If your Grandfather is still with us you could ask him.  If not you could talk to another expert woodworker or perhaps begin a search of reviews on the Internet for best table saw manufacturers.  Sooner or later you’ll come across this answer:  there is no single best table saw.

First, you already know there are different types of table saws.  There are benchtop table saws and portable table saws and contractor table saws and cabinet table saws.  Today there is a new class of table saw – the hybrid table saw – which is a cross between a contractor saw and a cabinet table saw.  So once again, is there one best portable table saw?  Is there one best cabinet or contractor saw?  An accurate answer would again be “no, there isn’t.”  It depends on how you intend to use the saw.

Let’s use portable table saws to explain why the answer to the question of best in table saws really is:  “It depends.”  In this category most reviews cite the Bosch 4100 DG-09 as the “best” portable table saw on the market today.  But there is another portable table saw on the market that should be one of the other major contenders in this class:  the General International 50-090K M1.  These two saws illustrate the inevitable trade-off that comes in the design and construction of all table saws:  performance features versus convenience features.

Performance versus Convenience

It’s no secret that heavier table saws using more cast iron in their construction yield a better level of precision cutting due to increased stability.  It’s also no secret that induction motors are more energy efficient, last longer, and are much quieter.  The General is the only portable jobsite saw available with both a cast iron table and an induction motor.  While the Bosch has neither it only weighs around 100 pounds while the General weighs about 275 pounds.  So if performance is your most important consideration the General might be the right table saw for you.  But if convenience is your primary concern, the top ranking Bosch would be the choice for you.

In both instances you have to decide whether the trade off in one feature is enough to eliminate the saw from consideration.  A rough carpenter who can afford a little less precision cutting will usually opt for the Bosch due to its superior portability features like the gravity feed stand.  But a finish carpenter building staircases or on site cabinetry may need enough increased precision to justify the inconvenience of the General’s poorer portability.  Since there are far fewer applications requiring this kind of precision, the Bosch table saw will almost always fare better in overall comparison tests that take both convenience and performance into account

This kind of comparison between convenience features and performance features exists in all classes of table saws – even the highest end contractor saws.  If your shop is in a basement that occasionally has flooding issues, are you really going to want a saw that is so heavy it has to be disassembled to be moved?

If you will only use your table saw on weekends to rip 2 x 4’s for framing, do you really need a high performance rip fence or a sliding miter table?

Many users, both expert and hobbyist, find more uses for their saws once they have them than they envisioned before making the purchase.  Regardless of how you think you will  use the table saw, it is better to go for the “best” in that class to safeguard against future disappointment.  Check the Internet woodworking discussion forums and you’ll find many users expressing buyer’s remorse with statements like “I wish I had spent a little more for a more portable or higher performance saw.”