Personally..i really like the Bosch..it is a pretty powerful saw and the motor is a soft start motor…to me..its a very very good portable saw for jobsites..a little heavy..bit worth it once its set up
I looked at the Bosch and did not like the fence. The one I looked at had a plastic slot and key that the fence slides in. It was quite tight and did not allow free movement of the fence in the track. Is this normal?
I second the Bosch 4100 w/ the stand. Good power, easily removable/attachable riving knife and blade guard. Once the fence is calibrated, it pretty much dead on every time, and can be remove and reinstalled without messing up calibration. Setting up and collapsing the saw is easy and requires very little effort. Only downside I've found is you'll need to buy the left-side and outfeed extensions separately (you definitely will want them, no doubt there), but they're not that expensive on Amazon. I picked up my saw at Lowes w/ 10% mover coupon for less than it would be online.
John, the Bosch 4100 model provides a tension adjustment on the outfeed-end of the fence. I think the lower model has a lower quality fence. I've had no issues with mine as far as adjustment and deflection.
The part I was talking about is how the T part of the fence sits in the front rail groove. The one I tried fit a bit too snug and did not allow the fence to move left and right smoothly.
I have the Bosch 4100 w/ stand. It's my only table saw as I don't have room yet for my wife's grandfathers old unisaw
I love the Bosch and of all the contractor saws (I looked at almost all available) it has the best fence
It also was the top pick for this class of saw a few years back in Wood magazine
I used a Ridgid 4510 portable table saw for my main saw for a little over a year before stepping up to an older UniSaw. It is a great little saw with a great collapsible base. What really surprised me was how good the dust collection was on this little saw when only using a shop vac. You can't beat the LSA (Life time Service Agreement) on the saw either. As far as hauling it in the back of a SUV I guess it would depend on the SUV but I did haul mine in the back of my wife's Pilot a couple of times but normally I just put it in the bed of my Ridgeline.
Why did I upgrade to a UniSaw if it was so great you may ask. Well lets be honest none of these portable saws are perfect no matter who makes them. They are all small, which is need for portability. They all have small motors, again so you can move the thing around or haul it around when needed. But they are great for what they are meant to do. But the big reason for me switching was that I no longer needed to haul a saw around and much prefer working on a large heavy saw just because I feel safer using it. But if I needed a job site saw again I would buy another Ridgid.
i know a good friend who has the bosch 4100 with digital fence, and has loved it, no problems with it that im aware of..and if anyone here disagree's then im looking for a fight…..lol…..NO JUST MESSIN john…its funny you said that, its kinda like we've seen what can happen with certain subjects, and picking a table saw can get good ole wood workers in a tizzy…lol…good luck and let us know what you go with and then do a review on it…take care john…grizz
It sounds like the saw you were looking at, if it was a 4100 model, did not have the fence adjusted properly (if it was the store's floor model, it was probably never set up properly and had been man-handled by hundreds of people). Mine slides left/right without any tightness or binding.
I didn't spring for the extra cost of the digital fence. The scale for the normal fence has a magnifying glass on it and I have 20/15 vision, and better places to spend my money, but I have read good things about it.
Not to change the subject or anything, but has anyone seen or tried that new Bosch 12" sliding compound mitersaw? with the pivoting arm instead of rails? I was floored when i saw this saw..
i've used both the 4100 and ridgid 2400 (predecessor of the 4510). i favor the ridgid. it will do whatever the 4100 will do, costs less and can be registered for ridgid's lifetime service agreement ( http://www.ridgid.com/tools/power-tool-warranty ).
I would like to add to the choices as I have spent quite a bit of time with reviews and looking at most of the portable models in all price ranges. I really liked the Bosch 4100 as does everyone else, but that price tag was on the extreme side and I thought there had to be a decent saw at a reasonable price. I had a couple of the older makitas and really like their durability and power. Yet it still was not the perfect saw. I have never used the bosch so I can not comment on its quality, but Bosh does hold high honors. With that said the size of that beast is not so portable even with the mobile base. I reviewed the smaller Bosch GT1031 and the Dewalt DW745. The Dewalt is a proven saw with no frills quality and all the reviews I have ever read support that claim.
I bought the Dewalt DW745 and must say it is truly the best portable saw on the market. It does have limitations, but for the cost and quality and convenience of having a great tool you can not go wrong.
My reviews and others are here if interested.
We use a Ridgid at work, for a portable saw, it seems ok. Does what it should. They all have limitations, but it seems like the Ridgid and Bosch have good followings.
I really liked the look and feel of the Bosch, as previously mentioned. But it is expensive and more than I wanted to pay for an occasional mobile-use saw, as 95% of my tablesaw work is done at my cabinet saw.
So I went with the PC fold-up 10" portable. Its about half the price of the Bosch. It has some good features:
1. The table extends out to 24". Nice feature.
2. Good dust collector if you hook it up to your shopvac
3. Foldup is good, although it takes a little practice
4. Feed-out support (about 12") is also a nice touch
bad stuff is the rip fence is a bit weak, although it locks in pretty well. And changing blades requires dexterity and skinny fingers helps. If you drop the nut down into the sawdust exhaust channel, it can be a challange to get it back out.
Here's my table saw. Its a porter cable 10' portable table saw.
AJ
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