Opinions matter
- Thread starter Ad4us
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Unruh
Well-known member
I just sold my Ryobi RTS21g. It was a good saw. It was really light and easy to move around, but it also was really light and was easy to move around when ripping a long piece or plywood. The fence was okay, but always check for square. The rails have a weird groove in them and made making a sled kinda diffecult. Overall, it got me to the point where I could save up for a bigger saw and it never let me down.
Don't know about the Kobalt.
PelicanPines
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I'm fond of my choice... Ridgid Hybrid table saw. Comes with wheels... Super easy to roll around. Can't really throw it in a truck to drive around but I roll mine about daily...
ssdave
Banned
I"m a real wuss when it comes to using table saws. And, I've used them a lot, and continue to. Those lightweight portable saws are an expedient that should be avoided if you have the space to set up a better saw. They are inherently not as safe as a large, heavy saw, because they can move and bind the board easily. For the same reason, it's hard to do quality work with one.
At my last shop, I had a heavy, custom made saw based around an old cast iron Craftsman that had considerable upgrades and a 4 x 6 foot top table. It weighed upwards of 900 pounds. It had came out of a cabinet shop, and I used it to make custom oak woodwork for the house, and cabinetry as I built the house. After I completed the house, it was really in my way, so I thought I would replace it with a portable contractor saw. I bought a Bosch one, at about 2.5 times the price the ones you are looking at cost. I got a good deal on it used, but in new condition from a retired guy that thought he would get into woodworking and didn't use it. I made exactly one cut on it, and decided it wasn't stable enough to do good work safely, and sold it back off. I bought a slightly better Ryobi, and it was acceptable, but still too light to do good work. When I moved, I sold it off, and knew I would replace it with a cabinet grade saw.
I am building a house at the moment. I bought one of the pretty standard 10" cast iron top with sheet metal extension Craftsman saws to use as a construction saw. It does the job better than a portable, but is still not rock solid. Again, the saw can shift, and cause the board to bind, either making the cut not perfectly straight, or binding the board and causing a kickback. It is okay for rough framing work, but not suitable for cabinet work. I have purchased a used Delta 3 hp unisaw to use in the shop when it's completed. The Craftsman will go down the road, as soon as we're done ripping another dozen framing boards for trimming out the siding.
Having owned over the past 35 years 2 unisaws, a custom setup Craftsman saw, two Craftsman 10" standard saws, a Delta Contractor saw, a Ryobi portable and a Bosch portable, I"d say that the minimum level I would recommend is one of the Craftsman or Delta Contractor saws or similar for standard work, and if you want to do quality work or cabinet grade work, you need to have a lot more weight and stability in the saw, either by adding on to and tuning up a standard saw or by going with a cabinet grade saw that weighs in excess of 350 pounds.
The lightweight portable saws like you referenced are intended for jobsite use, ripping 2x's or sheet goods for rough carpentry. They're not real precise or suited for better quality work. If you want the saw to just work on framing stuff on your house, it'll do. But, if you want to do quality finish work, you need a better saw.
Good saws are available used for reasonable cost quite often on Craigslist. Watch there, and you can get a much better saw for the price of the ones you referenced. It will be much safer if set up correctly, and do better work.
At my last shop, I had a heavy, custom made saw based around an old cast iron Craftsman that had considerable upgrades and a 4 x 6 foot top table. It weighed upwards of 900 pounds. It had came out of a cabinet shop, and I used it to make custom oak woodwork for the house, and cabinetry as I built the house. After I completed the house, it was really in my way, so I thought I would replace it with a portable contractor saw. I bought a Bosch one, at about 2.5 times the price the ones you are looking at cost. I got a good deal on it used, but in new condition from a retired guy that thought he would get into woodworking and didn't use it. I made exactly one cut on it, and decided it wasn't stable enough to do good work safely, and sold it back off. I bought a slightly better Ryobi, and it was acceptable, but still too light to do good work. When I moved, I sold it off, and knew I would replace it with a cabinet grade saw.
I am building a house at the moment. I bought one of the pretty standard 10" cast iron top with sheet metal extension Craftsman saws to use as a construction saw. It does the job better than a portable, but is still not rock solid. Again, the saw can shift, and cause the board to bind, either making the cut not perfectly straight, or binding the board and causing a kickback. It is okay for rough framing work, but not suitable for cabinet work. I have purchased a used Delta 3 hp unisaw to use in the shop when it's completed. The Craftsman will go down the road, as soon as we're done ripping another dozen framing boards for trimming out the siding.
Having owned over the past 35 years 2 unisaws, a custom setup Craftsman saw, two Craftsman 10" standard saws, a Delta Contractor saw, a Ryobi portable and a Bosch portable, I"d say that the minimum level I would recommend is one of the Craftsman or Delta Contractor saws or similar for standard work, and if you want to do quality work or cabinet grade work, you need to have a lot more weight and stability in the saw, either by adding on to and tuning up a standard saw or by going with a cabinet grade saw that weighs in excess of 350 pounds.
The lightweight portable saws like you referenced are intended for jobsite use, ripping 2x's or sheet goods for rough carpentry. They're not real precise or suited for better quality work. If you want the saw to just work on framing stuff on your house, it'll do. But, if you want to do quality finish work, you need a better saw.
Good saws are available used for reasonable cost quite often on Craigslist. Watch there, and you can get a much better saw for the price of the ones you referenced. It will be much safer if set up correctly, and do better work.
earlthegoat2
Well-known member
If you must get a portable, get the very best one you can afford. I have the Bosch with the gravity rise stand and can say it is very good for being a portable. The fence stays square enough and the saw stays put better than most.
But, it is still a far cry from a cabinet saw. It is probably better than a cheap contractor saw and worse than a good contractor saw.
But, it is still a far cry from a cabinet saw. It is probably better than a cheap contractor saw and worse than a good contractor saw.
powertrip
Well-known member
Why is it when someone asks for an opinion on 2 different models of something (they have probably chosen these 2 models because of price and availability) they get advised to buy something way more expensive or to search craigslist for a used one? It never fails. Craigslist is a huge gamble on a used power tool with no warranty or customer service.
Furious Filipino
Well-known member
I have the RTS21G, and I'm having a slight bit of buyer's remorse, but not relating to the cut quality or even the accuracy of the fence.
I've built a large pergola, a small pergola, and cut landscaping timber with this saw in the past 4 months.
One of my main issues is the dust collection, there isn't any provision for it out of the box. You can make a dust collection bag to catch the dust underneath, but no vacuum ports on the saw at all. If used indoors, you will have wood dust on every surface of your shop/garage after one or two cuts.
The second issue I have is I was a bit underwhelmed by the power of the saw, somewhat mitigated by an aftermarket blade. When building my pergolas, I was using old redwood that I salvaged, and I had an abundance of 4x4 beams, and I was ripping them down to 2x4 in 2 passes. The saw would bog down, less so with a nicer blade. But the ultimate solution is really just feed rate, lighter than any other table saw I have used.
Smaller issues: no soft start, so the saw does have a good jolt when starting up, the stand I don't think will last too long, but it is convenient.
While I agree in part to most of what has been said regarding lighter portable table saws, you have to apply some common sense here: If you are frequently cutting 4' x 8' panels, or things that weigh considerably more than the saw itself, you are not going to get the best results. There is a reason a track saw is superior to cutting sheets out in the field. If that is the intent, people routinely build in/out feed tables for saws similar to this one and are able to produce results that can be used for finished carpentry.
I've built a large pergola, a small pergola, and cut landscaping timber with this saw in the past 4 months.
One of my main issues is the dust collection, there isn't any provision for it out of the box. You can make a dust collection bag to catch the dust underneath, but no vacuum ports on the saw at all. If used indoors, you will have wood dust on every surface of your shop/garage after one or two cuts.
The second issue I have is I was a bit underwhelmed by the power of the saw, somewhat mitigated by an aftermarket blade. When building my pergolas, I was using old redwood that I salvaged, and I had an abundance of 4x4 beams, and I was ripping them down to 2x4 in 2 passes. The saw would bog down, less so with a nicer blade. But the ultimate solution is really just feed rate, lighter than any other table saw I have used.
Smaller issues: no soft start, so the saw does have a good jolt when starting up, the stand I don't think will last too long, but it is convenient.
While I agree in part to most of what has been said regarding lighter portable table saws, you have to apply some common sense here: If you are frequently cutting 4' x 8' panels, or things that weigh considerably more than the saw itself, you are not going to get the best results. There is a reason a track saw is superior to cutting sheets out in the field. If that is the intent, people routinely build in/out feed tables for saws similar to this one and are able to produce results that can be used for finished carpentry.
Roberts210
Well-known member
In my experience Ryobi tools are some of the noisiest I've ever used. I stopped buying them for that reason.
An older Delta or Rockwell contractors's saw will be cheaper and work better for you.
An older Delta or Rockwell contractors's saw will be cheaper and work better for you.
ssdave
Banned
Because we've been there, done that, and learned the lesson.
I've seen a lot of guys that "want to do some woodworking when they retire" buy cheap jobsite tools, only to find out they won't work well for anything other than jobsite type use. If I was asking the question, I'd sure like to hear that perspective before I had to learn for myself.
As for Craigslist availability, you're right. If you need instant gratification, just go down to Home Depot or Lowes and buy whatever they have on hand cheap. If you want to multiply the value of your dollars severalfold, take the time to research a bit, look for used saws, and buy something better at a good price.
There's lots of choices, a good thing about asking on a forum is you get some perspective to make better choices. Some of those perspectives might not be what you want to hear, but it's easy to weed through them and learn something.
Mostly they are just showing off.