Hello all- first post here! I’ve been doing a decent bit of reading here on the forum recently, and have been very impressed with the knowledge base I’ve found, thank you for all the great info so far!
I apologize in advance as this may be a bit of a long post.
I wanted to get some feedback on a sliding table saw purchase I’m in the process of making. About a month ago, I visited the Felder location in Delaware to look at and potentially order a new K940S. As a very brief background, I do a variety of custom projects and am a 1-2 man operation depending on the job, and really look forward to capability increase a slider would provide along with the added accuracy, repeatability, and safety. I had done quite a bit of research on different saws leading up to the Felder visit and had considered some other options such as SCM’s offerings or even possibly a used Altendorf or Martin. In the end I decided that I wanted to buy new in order to avoid the potential issues of a used machine, and the 940 really seemed to fit the bill. Accuracy and repeatability are important to me, so I had them work up a quote for the 940s with scoring, digital readout on the rip fence, digital readout for the main blade height/ tilt, power controls for the blade height/tilt, dado capability, and a few other options. The quote put the out the door cost at $17,500. After working up the quote, the salesman mentioned that he had a brand new Kappa 400 x-motion on sale for 50% off, and asked if I might be interested in that saw as the price would be close to the 940s, given the discount. The saw is fully loaded, w/automatic rip fence, digital crosscut stops, touch screen, independently controlled scoring blade, etc. Very nice, very impressive saw! List price 35k, discounted to $18,500. It was ordered for a customer who rejected it when it was delivered with a damaged sliding table, and they have been trying to get rid of it since. A replacement table is currently on order, and will be sold like new. A sweet setup right? Anyway, I put a down payment on it.
My question revolves around all the automation. I love the features on the machine, and how precise, simple, and repeatable they make operation, but I am concerned about the longevity of the electronics in the computer control system. Some of the reading I’ve been doing suggests that these systems are susceptible to small voltage fluctuations or “dirty” power and that a failure of the electronics can be a very expensive repair. Also, some have suggested that obsolescence can be an issue, and I don’t want to find several years from now that I can’t even fix the thing if it breaks! After all, I’m not running a production environment- I am a relatively small operation, and this is a fairly big investment for me as it is. I would hope to be still using the machine 15 years from now. Essentially, I don’t want this to become a money pit, and I am beginning to fear that potential. I could be completely off base. Does anyone have any experience that could speak to these concerns? When I paid the down payment, the guys at Felder were kind enough to offer to change my order back to the 940s if I changed my mind on the Kappa before I took delivery, so that option is still on the table. I am also thinking that the more simplistic electronics on the 940s (simple digital readouts with knobs/buttons to raise or tilt the blade, no touchscreen or automatic fence) may be less susceptible to issues- is that an accurate assessment?
Hoping to make an informed decision, any insights would be much appreciated!
Thanks
Bryan
The Kappa 400 in question:
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