I have seen this saw and used this saw. It is perfect. The quality alone justifies the extra expense. Far better and more solid then any others.

I have seen the demonstration of stopping the blade. I will buy it and pass it along to my son and grandson. It is an heirloom tool - and should be in every shop. My cousin who has a production shop has 2. Best thing going.

And as an amatuer woodworker, this saw simply rocks. Expensive, yes. But the billing for a basic reconstruction of a complex laceration in the ER is far greater. To say nothing of digital reattachement, etc.

It should be noted that I have no stake, either with SawStop of medical malpractice. Just an ER doc who likes to make furniture (and went to law school awhile back).

Having used the saw now I can add that the On/Off switch that is so easy to operate with the thigh of your left leg is a great feature and the fence (once I spent time shimming it perfectly flat) is fantastic and accurate across its entire range. An old friend told me a long time ago that if you spend a little extra for something you really want you will soon forget it and always enjoy your purchase, but if you compromise you will constantly be thinking “why didn’t I get the one I really wanted?” The Sawstop is worth the extra, even if the blade brake is just a nice extra to have in case.

It’s ironic that Scott’s post mentions vaccines as he suggests the inventor should be able to make as much money as possible. I guess he doesn’t know that Jonas Salk (inventor of the polio vaccine) gave away his vaccine Salk said “Who owns my polio vaccine? The people! Could you patent the sun?…”

Now, I know the inventor of sawstop is a lawyer, not everyone can be a Jonas Salk, BUT…does the guy have to gouge everyone? Does the added cost really justify the retail price tag? Initially when he still thought every manufacturer might use his sawstop he said that the added cost could come down to around $100 per unit with mass production. What happened?

About me:
I am a professional woodworker and I run my own shop. I have used a table saw just about every day for almost 20 years. I have employees that use the table saw every day. I witnessed a friend cut most of the way through three fingers several years ago. I witnessed the recovery, all the surgeries, the final monetary cost and the final physical cost.

Using SawStop:
The saw is better than any Powermatic or Unisaw that I have ever used. Build quality is top notch. The makers started from scratch in just about every respect, and it shows.
My employee triggered the brake for the first time within a few days of getting the saw. He was cutting aluminum laminate and forgot to engage the bypass. In the year that followed the saw has been triggered four more times: once by a stray tape measure touching a coasting blade, once by an embedded nail, once by a wet piece of cedar (fresh from the lumber yard) and most recently by a finger. The finger required a band-aid only.
Typical cost of a fired cartridge: $70 plus blade ($50-$80). SawStop replaced the flesh saving cartridge for free. The blade can be extracted from the brake, but it should not be considered safe to use again. The brazing on the teeth that contacted the brake will be weak.

I have absolutely no regrets about buying this saw. I would have nothing else in my shop.

About the company: I have spoken to these folks many times. They are passionate people who are on a mission. I know the fellow who started this whole process made much better money and worked fewer hours in his law practice. The powertool industry has case law on its’ side, so they have no need for this invention. The industry as a whole opposes this device for purely financial reasons, just like the auto industry fought seat belts. The majority of folks who are injured on table saws are employees, not saw owners, so I cannot fault the SawStop folks for presenting this technology to the CPSC and OSHA for consideration. Now that this is on the market, case law will come to favor those injured by new saws that do not have this device. That is as it should be.

My cost:
SawStop, delivered, without a fence: $4000
Sold old Unisaw, minus fence: -$650
Accidental cartridge firings: (4) @ $120= $480
One finger save: PRICELESS - or easily more than $3830

in automobiles: seatbelts, airbags, shatterproof glass, antilock brakes, windshield wipers

on roads: yellow lines, reflective signs, rails on bridges

in your homes: fireproof materials, toilets, breakerboxes

in medicine: vaccines, sterile surgical equipment, quality controlled medications

in lawn equipment: blade guards, automatic shutoff if you fall off your mower

in the airline industry: luggage xray, metal detectors, flight control towers

in food: tamper proof packaging, FDA meat inspection

Surely you nayesayers get the message. Good technology is expensive and if it is good enough, it gets put in place regardless. If you can’t afford this saw, don’t buy it. But don’t let your your opinions about the man that invented it and his entrepeneurial motives sway someone who might need all 10 of their fingers. Woodworking is the greatest hobby in the world. If it can be made safer, and if that safety can let us hobbyists keep making a living for our family, why criticize?

I heard about SawStop at the beginning of the year, and was impressed by the hotdog demo and testimonials. The safety feature is well-designed, and I have yet to hear of a confirmed failure (you can bet the unlucky customer’s maimed digits would be all over the news).

The riving knife is a great feature, which greatly minimizes kickback. I’ve ripped casehardened mahogany which would have kicked back something fierce — thankfully, it gripped the knife instead of the blade. The stock was warped so badly, I ended up with matching canes…

The false positives have been reduced thanks to the newer feature which allows the operator to test the moisture content of the wood. If the lights indicate that the wood is too green, you can leave the brake off while the cuts are made. Also, Sawstop will replace accidentally tripped brake cartridges for free (the spent cartridge contains data regarding the incident which they can use for further improvements). Of course, you’ll still have to replace your blade.

Every review I’ve read of the SawStop has given it top marks for quality of construction and ease of use. Even without the remarkable braking mechanism, the SawStop is a well-designed tablesaw, worthy of the higher price tag. WITH the brake, the SawStop is a bargain.

My college’s Perth Heritage campus has 3 of these fine table saws, and the main Woodroofe campus just ordered their first one earlier this week. There is some concern that students will be less vigilant about safety when using the SawStop, however I’m sure the same argument was raised when Air Bags were first introduced. I certainly don’t drive more carelessly as a result. Safety features like the SawStop and Air Bags provide peace of mind should an accident occur — the main goal is still the *prevention* of accidents.

In the end, my fingers are worth more to me, my family and my future than the $2200 CAD price difference between a fully loaded SawStop and a Delta Unisaw w/ Biesemeyer fence (which we currently use in the shop). I only wish the SawStop was a decade older so I could find a used one on kijiji.

- 10″ 3 HP cabinet SawStop, sliding fence, extension table, regular and dado brakes, delivery (Laval to Ottawa) & 14% tax = $5141 CAD

Definitely HOT!

I also don’t think it should be required on all table saws. I know many people, myself included, that bought saws costing under $200 because that was what we could afford. I suspect having this on a saw would put it out of price reach for me and a lot of other floks.

Well, it shows that no matter professional or amateur school grads, this would be a very wise investment. Though I agree with most of the people here that the little money should be made on this invention but rather serve the safety of the people. At the same time, there has to be a way to re-engage the safety after it goes off.

There are some serious manufactures out there that must have the R&D to make this happen.

As for lawsuits, I can foresee a school being sued after a child loses a finger simply because they did NOT have one of these saws.

Lastly, I believe people need to have a deep respect for tools and not rely on complicated safety mechanisms that can ultimately fail; therefore I would suggest the users should not be told the safety devices are on any machine they might use.

However, it seems for the money they ask for, one should determine first if the unit is a good unit, or a mediocre unit. (Since I have never split a board with one, I don’t know if the quality is there.) I would want to compare it’s performance with the top Powermatic or some good european saws before I shelled out that much bread. If the saw checked out, and I was in the market for a big saw, then the brake technology would be tasty topping for a quality cake.

On lawsuits, with all the promo, if the brake failed and you lost a couple of digits as you can with any other saw when you don’t pay attention,(but unlike other saws on the market where no recovery can be had) the monetary recovery would allow you to buy a bionic hand for your woodworking, should you so choose.

I agree with the men who say time will be the true tester. Of course, if the price of the “announced” and coming contractor’s saw is decent, I would look at it with the same analysis, but more personal interest.

my kids are respectfully afraid of the table saw. I need a device for a band saw or a power miter box.

The bottom line, it works, it works well, it’s expensive, it’s worth it.

- Has anybody documented a false positive? This concern is similar to the airbag test video that showed in an airbag going off while being driven on the test track during the early product development phase and the driver losing control. This was used repeatedly to delay the industry adoption and cast a cloud of uncertainty of the design. If an option, I would not buy a new car without an airbag installed.

- Has anybody documented a serious flesh injury on a Sawstop saw? No need to find a subject to ‘test’ it on, just let time be your test. Did they put unbelted people into cars and crash them into objects to test airbags effectiveness?

- With the cost of a tablesaw related insurance claims, the cost can be justified with reduced insurance rates. Of course this is of concern only for the business owner, which this saw’s price point and features are targeted to.

Except, once again, they didn’t actually try it with a finger. Nobody who reviews one of these things ever has the stones to actually try sticking their hand in it :-).

Not that I think it wouldn’t WORK, then - I’d just like to see someone, even from the manufacturing company, who has enough faith in the system to test it COMPLETELY.

(I think the ball of one’s thumb would be a good hand-part to try it with; that way you wouldn’t get a nicked bone. Use of a MythBusters-Approved Pig Part would also, I suppose, be acceptable.)