Opinions appreciated

[Ronnie Hubbell]

Hi, Been a AAW member for some time but new to the forum. I am planning on a new tablesaw very soon and kind of like the Delta X5 unisaw or the Powermatic PM2000. Any input appreciated. Not doing heavy commercial work but serious home shop projects.
Thanks, Ronnie

[Jim Becker]

Of the two, I'd pick the PM2K...riving knife, built-in mobility, heavy.

Oh, and welcome to the 'Creek!

[gary Zimmel]

Ronnie

Welcome aboard! You will find a ton of information here.

I don't know much about the PM2000but I have had an left tilt X5 for a few years and have been very happy with it. The saw has done everything I have asked of it with no breakdowns. For what I do it's a great machine. Good luck in your hunt, it's 1/2 the fun....

[Larry Fox]

I have the Delta X5 Unisaw and love it. However, the riving knife on the PM would be tough to pass up if I were in the market again. Also look at SawStop.

[Don Bullock]

Ronnie, welcome to Sawmill Creek. This is a fantastic site for advice like you're looking for. There are a lot of highly experienced woodworkers who freely provide their expertise. As for me, I'm hardly one to answer your question although I'll echo Larry's comment about checking out SawStop. I really like mine.

[Bruce Page]

Ronnie, welcome to SMC.
You can’t go wrong with either of those saws. I have a Unisaw that I bought new in ’99 that I have been VERY happy with. But, if I were looking to buy a cabinet saw today, I would give the SawStop a very hard look.

[Ronnie Hubbell]

Thanks for the warm welcomes and the opinions. I was sort of hoping for a little shove towards the PM2K both for the Riving knife and mobility features, but also I really like the workbench table extension offered with it.
One can't ignore the obvious attraction of the SAWSTOP. I saw my first unit on display recently and it is very impressive looking. Nobody in the WC store could answer any questions about it or even give me a price on it. Just a few wild guesses of about 4K. It left me wondering about lots of possible operation issues that concerned me about the new technology. What if the wood you were cutting still had a slight moisture content? Would it go into lockup and shut down your project? Just lots of what ifs that the dealer wouldn't / couldn't address.
Thanks again, Ronnie

[Bruce Page]

Ronnie, there are a lot of SS owners here that can answer your questions. You have but to ask.

[Roger Bull]

Hi Ronnie,

I too am new posting here but I will take every opportunity to talk about the SawStop. I did a ton of research and am convinced that it is one of the best cabinet saws on the market.

One thing I noticed was that there is a lot of misinformation and opinions out there on the internet about things like failures, false triggers etc. Call SawStop and ask directly - they are very helpful.

I purchased a 5hp SawStop with the new mobile base (very nice) and it continues to impress me.

-Roger