Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I really hate to give negative reviews because I normally take exception to an odd case that a product slipped through their QA and ended up in the hands of a buyer. If the buyer is clueless of the abnormal problem and uses it anyway, it probably won't result in any unsafe condition but it will definitely affect the performance of the product to be able to do its job in a satisfactory manner. This saw is very well designed, with quality parts throughout. Everything fits perfectly and all the controls and switches are of high quality. However its is the rack & pinion fence that is so ingeniously designed that lured me into buying one. There are problems though. The deck (table top) of a table saw has to be flat. This saw is NOT and after trying to search for one with a flat deck, it is just impossible. I was really excited when I got one home. After spending a morning assembling it, I started the task of fine-tuning the saw.. First thing I did was try to align the blade "square" with the table. That was when the problem started. After aligning the square on the right hand side of the blade, the left becomes 1 degree off. Then trying to adjust the left hand side, the right side becomes 1 degree off. Then I use a straight long edge and sure enough there was quite a bit of dip right in the center where the throat plate is. It wouldn't be so bad if the table top warps on the side, but right at the center where the throat plate is, is just about the worst place to have a surface that is not flat. The warp table deck makes it impossible to adjust the blade to 90 degrees square with the deck. I'm not talking about 1/1000 " of difference, but rather 1/16" dip. This is a job-site saw and I expect the lower tolerance. However, the flat deck is the number 1 criteria of a table saw regardless whether it is a job-site saw or a cabinet saw. A warped deck will make any cut out of square and the bigger the piece of lumber, the more important the squareness becomes obvious. I was really scratching my head here because based on other reviews posted a couple of years ago, the problem was well documented and all along, this hasn't been corrected. I bought the saw thinking obviously the problem has since been corrected and I was wrong. My saw has a serial number that was manufactured in 2016 and based on other reviews a few years ago, the warp deck has already given grief to quite a few owners. As well thought out and designed this saw is, and the high quality of the components used, how in the world could it come with a warped deck. The deck is made of cast aluminum. Either the thermal expansion and the control process were inadequate when they poured the molten aluminum during casting, or they didn't even bother to machine the tabletop to ensure flatness. In fact, based on deck surface, there were signs of rough machining, but barely enough to take out the warpage. I paid close to $600 for this saw and expect the deck to be at least be true and flat, not like a taco that warps between the left, center and right of the deck. After wasting time and money, other than returning it I just can't see any option of tweeking or fine-tuning it. After several years of reporting this problem, the problem still exists and based on history, they never corrected this flaw. Update on 8/6/2016. I at first thought the warp table on my saw is a fluke and ended up in my hands. However, after exchanging 3 Dewalt table saws (in 3 different locations, separated by different counties here in the bay area), the third one is going back as well. Either the positive reviewers here are unaware of this problem, or I'm the unluckiest person to experience such a flaw on all 3 saws. Dewalt can't blame me for not trying and giving the benefit of doubt by taking to the task of going through 3 saws and they are all blatantly having a table top that is warped like a taco. It was a lengthy laborious task to haul it from the store to home, set it up, fine-tuning it, discovering the same issue of the warp deck, disassembling them, pack it back into the box, load it up onto the pickup, hauling it back to the store, go to another location, get another one.........and repeat the entire ordeal 3 times in a roll. The final conclusion is that IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO GET A DEWALT TABLE SAW (this model at least) WITH A FLAT TABLE TOP. It seems you would have a better chance getting a flat tabletop saw at Harbor Freight than trying to find a Dewalt with a flat table. A lot of reviewers here reported a warped deck. This problem is very true. A table saw with a warped deck is as good as a car that couldn't be driven straight. Why do we use planers and jointers to flattening warp boards and then trying to feed it through a table saw with a warp deck. Update : 8/20/2006 I figured that I would give Dewalt one last chance and order another one. This time I got it from Amazon. Fourth time is a charm I guess. Due to past bad experience, I examined the table top first before continuing to assemble it. While the table is still not entirely flat, but at least it is not at the center where the throat plate is. I figured I can live with it and continue assembling the rolling stand and encountered another problem. A bag of bolts and the plastic handles are missing. Called Dewalt and they are quite nice in shipping the parts to me asap. The bolts and handle arrived a few days later and I started putting it together. This table saw required quite a bit of fine-tuning. The 90 degrees bevel was off, which was easily corrected. The saw blade was not parallel to the miter slot after measuring it with a jig that I build with a dial indicator. The fence was not parallel to the blade or the miter slot also. The riving knife was not in-line with the blade. It took me an entire morning to get it dialed in. Then I started testing it with some scrap lumber. I couldn't make a straight cut. I checked and re-checked everything to find out where the problem was and was getting quite frustrated. I finally found out the problem was the fence. There is a bow on the fence and and that explained why I was not getting a straight cut. I called Dewalt again and talked to a nice lady. I explained what I went through in trying to get a good table saw and because of the bowed fence, I'm afraid that she might ask me to return the whole thing again. To my surprise she looked up my record and found the the history of the missing bolts and told me to hold while she check to see if there was a fence in stock. Came back in about 30 seconds and told me it will be shipped out to me asap. She also told me that there is no need to return the bad fence. I must say Dewalt's customer support deserve credit for stepping up to the plate. I'll give further updates after receiving the new fence to see how things are working out. At this point, my review is that the table saw is very well designed. The rack and pinion fence is a killer feature. The components used are of good quality. What is missing is the quality control. I've exchanged a few saws before I ended up having an acceptable and functional one. It is very frustrating finding out that the table is warped after all that working assembling it and then have to take it apart to ship it back. It is not acceptable, especially a warped table that has been reported more than a few instances and all this time it still hasn't been corrected.