Power Saws Reviews

Doesn't meet the minimum operational quality I have come to expect from Bosch. Although it does the basic work expected, the Zipmate attachment has a very flimsy flip lock to lock this attachment to the basic RotoZip tool, this poor design error was made twice when they used the same system to lock the cutting wheel guard to a fixed position on the Zipmate attachment. After becoming disconnected several times with almost no use, both of these quick lock clamps broke, without any adjustment on my part, ruining the rubber bit lock-on grip. I solved the clamp system by replacing both with SS radiator clamps that requires a screwdriver to remove or adjust

I bought my Rotozip kit after using a Dremel for about a week (at which time it broke and I discovered too late that I was among many this has happened to).
So I needed a more robust tool, one that could stand up to serious home improvement projects. That having been said, I find the Rotozip to be quite powerful, and much more robust than the Dremel (which will burn out on you in less than a few hours if you apply too much torque to it, in my opinion). The Rotozip runs at 30,000 RPMs as did the Dremel but is quite frankly a more sturdy tool. With the keyless chuck I've been able to put non-Rotozip bits on it (although being told at Lowe's I wouldn't be able to) and this seems to work. The Rotozip isn't as nimble and lite as a smaller tool is, and can be difficult to use in tight spaces. But that is the tradeoff - Rotozip is bigger and powerful than other tools in its class.
Disclaimer - I didn't mean to badmouth Dremel too bad - its a good hobby tool but can't do serious work in my opinion. Also I tried the Black and Decker equivalent and managed to have it burst into flames within a couple hours of buying it (I was sawing through some wood with a circular cutting disc attachment when the motor blew up). But I'm not bitter :)

I believe the Rotozip is a superb tool and an absolute necessity for any professional or devout amateur. I recommend the premium model because it offers the most power, and the LED lights ("headlights" as I call them) are a nice accessory that makes using the tool in less optimal conditions more effective, such as cutting holes in ceiling sheetrock for recessed lighting. For tile work, the diamond blade is excellent provided you don't exert too much pressure and cause the blade to overheat; having said that, it does an amazing job of cutting eccentric or irregular tile pieces that cannot be obtained by using a wet saw. Ditto for using it to cut metal pipe, masonry, plaster, or drywall. You should be very carefull to use the right cutter for the targeted material; for example, plaster will literally roast a saber cut bit; the company sells a special carbide cutter bit especially designed for plaster that costs around $8-$10; it is a must have if you will do this type of work. Overall, most of the replacement items and accessories are reasonably priced and of high quality. Be cautious with the speed adjustment, as some cutters such as the diamond blade are rated for a top RPM and going too fast will burn them out and possibly be dangerous.

The disk attachment is well made and allows rapid change of the cutters I have described. I was able to retro-fit this accessory onto an older model Zip Mate and have been very happy with its quality. Provided you know the limitations of this tool, it can be one of the most usefull around. Word of advice: keep a set of safety goggles, a dust mask, and perhaps ear plugs in the tool bag at all times. The cutters-especially those supplied for drywall and wood-cut at 25,000 rpm or so, and a lot of dust is thrown off and they can be loud as hell depending on the material you are cutting. Therefore, it is very easy to be distracted if dust is flying into your nose and eyes while trying to do use this tool, especially for extended periods of time. The more you can isolate yourself from the noise and debris that are normal byproducts of use, the better the results. Overall, anyone with half a brain will find zillions of uses for this tool and it will save loads of time for almost any project it is used for.

I have used TOPCOTE spray for several years on my table saw. This product does not seem to look or last like the old orange colored can or the real old pump spray bottle that I use to get. The current stuff now has a white flakey coating that flakes off and is sticky, the boards don't seem to slide like before. Now my new can is half full and won't spray any more! I checked the spray tip and it's not clogged but still nothing comes out when I push on the spray tip! It's like it lost its air! Don't waste your money it's not as good as it once was!

At the woodworkers guild meeting they recommended I use this new stuff called Table Top Lube from EMPIRE and they gave me a small sample. I tried it and it seems to work just like the old TopCote stuff!

Here on amazon Table-Top Lubricant sells for $14.99.
It cost more but I think it is work it.

Cannot buy this product if you live in California due to environmental laws.

Product says nothing about it and states:

Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.

Caifornia isn't part of the 48 lower states!

I've been using top cote on my machine tops, metal fences and guides for about five years now. I live in western Washington and moisture here can be a problem. Especially when your shop is in the basement of a 80 year old house,on the shores of a lake.
I have never had a problem with rust on my machine surfaces when I prepared them properly. The last step, I take, before applying the top cote, is to wipe the surface with alcohol. This removes any residual moisture and cleans the pores of the metal. Using a quality car wax will import silicon to your metal surface which in turn will transfer it to your wood workpiece. This can really cause problems with a lot of finish's. Silicon is very difficult to remove from wood and will block penetration of most oil based finish's.It can also affect "natural" wax's, such as carnuba and bee's wax.
The top cote layer does provide a nice slick surface and I have no difficulty telling when a new treatment is needed, especially when ripping hardwoods.
I also use Dri Cote (seperate review) on my blades and cutters.
I recommend this product to everyone, follow the directions on the can and you won't be disappointed.

The Dremel Scroll Saw that I received was defective, and previously owned. As received the saw would not run. I removed the access covers to evaluate the problem. During this operation I discovered tool marks made your provious customer when he tried to evaluate/repair the defect.

The defect was a misinstalled auxillary drive arm. This was an original assembly positioning error. This indicated that the misassembled saw was not tested by the original manufacturer.

I have corrected the misassembly and the saw appears to function correctly.

I think the following actions are required:
1. Develop a basic quality assurance program with your suppliers.
2. Change your operation pattern to assume that when a customer returns a produce, it returned for a reason and not because he is an idiot that likes to ship things back.

I had mine now for good month and I been working with it quite a bit. I find the vibration at higher speed to be so much so that it will be impossible to do any delicate work.

I bought mine at Home Depot and I am going to return it tommorow, this saw is a disappointment for a name brand saw.

I got one of these saws that had been refurbished from Ebay. I believe it was the best buy I could have made with the money I had. I had used the scroll saw DeWalt makes(roughly $400) before. Amazingly, this Dremel compares beautifully, with only slightly more vibration. Blade changes are quick and easy, with simple thumb screws. The saw comes with a vacuum port, light, and blower, none of which the higher priced DeWalt had.
The light and power switches are both very convenient and upfront.
Also, the 5 inch sanding disc is handy for small jobs.
One disadvantage is that while moving a piece on the sanding disc table, the table may leave a black mark on your work. The mark is easily sanded off, but it is still somewhat annoying.

Overall, the saw is an excellent one, especially considering the price. I give it 4.5 stars.

I agree with one of the prior posts in that one could buy a powerful dedicated tool for less rather than deal with the poorly designed Zip Mate attachment. I just broke my Zip Mate yesterday, probably due to the gear being misaligned.

I can't see paying $$ to replace the Zip Mate when I only paid $$ for the entire Roto Zip / Zip Mate kit on sale last January. I'll probably just use the Roto Zip for as long as it will last for drywall cutout jobs and such.

The Roto Zip was designed for drywall cutout work and I think that this is all that it does well.

This attachment is not worth the plastic it's made out of. I'm ready to throw mine away. There's no efficient way of removing the arbor to change out cutting wheels if the arbor is on too tight. The gear system is not adequate to take the elbow grease required to break the tight seal and you can't get vise grips on it, without damage, to hold it. Good luck!

As with other reviews, the Zip Mate works, and I've used it primarily as a cutoff (everything from steel pipe to ductwork to wire shelving). It is great as an all purpose tool, but does not feel as solid as a dedicated grinder/etc. There is some play in the gear that sounds clunky, but this play doesn't seem to affect performance.

My biggest gripe is that recently the flange nut (which holds the disk on) could not be removed from the disk - it appeared bound (and I don't believe that I ran it too fast!) My only solution was to use another rotating tool (Dremel) to cut the flange nut off and buy another one.

Still, if you want a single all purpose rotating disk attachment for the Rotozip, I recommend it.

We purchased this saw 6 months ago. The little plastic gear that allows adjustment for the blade gaurd broke. We continue to receive bad news concerning the availibility of this part. Back order, after back order. Why? We need this saw. It was our fault for the breakage, I just cant believe its not available. We have ordered the gear through GRAINGER Industrial supply here in Wichita Kansas.
Thanks
Steve Redd

I ordered this product and while not to Amazons fault the product came defected. A leg on the base was broke off. I called Delta ( from the card in the package) and asked if they could ship a new piece, it was easy to replace. It cost a total of [price]. To my amazement they would not, I had to go through UPS, who shipped it, etc etc. After a week, I said the heck with it and filled out a return/replacement order and Amazon was great. The old has been picked up and a new one on t he way. So what would have cost [price], cost who knows how much. I guess I dont understand business. I guess I dont understand DELTA. Sears always stands by their products, why doesnt Delta?

Used this saw for 3 years or so for light jobs, although I've resawn with it a few times. Does a good job for the $$ on light jobs -- I know it's not meant for resawing, so my expectations reflect that knowledge and I'm ok with the way it performs. I'm intending to do much more resawing in the future and am upgrading to an 18 inch, 2 hp, 220v saw but will still use this little guy for quickie cuts from time to time. My 4-star review is based on modest expectations of the tool.

Shaft lock failure after lessthan 2hrs of use. the Shaft lock ejected itself from the unit. It was inserted back into the unit without the spring... the shaft is now in the locked condition and the shaft lock will not backout. I'm not happy! buyer beware.

Busted shaft lock button while trying to loosen the bit. Took tool apart and observed cheap plastic case material deformed under torque of loosening bit. Drilled out deformed plastic, used 2 part epoxy to mend hole. Have'nt tried repair yet, going to store to look at some other brands in case this one dies again. Tool has maybe 10 to 15 weekend jobs under it's belt, not hardly used at all I defenately won't be buying another Rotozip. I own aprox 30-ish high quality shop tools and powwered hand tools and this one was/is one of my least favorites. The adjustable router base always seened flimsy to me and frequently needed tightening. The bit removal was always a dull spot with this tool.

This is a great tool for many household jobs. It's a must for sheetrock work. I use it to sharpen my mower blades without having to remove them. The see-thru grinding discs make it easy to see the material as you're working. The unit has plenty of power for most handyman projects.

Despite my new 4470 having a world of neat and nifty features and looking great, the bottom line for any jigsaw, is one that can cut straight. It is at that point, where this Skil gets off the train. It absolutely will not cut straight, with anything but the thinnest of materials. The blade immediately starts drifting off on a journey to the left. One must literally turn the entire saw to the left, about 10 degrees, to compensate and attempt a straight cut. I called Skil and on this saw, they offer a "silent" two year, no questions asked, replacement policy. What does that tell you? Do yourself a favor, skip all the Skil "bells and whistles" and low price and buy a Makita, Bosch, Porter Cable or Hitachi and save yourself a lot of aggrevation. My new Makita is on the way.

When I tried to cut a straight line I had to twist the saw 20 degrees to cut straight. I used a straight edge and the blade started flexing in towards the straight edge, making a very crooked cut. The slide was straight and I even had a friend try it, he had the same results. This is my first jigsaw purchase and I may not know alot about them, but I don't think this is how they are supposed to work.

I bought this saw for home use and had incredible difficulty cutting a straight line through 3/4" plywood (even with a fence). The saw is very light weight and seems flimsy when trying to cut. It tended to pull to one side and was hard to get a line of sight correctly. When I finally got it to cut a straight line I noticed the saw was at an angle and the base was crooked. After messing with the base to get it straight, I still had the same problem. The blower works but it all ends up in your face. Spend the extra money for a better saw!!

As others have said, it's plastic and metal. Although it works ok as a rip fence, I can't figure out how to get this thing to lie flat when trying to use it to cut circles with my Bosch 1587 jig saw. This is the only reason I purchased it...and it doesn't work.

I do not use this as rip guide but it is great for circle cutting. Hard to read scale and yes the plastic is not the best material for a guide like this,but as a circle cutter it works.

I do not understand the complaints that some other people have about this item. Sure it is not completely made of steel, but it is solidly made.

at first id say 1 in 10 screws cocked and jamed up in the mechanism, however thats only because i had no skills with it. now having gone through over 50 of the buckets of screws it happens maybe once in 1000 honest. and an added plus it fits ryobi batteries (14.4 only). however If anyone else on the job picks it up to tack something they usually wind up cursing at it and tossing it. and for full speed work just screwing behind the guys tacking you need 4 to 6 batteries
hope this helps

great gun, but required getting used to. In that I agree with the other reviews. But ... can you imagine, a craftsman actually having to learn how to use a tool!?

I am not a professional, but I found the Duraspin screw gun to be an incredible time saver. It made drywall hanging much easier and a lot faster. I hung drywall in a garage, bedroom, bath, and laundry room with the Duraspin, and it had plenty of power. The battery held up well. The second battery was always charged and ready to go, when the first battery started to lose power. The screws almost always were sunk to the correct depth (95%+). The only time I had troubles is putting a screw into the corner of a wall, and I had to go in at an angle. Sometimes I would have to follow up and sink these screws a little deeper.

I have used the screw gun on other miscellaneous non-drywall jobs too, and I have found it to be a simple, easy and fast way to sink screws into any wood job. I would highly recommend it.

Very disappointed with the product. Bottom blade clamp would not hold the blade - Delta sent a new one and it still didn't work. Returned the item and purchased a Dewalt. Well worth the extra money. No problem receiving credit from Amazon. Very pleased with other products I have purchased from Amazon.

The saw needs a better blower for the saw dust. The saw does not cut well when you turn the wood during the cut it does not always cut strait. There are much better scroll saws than delta. If you do buy a scroll saw it is much better to go to a store and try it out first then shop around!

This scroll saw came with an upper arm clamp that sat on a 5 degree angle. The mounting area for the clamp was finished off crudely on a belt sander. I also had to straighten the upper blade clamping lever. It was bent in so far that it could not clamp the blade. Even though Delta made good on this and sent a replacement arm within 5 days. This is the second Delta machine that I own. The other is the 12" diameter disk sander. I had problems with that one too. I believe that you can expect problems with Delta's made in China. They just haven't achieved good quality control as of yet.