SawStop Promotions?

[Steve Mathews]

Looks like I'm finally submitting to the safety advantages of a SawStop and now plan to buy one. How often do their promotions occur?

[Keith Hankins]

If you talking the ICS ....never. If you talking the PCS, every spring they generally do a promotion that gives you either the overarm guard, or the industrial mobile base. Thats about all I'm aware of. Call them they easy to talk to. Or, call your local wood craft they seem to be in the know.

[Dustin Bullard]

You *just* missed it, Sawstops promotions are run like clockwork from 3/1 through 4/30. It's not a discount, its a free PCS mobile base or Overarm Dust Collection boom (which requires that you buy the upgraded blade guard if you get the 1.75hp saw)

If you are looking at the saw the ICS Mobile Base is MUCH nicer than the PCS Mobile Base...

[Ben Rivel]

Once a year and you just missed it. But, really the only thing worth considering via the promotion is the overarm dust collection as the ICS mobile base is MUCH nicer than the PSC mobile base they offer in the promotion.

[Simon MacGowen]

You *just* missed it, Sawstops promotions are run like clockwork from 3/1 through 4/30. It's not a discount, its a free PCS mobile base or Overarm Dust Collection boom (which requires that you buy the upgraded blade guard if you get the 1.75hp saw)

If you are looking at the saw the ICS Mobile Base is MUCH nicer than the PCS Mobile Base...

+1 on the mobile base. Get the ICS mobile base for the PCS if that is the model you are looking for, unless you don't plan to move your saw around a lot.

The freebie is about $250 in value, but if quality and safety are the primary consideration, I would not wait for the next promotion unless it is just a few months' wait.

The overarm dust collection boom and the dust collection blade guard are even more important than the mobile base. Get those two before the mobile base if your budget really is set to certain amount.

Welcome to the world of tablesawing with joy, if dead squareness, dead straightness, and dead precision are what you have been longing for ("dead" for woodworking purposes).

Simon

[Steve Mathews]

Once a year and you just missed it. But, really the only thing worth considering via the promotion is the overarm dust collection as the ICS mobile base is MUCH nicer than the PSC mobile base they offer in the promotion.

I tend to agree. The only incentive then is the $200 overarm dust collection. But are there any advantages to the other more expensive floating dust collection arm? I'm hoping the quality of the saw itself is worth making the change from my Jet 10" cabinet saw, which I like very much. After my wife saw an episode of This Old House where they discussed the virtues of a SawStop she's made the rare request that I purchase another tool.

[Patrick Irish]

I tend to agree. The only incentive then is the $200 overarm dust collection. But are there any advantages to the other more expensive floating dust collection arm? I'm hoping the quality of the saw itself is worth making the change from my Jet 10" cabinet saw, which I like very much. After my wife saw an episode of This Old House where they discussed the virtues of a SawStop she's made the rare request that I purchase another tool.

Do you move your saw around a lot? If not, I'd do a ceiling drop down DIY for the dust collection.

I got a CB/ICS used of craigslist recently and had a sharguard from a unisaw. I ordered the riving knife from sharkguard that has notches for the guard. I'm going to do a ceiling mount duct setup because I don't like having the arm in the way. At least that's the plan.

The ICS mobile base is amazing. It lifts the whole setup including the 52" rails and extension

[Dustin Bullard]

I have a PCS 1.75hp and it is a fantastic saw. I would strongly suggest getting the upgraded T-Glide Fence but otherwise the saw is very well built with superb dust collection. I wasn't specifically impressed with the Overarm dust collection but others have been (and I just re-purposed the boom to use on my sanding station where it is great...).

If I had to come up with a few gripes they would be pretty minor: I don't care for how expensive the zero clearance inserts are (even though they are really nice) and my dado stack (Freud SD508) was too heavy for the SawStop's brake so I had to switch to a lighter weight stack. Finally you can't use specialty blades like the fancy Mitre Fold from Rockler or, as far as I'm aware sanding discs are a no go on the SawStop.

[Nick Decker]

Steve, I'm a fairly new PCS owner, having taken advantage of this year's promotion. I opted for the overarm dust arm.

I'm very happy that I went with the ICS mobile base, every time I move the saw (quite often). It just works beautifully. Too bad SawStop won't let you apply the value of the free standard base toward the ICS base.

I don't know what kind of dust collection system you have, but it will need to be pretty powerful to get the most out of the overarm dust collector. My modified Harbor Freight (2 hp) unit is "just OK" in that regard.

In reading another recent thread here about overhead dust collection for slider saws, it seems that what is really needed is more along the lines of what a shop vac does. The connector hose for the overarm is much smaller (2"?) and the air movement that's provided by the 4" dust collector hose just isn't strong enough. That's what I'm guessing, anyway.

As others have mentioned, the dust collection blade guard is MUCH better than what comes with the saw, even if you're not using it to collect dust.

[Steve Mathews]

I do move my existing cabinet saw around a lot. The mobile base for it was handmade and works fantastic. I still don't understand the difference between the two dust collection arms by SawStop. Why one over the other?

I never thought this would happen with a tool purchase but this is one I'm grudgingly going into the more research given on the SawStop. All I want to do now is just get it over with.

[Frank Pratt]

The 3 HP PCS comes with the dust collection guard anyway. The promo is for the overarm duct assembly, or the PCS mobile base. I didn't want the OA duct because I have a router lift in the table & it would get in the way. I think it's better to drop down from the ceiling anyway because of less airflow loss.

Some sellers (Lee Valley did) will give you credit for the PCS base & you can just pay the difference for the ICS base. It is an expensive base, but well worth it. It really is that good.

[John Sanford]

They've been running the promo twice a year. March/April and either October/November or November/December, I can't remember which, though I lean towards October/November. Having had the PCS mobile base, count me in the crowd that says skip it and go with the ICS, especially if you go with the long (52") fence. The key functional difference between the two bases is the ICS base allows you to spin the saw in place. The PCS base requires you to drive it like a shopping cart or any other vehicle with two fixed wheels. If you have a lot of space and/or don't move it much, the difference may not matter.

[Steve Mathews]

Seems prices for the SawStop are the same no matter where you go.

[Nick Decker]

Seems prices for the SawStop are the same no matter where you go.

Yup, about the only break you can get is buying it online to beat the sales tax, but then you've probably got shipping.

I don't know much about the more expensive overarm dust thing, but I seem to recall someone saying it was larger and less easy to move around.

[Dustin Bullard]

If you look around you will find the saw has a price that includes shipping padded into the price and then says free shipping OR its $250 off with a $250 shipping charge...

However...

When I picked up my saw at my local Rockler from stock they had on hand (PCS 1.75 w/ 36" T-Glide Fence) there was no shipping charge tacked on... I ended up paying $2660 ($2469 + tax) The same saw, everywhere online is $2719 with "Free Shipping" and most places will get you for taxes on top of the built in shipping...

In my book I saved $270 by picking the saw up myself...

*edit*

One more note if you are going to pick it up at Rockler, they basically have the components to build a saw however you want, eg 1.75 or 3.0hp cabinet + wings standard, 36" or 52" T-Glide Fence, ICS Base if you want it, etc... They basically piece it together and charge you exactly what SawStop lists on their website...