Hybrids: Delta vs. Craftsman vs. Dewalt
These three saws are available locally and have authorized service dealers nearby.
I like the hybrid concept due to the superior dust collection and the inboard motor. I’ll be cutting a lot of plastic sign board with a polystyrene interior so I need very good dust collection. I don’t have room for 220V right now so that’s another reason.
Pros/Cons as I see them.
1) Delta
Pros:
Available (soon?) from a locally owned dealer with an outstanding service department. The type of place I’d prefer my money to go to.
Delta name and reputation.
Fence options.
Cons: Service department does not make house calls.
Table mounted trunnions. Will PALS help? This sign board really benefits from an accurate saw according to many experts I’ve spoken with.
2) Craftsman
Pros:
Cabinet mounted trunnions.
Service dept. makes house calls.
The Biesemeyer fence on the 22124
Cons:
Will customer service continue as Kmart takes over Sears?
The last Craftsman product I owned was horrible (compound miter saw) and I’m still leary of their products. However, I’m not as anti-Craftsman as many people. Not even close.
Dewalt:
Pros:
The sliding table add on.
Cons:
Dust collection maybe not as good.
Fence did not blow me away.
Seemed over priced.
I really appreciate any input on these three saws.
Thanks.
Replies
Do a search on the model numbers for the sears here and in Knots - there have been a LOT of favorable posts on it. In fact I can't really think of a bad post for top line sears (can't remember the model number - the two are similar - anyway it is the one that retails for about $850 - BEFORE all the numerous discounts. I have seen posts where people ended up up getting it, the 2 yr on site warranty and home delivery for about $600)
I bought the Sears 22124 6 months ago and am very happy with it. Paid $725 and that was only $25 more than the General contractor model and I would have to deliver!. IMHO it's what a home shop saw should have been all along. Warning: It's too heavy for the wheels on the HTC base sold at Sears. They have flat spots now.
Joe
Hi Chris - It looks as though you've got a pretty good handle on the descriptions of these saws and have made good points and asked good questions.
The sliding table on the DW will fit many TS. There are many sliding tables available around the same price range as the DW slider, so I see that as a moot point. IMO the Delta and the 22124 have the DW pretty well covered.
PALS "might" help with the alignment of the Delta if a set exists to fit it. Other than the trunnions and ultimate price, the Delta and 22124 are remarkably similar, but have different packages.
The 22124 is likely to retail for considerably less than the Delta, plus it offers alot of attractive features. The 22124 has a pretty decent stock blade, the outfeed table works well, neither has a great miter gauge but the clamp and crosscut fence on the Sears should come in handy for something.
I was skeptical of the Craftsman too...my Sears CMS is lousy, but eventually the saw itself won me over and is a completely different animal than any other tool they're selling. I sold a very nice GI contractor saw to get the 22124 and am very happy with it. Whether you decide to get one or not, you should sign up for the Craftsman Club flyers...it's free and entitles you to special discounts on tools in their monthly flyer. It also entitles you to sign up to receive online sales flyers, which in turn entitles you to print out a one time 10% coupon on tools. That 10% on top of a good sale price can get the 22124 down below $800, $700, or even $600 (rare but happens).
http://www.epinions.com/content_184778395268
Chris I have the DeWalt with every option available from the sliding table to the excaliber over arm guard, outfeed table extension table, and the saw is great for a light weight unit I have found it to be extremley accurate an an outstanding 110 saw possibly the best, I have made a few modifications to make the saw perfect 1st the 2 1/2" dust collection collet does not work, the unit has a bucket on the right side that acts as dust trap and I would say about 10% of you dust is collected in the vac, and 60% in the bucket and 30% on the floor under the saw. I was able to modify the unit by adding a 4" Jointer universal dust port to the plasric side bucket, I cut a hole mounted the coller and have collection effiency of almost 95%. I really find this saw a powerful small unit. Do not recomend for sheet goods without the sliding table.
God Luck
Regarding the "housecall" service from Sears -- would you really want a guy who repairs washing machines and refrigerators all day working on your table saw?
Regarding the "housecall" service from Sears -- would you really want a guy who repairs washing machines and refrigerators all day working on your table saw?
- Toolfreak
Good Point...
That's a bit of a broad slam on the service techs. The maintenance folks at work repair A-Z and are highly skilled in a number of tasks. I don't care if he/she knits for a living if they can repair the saw. I think you'll find in many cases, if they tech is struggling with the repair, they'll either phone Orion's tech line for help or just pick it up and take it to the shop or replace it. The alternative is to disassemble and deliver a 400# saw to a service center, then spend another 3-4 hours putting it back together yourself. I don't view the in home service as a bad thing at all.
Edited 7/6/2005 4:49 pm ET by knot scott
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