I absolutely have to purchase a new saw (at least that is what I told my wife ), and need some help. I want a left tilt 3 hp saw and have an existing Incra TS III fence that I want to use on it. I don't need any more routers so the Jet promotion does not add any real value and I will build my own extension tables so that is not a deal maker/breaker either. I plan to add the Biesemeyer splitter so that lets me choose from Grizzly, Delta, Jet, General and PowerMatic. The PM is sadly out of the budget and would like to stay in the $1000-1500 max range. I have read so many favorable posts on these saws that it is hard to make a decision. With the Grizzly being the most affordable and me not using the factory supplied fence, it leads the pack in $$$.
I guess my real question is -- do you know of any promotions/deals going on with any of the prior mentioned saws? Occasionally someone has deals on Deltas but I don't know of any now. I have no local dealers here in central Louisiana so internet order is the most likely source although shipping costs can kill many deals. I have read many favorable reviews on the General but it is pricy. Amazon with their free shipping and ground level delivery is really appealing so a Jet from them is really tempting while Grizzly does not do ground delivery and you have to fight that out with the local trucking company.
I have read so many postings on various web sites and am fairly convinced that there are no major differences in the saws. With the Delta, General and PM at or over $1700, the Jet and Grizzly seem to be the choice. The Jet wins that on looks alone .
Enough rambling - I know there is no real wrong choice but am looking for a deal/opportunity. I have not seen any used saws locally so new seems to be the way to go.
Thanks for your suggestions and help.
Pete