Triton - TTS1400 Track saw (Rating: 4)

Just to put this review into perspective I'd like to say that I've used it to break down 5 sheets of plywood
and trim two door. This is not a comprehensive review just some thoughts to share.

My 32 year old skillsaw has finally given up. It spent many years cutting through 2x lumber and plywood/osb. For the past 5 years I was just using to break down plywood to more manageable pieces. I've really looked hard at the Festool but I have a difficult time justifying the cost. I'm a hobbyist.

I looked at the Makita and Dewalt and Grizzly. These machines have lots of reviews. Features important to me were ease-of-use and accuracy.

I've had a triton router in my table for the last 5 years. I like the tool. It's reliable, easy to change bits and has handled everything I've thrown at it.

I started shopping for a track saw. I seem to always start at Amazon. Comparing features is easy, pricing not as good as they would have you believe. My choice came down to the Makita of Triton, and price would help drive the final decision.

I found the Triton at Carbide Processors for $263, + $89 rails kit (27.5in rails), free shipping. It was delivered in less than 5 days.

The saw and rails were both well packaged by the manufacturer and Carbide Processors. The user manual very straight forward and very well done.

The saws controls are easy to operate. My saw was perfectly adjusted out of the box. The saw stores the only tool needed. Before I made my first cut I did remove the blade to perform a close inspection.

First cut is to define the zero clearance for the tracks. Made the cuts, then continued to the plywood. I'm doing a kitchen project and I always start with breaking down the plywood. I work from a cut list and try to cut everything needed. These are always cut a bit oversized and the final cuts happen on the table saw. I first started with my cross cuts. The first cut left some splintering on par with my skillsaw. I remembers reading the manual a "scoring cut" setting. Second cut I used the scoring cut method, perfectly clean cuts. I was impressed. The drawback is now two passes are required. The cut was clean and perfectly square. For the rip cut, same results. The scoring pass made a big difference.

I needed to trim 2 doors in the house to get ready for new carpeting. I've done this many times. I usually put masking tape on both sides to get a clean cut. The saw left very clean cuts on both doors, again very happy. Overall, the saw felt very safe and smooth to operate.

Things that I still would like to have. I will order the clamping kit for the tracks. I'm also going to add two 57" tracks somewhere down the road. The stock blade is very good.

Some quirks. Two knobs at the base of the saw need to be rotated to allow the saw to lock into the track. Not a biggy for me, but I'm not a production shop.

Overall I'm very happy. I like the soft-start feature and motors speed control. Square smooth cuts. As I get more experience with the tool, I'm sure I'll be cutting right to the final lines and save an operation on the tablesaw. It earns a four star rating. 5 stars if it passes the longevity test.