Ive been looking for a replacement miter gauge for my tablesaw for a long time. Ive been reading reviews here and other places and narrowed it down to one of four: Incra 1000HD ($160 - $170 on sale), Kreg Miter Gauge ($139 on sale), Osborne EB3 ($109 on sale) and Incra V120 ($79). But each of them has fans and detractors and it seems to come down to personal preference. Fast forward. I was on a business trip and visited the local Woodcraft one day after work - they have all 4 set up for demos. Good fortune, huh?
Like I said, each of these tools has a host of dedicated fans. And each of these seemed to be a nice tool. These are just my observations and preferences - YMMV.
* V120. Smaller and lighter than I imagined. Its certainly usable on my TS, but Id rather have something more substantial. Probably a darn nice accessory for my bandsaw or a router table though. It has no fence, but you can make your own or add an Incra telescopic fence for about $45.
* Osborne. I liked this tool. It was light, but nicely balanced. The fence and stop were nice. I think the idea behind the design is great. For me, the down side was the mechanism used to set your angle. It was rock solid when locked - its one side of a triangle, after all. But the mechanism on the one I tested was sticky and the bar itself felt so lightweight I thought it might bend if the mechanism bound. I never saw any reviews complaining about that, so its probably just fine. But it just bugged me and I couldnt get past that.
* Kreg. I have their pocket hole jig and expected to like their miter gauge. But I just didnt. I didnt care for the mechanism used to set the angle. I liked the fence, and the stop. But overall, this tool didnt feel good in my hand. I came away thinking it felt too light and maybe a little too flexible. (Which is odd, because the Osborne is probably lighter. Like I said, this is all subjective.)
* 1000 HD. As soon as I handled this tool, I knew it was right for me. It was rock solid, just the right weight and had a superb (for me) angle adjustment mechanism. The fence was rigid, even when extended to 27". (Qualitatively, it felt like the smallest amount of flex of any in this bunch, just based on feel without actual measuring devices.) And it has a nice stop that has a lot of capability in and of itself. I really didnt need this Cadillac tool, but for me, just the FEEL of the thing was head and shoulders above the others. So I bought it.
The tool came out of the box square to my blade. It was easy to setup. Like others, I had to shim it to make get the fence perpendicular to the table. I had an easier time with that than some others have.
Anyway, I hope this will help someone else. For me, I think the biggest lesson learned is that you shouldnt just order a tool based on what you read - you ought to try and put your hands on it first, if possible.
YMMV.
Fred
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