as i indicated in some recent posts, earlier this year i purchased a new Unisaw which i ended up returning and swapping for a SawStop ICS. at the time, i did not share any of the details as to why i returned what some consider the best tablesaw on the market. i'll share the story now (hopefully i'm smart enough to properly post the relevant pix) as well as share my initial impressions of my new, new tablesaw.
I. My Delta Experience
after unpacking my new Unisaw, i realized that a bag of the necessary hardware was missing. no big deal. the woodcraft dealer (from whom i purchased the saw) put me in touch with the Delta rep who tells me that he will get the new hardware delivered to me ASAP. seven days later, the missing hardware is dropped in the mail (not delivered, but shipped out). shouldn't take seven days to drop a bag of nuts and bolts in the mail, but hey, stuff happens. when i get the missing hardware, i finally start to assemble the saw.
it is then that i realize that one of the cast iron extension wings is unacceptably un-flat. i contact the Delta rep who assures me that a new wing will be in the mail ASAP. close to a week goes by, at which point i email the rep to ask if the wing is on its way. no reply. after several more days, i email again to ask "what's up?" fourteen days (two entire weeks) after being assured that the replacement wing would be sent ASAP, Delta eventually ships one out. again, we're not talking two weeks to get it to my doorstep, but instead two weeks to actually getting around to shipping it out. by this point, i'm not very happy and am really starting to question the company which just relieved me of more than $3k. nevertheless, i figured this sort of stuff happens and as long as they fix the problem we're good. however, when i saw the "replacement" extension wing they sent me, i said enough is enough.
the first two pix below show the corner of the extension wing. the third picture is of the top edge of the wing (there is another similar defect a little further down that edge). are you kidding me? what am i supposed to do with THAT? according to Woodcraft, Delta's story is that the wing was damaged in shipment. i'm no metallurgist, but i'm not buying it - sure looks like a manufacturing defect to me. i can't imagine what FedEx would have to do to that thing to inflict that kind of damage. but, to me anyway, the giveaway was that this replacement wing arrived without any cosmoline or other protective oil or coating. you will never convince me that Delta didn't just send me something off the reject pile. moreover, even if i bought the story that FedEx did it, Delta should have shipped it in something better than a hastily constructed (and very poorly fitted) thin cardboard box.
Delta1.jpg Delta3.jpg Delta2.jpg
as i think i posted elsewhere, if you expect me to plop down upwards of $3k on a piece of equipment, i figure i'm not just buying a discrete piece of equipment, but am also (in a sense) purchasing the company behind it. by this point, i had lost all faith in Delta and had no confidence that my warranty was worth the paper on which it was printed. to Delta's credit, they didn't (to my knowledge) raise a fuss when i "asked" to return the Unisaw. a part of me was very sad to return that saw. it is an impressive piece of equipment the design and engineering of which has clearly been well thought out. if Delta had simply provided me the level of customer service i thought i deserved, i'd be here telling you how much i liked my Unisaw. wasn't to be, i suppose. i recognize that my experience with Delta is (hopefully) the exception and not the rule, but it is my only experience with Delta (although i do have my grandfather's old, old Delta bandsaw which i rebuild/restored and absolutely love).
II. My SawStop Experience
one of my concerns about SawStop was i thought that maybe their products were "second tier" machines (not quite as good as the Unisaw or Powermatic and others) with a cool safety feature. i just wasn't interested. well, after my experience with Delta i got interested real quick. after kicking the tires on the ICS at my local Woodcraft and talking with others on this and other forums, i realized that my "concern" was unfounded. so, then i call SawStop to ask some questions. i had some specific questions, but i also wanted to try and get a sense of whether they understood the concept of customer service. simply put, they "get it." the phone is answered by real people, KNOWLEDGABLE people (they know their products inside and out) who listen and answer your questions. i've had occasion to call them a couple times with questions that have come up along the way and if there is a tool mfg with better customer service, i'd love to know who it is.
i doubt i've got anything to say about the ICS that many others haven't already said. the ICS is impressive. cuts through 8/4 ash like a hot knife going through butter. the quality and fit and finish on this thing is very impressive. and it is a very well engineered machine. never thought i'd say it, but, overall, it's a more impressive machine (to me) than the Unisaw. and that's not even considering the blade brake. obviously, if having a blade brake was my primary concern i wouldn't have purchased the Unisaw. i strongly believe that with proper practices and techniques there is NO reason for a person's hand to ever get near the saw blade. but i must admit that as i get older i notice my senses diminishing a bit and i'm sure my reaction time isn't what it used to be. also, i'm not arrogant enough to think that i'm beyond having an accident. i've made more than my share in life, fortunately just not any involving a table saw. so, getting the added insurance of the blade brake just made getting the SawStop an even easier decision.
III. My Woodcraft Experience
a brief word about my local Woodcraft. i live in SW Michigan and purchased both the Unisaw and SawStop through the Grand Rapids Woodcraft. Gary and Marlene Foote own this particular Woodcraft. without their assistance in dealing with Delta, i cannot imagine i would ever have gotten this thing resolved to my satisfaction. the level of customer service that Gary and Marlene (and all their employees) provide is phenomenal. it is why i shop there. if you're anywhere close to GR, you really should stop in and give them your business.
in conclusion, i hope Delta gets whatever is ailing them turned around. i'm sure they make a lot of great equipment and consumers always benefit from more (rather then fewer) quality mfgs in the marketplace. however, i am very impressed with my SawStop and am looking forward to many, many years of use with it. here is a not-so-good pic of my new saw, as well as a photo of my workshop mascot, who also approves of the purchase. thanks for reading (if you managed to make it this far) and thanks also to all of you that offered opinions and insight in response to my questions.
SawStop1.jpg Mascot1.jpg
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Originally Posted by Myk Rian
