quality control/customer service question for SawStop owners

[Russ Ambrose]

would appreciate some input from SawStop folks. here's the backstory. i recently purchased a new Delta Unisaw and while it appears to be a well-designed saw, i have been plagued with customer service issues that roughly a month later have yet to be resolved. i won't go into details, but suffice to say that thus far Delta's customer service has been abysmal. i figure when i purchase a $3,000 piece of equipment, i'm not only buying a discrete piece of equipment, but am also "buying" the company that sells (and hopefully services) that equipment. the Unisaw appears to be a heck of a machine, but at this point i have lost ALL faith in Delta's customer service and i'm not sure i want a saw from a company that i can't trust to be there if something (else) goes wrong.

i talk to the Woodcraft guy who tells me that i can return the Unisaw for a refund and get something else. i'm considering returning the Unisaw for the SawStop 3hp professional (not industrial) cabinet saw. it's roughly the same price as the Delta. appears that the SawStop is a little "less robust" in certain respects than the Delta, but like i told the Woodcraft guy that is more of an indication of how good the Delta is supposed to be as opposed to a knock on the SawStop. i can accept a machine that is, shall we say, perhaps a little less robust if it (1) is mfg with quality components with great fit/finish and (2) is sold by a company that understands what customer service is.

so, here (finally) is my question. how is SawStop's customer service? is the SawStop a quality piece of equipment? how's the fit and finish? is the top dead flat? is the fence solid and square? etc. the blade brake stuff is fine and all, but quite frankly it plays ZERO part in my decision. stated differently, i don't want a second class machine with a blade brake. i want a first class machine and if it happens to come with a blade brake, fine, but i am NOT going to buy a table saw based on a blade break.

thanks for any input y'all can offer.

[Michael Peet]

how is SawStop's customer service?

My two experiences have been great. The issues were resolved very quickly.


is the SawStop a quality piece of equipment?

It is my first tablesaw so I have little basis for comparison. It seems good, and if you read the SS threads around here you will see it is generally a well-regarded machine.


how's the fit and finish? is the top dead flat? is the fence solid and square?

I replaced my fence with an Incra so I can't comment on that. The top is as flat as I had hoped for, which is to say very good. The fit and finish was pretty flawless.

I would definitely buy it again.

Mike

[Victor Robinson]

Customer service is extremely good. I have had to call them once when I had an issue with my PCS and they overnighted the part (along with detailed instructions) and I was up and running approx. 28 hours after I had called them. Should you call them, you'll be talking to very smart, friendly people who stand behind and know their product inside and out.

Even though I don't have the Industrial model, I am quite pleased with the fit and finish of my saw. The fence locks down solid and glides smoothly, but its faces are 1/2" plywood with a laminate on top and it isn't dead flat (mine dipped in about 0.01"). Others have reported the same issue, but it can be corrected with shims. I have replaced mine with an Incra system anyways. Overall, it doesn't feel like a second class machine in any respect. I haven't used a new Uni though so can't compare.

[Larry Frank]

I called SawStop with a question and got very good service. My questions were answered and the person did not try to hurry me off the phone but made certain that I was comfortable with the answer. They are as good as any company that I have dealt with.

[fRED mCnEILL]

If you want customer service try Grizzly.

[Dave Lehnert]

"The blade brake stuff is fine and all, but quite frankly it plays ZERO part in my decision."

If that is the case I would be looking at JET or Grizzly too.
I have never owned one but the Sawstop looks to be a very well built tool. I have a JET and it has served me well for the last 10+ years.

[Doug Colombo]

I looked at both the SS Pro and Industrial and although the price of the Pro is at the same point as the New Unisaw, I think that you need to go with the Industrial to match the Unisaw in table size and robustness. I have the New Unisaw and have only called customer service once to get some information, so it was an easy call to handle. Sorry to hear that you are having a bad exprience with them, as I have 4 more year of warranty left on mine !

[Neil Brooks]

If you want customer service try Grizzly.

Boy.

I truly and literally don't know about that.

They operate on MUCH higher volumes. I suspect you'd find lots of happy Grizzly CS consumers and lots of unhappy Grizzly CS consumers.

As a percentage, though, I would GUESS that SawStop has a better at-bat record for customer satisfaction once a customer has to deal with customer service.

It's only a guess. I've heard ZERO SS CS negative stories, and ... lots with Grizzly.

I own, but have yet to open and set up, a SS 5HP ICS. I've had several Q&A exchanges with their CS department. All inquiries were responded to well, quickly, accurately, and professionally.

While my Grizzly issues WERE eventually resolved, it did come with some degree of headache, in my case -- multiple machines.

So ... that's my $0.02, from personal experience. Going beyond that, though ... is probably tough.

[Roger Feeley]

I have had the SS Industrial for about a year and still love it. All of my interactions with CS have been great. But I have to say that the saw has performed flawlessly. Before I made the purchase, I had quite a few email and phone exchanges with SS CS and they were always courteous and willing to talk to me at length.

I've made a few non-intrusive modifications to my SS:
1. Using a ground fault relay, I wired up an overhead light that goes on when I boot up the saw and off when I shut it down.
2. Using a milling machine and dovetail bit, I milled out a recess in the dado insert for a Wood Dynamics style zero clearance insert.

In both cases, the SS CS guys were very helpful and encouraging once they found out that I made no modifications to the saw.

[Van Huskey]

the blade brake stuff is fine and all, but quite frankly it plays ZERO part in my decision. stated differently, i don't want a second class machine with a blade brake..

Obviously the ICS aligns more with the Uni and PM2000 in size and weight. The PCS is a fine saw but if the blade brake does have zero to do with it you can also add the PM2000 to the list, assuimg you don't want to move up to the ICS, I own a PM2000 and there isn't a current cabinet saw I would trade it for except the SS ICS.

[michael case]

Sawstop customer service is great. I have posted on Sawstop customer service at length before so I will not go into details, but I have never had better service. Delta by the way was sold recently and is in absolute disarray. Rockler folks tell me they can't even get parts etc. Van huskey has a point - the Professional SS is a nice well built machine, but not as beefy as the Uni or the PM 2000, the Industrial SS certainly is though. As far as customer service is concerned I have found Powermatic customer service to be ok when you finally get through to them (think an hour on hold). In the interest of fellow Creekers could you at some point share the problems you have encountered and the response from Delta? A lot of folks consider the Unisaw as an option and it would help them in making a very expensive decision.

[David Kumm]

If you want a very good saw you can choose among the new. If you want a first class saw for $3K you have to go used. Not trying to start an argument but once you take the brake out of the equation you can get a PM 72 or a Delta 12-14 for less or a Northfield, Oliver or Tanny for the same. There isn't much to break so customer service is less important. Dave- hoping to not start a war.

[Russ Ambrose]

i will definitely share the details of my circumstance once this all plays out. i appreciate the input and at this point, i'm leaning towards taking the Delta back and getting one of the sawstops (probably the 3 hp pro). it's tough though because the Unisaw appears to be such a nice machine, but i think "disarray" is a good word for Delta right now (at least my experience) and i just can't spend this much on something from a company that cannot (at least in my case) get the most basic customer service things correct....after multiple attempts.

[Van Huskey]

but i think "disarray" is a good word for Delta right now (at least my experience) and i just can't spend this much on something from a company that cannot (at least in my case) get the most basic customer service things correct....after multiple attempts.

I do think this would be about the worst time to need CS from Delta in its entire history. The changeover seems to be causing some serious growing pains. I hope they get it worked out.

[mreza Salav]

Sawstop customer service is second to none IMO (and there are excellent ones out there like LeeValley). When you call them there are very knowledgeable and well informed and very friendly. They spend the time to explain the details and know what they are talking about. I had a brake mis-fire that was *mostly* my fault but wrote to them and explained how a small sticker on a new ZCI that would help avoid them. They sent me a new brake and blade at no charge. In other situations they have been top notch again.

I have the ICS version and am quite happy with it. I think would have been very happy with the PCS version although the bigger table of ICS is nicer.

[Rob Sack]

I have used the Unisaw and currently own a SawStop. Customer service aside, the SawStop is definitely a much better saw. As had been reported virtually unanimously, SawStop's customer service is the gold standard. Get that Unisaw back to Woodcraft for the exchange before they change their mind. As far as Delta is concerned, I've got a shop full of their tools, both stationary and portable, purchased long ago. Based on my most recent customer service issues with them, I will not be buying any more Delta tools, period.

[John Piwaron]

i recently purchased a new Delta Unisaw and while it appears to be a well-designed saw, i have been plagued with customer service issues that roughly a month later have yet to be resolved. i won't go into details, but suffice to say that thus far Delta's customer service has been abysmal. i figure when i purchase a $3,000 piece of equipment, i'm not only buying a discrete piece of equipment, but am also "buying" the company that sells (and hopefully services) that equipment. the Unisaw appears to be a heck of a machine, but at this point i have lost ALL faith in Delta's customer service and i'm not sure i want a saw from a company that i can't trust to be there if something (else) goes wrong.



How'd it turn out with your Unisaw? I too just bought one. It was delivered last week. I had to take all the heavy parts off to get the saw's weight to a manageable level to take it into my basement shop. Including the top. Where I found that the boss on top of the rear trunnion that holds a dowel pin was broken. So I called Delta. You're right, their customer service at the factory only referred me to the local service center. For me, that place is very local. Fortunately. But I just bought this machine and I felt Woodcraft should do the leg work. The bottom line is that as I write this the Woodcraft customer service is outstanding. Jeannie at Woodcraft contacted Delta and got them to send me the parts (rear bracket and dowel pin). At this time i've got an order number with a promised delivery date.

So all is not lost. I chose the Unisaw in part for Delta's quality reputation, all of my floor standing machines are Delta including a DJ-20 jointer, and it's made in the US. Time will tell, but Woodcraft seems to be coming through for me.

[John Piwaron]

i will definitely share the details of my circumstance once this all plays out. i appreciate the input and at this point, i'm leaning towards taking the Delta back and getting one of the sawstops (probably the 3 hp pro). it's tough though because the Unisaw appears to be such a nice machine, but i think "disarray" is a good word for Delta right now (at least my experience) and i just can't spend this much on something from a company that cannot (at least in my case) get the most basic customer service things correct....after multiple attempts.

All companies go through some amount of "disarray" at similar points in their corporate life. In this case you ought to let the merchant you bought from be the one that contacts Delta for a satisfactory (to you) resolution. I'm easy to satisfy, all I want is a couple of new parts. Woodcraft informs me that they're on the way. I'll swap them myself. That's good. For me. What you need is probably different. I hope it works out/worked out for you.

With regard to the SS, I did look them over, I think they're a quality built machine. But - I think too many parts. I'm also afraid of the blade stop device. From a false triggering POV. I have 4 accidental cuts in my aluminum miter gauge fence. Each would trigger the SS device. So even though I might like to have that feature, based on that - no. FWIW, I don't think I'm bullet proof. But I am willing to accept risk after having been fully informed of what they are. And how to manage said risk.

[Don Bullock]

SS Customer Service is fantastic!!! It couldn't be better.