Hi,

I'd originally been considering the DeWalt or (*ducks*) Hercules jobsite saws at just under $400, but digging around I'd seen posts on other forums from 2014/2015 or so saying "the way to get your first saw is to be patient, keep an eye on craigslist, and score something great for $200."

So, I pivoted to that, only I'm finding the only contractor's saws in my area (or, within an hour's drive) which look relatively new-ish and clean, are priced at $350-400. The $100-200 saws: have rusty tops, questionable fences, lack of, and possibly lack of the possibility of, riving knife installs, etc. In short, between renting a truck/van to pick them up, 2 hour round trip, labor and supplies needed to bring them back to working order... a $200 table saw inflates to $500, and a $400 saw hits closer to $600.

So now I'm thinking, hell, why not just get the Delta contractor's saw that's currently in stock at Lowe's? It's $600, model #36-725T2. Has what is by most accounts a fairly good fence. Has a riving knife. I know it's nt perfect or the absolute best, but it seems like a hell of a lot of saw to start with.

Am I thinking correctly? Missing anything I should be considering?

At the moment all I have is a speed square, circular saw and some hand tools. Going to jump in with a table and a miter saw for projects in the Spring. Mostly will be doing larger scale, structural stuff like deck repair, walkway replacement, building shelves & some lawn chairs. Nothing super precise.

Thanks for your shared wisdom.