Replies

1. 
   Rich14 | Oct 15, 2006 12:39am | #1

   Phil,

   Don't waste your money on this piece of junk. Machinery designed for holding and cutting wood must have a certain size and mass to resist the forces involved. Over and over, I have seen "cute" little versions of real machinery foisted on the public. This one, like so many other miniature machines is a toy. And when a toy houses a wood-cutting blade, the thing is not fun, it is simply dangerous.

   I can't understand why Ryobi would go to the lengths they have to design this thing. And design they did. It looks for all the world like a real machine. All the "controls" are there and everything looks impressive. But it's all design and no substance. What in the world do you think you're going to get for $200? I think this thing gives them a bad name because they do make some good equipment.

   Worse, are the various "reviews" by users rating this turkey as "excellent" that take up space on websites. I have no idea what those people must have been smoking or what frame of reference they were operating from.

   About a year ago, I offered to help a family member install her hardwood floor. She ordered all the materials and this saw for the job. I unpacked it when I got to her house. It was the flimsiest excuse for a saw I had ever handled.

   The universal motor screamed like a jet plane. It was mounted on a single bar that flexed a lot, any time wood was passed through the blade. Mind you, I was cutting engineered flooring, which is nothing but a hardwood veener on a softer substrate, less than 3/4" thick. Imagine a table saw blade twisting and turning during a cut! Frightening.

   The table was so small, it offered almost no support for the wood and the rip fence was undependabe and flexed more than the motor support.

   You can get a real saw - a contractor's style saw, with a 1 to 1-1/2 hp induction motor, cast iron table, robust rip fence, strong arbor assembly and trunions,  from any one of a number of suppliers for between $300-500, that will actually work in all respects. Even at the low end of that price range.

   Don't get this Ryobi, it is a cruel joke. You get what you pay for, and there is no getting around that advice in this case.

   Rich

   
   

   
   

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   Edited 10/14/2006 5:47 pm ET by Rich14

1. 
   MatthewSchenker | Oct 15, 2006 03:51am | #2

   Rich,So are you saying you don't like this saw?  I couldn't tell for sure!!

   PS: I'm joking, of course.

2. 
   JimV | Oct 15, 2006 06:50pm | #4

   Rich,Don't hold back, repressing your feelings will only lead to ulcers and nailing your joints with a brad gun, ala Norm. :)Jim"There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other is that heat comes from the furnace." - Aldo Leopold

2. 
   Dave45 | Oct 15, 2006 04:32pm | #3

   I get the sense that Rich14 doesn't think much of this saw - lol.

   I've never used the BTS20R but I have a BTS10 that I picked up a couple of years ago for $99.  It was supposed to be a one job deal but it's been on several jobs so far and works just fine for my needs.  It isn't as good as my shop table saw, of course, but it does what I need done in the field.  My only serious complaint is the lack of a "soft start" - this rascal jumps a little when I turn it on and that took some getting used to. - lol

   IIRC, the BTS20R has a right tilt blade which I probably wouldn't like.  For the last 30+ years, I've only used left tilts.