Shooter, just trying to save you some grief thats all brother. You asked for our opinions and I gave you mine. I first had a regular 14" sears craftsman saw and it wasn't big and sturdy enough for what I wanted to do with it. So after literally breaking the first one in half the second time I used it.(They replaced it under warranty lucky for me) I ended up selling it to my brother who makes mostly laminated bows from bamboo and lumber and it works fine for him. I went back and got the bigger better model and I don't regret it a bit. Yes it was a bit on the pricey side but in my opinion well worth what I paid for it. It has roller bearing guides versus steel blocks, its more along the lines of a industrial base and table and it cuts so much smoother and easier its unbelievable. But then again I buy snap on tools also, because they don't break, and if I abuse them so badly they do break, the snap on guy comes to me every week to see if I need anything replaced. You can't really compare harbor freight tools to snap on, its not even in the same league. Will harbor freight tools work for your average home owner, yes. Will you end up going back to the store all the time to get stuff replaced? yes. By the way If your buying a heat gun, the ten dollar ones they sell there, I burned up about 5 of them in a year and then I went and bought a good one and its lasted me 3 years and still going strong. Just as a example. Obviously the final call is yours if you want to buy that saw for now to get you started, you could probally get your money back out of it later when you decide to upgrade. Good luck in what ever you decide. Ryano
