shoptroll

Consumer safety laws are a complicated process. I'm not sure how exactly the guidelines read, but there is something about reasonable expectations of a product and costs of compliance to any safety requirements that must be considered. Most home owners with a table saw do not understand kickback, and requiring riving knives helps prevent the unexpected at very low cost. In the case of automatic blade brakes, most everyone understands that a spinning blade that is capable of cutting wood is also capable of cutting fingers equally well. Yet we all make mistakes, and must determine our own probability of benefiting from various saftey measures.

The Saw Stop is a relatively new technology, and is effectively the only one available. It is very expensive at purchase, and whenever it is triggered unnecessarily. Contractor saws are already barely managable to move around, and any added weight would be a serious setback. Someone who uses a saw very infrequently, and needs only a small cheap saw would no longer be able to find one available.

So, for now, I am opposed to the mandatory inclusion on all saws. However, if I was in the market for a new cabinet saw, I would seriously think about the safety of of a blade brake.

Joe4Liberty
wrote that gov't regulation to prevent us from needing to think (my words) is called "the tragedy of the commons". This is not quite correct. The tragedy of the commons refers to the over explotation of public resourses. The most important example to woodworkers being how lumber stocks get depleted. No lumberjack wants the tree stock decimated, but as an individual lumberjack, his job is to harvest as much as possible and make as much money as he can for his family. The solution to this problem is regulating the harvesting of the resource. One of the few places where gov't really is needed.

garrick

It's very hard these days to know where quality tools come from. For example, I bought a Bosch 36 volt set a couple years ago. The circular saw and flashlight were made in China, and the hammer drill was made in Switzerland. The flashlight and drill both had to be replaced (after the warrenty in the case of the drill... thanks Bosch), but the Chinese made circular saw is tough as nails, surviving several drops onto concrete.

There should be no reason why saving money has to mean lower quality. In fact, lower labour costs leave room for increased quality. As consumers, the best we can do is to watch for what is the best value, regardless of where the machines are made. Competition will take care of the rest.