I'm looking for a new table saw and I want it to be the last table saw I buy. I'm looking hard at a SawStop for all the obvious reasons. I'm posting these musings and questions because I assume other have had (or will have) similar thoughts.

One concern I have about SawStop is the amount of electronics in it. On one hand, the electronics are what make it special because they make the safety feature possible. On the other hand, electronics make the saw far more technologically complex than most other saws on the market.

Most saws are essentially mechanical in operation, with the motor as the only electrical component. No or very minimal electronics (circuit-board based technology) at all. So, I can probably figure out what a problem is and have a good chance at fixing it, assuming I can get the part.

In the same way, I can work on my old car or take it to one of a dozen different garages near me. But if something goes wrong with my wife's Chevy Volt I have no choice but take it to the dealer.

My point is not that I want to work on a SawStop but what happens when the warranty runs out? Am I going to be paying through the nose 10 years from now if it needs to be fixed? Will it turn into a really big and expensive paper weight because SawStop ceased making some little circuit board?

Bottom line: Because the SawStop is a more complex machine, there are more things that can go wrong with it. And if something does go wrong, I only have one source to get things fixed. That makes me hesitate.

Am I making mountains out of molehills?

Am I being naive because all saws are similarly made with electronic components today?

I appreciate any thoughts. Thanks.