I bought a SawStop 3hp Pro model last November. It developed a problem where it would not start, especially in cold weather. The folks at Klingspor, in conjunction with Sawstop tech support decided to simply swap out the defective saw for a new one. (it does not get any better than that.). The new saw has worked flawlessly ever since.
What I like about my Sawstop cabinet saw: It is a well constructed tool. It is designed and built to be easily adjusted and calibrated, more so than any saw that I have ever seen. With little effort you can set up the saw so that the miter slots and the blade and the fence are in near perfect alignment. The table top adjustment system is very precise. The machining on the top and the extension tables were very accurate too. The fence is accurate and tough. The blade controls are precise and accurate. The saw has plenty of power.
The safety features are not without some minor trade-offs, and I stress 'minor.' The saw has the customary on/off paddle switch and it has a power switch that has to be turned on first. When you turn on the power switch it goes through a 30 second, or so, boot-up sequence. Then the paddle switch works like any other cabinet saw. You never have to turn off the power switch, if you don't want to. Of course, if I am changing a blade, I turn the power switch off.
When changing blades, you have to check the clearance on the brake mechanism. All 10" blades do not have the exact same diameter and the clearance between the blade and the brake is important. When you change between 10" blades and dado blades, you have to swap out brake cartridges and adjust the clearance between the blade and the cartridge. It didn't take me very long to get these blade/cartridge swaps down to only a couple of minutes.
Sawstop does not recommend using anti-kickback blades in the saw because some designs can reduce the ability of the blade to dig in to the brake mechanism, taking longer for the blade to stop. I have a Freud dado that is an anti-kickback design. When I use it I am very aware that it may not be as safe as my other dados.
In summary, the Sawstop Pro cabinets saws are well made, accurate, and safer than saws that don't have Sawstops safety brake system.
Pete
I’m seriously considering a new Sawstop table saw... aside from the obvious safety features, who has one and can give goods and bads on performance. I’m really curious about their claim on dust collection and the riving knife. I’m looking at the 3hp professional cabinet model. Thanks
Steve