Which portable table saw should I get for about $500?

Jack,
If you do keep the saw, then don't forget to send the registration card in for your lifetime service agreement (LSA). Be sure and save the UPC barcode from the box and include it with the registration.
There is no "do-over" on registering the LSA, you have 90 days from date of purchase to get it in.

Thanks to everyone for the great advice the past few weeks. When I started this thread, I was leaning toward the Ridged because it cost less and the lifetime service warranty. You guys almost had me talked into getting a contractors saw, but I just have too little space in my garage and I would rather spend a little more time setting up each cut (at least for now) than give up the garage space. Several of you made good points about Bosch and I think those points, combined with being able to get the Bosch 4100 without the stand, is what finally decided me.

I bought a reconditioned Bosch 4100 (without stand) from CPO Tools. I did not get the stand because I eventually plan to get the Rousseau stand and outfeed table. The saw should arrive today and the kitchen cabinet project is calling to me. I'll let you guys know how it turns out.

Thanks again --
Perry

I had a Bosch 4000 and really liked it. Upgraded to a contractor type saw and sold the Bosch for what I paid for it. Highly recommend the saw.

Well, here's my update:

I checked the blade for parallelism and it was off by .003, so I adjusted it to within .001. The rip fence needed no adjustment. When I raised and lowered the blade, it was very stiff and would almost bind up (in case you're wondering...yes, I had the lock-down screw loosened).

I replaced the Ridgid blade with a Freud 60T carbide cabinet maker's blade and lowered it until it bottomed out. A little later, I decided to rip some trim for a job I'm doing. The blade height adjusting wheel would not turn and I was afraid to apply too much force since the gears are plastic. After some tapping and 'jiggling', I was finally able to raise the blade, but the wheel turned very roughly.

I turned on the saw and the motor sounded like a threshing machine, but I went ahead and made the rip cuts. Afterwards, I boxed up the saw and returned it to Home Depot. I went to Lowes to get the Bosch, but its rip fence cannot compare to the Ridgid and it also has plastic gears in the blade height adjusting mechanism, which didn't seem all that smooth. After looking at all aspects of the Bosch, I was again convinced the Ridgid would be the better saw for me.

I returned to Home Depot and checked the saw on display--the blade height adjusting mechanism worked very smoothly. Unfortunately, they have no more TS2410LS saws in stock, nor do any other HD stores within 50 miles of me. The clerk said they have more on order and should get them in a week, so I'll wait and give the Ridgid one more try.

One last thing. As someone else mentioned, the inside of the sawdust exit fitting has ribs around it and they cause the sawdust to hang up. I can see where the opening could become clogged after a small number of rip cuts. This is not a big deal, but would cause a little extra effort in clearing the opening.

Another Update:

I bought my second Ridgid TS2410LS, but also returned it. When I checked for parallelism between the miter slot and the blade, it was .010. By the way, I checked with both the original blade and then with a Master Plate--the dimension was the same. But this is not why I returned the saw.

When I attempted to loosen the adjusting screws, the head stripped out on one of them. The adjusting screws on the Ridgid are 3/16" allen heads and are extremely tight.

As I said, I returned the saw. I'm not sure I want to take a chance on another Ridgid, so I'm back to looking at the Bosch. My comments here are by no means meant to slam this Ridgid saw--it has great features and has a rip fence that is, in my opinion, much better than the Bosch.

If I feel lucky one day in the next week or so, I may take one last shot at buying another Ridgid. For some reason, the HD stores in my area only stock one TS2410LS at a time, so I'll wait for a fresh delivery and make a decision then.

Hands down the Bosch....I've owned the Ridgid [grey one]....the Bosch beats the pants off it.

I haven't powered it up yet, but I am impressed with it so far! The stand was a bit confusing at first but now takes only a few seconds to put up, in my mind just as fast as the Makita jobsite style collapsing stand. The saw was right on alined from the factory other than the plastic pointer on the fence. I will post more thought of this saw after I use it a little. I will be using Freud Diablo blades instead of the factory included 28 tooth.

I have only used the Bosch in a portable and highly recommend it.

My bosch saw with gravity rise stand fit into my compact mazda3 sedan. talk about portability. :)

The limitations this saw has is cross cutting large sheets. You are much better off using a circular saw or track saw.

Though the pros are: I can rip 8 foot boards no problem, the saw has ample power, and it never needs adjustment since the first day I set it up. Takes 30 seconds to add and remove the riving blade/blade gaurd.

Plus my delta tenoning jig slides perfect on the textured table top. Dust collection with a HF 2hp will remove about 90% of the dust. I confidentally use the measure tape since i calibrated it and any time I do double check the measurement of the cut, it's been spot on.

The saw has air filled tires which means it's not going to be firmly planted on the ground. This hasn't been an issue with me using it though.

I have used a unisaw and a contractors cabinet saw and those are much nicer, but you can still produce great work with the bosch. I've used mine over a year and no complaints. I eventually want a used unisaw or better of course. :)