Pro tip: That fancy $200 track saw I bought was a total waste

I picked up a track saw from a big brand last spring for about $200, thinking it would be the best thing for cutting sheet goods. Everyone in forums raves about them, you know. But honestly, for my small home shop, my old circular saw with a DIY straightedge guide works just as good for most cuts. The track saw's plunge mechanism jammed up on me after three months, and replacement tracks cost almost as much as the whole setup. I ended up going back to my trusty corded Skilsaw with a clamped aluminum ruler, and I haven't missed the track saw one bit. Has anyone else regretted a big tool purchase that the internet hyped up?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamie77028d ago

I actually read a review on another forum where a guy tested a $200 track saw against a vintage circular saw with a plywood guide he made himself. He did ten cuts with each and measured the accuracy with a dial indicator. The track saw was technically more precise by like 1/32 of an inch, but it took him twice as long to set everything up. That sold me on sticking with my basic setup. Plus I've heard the cheap track saws have way more plunging issues than the Festool ones that cost ten times as much.

janarivera28d ago

My track saw takes me twice as long just to find my phone.

casey_wood228d ago

Wait, did that guy seriously use a dial indicator to measure the cuts? That's insane, like who even owns one of those for a home shop? I mean, it's cool that he tested both but that feels like bringing a laser level to hang a picture frame. I've seen people get way too deep into measuring stuff down to the thousandth when they're just building a bookshelf or whatever. And honestly, that 1/32 of an inch difference is basically nothing when you're using wood glue and clamps anyway. Plus if the track saw took twice as long to set up, that's just lost time you could be actually building things. Idk, maybe it's just me, but I feel like some folks overthink this stuff.

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