SawStop Compact Table Saw (CTS-120A60)Serious Hobbyist

This is for the woodworker who puts safety first and wants the flesh-sensing brake in the smallest, most affordable SawStop. It suits a tight shop or anyone who carries the saw between a garage and a job, since it weighs under 70 pounds but still swings a full 10-inch blade. Parents teaching kids, or anyone who has had a close call, gravitate to this one.

• The safety brake stops the blade on skin contact and is the whole reason people choose it
• The rack-and-pinion fence squares up easily and holds its setting
• Light enough to carry by the handle yet cuts a full 3-1/8 inches deep
• Build quality and finish feel a cut above most portable saws

• It will not run a dado stack, so grooves and rabbets take another method
• The 2-1/2 inch dust port and collection are only so-so
• The direct-drive motor is louder and buzzier than a belt-driven saw
• You pay extra for the safety tech, and a brake trip means buying a new cartridge and usually a new blade

Takes standard 10-inch blades but no dado sets, since the compact drivetrain cannot handle them. A folding stand and zero-clearance inserts are available from SawStop, and a shop vac on the 2-1/2 inch port improves cleanup. If dado capability matters, SawStop points buyers to its larger Jobsite Saw Pro instead.