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Are SawStop's electronics reliable?

3K views 44 replies 29 participants last post by  oldnovice 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hi all. I've decided it is finally time to say goodbye to my 1950's Craftsman table saw that was passed down from my dad and get something a bit more modern; so I've been researching saws, plus lurking on the forum seeing what member's experiences are. I've narrowed my choices down to either the SawStop PCS 1.75hp or the Powermatic PM1000. I know there are other great alternatives out there but these are my two finalists. They're both clearly great saws and either will more than meet my needs.
One of my concerns, however, is the reliability (and potential obsolescence) of the electronics on the SawStop. The mechanical parts of any good quality table saw should last dang near forever…but the electronics… who knows. There is endless discussion relating to SawStop's safety mechanism, which certainly a nice feature, but my main concern relates to the totality of the electronics. I haven't read about problems with their electronics, other than a couple of potentially random brake firings, so that is encouraging; but there's got to be a lot of electronics in there to control the start-up sequence, the various sensors that supply the data, there must be a circuit board and a microprocessor in there, not to mention software, etc.; and my experience with a multitude of other products is that the electronics are the frequently the weak link.
So I was wondering what experience those of you that own SawStops have had.
 
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#2 ·
I have mine for about 5 years without problems at all.

Early on they had an issue with some cartridges, but that was awhile ago and resolved.

If you want an iron clad guarantee, you will not get one. However, so far it has very good reliability.

I am certain there are some that post in every SawStop thread that will tell you not to buy one because this or that on it will fail. You are going to end up making your own decision..

My PCS is a fine saw and reliable.
 
#3 · (Edited by Moderator)
I have had a PCS for a year and a half. One user, short time, means nothing concerning reliability. So I'd look at it in the more general sense. It's more complex and therefore has more things that can break. Therefore, it is inherently less reliable. Just as your car is less reliable than a little red wagon.

Have a car without air bags, you can't have an airbag problem.

I obviously chose a SawStop and decided I was okay with the greater chance for something to go wrong. SawStop has been around awhile now, and there is no indication they are going away. They have a reputation for great service. So I think that's about as good as you can get.

Now, worst case, the electronics go south and SawStop is no longer in business and there is no way to fix the electronics, then you can simply bypass the electronics and connect the motor to a switch, just like every other saw.

So the risk is not having a useless saw, but of having one that no longer has the finger saving tech.

You a pay a more for the saw to have the extra protection. If you're considering it, it's worth it to you. Obviously not worth it if the safety feature won't work after one day (an unrealistic extreme) and already it is worth it to you so is worth it if it lasts your lifetime (the other extreme).

So how many years of finger saving is it worth to you? My gut tells me SawStop will be around in 10 years. Is 10 years worth enough for you. It is for me.
 
#4 ·
I've had mine for 6 years and zero problems but the electronics probably have a shorter shelf life than the mechanical parts. That said, I'm not too concerned about SS going out of business in the near future, so for me the lifetime survival of the electronics is a non-issue.
 
#5 ·
About 6 years of perfect operation for me, and 10 for three other local examples I'm familiar with…

There are tons of SS machines out there, and I can't ever remember hearing anything bad around electronics from a person who personally had a problem, locally or online. I think that says something, because in today's world bad news seems to be amplified exponentially online.
 
#8 ·
It's what Clin said, worst case, you strip the electronics out (or just wire around them) and you still have a very well made saw…with some money wasted on the electronics. It's a fair question, and one I wondered about while I was pondering the purchase. In the end, I went with the SS anyway. The company looks to be on solid ground for the foreseeable future so it's a long term question, but one you'd have to decide for yourself. They are selling a fair number of saws, so I suspect that even if they went belly up we would have alternate parts available for the electronics.
 
#15 ·
Thanks for all the feedback and Clin's got a good point about just jumpering around it all if for some reason something couldn't be fixed. You'd still have a working saw.

I ve had mine for a couple months,Coming from a big PM fan I guess the real question might be If the PM1000s safety device is reliable ??? Oh I forgot it doesn t have one :))

- a1Jim
Shoot, a1Jim, they all have safety devices…except the eyesight on mine is going and it is easily distracted…another reason the SawStop is attractive.
 
#17 ·
I think the big issue, and what Chopshop is concerned about, is that electronics have a finite lifespan due to … physics. Solder joints can fail over time and other solid-state electronic components can also give up spontaneously. This is likely made worse by the fact that a table saw is a much higher vibration environment than, say, a WiFi network router.

Another thing that has basically created a death sentence for electronics is the absolutely idiotic "RoHS" mandate from the EU. Essentially, all solder has to be lead-free now. Well, that sounds great except that the new tin-silver-antimony alloy is much more brittle / less ductile, and the tin actually grows tiny crystals called 'tin whiskers', which can cause all sorts of mayhem if they grow enough to cause short circuits.
 
#20 ·
We have a Saw Stop at our school for less than a year. It was down for a month due to the "electronics" failing. Saw Stop did not want to send a technician in so we had to trouble shoot the issues over the phone with them. We took it apart and put it back together 3 times till they got it figured out. The saw is back up and running now. (knock on wood) For our school this saw is a blessing because young people do make mistakes and the saw really is well made. Personally after the electronics failed on our Saw Stop, I decided to purchase another brand for my shop.
 
#21 ·
I have a SS Pro 3hp for 4-5 years. The cable from the cartridge back to the control unit went bad. It was a bear to replace because of some screws you can't see, unless you want to really pull it apart. The good news is Sawstop service was great. The tech had me do anything he could think of to prove it wasn't the cable. They sent me a whole new control unit and didn't what it back, so now I have a spare.
Being how it is electronic I try to unplug it during thunderstorms, which we had 3 days ago (this is February) in the upstate NY snow belt.
 
#22 ·
I assume another measurement of their reliability, has to be the fact that most, if not all, of their owners still have all 10 of their fingers!

With regards to their Electronics reliability. I bought a used 2008 SS Contractor Saw a month ago (worked perfectly) and when I contacted them, regarding a general question, they ask about what Start Switch my saw had. Specifically, they ask which side of the Switch Housing the "Red OverLoad Re-set Botton," was on. Apparently, there has been a change to the switch. They volunteered to send me an updated switch, (complete Switch Assembly) at no cost. I would estimate this switch would be around $100.00 if you had to buy one. Note, the original switch still worked perfectly, no problems.

In my opinion you are buying an organization as well as a Saw, I was very impressed with their Service Dept!!!
 
#23 ·
I assume another measurement of their reliability, has to be the fact that most, if not all, of their owners still have all 10 of their fingers!

With regards to their Electronics reliability. I bought a used 2008 SS Contractor Saw a month ago (worked perfectly) and when I contacted them, regarding a general question, they ask about what Start Switch my saw had. Specifically, they ask which side of the Switch Housing the "Red OverLoad Re-set Botton," was on. Apparently, there has been a change to the switch. They volunteered to send me an updated switch, (complete Switch Assembly) at no cost. I would estimate this switch would be around $100.00 if you had to buy one. Note, the original switch still worked perfectly, no problems.

In my opinion you are buying an organization as well as a Saw, I was very impressed with their Service Dept!!!

- bigpapaporsche
I forgot to mention this. I've noticed that more and more Woodworkers, I see on "YouTube" are switching to SS. I don't know if SS is discounting these saws in exchange for exposure or not. However, worth mentioning is the fact that these videos aren't promoting the SS at all.
 
#24 ·
I assume another measurement of their reliability, has to be the fact that most, if not all, of their owners still have all 10 of their fingers!

With regards to their Electronics reliability. I bought a used 2008 SS Contractor Saw a month ago (worked perfectly) and when I contacted them, regarding a general question, they ask about what Start Switch my saw had. Specifically, they ask which side of the Switch Housing the "Red OverLoad Re-set Botton," was on. Apparently, there has been a change to the switch. They volunteered to send me an updated switch, (complete Switch Assembly) at no cost. I would estimate this switch would be around $100.00 if you had to buy one. Note, the original switch still worked perfectly, no problems.

In my opinion you are buying an organization as well as a Saw, I was very impressed with their Service Dept!!!

- bigpapaporsche

I forgot to mention this. I ve noticed that more and more Woodworkers, I see on "YouTube" are switching to SS. I don t know if SS is discounting these saws in exchange for exposure or not. However, worth mentioning is the fact that these videos aren t promoting the SS at all.

- bigpapaporsche
Many times they have the name covered in tape, so I suspect there is no relationship at all.
 
#25 ·
…but the electronics probably have a shorter shelf life than the mechanical parts.

I am sorry, but that is a stupid, STUPID statement. The electronics will outlast any mechanical parts in the saw. You obviously don't have any idea what you are talking about!

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with SawStop, in fact I hate SawStop, but this kind of idiocy cannot be allowed to stand!
 
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