Hello Folks - I am one of many working to supplement my special Enron retirement plan living in Atlanta, GA. I have been reading your forums since Friday when not working with great gusto because this forum has a lot of meat in it if you look. lol.
I am keenly interested in the making the right decision from a short list of three for panel cutting only with the EZ Smart system. No, I am not going to sell my 12 inch smcs, ts or bs because they all serve a necessary purpose for me. The primary purpose is panels and more panels; the feature of ripping at least 5/4 - 6/4 but usually use the ts so panels is the name of the game.
If EZ Smart did not have the dual repeater and square repeater system I would already have a TS 55 and new tracks enroute but found this forum and frankly am thinking of getting and combining both the Festool and EZ Smart if practical to use Festool on both rails without a major missing on the EZ Smart. I know that many of you use EZ Smart and love it with all three saws I will consider so asking for your counsel.
My personal preference without taking into the EZ Smart for a cs is TS 55, then the ATF 55 E, and then the PC MAG325 in this order. Clean cross cuts with the least possible amount of dust are very important to me. Good plunge cutting with stops is important to me and safety - the riving knife on the TS 55 and the ATF 55 E makes it inherently safer than css without it. I am too much the perfectionist to be happy with tools that are almost the best.
I can put a Hock blade and chip breaker in Stanley or Groz hand planes and spend 8 hours tuning them and they will produce shavings that look as spectacular as my Lie Nielsen planes - but they so not feel as good working in my hand and are not as precise to adjust; and even thought Hock makes an excellent blade it will need to be sharpened quicker. All three will so the job well but one stands out as the best of the three. I want the best of the three if I can get it
My question to you folks that have been using the EZ Smart system is what will I give up with with each of the these so I can make the best choice for my shop. It may be that the ATF 55 works better with the EZ Smart system than the TS 55 with a depth of cut advantge of x inches and that the inconvenience of the missing new features on TS 55 (blade changes - riving - depth gauge etc.) are overcome by the advantages of the ADF 55 on the EZ Smart system, or maybe there are none? Perhaps the cuts are just good with a high quality blade on the PC MAG325 and that the dust EZ Dust modification puts it so close that the the difference is negligible and plunge capability and in place bevel capability of the Festools is not present. It may be that the PC MAG325 is the best saw priod for EZ Smart.
I want to buy before the end of May so please take a few minutes and give me your thoughts.
Thanks for sharing your expertise and observations.