SawStop owners -Extra cartridge?

[Brian Penning]

Curious as to whether how many keep an extra brake cartridge on hand.
Got the impression from the sales guy that most buyers do have one. I got a bit of a price break on an extra one so I bought it.

[Don Bullock]

No, I didn't buy one. My dealer, Eagle Tools, will FedEx me one if I need it. I figured if I did something to trigger the brake that it would be good to wait a day or two before I used the saw again.:eek:

[Walt Caza]

Hi Brian,
Congratulations on your black beauty! (nice stealth gloat perhaps!?!)
I do keep a second regular brake cartridge on hand, but just a single dado cartridge.
I see it a bit different than Don. Yes, a brake firing may be a safety save
that suggests taking a machine break,
but there is also the chance of a misfire... which would cause downtime.
I feel I never get enough woodshop time as it is,
and would prefer not to wait on cartridge shipping for any reason.

Not much is made of it, and noone wants to reignite that tired SS debate,
but falsing is both a possibility and an uncommon reality.
(DAMHIKT)

It is not well known, but each brake cartridge stores data which reveals
a few details of conditions during the firing. If I recall correctly, SawStop
was swapping any returned carts with a freshy, so they can analyse
and moniter real world data. Perhaps that only applies to falsing?
If this remains true, you only really pay for the original cart,
and in the unlikely event of a firing, can get it replaced without additional cost.

I probably should keep a second dado cart handy, but I keep thinking
that I do not keep a second dado stack in reserve anyway...
while I do maintain an assortment of regular blades.
I find it to be a dream saw, even overlooking the safety mechanism.
How can it hurt to be prepared with a back-up cartridge?
be well,
Walt
:)

[Bob Michaels]

Yes, I do keep an extra of each cartridge on hand. I usually invest in expendable spare parts whenever I purchase new tools. As far as Sawstop replacing the cartridges free of charge, I believe that may be only in the event of a real world "save", not just a misfire. I may be wrong. In any event, it's a great saw. To me the safety aspects were very compelling, eventhough I really liked my PM 66 at the time. If I had the room for a slider, it may have been a tough decision.

[Ben Grunow]

Yes, extra on the shelf.

[Jerry Booher]

I purchased a dado cartridge, but no extra one. If it fires, it will scare me for the day that it takes to replace it.

Jerry

[Kevin Groenke]

We have dozens of student user everyday and need to be able to get back in action in the event of a stopped blade so we always have at least one spare 10" and dado cartridge for each of the saws. I buy the 10" cartridges 2-4 at a time when we get down to one.

If I were in a 1-4 person operation I would still have a spare. It takes a split second to accidentally run an aluminum jig or whatever and if I was in the middle of something I wouldn't want to have to shut down until a got a new cartridge.

It is my understanding that SS will replace cartridges in the event of human contact ( a "save" as they call it) or in the event of a false positive which is determined through analysis and user communication NOT to have been caused by user error (such as cutting into a nail). As the cartridges have gotten "smarter" and faster and the dataset has grown, SS has reduced the frequency of such false positives.

kg

[Charlie Plesums]

I watched a spare cartridge being dropped, and the drop (from table height) triggered the cartridge (as we watched $60 fly out the window). I might bias my "spare cartridge" decision by how secure the storage areas of my shop were - the risk of an accidental "drop".

[Bob Michaels]

Thanks Charlie, that's good to know.

[M. A. Espinoza]

I ordered an extra standard cartridge but not an extra dado.

Same reason as another mentioned, don't keep an extra dado set so I would be at a standstill anyway. Also kind of playing the odds as I have a dado on the saw much less often.

[Chuck Burns]

I keep an extra standard but not an extra dado.

[Gary Warren]

I live in Houston where the humidity can be very tough. I will be building a shop on my new property located on Toledo Bend reservoir which also will have humidity and moisture issues. Should I be concerned about using a sawstop n this environment????

[Paul Meiners]

I work with computers networks in New York, moist and within a mile of salt water, a couple of clients literally on the water... never had an issue due to moisture/salt corrosion. Same should hold for the Sawstop cartridge, which is more protected due to the plastic case.
I would be more concerned with the capacitors being the weakest point of the catridge... should they leak or ever develop a bulge (top or side), the cartridge's protection is compromised..that said it, it extremely rare for capacitors to die or go significantly out of spec in less than 10 years unless they are sub-grade to begin with. I would recommend visually inspecting the cartridge connector pieces once a year. Believe Sawstop recommends cartridge replacement after 5 years.

[Charlie Plesums]

I would worry more about moisture in the wood and environment causing a false trigger than I would worry about the circuit being harmed by humidity.

[Mike Heidrick]

I keep an extra cartridge and only have one dado cartridge.

[Roger Bull]

I also keep one extra 10" cartridge but no extra for the dado.

-Roger