Jet 708315 vs. Craftsman 21829

[Jon Nelson]

I hope you'll forgive yet another table saw question, but I need some help deciding between these two saws. This will be my first table saw. I have both but one has to go back. Here's what I like about each:

Jet:

* It's a smaller contractor's-type saw and is fairly portable (I have the model with legs)
* It has miter slots (although they're non-standard size)
* It has side extensions that give you 55" of table width
* It has a rear outfeed for ripping longer material
* The power switch is on the left side (my preference)
* It has a left-tilting blade
* The fence, while light, is pretty accurate and slides easily
* It's $150 less than the Craftsman and has a five-year warranty

Craftsman:

* It has a sliding miter table (but no slots)
* It collapses on a nice wheeled stand for storage
* It has a riving knife
* It has a nice dust collection chute
* It has a built-in router table
* It's essentially a Ryobi BT3100, which a lot of people like

I work out of my garage, so I full-size contractor's saw isn't an option at this point. I don't expect either saw to be my last; I just want to good, reliable saw that will get me through the small to medium size furniture projects I'm doing now.

Thanks for your input.

[scott spencer]

Hi Jon - That particular Jet is essentially a benchtop saw with legs. In fact, there's a model that's exactly the same without the legs that is sold as a "JET 708315BTC JBTS-10BT-3 15 Amp Benchtop Table Saw".
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As you know, the 21829 is essentially a BT-3100 with some next extras like a router table and stow away mobile base. I'd opt for the 21829 between these two because of the added mass and extra table depth, plus the riving knife, SMT, sturdier fence, and resale value.

That said, have you considered a full size hybrid like the Jet 708100? It differs from a contractor saw by housing the motor in internally, thus saving about 13" off the back, plus the body is enclosed . It doesn't take up significantly more space than the 708315, but makes the it look a bit like a toy in comparison. It offers a full size cast iron table 27" deep vs 18" deep), better fence, an internal belt drive induction motor, much beefier guts, more mass than either saw, is left tilt, has built in wheels, plus accepts many standard accessories and contractor saw parts like wings, fence, miter gauge, etc, so it can "grow" a bit. It sells in the range of $399-$499. It's money well spent IMO....food for thought anyway.
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[Jon Nelson]

Scott,

Thanks for your response, particularly the suggestion to check out the Jet 708100. That looks like a great saw that I won't outgrow anytime soon. I found it on the Sears web site for a little over $500, which seemed pretty good, so I went ahead and ordered it. I'll let you know how I like it.

Thanks again for your input -- I really appreciate it.

Jon