing against the old one being sold; it served as a good saw. Very few Unisaws were left-tilt, so to say it likely is left-tilt is highly inaccurate; most are right-tilt models with a vast array of parts available. A warranty is a nice selling point but rarely utilized. The Unisaw in question isn't a "new Unisaw" variety, so the reputation of the "new Unisaw" variety doesn't have anything to do with the one being pondered. My Unisaw has adequate dust collection abilities. The riving knife presents your most valid argument, but that's at the discretion of a buyer and not for anyone else to determine. Very few saws built back then had riving knives, but my Inca does.

The argument that one cannot tell what tool was used to make a project presents logical fallacies including appeals to emotion and consequences. It's similar to saying one cannot tell how one arrived at work, either by driving a Yugo in rush hour or being chauffeured in a limousine. Both employees arrived at work. While the looks of a project might end up similar, the time, effort, and energy to get to the same level can be enormously different. That's why many of us upgrade tools.

I am neutral on Grizzly products but don't own any of their tools. I almost purchased one last week though. Their reputation has significantly increased through the years and they seem to be rebadging products of higher quality. Only time will tell if Grizzly keeps models long enough to develop the supply of parts needed to sustain repairs. Do you know how long the G1023 has been produced?

[Cary Falk]

Rich,
I have nothing against the Uni. I restored a 1970 on and kept it for 2 years. I had a snap in splitter but i wanted a riving knife and a blade shroud for dust collection. I am guessing left tilt due to the year it was made. I don't know exactly when the switch was made so I said likely. I am not talking about "new Uni" vs "old Uni". I am talking about Old Delta vs New Delta. If this saw is new never been used it may very well have missing parts. I bought a new Delta 14" bandsaw in 2005 that had missing parts righ out of the box. If that is the case with this Uni then good luck getting any response or parts from the "New Delta" because the parts were not sold with the company from what I have heard.

My main issue is with people that want to compare a 14" Oliver old arn table saw to a Grizzly cabinet saw and say that the build quality sucks because they don't build them like they used to. What they need to be doing is comparing a Uni to a G1023 and then they would see that both saws are in the same category. What happens is that the word Grizzly is mentioned and 50 people chime in with "Grizzly sucks" because they heard of a guy that bought a Grizzly 30 years ago and the fit and finish was bad ot that it broke. I have had both a Uni and a G1023RL and I can honestly say that they are comparable saws. Not many people can say that but it does not stop them.

The whole parts availability is SOMEWHAT silly. You have people restoring old machines by having parts cast and using comparable parts from Grizzly. A lot of the old companies are not around anymore to supply parts but that does not stop people fro restoring them. Machines change so fast and companies get bought and sold on a regular basis so I don't think anybody is safe. At this point, Jet, Delta, Grizzly, Steel City, PM, etc are coming out of the same factory and a lot of parts are interchangable.

My whole point of my post was that the saw is only worth what the buyer/seller agree on. Mike needs to weigh all the options of new vs used and what is availabe in his neck of the woods. I was throwing out and option to put some perspective on the current used asking price. If Mike's lifelong dream is to own a Uni then have at it. I just think it is old technology and not worth the preminum. At the right price it is worth it. Only Mike can determine what that price is because the numbers in this thread will be all over the place. I'm in at $750.

[phil harold]

That was the year I bought my Tablesaw
I compared the Delta to the Jet They were both only 1399 from the local tool/equipment store
I bought the Jet because it included a mobile base for free and a 100 dollar rebate, I also like the exacta fence better the the biesmeyer (personal preference)
If I had to do it again I would buy a used sliding table saw

I look at prices of used unisaws and see they are higher that what I could have paid when I bought mine in 1998
Grizzly G1023 was considered but did not have a bies copy fence at the time (I have an 8" joiner from griz that I love)

A new uni is 3200 bucks that price I believe is riding on its laurels
At times I think that Delta name plate provides the feeling of a premium brand, and there are many other quality Taiwanese and Chinese products out here that command less money

I am with Gary on this there is no warranty no riving knife

Bottom line is just a table saw, and all that really matters is having a good fence
for many years before I bought my jet I used a Makita in a Rousseau table, Great fence!
you can not tell the difference in the quality of projects from between the too

My cabinet saw was bought just so there would be one at permanently setup in the shop
the mass does make it easy to work with than my makita
If I had to buy again I would consider this

http://www.grizzly.com/products/10-3...ng-Knife/G0691
or what I originally bought
http://www.amazon.com/708663PK-JTAS-.../dp/B0000223L6

[John McClanahan]

I would look at Grizzly, too.

John

[Terry Barnhill]

It would probably bring 1400 here in E TX, if it's in top shape. General used ones sell in the 1k -1.2k all the time.

i don't understand the folks who think the value should be based on the original selling price, instead of today's market value. $1400 worth in 1998 would take $1950+ today to buy.