Delta Hybrid

[Brian Fomby]

hello everybody, I'm new to the forum...glad to be here. I have some questions about this new Delta Hybrid TS (36-717). I can get it from a local store here for about $750(this price includes the biesemeyer fence). From everything I've read and seen, the Crafstman (22124) seems to be a slightly better TS, but I'm wondering if for this price the Delta would not be sufficient. A big question I have is about the arbor speed. 3000 for the Delta vs. a little over 4000 for the Craftsman. what is the reason for that...should i be concerned? any help would be greatly appreciated. anybody out there have the new Delta?

[john whittaker]

Brian, First welcome to SMC...
I too am about to pull the trigger on a new saw. The Delta Hybrid was very high on my list. The combination of price, size and features seems like a good value. But after looking up reviews on this particular saw, I have eliminated it from consideration. I do not have first hand knowledge of the Delta Hybrid, only what I read plus a lot of touch & feel in the store. But enough negative reviews have put me off.

I have decided to buy a Griz 1023SL saw. It only cost a bit more and is a full fledged 3 HP cabinet saw with heavy trunnions. It works out right for me but your needs my be different.

Many folks of this forum have stated to "Buy the best saw you can afford." "Do not skimp on your saw purchase as it's the main cog in your woodworking wheel" (triangle). "A good saw will last your lifetime so the price difference is null when figured on the life of your saw". This forum is full of good folks & good information and I tend to rely on their advise, especially when a general consensus theme develops....like the comments above.

As far as comparing the Delta hybrid to Craftsman's hybrid...I've looked both over pretty close and I would rate them almost equal. I liked the operation of the handwheels on the Craftsman better. But I liked the fence on the Delta better. The RPM difference is something I had not picked up on so can't comment.

Good luck with your quest.

[Guy Germaine]

I don't know anything about the Delta hybrid, but I happen to own the 22124. I bought it back in March for a little over $700. I am VERY happy with the saw. It has cut everything I've thrown at it without complaint. The commercial Beisemeyer fence is great. The Leitz blade that comes with it gives my WWII a run for it's money! Both the saw, and the fence were dead-nuts on, right out of the box. I have absolutely no complaints with the saw at all. If I had to buy another table saw, this one would be at the top of the list. Just my .02

[Scott Donley]

Hi,and welcome. I was limited to 120 volt so I was limited to what I could get. The cost of getting 240 to my shop would have been as much as a new Powermatic.I looked at the Delta and the Craftsman and went with the 22124. Craftsman has a better built trunnion, cabinet mounted. The Delta is table mounted, like a contractors saw.The commercial Beisemeyer fence is hard to beat on the Craftsman. I bought the Woodworker II but as of yet not installed it as the Letz blade that came with the saw has been great.
Just my 2 bits worth

[scott spencer]

Hi Brian - Is there any chance of giving this saw a whirl in the store? If the saw fits your needs, $750 sounds good to me if it comes with good dealer support. Considering how happy owners of the 22124 are on average, and how similar these two saws are, I'd be surprised if it's not a good saw. OTOH, if you can land a 22124 in the $850 range, and if the $100 price difference doesn't take your breath away, maybe the 22124 is a safer choice. You might be able to justify the price difference just from the Leitz blade.

There's also good wisdom in buying the best saw you can. That said, only you can decide what that limit is....for all we know $750 may already be a big stretch. I'm a fan of the Griz 1023SL for ~ $1k, but it will require 220v, and I know that every time I bought a saw I had already eclipsed my price point several times and an additional $150-$250, plus any needed accessories or electrical work would have tipped the apple cart.

Good luck...hope you'll keep us posted.

[Nate Rogers]

Brian,
I recently went through this very dilema, when I looked over the hybrid saw I was not very impressed. If your limiting factor is budget I would recommend looking for a good used cabinet saw..I ended up buying the full delta cabinet saw and I am very happy with it..just my 2c

Nate

[Jim Callaghan]

If you have been looking and researching, I'm sure you have read all the pro's and con's, I can not say the craftsman is better or not, but I can tell you that on my last project I had to rip 10 foot lengths of 8/4 red oak with my 22124 and it did so without skipping a beat. It performs better than I ever expected.

As far as I'm concerned, its the best tool purchase I have ever made for the money.
Good luck with your purchase
Jim
(Now its time for the craftsman bashers to speak up)

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Jim,

2 years ago I retired an old Craftsman t/s I'd had for over 20 years. It was a cheaper model with the direct drive motor/arbor. The bearings were so bad that it was nearly impossible to get a square cut.

When my wife purchased my replacement so I could start building furniture, the current Craftsmans weren't around yet or at least not in our local store. If they'd been available, I'd had to seriously consider them.

Craftsman, like many other manufacturers has gone through good times and bad times (read that...they cheapened their design and manufacturing to meet a low price point) and at the time I bought my replacement, I wouldn't and didn't consider them. They are not the only company to do this however.

Take Chevy's. I used to be a "Chevy Man"...proudly. After my 1983 full sized Blazer had the 5th...that's right 5th transmission start acting up, I got rid of it; it was only 4 1/2 years old with 41,000 miles on it. I haven't owned a Chevy since. You really can't blame people for disliking spending hard earned dollars on a major purchase and then having major problems with the purchase. Add to that non-caring service representation and you have a major customer loss!

A number of SMCer's have bought the same saw you have and have been delighted with it.

I don't think you'll find many Craftsman bashers here!

[Brian Fomby]

Thanks for the input everybody. I finally did what I knew I needed to do all along. I went ahead and bought the 22124. That darn price tag for the delta was just so tempting. Nevertheless, I went to the local Sears and spoke with the manager for a bit and was able to get a deal on the Craftsman for not much worse at all than what the Delta was asking. I go to pick it up next weekend. Can't wait!!!

Brian

[Guy Germaine]

Good for you Brain. I'm sure you'll love the saw. Remember too, that it's not the tool, but the person behind it that makes fine furniture. Go make LOTS of sawdust, and post pictures!

[Michael Adelong]

You'll be very happy with your new saw.

When I was about to rip my first piece of 8/4 oak, I was a bit apprehensive that the saw wouldn't be able to handle it (and me too - it was my first time cutting thick hardwood on a TS as well). I was suprised at how well we both handled it. No more worries about the saw...

Michael