Thoughts on the EZSmart track saw system?

[Earl McLain]

I was 110% into EZ for many-many years. Had lots of fun with the extrusions. Was like Tinker Toys for men. Was always waiting for a polished complete system but that never happened. When Makita had a great deal on their cordless track saw system I bit and couldn't be happier. I used one of my long rails for my miter saw cart (like fastcap) but gave most of the rest away. A sad story for a true inventor.

Should say I kept the UEG (universal edge guide). Best tool ever for ripping sheet goods. So compact I bring it with to the big box stores when buying sheet goods to break them down to more easily transport.

And your fine build lives on--i just used it Saturday. Did add hitch pins to the legs, very stable. And...last week i finally got my winch installed in the rafters, now i only have to mount my pulleys and i'll be able to store it like you did. Honestly, THAT will make it much more usable--ready at the press of a button!! Thanks Mike!!
earl

[Carl Crout]

Thanks for the replies. I have been on vacation and just got back. I will do some more research and let you know which I end up buying.

[Thomas Wilson]

I have tried to order anti-chip strips several times since this thread started. Every time I submit the order, I get a box telling me to enter credit card information. Of course I had entered the card info. I sent an email to their customer service but have not gotten a response.

[Ken Kortge]

You might try calling them.

[Thomas Wilson]

You might try calling them.

I did. No answer.

[Jim Dwight]

No, I have not used the EZ smart track so I have not compared the cut quality. I have used a high tooth count blade (I think it was 40) on my circular saw but it may not have been a really good blade. If the EZ smart track system with a good blade on the circular saw will produce a cut as good as a table saw with a good blade then they are comparable. I believe that the bearings in track saws tend to be better than in circular saws but I don't really know that for sure. What I know for sure is I routinely get as good a cut off my track saw as I get off my table saw (PCS).

I also like the accessories available for track saws but I don't know much about the EZ smart system so they may be comparable. I like to use rail dogs on my shortest track, for instance, to make crosscuts with much shorter dogs in the surface of my accessory table guiding the work. It is simple and quick to get set up to make accurate cross cuts this way up to around 30 inches. I have parallel guides for repeat cuts and also home made track positioning guides that serve much the same purpose. But I bet you can make jigs for the EZ smart that would work like the parallel guides. I would guess that this system is not set up to work with dogs which would be a significant disadvantage for me, perhaps not for you.

My comments were not intended to be negative with respect to those of you who have this tool and like it. There are many was to get things done and I accept that users of this system may get results as good as I get from my track saw. My comments were directed towards somebody thinking of buying this system instead of a track saw. The point about the TS75 is a good one, that could further narrow the range of situations where a system like this makes sense from my point of view. I just don't see many situations where the EZ smart would be preferable. They may exist, but I don't see them. If the only track saw was the quite expensive Festool saws, then there would be a lot more situations where something else would be desirable. That used to be the situation. But today there are many track saw alternatives that are much less expensive.

[Ken Kortge]

I did. No answer.

They may have some restarting pains. I wouldn't be surprised if product is slow to restock due to Covid. Recently I was surprised that my local hardware store could not restock washers - of all things.

[Jeff Freelove]

I have tried to order anti-chip strips several times since this thread started. Every time I submit the order, I get a box telling me to enter credit card information. Of course I had entered the card info. I sent an email to their customer service but have not gotten a response.

Interesting. I have bought anti-chip edges twice this summer from their website without issue. One order arrived in 5 days and the other in 2 weeks.

[Thomas Wilson]

Interesting. I have bought anti-chip edges twice this summer from their website without issue. One order arrived in 5 days and the other in 2 weeks.

I will try again.

[Thomas Wilson]

I will try again.

Good news. Things were different this time. When I put the 54" anti-chip edges in my cart, the program told me they were out of stock. (Previously, it allowed me to put the 54" edges in the cart but then threw a generic error when I submitted.) I switched to 64" edges and was able to add them to the cart. The 64" edges were only a dollar more than 54". The order went through. I look forward to having nice fresh edges to line up on soon.

TW

[John O'Bryan]

I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to add my two cents. I had the EZSmart system for a very long time, and it worked great for me. That being said, there is no way in the world that I would buy it today (or even 2020) with all of the great choices available in the track saw space.
I just bought a cordless Ridgid Track saw with enough track to cut 8' long material for $330. It is better in every way vs my old EZSmart. Now, I don't regret the EZSmart at all. I safely broke down so many sheets with it and my homemade sacrificial cutting table made out of banquet table legs and 2x4's which I broke down into 2x2's with my EZSmart. Eventually I ran out of anti chip edges and my existing ones chipped out so bad the accuracy of cuts was a guess. Still, I used it for all sorts of projects where close enough was fine.
The greatest thing about EZ Smart was that it gave people with a limited budget and limited space a safe way to break down sheets before the advent of affordable track saws. It was similarly priced to a hobby table saw that many people new to shop projects would buy. Table saws are inherently more dangerous tools, and cheap table saws are the most dangerous. Especially for new people who don't know how to safely operate them.

[Bob Cooper]

And I’m still using mine. My goal is just to get close enough to trim to final dimensions on the tablesaw

[Rich Engelhardt]

The really nice thing about my Festool TS55EQ wasn't the close to $800 I paid for it & the extra track, connectors & clamps.
It was the $450 I got when I sold it a dozen years and countless projects later.

Sometimes - "cheaper" isn't all that obvious.