Ordered a Bosch REAXX

[Rich Riddle]

At the Kansas City Wood Show this weekend, the Bosch dealer demonstrated the REAXX saw using a German sausage. It detonates what looks like a pellet gun cartridge. The cartridge costs about $50 a piece and the system resets in about ninety seconds. It should arrive shipped to the house around June 1. I wanted a REAXX since some of the folks who help around with carpentry aren't the safest around tools.

[Mike Henderson]

Make sure you let us know how it works for you. Not just the safety device but as a table saw.

Mike

[Rich Riddle]

I don't plan to let you know how the safety devise works if at all possible. The saw is based on the current Bosch saw with a few improvements. It has a devise for out-feed and that will be appreciated. Updates after arrival/use.
Make sure you let us know how it works for you. Not just the safety device but as a table saw.

Mike

[Ben Rivel]

Nice! Looks like the best option out there these days for a jobsite saw! At half the price as the SawStop its gonna be a winner!

[Keith Hankins]

Let us know how it works when you put it through its paces. It will be interesting to see how the suit pans out.

[Matt Day]

Glad to hear that they're in production and SS has some competition. Any idea if they plan to make a cabinet saw?

[Pat Barry]

At the Kansas City Wood Show this weekend, the Bosch dealer demonstrated the REAXX saw using a German sausage. It detonates what looks like a pellet gun cartridge. The cartridge costs about $50 a piece and the system resets in about ninety seconds. It should arrive shipped to the house around June 1. I wanted a REAXX since some of the folks who help around with carpentry aren't the safest around tools.
Hey Rich, that looks like a very nice machine. What did you pay for it and is the cartridge needing to be replaced at $50 each time it fires?

[Rich Riddle]

Pat,

They aren't offering any discounts for the pre-order folks; it was steep at $1500. The cartridges come in a pair, so 2 at a time. They think it will retail for $100 for the double cartridge. I look for someone to replicate the cartridge in the future at less cost. The Bosch representative picked up the shipping to my door. With the dad coming this summer (he's 85), and planning to help, it's worth it to have a safer saw at the farm. Plus his idiot son (me) might also need the safety feature.

[Ben Rivel]

Hey Rich, that looks like a very nice machine. What did you pay for it and is the cartridge needing to be replaced at $50 each time it fires?
Each cartridge gets two fires. I thought I read the saw was going to be released in the US for $599.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Congrats Rich! Please provide a review after you have used it for a while.

I am waiting for them to make a cabinet saw.

[Rich Riddle]

Each cartridge gets two fires. I thought I read the saw was going to be released in the US for $599.
It is based on the Bosch 4100 series which was released for about $599. This one has an out-feed bar and quite a few improvements over the 4100 which I currently own as a job-site saw. Here is an article comparing the three says at protoolreviews dot com

http://www.protoolreviews.com/tools/power/corded/saws/bosch-reaxx-1041a-vs-sawstop-jss-mca/14982/

[Ben Rivel]

It is based on the Bosch 4100 series which was released for about $599. This one has an out-feed bar and quite a few improvements over the 4100 which I currently own as a job-site saw. Here is an article comparing the three says at protoolreviews dot com

http://www.protoolreviews.com/tools/power/corded/saws/bosch-reaxx-1041a-vs-sawstop-jss-mca/14982/
So you got one for $599?

[Rich Riddle]

So you got one for $599?
Not in my wildest dreams. The cost of the 4100 is $599, not the REAXX.

[Mike Goetzke]

So you got one for $599?


Pat,

They aren't offering any discounts for the pre-order folks; it was steep at $1500. The cartridges come in a pair, so 2 at a time. They think it will retail for $100 for the double cartridge. I look for someone to replicate the cartridge in the future at less cost. The Bosch representative picked up the shipping to my door. With the dad coming this summer (he's 85), and planning to help, it's worth it to have a safer saw at the farm. Plus his idiot son (me) might also need the safety feature.

Think he said $1500.

[Ben Rivel]

Not in my wildest dreams. The cost of the 4100 is $599, not the REAXX.


Think he said $1500.
Oops, missed that. Wow so the Reaxx is MORE expensive then the SawStop huh? Interesting move on Bosch's part. Gonna be fun watching how this all plays out.

[Greg R Bradley]

The REAXX was supposed to sell around $799 - but it does look like they added the outfeed as standard, which means it would be $100 more.
The other saws have sky-high list prices also, it is just that these tools usually sell way under list.

$1500 sounds like a high price to be one of the very first to get one but the OP has the similar non-REAXX saw so clearly is making a very informed decision.

When I looked for a jobsite saw I was thoroughly impressed by the Sawstop stand but thought the throatplate was a joke. The weight seems like an advantage for stability once you couple it with that stand that makes it trivial to move and setup such a heavy jobsite saw.

[Rich Riddle]

I use the Bosch 4100 on the farm many times a week. While it's not a cabinet saw, it's a good construction saw. Since others will use it, I prefer the newer Bosch. Others aren't quite as cautious as I am with a saw. I don't recall what price Bosch originally indicated they would sell the REAXX. But dad plans on coming in June, so I bit the bullet. The saw will be there when he helps. I do like the out-feed on this saw. Side-by-side the Bosch looked like a better saw. Guessing that it will activate at some point, the price will even out after one activation. I use expensive blades.

[Jay Nossen]

Hey Rich, that looks like a very nice machine. What did you pay for it and is the cartridge needing to be replaced at $50 each time it fires?

The Bosch system doesn't damage your saw blade, which is a nice touch.

[Larry Frank]

I am hoping that with competition that prices may come down. However, with the price of the REAXX it does not look like that will happen for some time.

[Robert Hayward]

How much of the price of these "safety" saws is to cover legal issues for the times they do not work perfectly ? Any guesses ?

[Greg R Bradley]

How much of the price of these "safety" saws is to cover legal issues for the times they do not work perfectly ? Any guesses ?
I'll give you a clue to the answer. A pair of marker lights for a friends airplane was $680. Similar lights for an auto trailer would be $30. A fan belt was $340 where the same Gates part number for an automobile would be about $10.

First thing we do is kill all the attorneys................

[Dan Hintz]

I'll give you a clue to the answer. A pair of marker lights for a friends airplane was $680. Similar lights for an auto trailer would be $30. A fan belt was $340 where the same Gates part number for an automobile would be about $10.

First thing we do is kill all the attorneys................

To be fair, this is a similar argument seen when discussing the government's $1000 hammer or toilet seats. As someone who has made products that required FAA approval to be used in an aircraft, I can tell you the testing/licensing required is a major reason something that would sell for $30 at the local store has a full magnitude increase in price when placed on a plane. It's not the lawyer's fault (this time), it's the testing involved.

[Erik Loza]

In for feedback. It's on my list. The one I saw at AWFS last year was much more impressive in build quality than it's well-know competitor.

Erik

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Rich, please let us know how you like the saw.

Back in your neck of the woods this week, working in Virginia.............Much nicer weather than at home.........Regards, Rod.

[Rob Damon]

From Bosch website Press release on April 6, 2016:

http://pressroom.boschtools.com/news-releases?item=122521



MSRP= $1499 (available June 1, 2016.

[Jim Dwight]

I'd rather give Bosch ~$1300 than SawStop but I think I'll wait for the price to come down. If the patent situation gets sorted out and SawStop doesn't win, then I think the price will come down. Hopefully all my body parts stay intact while I wait. I would also rather have a 2hp hybrid than a plastic jobsite saw.

[John Schweikert]

International Tool is having 10% off this weekend, Bosch Reaxx included for $1349.

[Kelby Van Patten]

The notion that competition will bring the price down assume that there is a large profit margin on these saws such that the manufacturers can afford to drop the price significantly to make sales. While I don't doubt SawStop and Bosch both have a reasonable profit margin, I suspect it's not as much as some might think, and certainly not enough to allow them to start selling for 50% or 60% of their current prices.

While competition can make a small difference in pricing, big price drops will come if and only if people start buying these tools in sufficiently large quantities that the manufacturers can achieve greater economies of scale. That will enable them to preserve their margins while selling more saws at lower prices.

[Jim Dwight]

Kelby makes a reasonable point. When Ryobi brought out the BT3000 it was about $1000 list. I have an old Fine Homebuilding somewhere that talks about it somewhere near there in price and still gave it a pretty good review. Later, they sold an improved BT3100 for $400. But Ryobi is a major manufacturer doing things the normal way. I would expect Bosch to do the same. I would be pleasantly surprised if SawStop were to do this. I suspect if he can keep others out, the prices will stay high regardless of how many units he sells.

With respect to cost, the SawStop inventor stated that his device would add about $100 to the price of a saw. I'm sure that was a "in quantities" price. But neither Bosch or SawStop is close to that price point. That's about where they would need to be for me to buy one. If I could get a 120V hybrid saw for $100 over Grizzly's price for one I'd probably do it.

[Erik Loza]

...the SawStop inventor stated that his device would add about $100 to the price of a saw....

Maybe that's what he would charge mfrs. for the actual unit, itself, but I can tell you that a from a manufacturing standpoint, the investment required to integrate a setup like that into the platforms that already exist would be much, much more substantial. You'd honestly be better off designing a whole new saw, which is probably what folks will do.

Erik

[Andrew Hughes]

I think as long as the saw holds up well on job sites.They will do well.The crews I worked on could easily destroy a new tool the ones that lasted were bought again and again till they were completely worn out.
Bosch hammer drills were pretty robust for the price.
The crews I worked with didn't have to buy their own tools.I preferred to use my own.

[Erik Loza]

Let me float this out there: Does anyone know how many of these jobsite SS saws are actually being used on jobsites, actually in the trade, rather than just being bought by DIY'ers like us? Not being facetious, it's a serious question. I often wonder about this because to Andrew's point and also based on what I saw when they did our remodel, the crews could care less about taking care of the saw and I can easily see them triggering it all the time, then turning it off. One of my colleagues who is a territory rep for SCM told me that he's lost track of how many times he's called on a shop and thery have the SS but have the brake deactivated. I work with cabinet shops, not jobsite contractors, so always wondered if the jobsite SS was being bought more by hobbyists than actual remodelers. Not that it matters. Just curious.

Erik

[Ben Rivel]

Let me float this out there: Does anyone know how many of these jobsite SS saws are actually being used on jobsites, actually in the trade, rather than just being bought by DIY'ers like us? Not being facetious, it's a serious question. I often wonder about this because to Andrew's point and also based on what I saw when they did our remodel, the crews could care less about taking care of the saw and I can easily see them triggering it all the time, then turning it off. One of my colleagues who is a territory rep for SCM told me that he's lost track of how many times he's called on a shop and thery have the SS but have the brake deactivated. I work with cabinet shops, not jobsite contractors, so always wondered if the jobsite SS was being bought more by hobbyists than actual remodelers. Not that it matters. Just curious.

Erik
Really? Is there even a way to permanently disable the brake? I thought the only thing that could be done was disabling it once per power on cycle and that required a procedure each time it was turned on to do.

[Erik Loza]

No clue, I've never used one. That's what he told me.

Erik

[Jesse Silver]

Yeah, that's not a thing. You can disable the safety mechanism if you hold the key while turning it on, but it takes a few more seconds. AND you have to do it every time. AND the saw won't even turn on without a non-activated cartridge installed. So that's not what's actually happening...
(and it's not just a matter of like shorting a wire or two in the saw, BTW)

[Erik Loza]

That's a hobbyist's perspective, not a shop's perspective. Again, I have never used one them but have been about eleventy-billion cabinet shops and can easily see this scenario happening: "We jammed a blade again. Have to go talk to the boss.". Which NOBODY wants to do. A jobsite user, like you or me, is going to turn our saw on every time we make a cut, whereas the shop turns it on and keeps it on and it stays running for a long time. In the shop, whatever switchology guys have to do to bypass the brake feature, they'll find it. It seems dumb to safety-minded folks like you and me but in the shop, you would not believe the amount of jury-rigging I have seen. Guards missing or disabled, safety switches bypassed, shapers with just the spindle sticking up and no hood, etc. Anything to avoid having to go to the boss and explain why they ruined a blade, had to stop the run, had to work late, etc. This is why I'm really curious to hear how many of those jobsite models actually get sold to jobsites as opposed to hobbyists.

Erik

[Art Mann]

I don't think there are very many framing crews or finish carpenters who would pay that kind of money for a saw when they can buy one that works just as well or better in normal operation for less than half the cost. There are a lot of craftsmen who have worked a whole career with jobsite saws without ever getting hurt and they won't see the safety value. I believe this saw is going to largely be confined to small scale hobby shops - not that that is a bad thing.

[Andrew Hughes]

Not true out here on the west coast.The safety that's put on contractors from insurance company's has gotten out of control.The big contractors Like McCarthy and Letner that I used to work for will supply tools for employees .
I was givin a safety violation warning for opening a box with my pocket knife.On the last big job site i work on.The list goes on they are plain nuts on safety.
I could see the buying saw stops or the Bosch saw.
Hobbyist are too poor too shell out that kinda of Dinero.

[Ray Newman]

"The safety that's put on contractors from insurance company's has gotten out of control."
--Andrew Hughes

Is it really the insurance companies' fault? Or, is it the insurance companies reacting to lawsuits and/or medical care costs?

[Andrew Hughes]

I don't know.My crew safety record was very good.

[Ben Rivel]

Yea either way I keep hearing more and more shops converting to SawStops in the hopes that it might alleviate some of the liability from the company should an accident happen. If a worker/employee bypasses a tried and true safety mechanism and has an accident that might affect someones judgement as to whose fault it is and who is liable. Id imagine many consider extra money spent on even the jobsite SawStop a small upfront investment on a possible future liability claim.