Mike, I'm very happy with the saw. It's handled everything I've thrown at it & I've had zero issues with it. Had my eye on it for a while everytime I saw it on the show room floor. If I had to buy another saw today I'd be happy to purchase the same one.
I thought about getting the gearhead model but I went with this one cause it had 4 speeds instead of 3, plus tge price was great. Yeah speed changes requires some tools to do but it's no big deal for me & I rarely need to change the speed anyway. Still haven't even used the coolant system on it though. Even the stock carbon blade performed very well with no signs of wear. I'm using Lenox bimetal blades now though cause I needed a selection of different range TPI blades for my needs.
All I have done to it was added some feet to the front to prevent it from rolling unexpectedly & added some handles to make belts changes easier. Also removed a couple of the blade safety guards to help speed up blade changes.
The saw needed no adjustments right out the box. Cuts very straight, it even came with a test cut piece in a bag from the factory which I totally did not expect. No big deal but it's nice to know they actually test the saws before distribution.
Turnpro saws are also very nice but they cost a bit more. Might also want to check with Matt. I had talked to him about bandsaws before I picked this up. He mentioned he was getting some in but I never followed up & that was a while ago. Biggest factor for me was I was able to to pick it up locally.
