Brian, it's nice you got the dado insert...it seems they started including those after I bought my machine. To get the OEM piece now would cost me $350 plus shipping. (so I'll be making my own since I've decided to go back to using a dado blade for some opertations)
James, on the blade question, I think it comes down to money. I ran the 10" Forrest blades from when I bought the saw in the mid-late 2000s until recently. They had plenty of life in them (still do, actually) and sometimes I take a more frugal approach to things. In December, I decided to buy a 12" 48T since the "price was right" from Silvers Mill and I had the money. I'm very pleased with the blade, including the extra depth that comes in handy for stopped cuts, etc. I plan on buying another soon since I prefer to always have a spare, and will likely sell the 10" versions for "a very attractive price" to some other woodworker with a 10" saw. I'll still have the 20T ripping blade for when it's appropriate, but otherwise, being standard on 12" blades makes sense. Oh, and to use the riving knife for non-through cuts, you do need a 12" blade. I originally had to buy a second riving knife and grind off the top of it to use with the 10" blades since I always needed the ability to do non-through cuts. That trade-off was less money than buying new blades...at the time.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...