Bosch to Compete Against Saw Stop

[AlexThePalex]

Bosch annual turnover is somewhere around $50 billion. They must have some dough in an old sock lying around somewhere for a lawyer or two.

I find this very good news. It is ridiculous that such important technology would be limited to one company who chooses to have very limited market penetration. For instance, SawStop doesn't even sell in Europe.   

 

[wow]

I think this is GREAT NEWS. Bosch certainly has the credentials to pull this off, and I like their technology MUCH better than what is on the Saw Stop. The thought that you could have the safety mechanism activate without costing $60 every time AND without wrecking the blade is HUGE!

Thinking about the blade brake after activation made me smile, as I just put new brake rotors on Mrs. WOW's truck over the weekend. I bought the best ones I could find...and they were made by Bosch!

[thumbs up]

 

[Frank Byers]

How about a video link...nothing online yet??

 

[grbmds]

Glad to see competition for the Sawstop job site saw. However, Bosch would have a long way to go to get into the cabinet saw market. I'm always for competition. However, the fact that the blade is destroyed when the Sawstop brake is tripped isn't a big deal for me. The goal is not to trip it ever. Repetitive trips of the blade brake would be a red flag for me on my technique or, for a contractor, the people who use it. I can tell you that one close call touching the blade whether it's gone in an instant or not would be enough to make be even more careful than I already am. Maybe it's a good thing the blade is destroyed as a lesson. If you never touch the blade you most likely won't have to replace the blade or the brake cartridge in a regular shop environment.

 

[thedude306]

Glad to see competition for the Sawstop job site saw. However, Bosch would have a long way to go to get into the cabinet saw market.

My bet is Bosch markets/licenses it to the cabinet saw maker and keeps it in their own job site saws. (not a lot of crossover on cabinet saw manufactures and job site manufactures)    At least that would make sense to me. 

 

[Cheese]

Glad to see competition for the Sawstop job site saw. However, Bosch would have a long way to go to get into the cabinet saw market.

My bet is Bosch markets/licenses it to the cabinet saw maker and keeps it in their own job site saws. (not a lot of crossover on cabinet saw manufactures and job site manufactures)    At least that would make sense to me. 

I agree 100%. I don't know of any large shop or machine tool that Bosch manufactures. Actually their job-site saw is probably the largest tool they do manufacture. And breaking into the large cabinet saw market would be  stretch.

 

[jeh]

Competition is always good, so long as it does not kill SawStop. Other manufacturers of tablesaws will probably follow behind Bosch just to avoid lawsuits. This may also lead to elimination of the sale of cheap tablesaws (sub $200) that are dangerous no matter how you use them. I have the SawStop Professional saw, which I bought immediately after seeing one at a trade show. It replaced a Delta Cabinet saw. I wanted the extra safety and build quality of the SawStop was equal to that of the Delta.

I also have the Bosch 4100 and a smaller DeWalt. Both are nice saws with the Dewalt having a exceptionally nice geared fence. The 4100 is nice to, but the build quality pales in comparison to any of the SawStop models.

The odd thing about Bosch is that they make a lot of great tools (along with a gazillion other items) and coordinating accessories (not a system like Festool has though). Lots of them don't make it to the US. With their bankroll they could cut into Festools market in short order, but they will be up against price point issues. They can't get Festool prices while slumming it at Lowe's and Home Depot with cheap tools. Festool is like Apple...they won't sell cheap stuff because there is no margin on it and once you target the bottom there is no way out. Best approach might be a new tool line that would be premium.

 

[sae]

Competition is always good, so long as it does kill SawStop.

Freudian slip?  [laughing]

It would be amusing to see Bosch pull the plug on supplying Sawstop their portable saw for retrofit.

 

[Frank Pellow]

Competition is always good, so long as it does kill SawStop.
...

Do you mean does or does not?  I know there are a lot of folks out there who do not like the way that SawStop has gone about their business but you don't sound like you are one of them.

 

[Birdhunter]

Slumming it at Home Depot? I guess I am a slum customer as I like to shop at Home Depot. Lots of nice peple work there. I'd like to see Festool sold at Home Depot. Both Home Depot and Festool are great brands. I own just about every tool sold by Festool in NA. I also own DeWalt and Bosch tools mostly bought at Home Depot at great prices. Good tools, good people, good store.

 

[thedude306]

Competition is always good, so long as it does kill SawStop. Other manufacturers of tablesaws will probably follow behind Bosch just to avoid lawsuits. This may also lead to elimination of the sale of cheap tablesaws (sub $200) that are dangerous no matter how you use them. I have the SawStop Professional saw, which I bought immediately after seeing one at a trade show. It replaced a Delta Cabinet saw. I wanted the extra safety and build quality of the SawStop was equal to that of the Delta.

I also have the Bosch 4100 and a smaller DeWalt. Both are nice saws with the Dewalt having a exceptionally nice geared fence. The 4100 is nice to, but the build quality pales in comparison to any of the SawStop models.

The odd thing about Bosch is that they make a lot of great tools (along with a gazillion other items) and coordinating accessories (not a system like Festool has though). Lots of them don't make it to the US. With their bankroll they could cut into Festools market in short order, but they will be up against price point issues. They can't get Festool prices while slumming it at Lowe's and Home Depot with cheap tools. Festool is like Apple...they won't sell cheap stuff because there is no margin on it and once you target the bottom there is no way out. Best approach might be a new tool line that would be premium.

I don't know where to start with this post.

I keep hearing about this festool system.  Is that all the systainers I had??  It's OK but Bosch makes a better L-boxx IMO.

How do you compare a saw stop cabinet saw to a $400 job site saw in the 4100??  Not a fair comparison. 

Festool is like Apple??  That explains a lot.  I'm an apple fan for their system as well...  Too bad it's a brutal system (but I still use it)

Slumming it at the Depot....  I don't even know what to say on that one.  if we all want to whip out tools and compare, I am sure that some of us have things that make the green look like you are slumming it, but I digress.

Best tool for the job at hand.  No matter the brand or where you can purchase it from. 

 

[Frank Pellow]

...

How do you compare a saw stop cabinet saw to a $400 job site saw in the 4100??  Not a fair comparison. 
...

I, for one, am not even attempting to make that comparison.  I expect that the only place that SawStop and Bosch products will compete directly is with their job-site saws.

The comparison that I am making and that most people are making is on the technology to stop the saw.  From the little bit that I know about the Bosch technology at this point, my expectation (and hope) is that the Bosch technology is better.  I also hope that they licence that technology  to manufacturers of higher end table saws.

 

[GregBradley]

A good outcome of this would be to destroy the criminals behind Sawstop. Better would be to find them guilty of a criminal conspiracy and get them in jail where he/they belong.

 

[Frank Pellow]

A good outcome of this would be to destroy the criminals behind Sawstop. Better would be to find them guilty of a criminal conspiracy and get them in jail where he/they belong.

Greg, I guess you are one of the folks I mentioned who are not big fans of SawStop.  [scratch chin] 

 

[SittingElf]

To chime in on this announcement....and with a disclaimer that I am an avid SawStop fan....I think this is a great advance.  The TS companies have tried a number of so-called safety features to compete against SawStop, without having to pay royalties to SS.  Most have been marginal at best, or outright failures.

Now Bosch has come out with yet another system that is not in violation of SS patents. Good!

That being said however, from what I can read so far, Bosch is relying on their airbag technology for dropping the blade. I think I can rightly assume that the speed of the blade drop via Bosch's technique simply cannot be as microsecond fast as the explosive squib mechanism on the SS.  Saving the blade or not, I think most SS owners are not looking at cost savings vs. hospital bills.

I will be more convinced when the two systems are compared side by side with the hot dog tests at an average cut speed. If Bosch can match the speed of activation, fit and finish, accuracy, and nothing more than a bandaid needed for injury in the event of a finger contact with the blade, then, and only then will it be a true competitor of SS.

Cheers,

Frank

 

[SittingElf]

A good outcome of this would be to destroy the criminals behind Sawstop. Better would be to find them guilty of a criminal conspiracy and get them in jail where he/they belong.

That's rather inflammatory, and could be considered defamation. The statement has no basis in fact and seems more like trolling.

F

 

[jonny round boy]

That being said however, from what I can read so far, Bosch is relying on their airbag technology for dropping the blade. I think I can rightly assume that the speed of the blade drop via Bosch's technique simply cannot be as microsecond fast as the explosive squib mechanism on the SS.

Frank,

That's precisely how airbags work, it's an explosive charge. The rapidly expanding gas created by the explosion is what fills the bag.

 

[peter halle]

It appears that once again a Sawstop thread is bringing out strong opinions from posters. 

Please read what you write before you hit the post button.  If you are unsure how you comments will be taken or are posting just to create a buzz - don't post.

Thank you in advance.

Peter Halle - Moderator

 

[bruegf]

A good outcome of this would be to destroy the criminals behind Sawstop. Better would be to find them guilty of a criminal conspiracy and get them in jail where he/they belong.

Whether you like SS or not, the fact of the matter is all the major mfg's dismissed the technology for various reasons, which is why SS was started.  I'm convinced that you wouldn't be seeing the Bosch technology if it wasn't for SS bringing it to market first.  Another win for competition and free market, when not hindered by narrow minds.

Fred

 

[jeh]

Competition is always good, so long as it does kill SawStop.
...

Do you mean does or does not?  I know there are a lot of folks out there who do not like the way that SawStop has gone about their business but you don't sound like you are one of them.

Fixed it.