Thread: Seems like a bargain???

Hmmm! .

Firstly, I shall say that I have had a Mk 3 Triton for many years and it has served me well. Very well! However, I would not buy one now because of how Chinese manufacturing has transformed tool prices generally.

Let's do some sums

To that series 2000 workcentre, you need to add a circular saw. Triton say a lot about the need to select a circular saw that has negligible lateral play in the blade movement for accuracy purposes. That means that you can either have a good fiddle around with any saw that you are wanting to fit to the table to see if it has any run-out or take the easy way out and buy the Triton "Precision"circular saw available from Carba-Tec @ $349.


So already, you are up to a total of $748. That is of course, if you are a Victorian and can pick up the Triton work centre from the eBay seller without incurring transport charges.

So for that money, you will have a pressed steel sawbench with a few extra capabilities but using a very noisy circular saw.


Alternatively, you could go to Hare & Forbes, say, and buy a contractors' table saw for $825. For that money, you will get a saw bench with a cast iron table with side extensions, and a quiet induction motor. Likewise, you can get something similar from Carba-Tec for $899. ( I am not sure that the Carba-Tec machine would be better than the H&F machine. Have not used either so I don't know, albeit the H&F machine looks like good value. ) (Of course, if you were to buy one of these machines at the annual sales of Carba-Tec or H&F, you would save at least another 10%. That should bring the price of the H&F machine down to $742.


There are thousands of loyal Triton owners out there but I reckon that if you asked the regular users of their machine, whether they would spend an aggregate of $748 for a Triton set-up with its pressed steel table and screaming 9 1/4" circular saw or $825 (or $742 at sale time) for a contractors' saw bench with a cast iron table and a quiet induction 10" saw and I suspect that you would have no takers for the Triton.


I shall continue to use my Mark 3 Triton as I already have it. For most of my hobbyist work, I use a 12" Makita sliding compound mitre saw for the crosscuts and the Triton gets much less exercise as a rip saw.


The Triton work centre was a boon for home hobbyists when the cost relativities against the cast iron/induction motor gear were vastly different; viz a decade or two ago. Accordingly, the Triton was popular and extremely well promoted with retail store displays, Triton clubs and a cadre of demonstrators. That means that the brand name is still incredibly strong and well liked.


However, if I have not convinced you with the numbers and you really did want one, I reckon that you might be just as well advised to buy a new one from the new owners of the brand, Carba-Tec, @ $539 with a three year warranty. One might suspect that the eBay seller could selling old stock not covered by warranty by the new owners of the brand. I don't know if that is the situation but it is worth asking the question.


I hope that this helps.


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Originally Posted by Charleville

....There are thousands of loyal Triton owners out there but I reckon that if you asked the regular users of their machine, whether they would spend an aggregate of $748 for a Triton set-up with its pressed steel table and screaming 9 1/4" circular saw or $825 (or $742 at sale time) for a contractors' saw bench with a cast iron table and a quiet induction 10" saw and I suspect that you would have no takers for the Triton.......
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That's an interesting analysis. I haven't been motivated to change my Triton because it serves my purpose well - but the lack of a tilting blade is a nuisance and I hadn't thought about the noise issue until you mentioned it.

The key advantage of the Triton for me though is that it is light and I can drag it to one side when I need to. I could think about something heavier on castors perhaps, but the Hare and Forbes at 110Kg would still be a nuisance. You've got me thinking now, but I just told the Minister for War and Finance I didn't plan to buy any more expensive tools this year so it might have to wait.

A good synopsis from Charleville

I too have a 20 plus year old Triton MK3 that has served me very well. I still think that they were/are a great machine. But they have their faults.

Fairly recently I bought a used 10" H&F table saw off another forum member. With a little bit of tuning and a new blade , it is just wonderful. For well under $400, I wonder why I put up with the Triton for so long.

Yes it is heavy and it does take up a chunk of floor space. You can't take it apart and hang it on the wall like the Triton. You cant throw it in the car and take it over to a mates place to help him build a garage or some book shelves, but I haven't fired up the Triton in months and I don't think I am likely to.

Anybody want to make me an offer?

What Charleville said.

I had a Mk3 for about 4 yrs, upgraded it to a W2000 which I had for about 5 yrs and then sold it to buy an MBS300 proper table saw.

I enjoyed my triton, without it I wouldn't have come to enjoy woodworking as a hobby, but if I never have to see one again, I wouldn't be sad.

That is ebay seller used to sell all the GMC returns, not sure what their stock is now. Generally you got a 3 month warranty on things.

Originally Posted by Glennet

That's an interesting analysis. I haven't been motivated to change my Triton because it serves my purpose well - but the lack of a tilting blade is a nuisance and I hadn't thought about the noise issue until you mentioned it.

The key advantage of the Triton for me though is that it is light and I can drag it to one side when I need to. I could think about something heavier on castors perhaps, but the Hare and Forbes at 110Kg would still be a nuisance. You've got me thinking now, but I just told the Minister for War and Finance I didn't plan to buy any more expensive tools this year so it might have to wait.

Likewise, I would struggle to justify a new table saw for no other reason than that at this stage the Triton serves me well enough alongside my magnificent 12" Makita SCMS. I originally bought the SCMS because the Triton is very limited in cross-cut mode and I saw a presentation by Roger Gifkins on his dovetail jigs wherein he said that for his box work, he usually uses his scms to cut his stock to length and rarely uses his table saw. That has been my experience since getting the SCMS, also. Of course, though, there are times when a table saw is what is required, especially on wide stock or for ripping.


However, putting a contractor's saw on wheels would seem a much better way to go than laboring with the Triton set-up, imho, especially if considering buying a new one. I was fortunate a few months ago in that Carba-Tec dumped a whole lot of mobile bases at $25 each (Allegedly down from around $200. Who knows how true that really is???? ) and I bought six of them in various sizes with a couple spare at the right size for a contractors' saw.

Click for large view - Uploaded with Skitch

I have previously welded together my own mobile bases but I must admit that the bought ones are better and can be especially good in relation to their brakes.

I now have several machines all sleeping closely alongside one another on their mobile bases waiting to be dragged out to be used and it has made working in my cramped garage workshop very much better. Very much better.

Click for large view - Uploaded with Skitch


So, I would not necessarily rule out the heavier contractor's table saw because of weight and mobility issues.

I also note that the H & F contractors saw has a dust chute. If it works, that would be another reason to divorce my old Mark 3 Triton. I am not sure if the 2000 Tritons have a dust management arrangement but the Mark 3 model sure didn't.


Anyway, that is my perspective as a home hobbyist.


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I have had my Triton WC2000 for about 10 years now. I had never done woodwork before I got it, in fact it was bought only to do some reno's in our last house.

Little did I know that I would enjoy woodwork a lot, and end up doing a total reno in the place we are in now, including building the kitchen.

I was lucky enough to have a Hitachi 9.25" with a nice heavy base plate, which has lived in the Triton ever since, although it now sports a 10" blade, and it has been tightened up a bit with bearing packing, bushed pivot etc. and the Triton sled has been reinforced also.
The Triton has also undergone fine tuning with shims to get everything spot on in table-saw mode (almost never use crosscut mode) so herein lies the dilemma.

The only remaining PITA remaining was the ruler arms getting the markings rubbed off over time, despite being pretty careful, but I recently added a strip of super tough plastic to the front & rear ruler guides, which sit up just proud of the guides, which should totally prevent anything rubbing against the ruler arms in future.

So, the Triton is not only easily moved about as needed, but it cuts so accurately to over 70mm depth that I cannot justify replacement with a 'Better' saw, unless or until there is a problem, like my saw packs it in. I am amazed that it hasn't given that it must be 20 years old, is on it's second set of bearings and brushes, has to drive a 10" blade for which it isn't designed, and has even cut bricks & pavers many moons ago.
If it did die, I recon I might go for a cast top saw simply because of the little difference in price between replacing the saw with a good quality one, and a cast top saw, but not without giving it serious thought, simply because it does all I want, and does it so damned well. If there was just something wrong with it, anything really........

I would have to agree with Charleville. I;ve had a Mk3 and a 200 and both are okay, with the already mentioned limitations. I also have a SCMS, so only use the triton as a table saw.
the 2000 does have some dust extraction but far from perfect.

I'll stick with the Triton for now, but if I ever get enough time to get back into woodwork (kids older) I will probably update.

Another me too post I suppose.

I had a mk3 now have a TTD 12" table saw on casters. I added a router wing and incra and yes it owes me $2k but it's a complete workstation that parks to one side easily when not in use, and my shed is carpeted. 150 kg machine moves easily. Site work is not an option.

Table saw is astoundingly less noisy than the circular saw. It really really shocked me, and that alone makes it a delight.

Table saw offers both EASIER accuracy and better finish off the blade.

With an incra it becomes a versatile workstation, doesn't quite do everything a triton (with accessories) will but does a lot the triton won't also.

Standard size miter slots. It matters, trust me.

So really the only reason I'd have a triton again is onsite work.

2c.

I have had my Triton gear for probably 8 or 9 years and it has served me well. Back when I bought it tablesaws etc were so expensive they didnt rate a second look. The Triton was affordable and did all that I needed at the time and had the additional advantage of being able to add extra gear as you needed and could afford it. I started out with the series 2000 and the saw. The following weekend I added the large extention table. router and table and a couple of multistands and superjaws soon followed. the cordless drill and the rotary tool sonn found their way home too. The consistent orange colour of the triton gear was also great for camouflaging new purchases that had been made clandestinely (Oh, that...I've had it for years, it came with all the other orange stuff. How come you haven't noticed it before?).

Like PTrott above, I too have taken the time to shim up and adjust my Triton so it cuts spot on. I devised a system of setting the fence scales far more accurately than is necessary for woodworking but I no longer use that as I have recently set up an Incra LS positioner on the extention table and modified the router table to take the maxi extention table.

But Charleville has presented the maths very well on how the prices have changed today. If I was starting from scratch now, I would be looking at a 10 or 12 inch table saw and mounting a router wing on it with an Incra setup. I think I spent somewhere in the vicinity of $2000.00 on my Triton gear and probably close to $1000.00 on the Incra gear so if I assume a starting budget of $3000.00 at today's prices I could get a far better setup than I have. But as many have already said in this thread, then you have heavy machinery that cant leave the concrete floor of the garage and go onsite.

At the start of a project. I bring home all the timber and sheetgoods on my trailer and then set the triton up next to the trailer with the extention table on it and cut everything to length in the yard before taking it into the garage, partly due to space constraints and partly so the messiest part is done outside and its nice to work in the sunshine sometimes. I would probably keep the triton if only just for this.

With my Triton gear I have made three dining suites, two queensize beds, a set of bunks, two lounge suites, a massive corner unit, various bookshelves, toy boxes, and too many minor projects to count. I also used it to build in under my house in Queensland, where i hope to go back to when family circumstances permit, this is where I will finally have enough workshop space. I worked it out that the day I cut the battens to enclose under the house I pushed over 700 metres of timber through the Triton and filled the 44 gallon drum collector on my dusty twice.

After all this work there isn't a lot of powdercoating left on the Triton tabletop and it wont be long until I am looking to upgrade to a tablesaw and as much as I have enjoyed the Triton over the years I am looking forward to an induction motor and a tilting blade instead of a bevel ripping guide and the ability to use my Incra mitre guage instead of the Triton triangle. This should allow me to develop my skills to the next level and take on more intricate projects.

Dammit, I'm getting the urge to grab the credit card, hook up the trailer and head for carba-tec. Why did I read this thread anyway?

Originally Posted by doug3030

Why did I read this thread anyway?

I don't know why you read it, but I'm very glad that you did - excellent reply!

Ray

I think it goes to show how much of a good business man Mr Triton was.

Invented a product to fill a gaping void in the market, when imported tablesaws started to come in at much cheaper prices, Mr Triton must have seen the writing on the wall and off loaded the company at just the right time. Hills and GMC couldn't keep the boat afloat.

Even reading this tread ..... so many people purchased the Triton 10+ years ago and it filled the need ..... if the choice needed to be made again today I don't see many who would go down the Triton path.

I agree with most of what is written above. I bought my workcentre 2000 2nd hand for around half price but bought the tools new.

Whilst I am sometimes frustrated at its limitations it continues to tick boxes where space and manoeuvrability are key. If I were to buy the single use tools (i.e a saw bench, router table) separately I would not have the room for them.

The routers and saws to go with it are expensive but they are also high quality stand alone tools on top.

Of course when the senior management lets me have a bigger workshop I will likely to consign the work centre to the ocassional mobile project

someone earlier in this thread said Carbatec owned Triton,,,,
Not so, they are only sellers.