Bosch 10-Inch Portable Jobsite Table Saw GTS1031 with One-Handed Carry Handle

Most of the reviews I have read here suggest a quality control issue at Bosch; that is, either the saw performed as expected, or there was some malfunction or defect that should have been corrected prior to shipping. Here's what I would say about the saw I received:1) It is a job-site saw. It has limitations. Should you look to build fine furniture with it? Nope, but I dare say that you could, if you're willing to put a lot of extra effort into your measurements between every cut, and if you don't mind some waste. But is it a good/great job-site saw, or saw for a small workshop? Absolutely! I use mine for building faith chests for our church. I work in an extremely limited space in my basement (shop is about 160 square feet) so any table saw larger than this one is out of the question. But it handles the cuts I need with plenty of power and the accuracy I need for my purposes.2) It is relatively safe. Would I love to have a SawStop? You bet, but as I just indicated, I don't have the room, and I also don't have the money to invest in one. The riving knife works well, my fence is straight, and I even keep the blade guard on most of the time.3) It seems well made. Yes, the engine is a screamer, but you should be wearing ear protection regardless, and I wish it had a soft start , but it doesn't so ... you simply get used to that. There is a lot of metal in the Bosch, and the plastic is fairly well protected by the roll cage. If you're looking for a saw that don't want to have to baby at the end of the day when you throw it in the back of your truck (I'm not a contractor, but I've seen the way their trucks look at the end of a day) this is a great candidate.4) I eventually bought the stand for the saw, and love it. There are days when I think "I need a bigger table saw, and I could probably sell this one for 80% of what I paid for it" (a great selling point) and days where I think "all I need is an outfeed table, or a Rousseau table, and I'll be fine." But the reality is, I still have a small shop, so I need something that doesn't take up much space. I keep the saw out, on the stand, and I can move the entire unit into the spot I need it to be, with very little exertion.All in all, the saw's greatest deficiency is its size. I don't rip 4x8 sheets of plywood on it; I go out in the garage with the circular saw for that. But I'll likely never have a shop begin enough to rip 4x8 sheets of plywood -- my shop, as I mentioned, is in the basement, not the garage, and I live in the upper midwest, so I don't see that ever changing (we need to have space for cars in the garage during the winter) -- so I don't need a saw that can do that. I just need a saw that cuts straight, doesn't bog down, is small, and, if need be, can travel. The GTS1031 does all of that for me. So my five star rating is based on whether the saw met my expectations. It has, in every way.

I have owned this table saw for 4-5 weeks and used it 8-10 times, and I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised by the overall quality and the ease of use. I read several reviews here and on other sites before purchasing the Bosch, and my feeling at this point that I made the right decision. It lives up to Bosch's reputation for quality in every way.I spent the first 45 minutes or so dialing in the blade and riving knife, and familiarizing myself with all of the controls and adjustments. It's easy to do, I just wanted to be cautious to make sure everything was aligned properly before making my first cuts. When I made those cuts I was pleased to find that the saw provides enough power and speed that the supplied blade cut through 3/4" birch plywood like butter and a 3" block of solid black walnut with very little effort. I would normally be a little more specific with my blade selection but I wanted to judge the performance of the supplied blade first.Since my first use I have come to appreciate the accuracy of the built-in guides - I still double check the distance from blade to fence with a square, but it's been dead on every time. The saw's dust port also makes it easy to keep it relatively clean and free from obstruction. I use a dust extractor when I'm at home, and I added the TS1004 dust collector bag for when I'm on site and it works well and is easy to clean out.Some things I like about the saw: Setup and alignment were relatively easy. The tools and accessories all stow neatly on the frame of the saw which helps it to stay compact for transport. The riving knife, barrier guard, and anti kickback device are easy to attach and work properly. I've seen a lot of flimsy, poorly conceived safety devices, which defeats the purpose, but Bosch got it right.Some things that leave room for improvement: The miter guide is pretty much junk - spend a little money and get something better if that's something you are going to use a lot. Within a few uses of the saw I ended up with a lot of sawdust adhered to the grease on the blade height adjustment gears making it a little rough. It still works fine, just not a smoothly as I would prefer.I'm very satisfied with the performance and build quality. I'm looking forward to seeing how this saw holds up under long term use.