New KREG Track Saw

[William Chain]

That would fall under the #sponsored #sellout umbrella. Free saw, contractually obligated video. I repeat, I haven't seen a review or a video online or on social media that isn't from some #sponsored #sellout so I haven't seen a real unbiased opinion from someone that shelled out their own money for it yet.

There's a youtuber, Chris Salomone, who goes by the name Foureyes, who just built a project using only the Kreg saw and table. He freely admits Kreg sent him the saw. That aside, you can view the video and see the saw in action. It's here: https://youtu.be/4C1Namjo0dM

[John LoDico]

He addressed that issue in an extended Instagram post. I don't know the guy; I'm just pointing out it's one of the few places I saw the Kreg in action. You haven't seen much online because the saw has only been available since March 1. I'm not sure people they sent it to and who are using it are "selling out." Selling out from what exactly?

[William Chain]

Kreg placed their new saw with a bunch of the IG and YouTube crowd in advance and had them all dancing in a line like rockettes. None of them paid their hard earned money for the saw. It’s their thing to get free stuff and advertise for whatever tool maker. That particular guy also posts glowing praises for every new WP OneTimeTool he gets for free. Can’t trust a sponsored opinion.

He addressed that issue in an extended Instagram post. I don't know the guy; I'm just pointing out it's one of the few places I saw the Kreg in action. You haven't seen much online because the saw has only been available since March 1. I'm not sure people they sent it to and who are using it are "selling out." Selling out from what exactly?

[John LoDico]

William, I just read your previous posts on this sponsorship issue, so I understand your point better. It doesn't aggrieve me as much. I thought he was upfront with the sponsorship; what distressed me more was the thing he made. Lots of exposed plywood ends, pocket hole patches, etc. Meh. (And, yes, I'm not going to pay $150 for a carpenter's square.) Cheers.

[kent borcherding]

Almost always when I was thinking about purchasing a new tool , I would talk to places that sold a lot of woodworking tools , or authorized name brand tool repair centers . Usually they can tell you the tools customers are happy with , and tools customers are not happy with. Repair centers will tell you tools that are sent in for repair , and which tools have problems.

The larger dealers have tool buyers who try or attend tool shows to look tools over they are considering stocking . Last saturday I spoke to the tool dept. buyer for a large chain of tool stores. He was very impressed with the new Kreg track saw and table , and ordered 2,000 of them to stock in the stores.

[Adam Grund]

That principle contradicts my observation. I just had a house built by a premium builder with a good group of subcontractors. What I saw was that their equipment, be it miter saw, compressor, table saw, nailer or whatever, was cheaper and lower quality than the stuff I own. Those guys are going to buy the cheapest tool that will do the job because every dollar they spend on equipment comes out of their paycheck. They don't really think in terms of efficiency.

Some, maybe. My tools cost more than my annual income, and I’m just an employee. If I owned my own shop my costs would no doubt double, possibly triple. I don’t have time to replace tools 2-3 times over just to save a fraction of the cost of inferior products.
Weekend warriors that occasionally work on cars might have tools in nicer condition, but the quality of my tools will far surpass 99% of them.

[Jim Dwight]

Coming in late on a thread from earlier this year. I just noticed the Kreg track saw and am interested in opinions about it. But I am not finding much from users. I saw a couple things in this thread I want to comment on.

First, Kreg is not Festool but they are not Ryobi either. I like my Ryobi stuff, some of their tools are very useful but some are not so much. I have never purchased a Kreg tool that I thought was not usable. They use a lot of plastic but they use it appropriately and the tools work. I cannot see anybody arriving at a different conclusion after using them. I have several shelf pin drilling jigs but the one I use is my Kreg. It is a very simple jig made almost totally of plastic. But it works. Designed and made well. So based upon the brand, I would think the Kreg is worth a look if you are in the market. Assuming you want tools that work and are not into paying more to get something more impressive. It also has impressive features, the riving knife and anti kick back devices the Makita lacks, for instance. What I still don't know is how smooth the cut is with a good blade. My DeWalt custs as smooth as my table saw. I believe the Makita and Festool do too. Grizzly hasn't had good reviews on this but I don't remember a review with a good blade. Triton has at least one bad review where they said it would cut in the same spot between the scoring cut and final through cut. What camp is Kreg in?

With respect to reviews from people who got the tool free, I agree it's a factor but you do not know how much of one unless you know the person. I am fortunate to participate in Home Depot Seeds program. I get things, some of them tools, for free. In exchange I have to write a review within 60 days. There is no penalty for a bad review, but they want reviews others find helpful. I only get stuff I want and can use and I only write reviews as accurate as possible. It probably makes me feel more positive to have received it for free but if it doesn't work right or has issues, I am going to mention them. Home Depot marks my reviews. I think it's totally valid for others to want to know but I don't think it's right to assume I sold out and will give a good review regardless of what I think.

The situation where somebody has a company, like Triton, who sponsors the reviewer may be a little different depending on how much support they are providing. But it's still the same thing. Some people may not be fair in their review due to the money but others will be. As long as they tell you so you can consider that as a factor, I see no issue.

What I would still like to see is a review of the Kreg by somebody with experience with other track saws, or at least gives feedback on cut quality and accuracy. Same thing on the table. Those hinges for the track look great but do they set it down in exactly the same place each time? I don't think the criticism for alignment in a post is right because the hinges slide in the aluminum track on the sides of the table. So you can easily align the track to cut square. But does it cut precisely? The hinges to set the track down on the wood is better than the MFT has. If it does not introduce inaccuracy.

The accessories are not all plastic either. The 3/4 round stops for the track are aluminum. They should be 20mm, however, IMHO.

If I was still in the market, I would look hard at the Kreg. I might try and buy the hinges to use with my existing workbench. It could be handy for large cross cuts.