# sawstop pcs175 2 year review



## Tedstor (Mar 12, 2011)

Thanks for the post-honeymoon review. I think some people are too quick to review products that they've only used 1-2 times. You've clearly spent a lot of quality time with this machine. And I agree, the number of maintenance issues are not odd considering the amount of use the machine sees. 36 hours per week for 2 years….....a car would have gone through a set of brakes and a few tires by now too.


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

Thanks for the review. It's reviews like this that are valuable for potential customers.


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## ajw1978 (Jul 5, 2014)

I saw this on television the other day. I'm not going to lie; I want one if only to try and chop a hot dog.


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## Ken90712 (Sep 2, 2009)

Nice info, I'm in the market for a new saw right after the holidays I'll be taking the plunge. I have it narrowed to a SawStop or the big Delta. I'm thinking the SS Laguna was one but there CS is So bad
Thx for the help


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## Uncle_Salty (Dec 26, 2009)

The school I teach at purchased this same saw (with 220v power) 4 years ago. We bought the SawStop fence with the 52" table and left tilt.

My only regret is that we didn't purchase it sooner.

I have had two student "trip" the cartridge and neither were "flesh to blade" contact. Both were set off while using an aluminum tapering jig and not following the simple safety rule of shutting the machine off and waiting for the blade to come to a complete stop before returning the jig to the operator side of the machine.

The fence, while not an Incra, is at the very least, Biesmeyer quality. I can make this comparison because I still have a Delta Unisaw with a Biermeyer fence.

I can't agree more about the quality of the customer service. It has been great. I, too, had been getting bad codes after about two years of service. They sent out "reprogrammed" cartridges and a new control box in the span of a few days.

It has been a solid purchase.


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## ssnvet (Jan 10, 2012)

Great to hear you haven't had any false trips in two years. That is my biggest concern.

Kind of dicey to hear that you've had two electrical problems… that's the first I've read about that type of problem with SS.

I agree… to many reviews out there by folks who haven't really used the tools much.

Thanks for posting this … please give us an update again in a few more.


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## dczward (May 23, 2011)

Did the Incra face mount on the SS easily? I'm in the same boat: I have a Craftsman "zip code" saw with an Incra fence, and will be upgrading to a 1.75 PCS SS next year, and was hoping to put my Incra on it. Thanks for the review.


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

Just a thought: SS has to be certain their technology is 100% fail safe. Even 20 years or more down the road, should the system fail to function and someone loses a finger, SS would be open to legal action. I wonder if Gass is willing to accept long term responsibility. That being the case, he will have to provide free service in regard to the electronics.


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## bobasaurus (Sep 6, 2009)

Sounds like you've given that saw quite the workout and it still performs well. Really tempting to buy one. I'll have to save up and get one someday.


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## NormG (Mar 5, 2010)

Sounds like they were all a great purchase and have met your needs, congrats and thanks for the review


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## michelletwo (Feb 22, 2010)

thanks for a review after so many hours of service. A rare treat. I have been drooling over a SS, and this review helps.


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## HarveyM (Nov 11, 2012)

Nice review- One thing I noticed is you're cutting mainly hardwoods with the 1.75hp. Most of what I've read suggest going for the 3hp/220v for thicker hardwood. Have you noticed any downside using your setup?


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## vegeta (Mar 10, 2009)

douglas yes the incra fit fine I did go with the 93 inch rails on this so I could put the router table on the right side and then add a fence to the right side of the positioner I posted a pic of this here
http://widgets.lumberjocks.com/project/83267.jpg[/img][/url[/URL]]
I have changed it up a bit since then 
Harvey I have had no issues with cutting hard wood now I do use thin kerf blades most of the time. it has bogged a little cutting 12/4 hard maple but that's to be expected.
as fare as the elect. issues I believe it has always been a start capacitor issue. got the new capacitor yesterday 
haven't put it in yet still working no a large 100 box order 
PS: I am still beating on my ricon bandsaw I did a review on back in 2012 and it still runs like new


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

I bought my PCS175 almost three years ago … no regrets, no problems.


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## HarveyM (Nov 11, 2012)

Thanks Eddy- very impressive! (both the saw & your feedback)


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## richbutcher (Dec 11, 2014)

I've had mines for about a year, 3 hp professional saw. Works great, the only issue I had was ripping some cedar that was alittle moist, it tripped the brake ,just like they said under 5 MILA sec. . The custermer service is top rate. I really think this runs smoother than my old unisaw, which has a 5 hp motor.the fence is ,in my opinion just like a beismeyer.im very satisfied with mine.


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## rvicelli (Jan 12, 2011)

Had my PCS 175 for a few years - No Issues - Really happy with it.


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

Thnx for your review eddie. I'm glad their service dept. resolved your issues without problems. That means a lot.


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## Woodmaster1 (Apr 26, 2011)

I have thre sawstop 1.75 pcs for the school I teach at. If you get one buy the better blade guard for it . The one that comes with the pcs 1.75 is not that great. I do not like the fact you can't raise it.


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## longgone (May 5, 2009)

I have owned my SawStop cabinet saw since May 2013 and I constantly give it a good workout. It has worked flawlessly and is always precise and accurate.

I always check the alignment and calibrations and it has stayed 100% aligned and accurate.

I also put my Incra fence on it with no problem. It was previously on my Grizzly cabinet saw. What a combination….SawStop and Incra…


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## CPWD (Dec 28, 2014)

I purchased my Industrial Saw Stop in June of 2013 to replace my old Delta Contractor saw. I use it on a regular basis and I love it. I am using the fence that came with it and have been very happy with the accuracy. I attached an Excalibur Sliding table on the left side and it works great. To this point I have not had any issues with the saw. I did trip the brake mechanism but it was my own fault. I was used to a right tilt action on my old Delta and the Saw Stop is a left tilt. Shortly after I got the saw I was making a cut with the blade at a 45 degree angle and the aluminum cross cut fence on the sliding table touched the blade. The blade disappeared so fast it took me a few seconds to figure out what happened. I was disappointed that I tripped the brake but glad to know the system works as advertised. I recommend anyone purchasing a Saw Stop get a spare brake just in case. As stated in other posts Saw Stop has great customer service but you still don't want your saw down for a couple days waiting on a new brake. Also if you are going to use a Dado blade set up you should purchase the separate Dado brake. This uses a wider aluminum block to cover all of the blades.


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## CyberDyneSystems (May 29, 2012)

We are heading into year four on our ICS model here in the Scene Shop.

Ours has thus far been trouble free. We had one "false" trigger, which wasn't the saws fault, it was mine. At least I got to confirm that the break works!
As it is a very busy shop with no room for down time, I always have an extra brake cartridge on hand (along with the Dado brake cartridge as well)

It's been a solid workhorse for sure. We use it daily for many hours a day. It's got more hours on it in the last 4 years than all other stationary tools combined. We use it primarily for long rip cuts in pine, 16' lengths dozens of rips at a time. But we also use it for a lot of intricate finesse work like tenoning, circle cutting, cove moldings, raised panels, etc.

I like the 52" Beisemeyer style fence. It is indeed comparable to the Beisemeyer I have on my Unisaw at home.


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## RyanIra (Jan 9, 2012)

I've had my 3HP SawStop for a couple of years with the Jessem sliding table. Fantastic saw. Not a single issue.


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## RMikeB (Dec 26, 2016)

Hi Eddy,

I just bought a Sawstop PCS and sure enough the table top is out .0220 rt front corner to rear left corner. Also can't get the rt extension to lay flat to the table as the extensions crowned.

Looks like I will need a replacement saw or table and wings.

My question for you is how difficult was it to replace the table? Any thoughts would be great. Thanks,

Mike


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## RMikeB (Dec 26, 2016)

Hi Eddy,

I just bought a Sawstop PCS and sure enough the table top is out .0220 rt front corner to rear left corner. Also can't get the rt extension to lay flat to the table as the extension is crowned.

Looks like I will need a replacement saw or table and wings.

My question for you is how difficult was it to replace the table? Any thoughts would be great. Thanks,

Mike


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## vegeta (Mar 10, 2009)

mike I found when I took off the top on my saw that there was a .025 shim under the table where it bolts to the cabinet on the side that was high. ck for that as you may have the same issue on yours. one of my extionsions was low at the end so I added a .002 shim at the bottom to bring it up. the guys as sawstop are really cool to deal with and will help or send out parts fast hope that helps


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