Thread: Value for Money?

I recently crossed the Rubicon (metaphorical rivers are the only variety left in Adelaide) and purchased a Powermatic 2000 table saw.
Why?
1. I like the colour
2. There is a relatively large amount of information on the net about PM2000 most of which is favourable. Admittedly the majority of this is in the form of “infoadvertorials” but some appears to be genuine and authoritative.
3. By the time I added some wheels and factored in the transport costs, the saving over the Carbatec clone was less than enormous and with the notable exception of Big Shed´s contributions to this forum I have been able to find very little about the clone. I have not personally seen one.
4. I thought about a Jet but there are so many variables and models that I became confused. Whenever I decided on something it was “not available at the moment”.
5.When whingeing about some of my previous purchases I have wearied of the refrain …”Well what did you expect for that sort of money”
6. I can afford it. ( I don´t really want a big screen TV anyway.)

So???
Very nice and largely up to specifications. Blade and mitre slots all parallel. The table is flat. Minimal arbor and blade runout.The tilt settings are as accurate as I can measure. It is very easy to change blades and to remove or replace the riving knife.
However: (How much do you have to spend for there not to be howevers?)
The aluminium table insert was longitudinally concave by about 0.4mm at its midpoint (Surprisingly I was able to straighten this without much difficulty but was not much impressed).
The scale on the rail is out by a 0.5mm over 800.(Measured against a Toledo 1m steel rule.)
Another minor complaint is of some rust coloured stain on the edge one of the wings. (Said wing came in a sealed plastic bag and was covered in oil so if it is rust it got it before being packaged). Perhaps it is just a non-specific sino-stain.

The accessory table that came with the saw has a solid plastic top that is supported by a radiata pine sub-frame. The packaging described it as “suitable for PM 2000” In the sense that it fitted between the rails of the saw it is suitable but the pine frame, the holes in the saw rails and the hardware provided to attach one to the other were mutually incompatible necessitating a visit to Bunnings, some new holes and some muttered imprecations. In addition this accessory table had enough convexity to interfere with the transit of the fence. Some infra-table modifications were necessary to get it and the saw table coplanar.

Is the PM 2000 any better than umpteen other table saws which are a lot cheaper? Probably better than some but I don´t really know because I can´t compare with anything except the humble (and much accursed Triton ) which it replaces. My new saw is quiet, vibrationless and very accurate and is a few parsecs ahead of the Triton.
I´m happy. All those who read this having had no problems at all with a saw that cost considerably less than the PM2000 may be even happier.

Cheers, Jeff