Question for Saw Stop guys

[2beast]

Ok, I know nothing about Saw Stop saws other than the obvious safety features.
I know how to use a saw safely with guards and had zero interest in getting a Saw Stop. 
I have been running a Powermatic 66 for 25 years safely.

New wrinkle.
I have a 4 year old grandson who absolutely loves my work shop.
He is in there a lot.
We are always building things together.
He knows not to mess with the tools but also has told me he knows exactly how to turn them on.

If anything should ever happen to that little man I could never forgive myself

Thinking possibly looking at a Saw Stop.

Besides the obvious safety issue, is the saw as good as what I am running?
Am I giving up a better performing saw or are they somewhat equal?
Is there some kind of learning curve?

Opinions from those who have changed over please.

Thanks

[®smpr_fi_mac®]

I do no own one.

But in all my research I have found that the fit, finish, and capability is just as good as a Uni or 66. I have a 66 that I *love* using and recently acquired a Uni that will become my crosscut saw.

I fully intend on buying a SS in the coming year or two once I sell enough to pay cash for it. My 66 will become my crosscut saw and I'll sell the Uni.

Yes, I'm safe, and have been for a while, but I only have to mess up once before my career in building satellites is ruined.

[Lumber Yard®]

Your shop is full of machines that will BITE him. It's like having him swim in a pool filled with 10 sharks and muzzling one of them. LOL OK maybe a little over the top but you get my point.

I'm sorry that I didn't really answer your question. I think you'll find that most SS owners feel like the SS is as good or better than most other cabinet saws. HTH

[Archengine]

I understand your concern. I have my two kids running around in my shop everyday. I bought a Saw Stop about five years ago. It replaced a Jet cabinet saw, so no direct experience with the PM66. Aside from the safety feature, this is a nearly identical saw in daily function. I was very happy with the Jet and am very happy with the SS. I have triggered two cartridges on my own, employees have done it three times and an intern did it once. All of these have been with a fence, or something other than a finger. That’s tough, and expensive. I keep a back up so it doesn’t shut me down, but one time it was with a dado cartridge. I had to drop everything and drive 45 minutes to a woodcraft and get a new cartridge and dado stack. I wasn’t happy about that at all. But deadlines are deadlines. I do like the roving knife that wasn’t offered on the Jet, and I really like the blade guard better on the SS too. But the rest of the machine is very similar. I hope this helps.

Rob.

[barryvabeach]

I upgraded from a bench top, so I can't help much on the comparison with the PM, but before I bought mine, I talked to a guy who had a SS and he said he would have bought it even if it didn't have the safety mechanism, it was so well made.   I found that a little hard to believe, and really bought mainly for the safety factor, but after i bought it and assembled it,  i agree.  It is just extremely well engineered and a joy to use, even if you ignore the brake cartridge. 

  BTW,  I did inadvertently let my finger pass over ( actually into )  a spinning blade.  I had turned off the saw, but it was still coasting down,  and was picking up a piece of scrap .  I head a loud bang, and the blade stopped and dropped so fast I didn't know where it went.  I noticed the tiniest abrasion on my finger,  but I didn't make a trip to an emergency room and didn't even need a bandage.   Changing out the cartridge was much faster, and easier, than it would have been to clean up the blood and flesh if I had done that using  a regular saw.  

I have been working with table saws for over 25 years, it was not a rookie mistake, but a moment of not paying attention as I was making a large number of repetitive cuts.  So for you and your grandson, if you can afford it, buy it.

[Philip1231]

Switch from a UNISAW to a SawStop: no regrets. Fit/finish every bit as good as the UNISAW. Dust collection is better.

On the subject of shop safety: when I built my shop I set up one sub-panel that feeds all the tools. When I am not in the shop, I shut off that sub-panel. I did this specifically because I had two young boys and did not want to have an adverse event. The boys are gown, but I still power down the circuits when I walk out the door: peace of mind.

[Jim]

Ok, I know nothing about Saw Stop saws other than the obvious safety features.
I know how to use a saw safely with guards and had zero interest in getting a Saw Stop. 
I have been running a Powermatic 66 for 25 years safely.

New wrinkle.
I have a 4 year old grandson who absolutely loves my work shop.
He is in there a lot.
We are always building things together.
He knows not to mess with the tools but also has told me he knows exactly how to turn them on.

If anything should ever happen to that little man I could never forgive myself

Thinking possibly looking at a Saw Stop.

Besides the obvious safety issue, is the saw as good as what I am running?
Am I giving up a better performing saw or are they somewhat equal?
Is there some kind of learning curve?

Opinions from those who have changed over please.

Thanks

I was running a 3 hp Canadian General left tilt cabinet saw for 15 years.  Very happy with it.  Then, a friend's son lost about 2&1/2 fingers on an old Craftsman.  My wife insisted that I get a SawStop.  I bought the 3hp professional saw.  The differences for me:

The SawStop cast iron top is wider, but more shallow.  I like the wider top, but DO miss the depth of my General.

The SawStop has their own "branded motor".  My General had a Baldor.

The SawStop has a a different design on the trunnion.  My General had a very beefy 1 piece.

The SawStop does have a riving knife which I did NOT have on the General.

Changing the blade on the SawStop is easier.  The opening is wider, and I have large hands.

Dust collection from underneath the SawStop is much better.  I'm undecided on above the table dust collection.  I have an original Excalibur above table tube collector (looks like the current upgraded SawStop above table dust collection unit) hooked to an Oneida cyclone.

The SawStop finish is much nicer, and it was easier to assemble.

I bought the SawStop industrial base, which I like much better than the HTC I had on the General.

The SawStop safety system, which my General obviously did not have.

With all that said, had I sprung the extra $1000 for the industrial SawStop model, it would have resolved the issues that I have:  deeper table, beefier trunnion.  However, I'm just a hobbiest and I'm getting older.  One of these days I will have to downsize and move.  I spend less time making stuff than I used to.  Practically speaking, the SawStop does everything that I need, or have asked the saw to cut.  If money wasn't an issue, which it is for a lot of retired folks, I would have bought the industrial saw just because I did like it more.  Not that it would be more capable.  But I'm satisfied with what I have, and the extra money in my pocket.

[jcredding]

I also transitioned from the Jet 3 hp cabinet to the SawStop after a friend lost part of his hand. It has done everything I’ve asked of it. One thing I’ve read about brake function is that you don’t want to use blades with anti-kickback nubs behind the tooth - it slows down the blade reaction. I’ve never had the brake fire, so don’t know about it, and I’m still using the same Freud blades I used on the Jet.

[Tapper]

My Sawstop PCS replaced a Unisaw. I bought it on their Field Test program, free shipping and special pricing in return for feedback after using the saw for several weeks. I too upgraded to the ICS mobile base, a decision I've never regretted. Advancing in age I'm thankful every time I hit the power switch to have the additional safety net. I know more than one person who has lost digits on a tablesaw and it's comforting to know I can avoid that fate.

The saw performs beautifully for my purposes in my home workshop. Would easily make the same decision again.

I remember several years ago a member sharing a heartbreaking story on these pages. His young son loved spending time in the shop with him and wanted to make a cut on.the tablesaw, something he had not been allowed to do. The father relented and decided to let him do it with close supervision. In the flick of an eye the son's hand touched the blade and he was injured. No amount of money is worth taking that chance IMO.

Doug

[fredhargis]

I have a 5HP ICS, and while it is a top quality, well made machine.....I'm a little hesitant to say it's as well made as the 66. To me the 66 is the pinnacle of the North American type table saw (outside of the Northfield) and as nice as the SS is I would put it maybe a notch below the 66. Those saws (66s) were made in the days of quality production outweighed low cost and short cuts. Like I said, the SS is top quality...I just don't think it's equal to the 66. But that's obviously only my opinion. BTW, my SS replaced a Unisaw which I also put a notch below the 66.