Is the SawStop Contractor Saw Worth $2000? SawStop Contractor Saw Review
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- Опубліковано 25 сер 2024
- I have been using the sawstop contractor saw for well over a year now, and I have some pretty big thoughts on it. There are quite a few good things, and quite a few not-so-good things, so this brings up the question, is it worth the hefty price tag of two grand? The saw I have been using is a sawstop CNS175, with the 36" fence.
IG: / arpadbuildsthis
Links:
Sawstop Contractor Saw: www.rockler.co...
The blade I use (Freud Diablo 80t thin kerf): www.homedepot....
Sawstop 3hp Professional Saw: www.rockler.co...
Sawstop 1.75hp Professional Saw: www.rockler.co...
Super detailed video of a Sawstop in action by @Jonathan Katz-Moses : • How Safe is a Sawstop ...
Music and SFX are from Epidemic Sound. Use my link to get a free 30 day trial and help support the channel: www.epidemicso...
Great review I appreciate you actually pointing out cons/drawbacks. It seems like most other reviewers only want to give positives
Thanks! I think it’s important to point out all the negatives to a product too, and then the viewer can decide if the positives outweigh the negatives or not.
Nice review, thanks for the run through. As someone who does a lot of resawing on a contractor saw I will give a little advice. Take little bites at a time. A quarter to a half inch at a time. You won't bog down and/or burn your wood. That was a HUGE slice you tried taking all at once.
Using the proper blade would help too. The grind and amount of teeth on that blade is designed for cross-cuts not ripping
Thanks, was thinking the same thing
Not only burn the wood but burn out your motor faster! The 240V conversion would be your friend!
I know I was using the wrong blade. But even with the right blade it would still bog down the saw. I was just lazy and didn’t want to change the blade for that single cut, but in hindsight I should’ve. And yes I usually take one-two passes when cutting. Maybe taking more passes would help, but that’s a pretty big time setback
Dude! Great video and very informative
I was going to say to upgrade the wings on your contractor saw. But then you show your cabinet saw. Well, now you don't have to upgrade!!!! Nice review man!
Thanks! I wanted to add a whole bunches of upgrades to the contractor saw, but it just makes sense to get the cabinet saw for that price. Otherwise I would’ve stuck with this saw. Thanks again!
Great video!, I am getting the contractor saw and will get the better fence and probably cut the rails for a smaller side to side profile in a small shop. Will also get the 240V conversion, dust collection panel and castors. I know a lot of you all think 120 V is the same but it's not. Yes same HP motor potential, Higher voltage, lower resistance means less bog down on thicker material, faster start up and bog down recovery and just better for the life of your motor(less resistance=less heat. There is a reason they offer the 240V (okay, in real life often 250V). I am not sure why you mentioned vibration, although minimal, since you also said it was the most accurate saw assembly you have used. I am still glad you mention the drawbacks. It's reviews like this that shaped my decision. I must say, I have been using a second hand Sears aluminum top contractor saw and it was kind of a piece of junk but have been able to produce great work on it. It is rated 3 hp potential but I think the 3 hp is some kind of BS marketing wizardry at 120V. So my conclusion is that all horse Power is not labeled accurately because this saw (at both voltages) seems to be strong according to reviews.
After I just tried to cut my fingers off with my Bosch jobsite saw, I've been eyeing one of the Sawstop contractor saws. This was helpful. Thank you.
Very good review, thumbs up. I got a Bosch GTS10XC and looking for an upgrade. The vibrations and bad dust collection that you showcased on this sawstop made me reconsider. It is very annoying when the blade is not possible to lower below the table due to dust. Thank you.
Honestly, yeah, those can be big drawbacks to some people. I’ve used 3 sawstop models before, the jobsite saw, the contractor saw, and the professional cabinet saw, and for the money, the jobsite saw is hard to beat. No vibration, dead accurate, really smooth. But it is much louder and smaller. But I would highly still recommend getting a sawstop over something else because of the safety. But that’s just my opinion.
Neat review! Do more of them!
Great review - keep it up man
Good honest review 👏
Awesome review, didn’t realize how bad that dust collection is and even worse is that vibration. This saw is definitely a hard pass for me, hopefully now with saw stop letting other companies use their technology for free we will get some better designs from competitors
Ahhh man Apad, this video is going to premiere a little too late for me to watch live, but I'll check it as soon as I get home tonight!
No rush Zac! Hope you enjoy it!
I almost amputated 3 fingers on a DeWalt jobsite saw. Just the operating room charge for the repair of my fingers was $12k. Do the math - $2k for a saw that won't cut your fingers off vs $12k in the operating room. $2k is a great bargain. 🤔
Same here on my Hitachi!
I have had one of these for about 8 years now. I boxed in the lower section and back of the saw for dust collection, and it works great. I wish I had opted for the cast iron wings, as I think that would really help with vibration. I love the saw, but one of their cabinet saws is my dream.
It’s definitely an amazing saw! Just a good amount of minor upgrades on the cabinet saw compared to the contractor.
btw those screws on top of the table are not to adjust the table for square. They're for the tilt of the blade. But I saw (haha) you also mentioned the bolts underneath the table adjust it too. Overall great review thanks! Love the outfeed table.
I agree about the dust collection. I'm annoyed about the saw not being able to retract all the way without digging out the compressed sawdust on mine, and the signature "whine" the crank makes.
Thanks! I know those screws are to adjust the tilt of the blade! I meant the adjustments for the saw in general. I think the biggest disappointments for me were the vibration, and the dust collection (both of which sawstop advertised as being better than any other brand). Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Good job on your review!
Thanks!
Thanks for the comparison! I was looking at the Contractor's vs. the PCS. How well did the contractor's do with dado cuts in terms of power? I use mostly plywood and construction-grade lumber.
It did okay, but I don’t really use a dado stack with my table saw. But I did have to go slightly slower, but other than that, it performs about as powerful as any jobsite saw.
pcs is only$ 505 more equipped the same way just checked march 2.
Good review but let me tell you is very important to use the right blade for cutting wood regardless that anyone said. You can’t drive a F1 car with tractor 🚜 o bicycles 🚲 wheels if you want win a race or even finish it
Yep that’s true! If I had used a rip blade it wouldn’t have bogged down as much. However it shouldn’t have bogged down as much as it did with the 60T combination blade I had in it, I’ve had jobsite saws that are more powerful. But yes, a ripping blade would’ve been much better
Thanks for the great video. You’re an impressive guy. Please tell me you’re gonna become a mechanical engineer. Lol
Appreciate the video. I'm torn between spending the extra $$ or going with the contractor. Either will be an upgrade over my DeWalt jobsite and Ridgid 4512.
Hi very well presented. What is the foot print of the saw ?
I like my Saw Stop contractor saw. But the elevation requires constant lubrication and cleaning. I'm not sure if the higher priced models are quieter. Mine sounds as noisey as yours.
My new PCS is way quieter, and I haven’t needed any lubrication and maintenance! It’s so much better in my opinion, but that contractor one is good too
Good video bud!
Trying to decide between this and a China saw (Laguna/Harvey) with the 36" fence. I like the accessories of the SawStop and the fact that they are made in Taiwan, but I think I would like the 2HP of the Laguna/Havey saws. These SS saws are pricey too. I think I can manage not to cut my fingers off and maybe use the extra money for a jointer/planer or dust collector. SS might have better customer service though... tough choices.
Go for the sawstop! 100% sawstop would be my choice. I had a laguna prior to the sawstop, and in my opinion the sawstop is far superior. Even if the safety feature wasn’t there, I still think the quality and features of the sawstop are worth the money. Also the issue with the 1.75hp motor can be fixed by using a thin kerf blade, which I later tried after filming this, as well as using the right blade for the right application, instead of being lazy like me and keeping an 80t blade in it the entire time. When you rip thick hardwood with a rip blade, it has more than enough power. But definitely get the sawstop, it is worth it!
Would you suggest upgrading to the cast iron wings on the contract saw?
Definitely! Anything would be better than those steel wings! But I don’t think it would completely solve the vibration issue. All contractor saws are know for having that issue.
Did you try the contractor saw with the dust collection blade guard? Wonder how much better it would be.
When i first ordered mine i got the cast iron wings. The stamped metal wings will be turned into part of my outfeed table. I used 1/8 plywood to enclose the open area below to collect the dust. I pulled that out to rebuild the area to be integrated with my cast iron router top. When i firsrt got the saw it cut straight and true now, the fence and rails are upgraded to the Incra system because of rust and warping of the rails and fence from being in non humidity controlled storage.
Great upgrades! Cast iron wings are definitely a good upgrade! Honestly, I’ve had absolutely no problems with the sawstop fence and it cuts really well. But for me, because I use my saw pretty much daily, I think it was worth it for me to upgrade to the cabinet saw. But those are good fixes on the contractor saw too
very good review. have not seen the squeaky blade before so good to know
Glad you found it helpful!
Been thinking about putting a outfeed, can you cut 45 degrees? If so how not to hit the top with the motor tilting? Thanks so much
I just carved a little notch so the motor clears in the outfeed table
@@ArpadBuildsThis a notch to the table top itself?
@@jaimegenovajr3257 yeah, just the underside, enough so the motor clears.
@@ArpadBuildsThis thanks so much
How did you find a used saw stop?
Sometimes you can find good deals on Facebook Marketplace or craigslist. They don’t come often, but once in a while
I understand the safety feature is paramount but.... with the cost being $2000 & the price for a Professional is $2800. If you sinking that kind of cash into a sawstop then I say get the pro model.
True. I originally was going to buy a PCS, but I just didn’t have that budget. It’s $800 more, and the contractor saw was slightly out of my budget. Yeah yeah, call me cheap… But prior to buying the contractor saw, I had nicked my finger on the blade of my old delta saw, and I thought as long as it has the sawstop feature, I’m happy to buy it. I just wanted a big saw, that had the safety. But honestly, the best sawstop is the one you can buy used!
I has been worth every penny.
So the contractor saw is good for your digits, but bad for your lungs… nice overview. thank you.
Yeah that kinda sums it up… maybe with a more powerful dust collector it would be way better.
Please read the instructions saw blades with paint on them are not recommended for sawstop they will interfere with the safety aspect of tripping the brake.
Painted blades, not coated blades. Freud blades are metallic coated, which is different than paint. That blade that was in that saw got tripped by my hand a couple months later, as it’s not painted but metallic coated.
$2000 for something you can buy used all day long for under $500. As good as saw stop safety is it’s not worth what they charge. Not to mention how they go after other companies when they produce similar tech. If they were interested in safety that’s not what they would be doing.
No. It’s worth it. I’ve used many table saws and I can very confidently say even if it didn’t have the safety feature, I’d still think it’s worth over $1000. Compare it to the powermatic or jet contractor saws, and this blows it out of the water in my opinion. Plus, I’d gladly pay for the safety feature after having over 3 table saw accidents. I don’t mind the increased price, because I know I have that peace of mind that what happened to me before won’t happen to me again.
Very subjective topic. To me, no it's not worth it. It has no other features that set it above any other reputable brand of saw besides the brake. So you have to decide what it's worth to you.
To that I’d say, if it’s as equal to any other contractor saw, I’d still say yes, it’s worth it. As someone who has injured himself 3 times on a table saw, and who knows many people who have experienced these types of injuries, I do not want to risk having another accident. After all, I ask myself, “how much are my fingers worth?” That’s why I bought this saw. Sure, I was happy with my old $700 delta contractor saw, but I bought this just because of the braking system. Also, I have used other brands of contractor saws, like delta, jet, and powermatic, and this saw has some pretty good features that set it above the rest. But you are very right, it is a subjective topic that the buyer needs to decide.
this is a piece of junk,,,i have one that is 6 month old and will not run,,,saw stop even replaced the the entire switch box and it will still not run,,,
Where are you located? Wanna sell yours?