Delta unisaw 52" with Biesemeyer fence

[Scott Brandstetter]

I have the opportunity to purchase this saw for $1200 and it has never been used. I think there have been mixed review on Delta for a while now so wanted to see what your thoughts are. I was leaning toward a Grizzly for $1500 (3HP, 10 inch, 52 inch table). Am I crazy to pass up this saw at this price? One thing that seems odd is when I search for this saw online, every one seem to have both wheels for the blade height and tilt in the front. This saw has height in the front and tilt on the side. Any comments would be appreciated

302963302964302965

[Cary Falk]

My opinion is that you would be crazy to buy at that price. It is still used(no warranty) and if anything is wrong Delta is a shell of a company. It has no riving kinfe. The model you see with both handwheels on the front is the new version with a riving knife.For a few hundred mor get a Grizzly with a warranty and a riving knife. JMHO

[Kent A Bathurst]

You need to check the cat # from the placard.

This is not current-day production - how old, I can't really tell you.

The repositioned bevel wheel is one of a number of redesign/upgrades put in place - I dunno - 4 years ago? Guessing at that. But there were a number of upgrades that added a lot to the saw. The point - this saw ain't the current version, on a number of levels.

There are guys here that would not buy it at any price [the "Only SawStop" group]. I have no argument with that line of thought. But, I'm not on that bandwagon. However - it is missing a number of features that are pretty much de reguier on upper-end saws today.

As far as the value of that saw - - I have a 14+ year old Uni & Beise. Does everything I could ask for. I will never need to buy another TS. I might, but not beause this one fails.

You would have to learn what you are getting, and what you are giving up, to decide what you want to do. And then maybe check to see the price of other saws with comparable features.

Off the top of my head, assuming NIB condition, $1200 doesn't seem out of range to me, but it is near the top end of the range.

[Cary Falk]

Looking at the picture again it looks like it is a right tilt. Not that there is anything wrong with that but it puts it in the older category. Delta went left tilt for some time prior to the new version with the riving knife(also left tilt).

[Tom M King]

I'd buy it if it wasn't right tilt. I already have one right tilt older one.

[Bradley Gray]

I think the choice to buy a used saw over a new one requires patience. I think this over simplifies the choice between used and new. Maybe you could look for more used options. it is is easy to obsess over whatever is in a catalog.

[Scott Austin]

I guess I am in the minority but, If it has never been used & has no problems $ 1200 is a great price. I've seen a lot of used for this same $. Includes a Biesmeyer fence & mobile stand too.

[Larry Edgerton]

I guess I am in the minority but, If it has never been used & has no problems $ 1200 is a great price. I've seen a lot of used for this same $. Includes a Biesmeyer fence & mobile stand too.

What he said.....

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I guess I am in the minority but, If it has never been used & has no problems $ 1200 is a great price. I've seen a lot of used for this same $. Includes a Biesmeyer fence & mobile stand too.


Me too. We all see the Delta hating because the current company is ran by vultures, but it's irrelevant with one of the older good products. There are so many unisaws out there that finding parts is easy, the Bies fence is great, it's a new old stock saw of the right vintage, and the price is reasonable. I'd buy it.

[Don Jarvie]

Even gently used 1200.00 is a great price. This saw is a top of the line cabinet saw. Everything is heavy duty and will last forever. The fence alone is worth 400.00.

I would go check it out. You can always try to find the model year and look at some of the tool reviews from that time to see what the consensus was.

[Kevin Bourque]

I'd buy it for $1200 in a second.

If you really didn't like it you could easily sell it for that much for it and probably more. There are loads of Weekend Warriors who would love to have that saw in their shop.

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

That's less than what I paid for mine new in the nineties. I shopped around a lot then looking at Powermatic, General, Delta & a few imports. Since I bought the Unisaw I haven't had any regrets. It's seen a lot of wood with never any problems and still works like a new saw.

[Jim Andrew]

I bought a new unisaw in 05 for 1000. It is 3hp, long rails, Biesmeyer fence. My local hardware guy told me he was going to the hardware show in KC, and I asked if he could get me a deal on a unisaw. He talked to Delta, and they sold me their cheapest model with the extras I wanted. It does not have the extra cast iron extension on the right, and has a bigger laminate top than the more expensive models. But it is still a unisaw. And it is left tilt.

[Dave Lehnert]

I looked up the owners manual for that saw and it was sold around 12 years ago. I purchased a new JET cabinet saw around then for the same money. I think at the time the unisaw was around the same money then too. So $1,200 is most likley not much of a discount off the original retail but compair it to today price and it is a savings over buying new.
Wonder why it has sat unused for so long?

[Brian Henderson]

Right now, the new Deltas with the new features and the left-tilt are running between $2600-2800. The Grizzly G0691, which is probably the one you're looking at, is $1525, including a $70 discount right now if you act fast. Given that, if I was in the market for a new saw, I'd probably go for the Grizzly, it has features the older Delta doesn't have, plus a warranty, plus parts are going to be much easier to come by. You also have to figure in shipping, so that might be a factor as well.

[Bill Space]

As mentioned by somebody else previously, I think it boils down to whether you value having a riving knife, and whether a left tilt saw is preferable over a right tilt saw.

In my case a riving knife was important to me as a safety feature. I also did not want a right tilt saw, as I had been used to using a left tilt saw for years.

So I ended up going with the grizzly G1023RLWX. I have no regrets whatsoever.

The price for that saw may be fair, but only if you don't see the need for a riving knife or the left tilt.