Shop Fox W1875-2 HP Benchtop Table Saw with Stand, W1875

I've had this saw for a little over a week now and though I don't typically write reviews, I wanted to balance the negative opinions I've seen. For perspective, I'm using this saw in a one-person woodworking business. I make smaller home decor items, as well as cabinets and furniture. I am also using this saw during our home renovation. I do not and likely will not take this saw to any job sites, and will absolutely upgrade to a larger cabinet saw when space and budget permit. In the meantime, the Shop Fox suits my demands well. First, my rating rationale. I give the Shop Fox 5 stars for the category: jobsite table saws. Comparing this to a larger cabinet or hybrid saw from SF or Grizzly would be useless. As an owner and user of a variety of jobsite saws from the cheapest big box store brands like Ryobi, to contractor standards like Dewalt, I think I have the perspective necessary to accurately assess the quality of the Shop Fox. I've used these smaller saws (and best-in-class cabinet saws) for both jobsite carpentry and finish work, home remodeling, and professional woodworking. Most of the drawbacks of comparable saws are evident here. The Shop Fox is no better or worse when it comes to the quality of materials, the sturdiness and security of the stand, the weight (nearly identical to the Skil jobsite saw), or the noise level. It's true that the base/shroud at first glance appears less solid than comparable saws, but this is due primarily to Shop Fox's decision to include a complete enclosure, rather than take the route of others like Skil and Dewalt which opt for a "roll cage"- style base. To be a bit critical, the Shop Fox brand colors aren't doing this plastic enclosure any favors. Dewalt has the advantage of looking like a professional contractor tool, Grizzly's green is iconic and signals expert-level shop tools, but the cream color used here doesn't carry quite the same impact in plastic as it does in glossy metal. Despite this, the plastic base is quite sturdy. Any weak points in stability are found below in the rolling stand - more on that later. The Shop Fox does beat comparable saws (even Grizzly) when it comes to a few features. The table itself is pleasantly large. When working with smaller saws like this, every inch really does make a difference. The extra real estate means larger sleds and jigs can be used, larger material can be worked, and safety is improved as the workpiece has more support on infeed and outfeed. The additional rip capacity is great for folks without a track saw to break down sheet goods. Other improvements include the blade angle lock lever which pivots outward instead of up, which saves my knuckles from rapping against the bottom of the table, and the detents which give a satisfying click at every 15 degrees of angle adjustment. Tuning the saw is exceptionally easy. Blade adjustments are made from a bolt which sits below the throat plate, instead of below the table, and the positive stops to true up angle adjustments are easily accessed. Fence adjustments are made from the top, which is typical. Only slight tuning was necessary out of the box. In all it took maybe ten minutes to dial in accuracy. I experienced problems initially with the movement of the fence across it's rails. This could have been a deal breaker, but after a thorough cleaning with mineral spirits of both the rails and the fence parts, it moved freely, and the application of a little paste wax made it even better. I've always been a fan of rack and pinion fences (found on Grizzly, Dewalt, and Skil saws) because they are almost always an improvement on jobsite saw fences. The only problem is that r&p fences have a low ceiling of smoothness. Cheaper parts mean small adjustments are difficult, and the gear mechanisms don't lubricate well. The Shop Fox beats the rack and pinion fences by foregoing the feature entirely in favor of simplicity. The rails are incredibly easy to clean and wax, and the fence has a precision adjustment wheel situated exactly where your palm rests, making it easy to dial in your rip width without the "tap tap tappy" move we're all used to. The blade height adjustment locks and unlocks with a dial - something I'm not used to and which I'm ambivalent about. While I figure this feature saves me from accidental height changes, I question why and whether it's necessary. The crank to raise the blade is comfortably sized and operates smoothly. Below the throat plate, the riving knife release and access to the arbor for blade changes are both standard and functional. The guard installation and removal are quite nice, though I've never found either operation to be particularly painful on any saw. As with every other jobsite saw, I would love to see dust collection above the guard. The throat plate isn't anything to write home about. I find it to be of lower quality than the cheaper Skil plate, but I always build my own zero-clearance throat plates as part of setting up a saw. I'm quite pleased that Shop Fox included a dado plate with the saw. While it's not hard to make your own, it's nice to have it on hand. As with nearly every saw in this class, the table dips a bit around the throat. This is where we begin to encounter the tradeoffs in accuracy. Used for home renovation, job site work, or simple crafts, this wouldn't matter much. For those of us trying to make more accurate cuts with a limited budget, we should be building supplemental fences, sleds, and jigs. Despite this minor flaw, I find the Shop Fox table to be overall flatter than the Ryobi, Skil, or Rigid. Power-wise, this saw has plenty and it sounds like it. I think the Skil might be louder, the Dewalt is definitely quieter, but I don't know why you wouldn't be wearing ear-protection anyway. I'm always amazed at folks who treat PPE as something to be avoided unless forced to. I value my eyes, ears, and respiratory system too much to turn on any saw without proper gear. The worst part of the package is the stand. It's not that it's bad, it is in fact quite good if you need to stow the saw for travel or because you're sharing space in your garage. It's easy to level and it rolls very well. Moving the saw around is a lot easier than picking up the Ryobi or Skil, and the Dewalt stand adds something like $150 dollars to its overall price. These stands are contentious. Many contractors would prefer to work off the ground or a truck bed instead of trying to level out stands on job sites. It is inherently a wobbly situation. In a stationary woodshop, the craftsperson would be well advised to build a workstation with outfeed table. That said, the stand beats out other saws with built in, non-folding/rolling stands. The assembly instructions could be more clear, or even better, a QR code for an assembly video could have been included. I give the Shop Fox 5 stars, not because it is perfect, but because it excels in its class. Now that I've had a week of full-time work with it, I can confidently say that it will stay in my shop until I can upgrade to a Grizzly or SawStop cabinet saw. This saw arrived in the middle of a desk build and I ended up redoing much of my work simply because the Shop Fox provided greater accuracy and a cleaner cut (using Diablo and CMT blades). I'm excited to build a workbench enclosure and my usual collection of sleds and jigs. I can confidently recommend you purchase this tool if you're considering a jobsite saw.

I bought this saw approximately one year ago when it was 50% off. The second I pulled it out of the box I realized I should have saved my money and purchased something better. For a homeowner or a framing carpenter this saw would work fine but for cabinet work and finish carpentry the saw does not make the cut. The cheap plastic makes the saw too light and the saw will walk around when cutting large material. All of the dials to adjust the blade height and tilt are made of plastic and the table insert, also plastic, has a lot of flex. In my opinion this is is very dangerous when pressing down on your material or ripping thin stock. My insert actually cracked from the flex and I still have not found a replacement that will work. I have used many table saws and I have developed a certain level of confidence in the reliability of the saw while using them, but for this saw my level of confidence is way down and my awareness is heightened.

I just started using this yesterday and am very disappointed. Cheap plastic. VERY LOUD motor. Not even close to the quality products I’ve received before from Grizzly. It will marginally get the job done. Looks very light duty to me.

This has to be one of the worst tool purchases I have ever made. This saw is the cheapest most poorly built saws I have ever seen. From the 27 gauge tubing that distorts when the fasteners are tightened to plastic crank that raises the blade and feels like it could fall of at any time. I plugged in the unit and turned it on to discover ear plugs are not an option. Lear from my mistake DO NOT BUY THIS SAW!!!!