Contributor
Carl, I use an old criteria for tool purchases be it hand or power. Time, money, aggravations. When the aggravations outweigh the time and money I usually find a way to get what I truly need. I don’t need a sliding table saw at present because aggravations have not set in. Could be they never will.
Jim
Member
This has been well covered but one thing that comes to mind is the assumptions that come with the word budget and to a lesser extent tool size. For a hobbyist the amount of money they are willing to spend on a tool at a given time is not necessarily all they can afford. It is simply what they are willing to spend for a tool that meets their needs. Recently I was in the market for a 14" band saw and for how much I would use it was "worth" a 1000 budget. The advice I received was great although several people said I should save more, double my budget and get a better, bigger machine. I could have bought a $2000 band saw (my wife never asks what I spend) but the money could be more wisely spent on other things. I ended up with a Rikon 10-326 I love and will probably be the last band saw I own.
Size is a similar issue. For many who work out of their garage, space is a major factor in tool purchases. Space considerations for many are more important than budget when buying a power tool. Benchtop drill presses and lunch box planers are great tools when you only have a few hundred square feet to work. Yeah, the drill press wont be able to drill 4 inch deep hole with out some work and the planer won't handle a 20" wide slab but they are up to the task for the vast majority of what most hobbyists need.
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