excalibur vs shop fox TS fence

[Pat Pollin]

not another aftermarket fence question!
well yes, unfortunately.
I'm searching craigslist for a fence upgrade for my new to me Ridgid TS2424.
current secondhand options include shop fox classic standard, new in box at a decent price of $230.
second option which is exclusive to me at the moment is a new-in box Excalibur fence, long rails. seller is dead set on getting $300 for it.
http://toolreviews.woodmagazine.com/power-tool-reviews/saws/tablesaw-accessories/rip-fences/619-excalibur-extt45-78-rip-fence

wood mag shows new price of $340, several years ago. excalibur is out of business, owned now by General but fence is no longer made.

other options are to buy new: the Vega Pro 40 looks great for $262 shipped, or shop fox std for 275 shipped (amazon)

Should I go out of my way to chase down the Excalibur for added cost? Wood mag rates all of the above very highly. excalibur actually was out of parallel with no adjustment to correct it , which is somewhat worrisome. t-slots in the body, aluminum rails etc seems convenient on the Excalibur, but I would have to say I prefer an unbreakable steel rail such as found on the shop fox.
I think my best offer on the excalibur would be about $225. I'm not convinced it is so much better than the vega or shop fox which I can get new with Warranty for 260, 275.

any votes for one, the other, or buy new Vega? what would you offer for the excalibur ?
thanks for your input

[Cary Falk]

At first I thought you were talking about teh Excalibur t-square(biesemeyer clone) fence. It always looked well built and might be worth more than the Shop fox depending on the fence faces. The Excalibur you linked looks like an odd ball and I wouldn't touch it for any amount of money. I have the Shop Fox Classic and am very happy with it. I wouldn't go with the Shop Fox standard fence. The Vega gets goods review also but I have not used it but would choos it over the Shop Fox standard.

[Pat Pollin]

At first I thought you were talking about teh Excalibur t-square(biesemeyer clone) fence. It always looked well built and might be worth more than the Shop fox depending on the fence faces. The Excalibur you linked looks like an odd ball and I wouldn't touch it for any amount of money. I have the Shop Fox Classic and am very happy with it. I wouldn't go with the Shop Fox standard fence. The Vega gets goods review also but I have not used it but would choos it over the Shop Fox standard.

Well that is a good point, Gary- I assumed it was the excalibur shown in the WOOD review because that is the only thing that really comes up when searching for the brand excalibur and table saw fence. I did not know they offered a biese style fence. I have not gotten a direct picture from this seller, but he describes aluminum rails and aluminum body having T Slots so it does seem like the one in the link.

I do intend to find Shop Fox Classic if I go that route- that is available used/new in box for 230 locally, but publicly posted and seller has claimed many calls so I may not even get it if I want it. He returns to town wednesday, so I would plan on offering to meet him upon return with cash in hopes of being the first one there.

I work in a stainless shop and have become accustomed to any tool or fixture made out of aluminum is more or less one time use only. Beyond that aluminum stuff just gets beat up and no longer clean, square, etc.
hence my swaying towards a biese clone like Shop Fox Classic with a steel tube rail.

this Excalibur seller has been adamant about its superiority to Vega and all others. this is the best real life picture I can find of the excalibur
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=277181&d=1387130527
the body does look nice and large where it meets the fence.

Long rails are not so much a requirement right now for me. I'd like to have 36" to the right of the blade even if it means having 0 on the left. 52" would almost be a pain for the space consumption in my shop and I just don't plan on using that capacity often.

[Paul Incognito]

I can't speak for the Excalibur or the Shop Fox, but I had a Vega and it was a real nice fence. Unless I got a smoking deal on something else, that would be my choice.
Paul

[scott spencer]

I've owned and used a Vega and SF Classic a fair bit. Both are very solid choices....I think if I could get the SF for $175 to $200, I'd be tempted. If not, I'd grab the Vega for $261....it has a great microadjuster that the SF doesn't have. Not overly familiar with the Excaliber....the other two are still in production.

[Cary Falk]

The fence I was thinking of is the HTC, not the Excalibur.
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00006ANRV.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
Go with the Shop fox Classic or the Vega.

[Garth Almgren]

I picked up an Excalibur TT45 with long rails for $85, and I think it was a steal. Whoever said you can't adjust for parallel doesn't know what they're talking about - they call it a precision fence for a reason, and it's really easy to adjust for parallel. I was able to get mine within a thou from front to back, and it'll lock in to that every time. I uploaded a copy of the manual to VintageMachinery.org (http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=6160)if you want to take a look. General does still have a few spare parts (I had to order a new pointer) and were reasonably helpful when I contacted them via email considering they no longer make this fence.

Given the choice and if they were the same price, I'd say get the Excalibur because it is a high quality fence, probably better than a biese-clone, but I don't think it's worth the $300 considering they're no longer made and it wouldn't have a warranty.

[Pat Pollin]

well I passed on the excalibur thanks for the advice. missed out on the Shop Fox but am going to check out a biesemeyer this week. limited information tells me is it well used, price is $150. I will probably pay it as long as everything is working and not requiring repair on my part.
on a better note, I got a used Bench Dog CI router extension wing last night for $150, and he threw in the Porter Cable 3 1/4 HP plunge router that was mounted in it! I couldn't believe my ears.
Love moving sales-- I had $50 to spend on blades- he handed me a mint Freud Super Dado 8" set, unopened Freud heavy duty crosscut, and used freud rip blade. milwaukee 1/2" corded power drill for $10. free box of General dye stains and 2 very nice condition prewar Disston crosscut saws. I definitely owe some juju back to the gods of craigslist deals. or perhaps this is in return for some nice stuff I let go locally last month.