Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Get the next saw up in quality. In general this a decent table saw (good power, good fence system), but it has some serious usability and safety shortcomings that are fixed in the next model up (7490 DEWALT DWE7490X 10-Inch Job Site Table Saw with Scissor Stand ). I'm a diy'er with a small shop space and so this is my only table-saw; I use it for all of my projects (custom cabinets in my home, gifts for family, and minor furnishings for my boat). So I use this for everything from ripping large sheet goods to small part shaping. Issues to note: 1) The in-feed length (length of table before the blade) is only about 4.5" (3" before throat-plate). This is an extremely short amount of in-feed. It makes it hard to align parts (even with a feather-board). As you push in it is easy to malign the wood (especially as the pieces get longer) causing a little snipe or worse, kickback. The 7490 has an additional 3" of in-feed (total of about 7.5" or 6" before throat-plate) see photos, which might not sound like much, but makes a big difference. With that extra length and a feather-board, you can have your piece well aligned before it feeds into the blade. Much safer, avoids kickback!! 2) The 7480 has a "flat-track" for the miter gauge instead of the standard "T-track" (again see photos). This is a big deal. Without the T-track keeping the miter gauge in place, it can pop out if you have any pieces more than about 6" in width that you try to crosscut. It gets hairy quickly trying to partially support a wide piece, while aligning it (and with such a short in-feed). Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying you should depend on the T-track to actually support a large piece, but it is easier if your miter gauge isn't flopping out on you.. 3) The off switch, ugh. The 7480's switch pulls UP AND OUT which means to shut it off you have to push it down with your hands (see photos). The 7490 has a simple button that pushes IN to start and has a nice "knee switch" that you can bop with your knee very quickly to shut it off. You should never really need this (always plan your cuts safely and have a helper for large pieces..), but it's a good safety feature to be able to quickly shut down these powerful saws. In totality, these 3 issues are a big deal. Any single issue might not be a problem, but they all play in together to make the 7480 much harder to use. The 7490 also has the longer arbor for use with dado blades and better tool storage. It is a little bit heavier, but I appreciate the slightly larger table top. I'm glad I switched the 7490. I would not recommend the 7480 to friend. I don't know why the 7490 has a lower average review, it is the same as the 7480 but at $100 more it is much, much more useful and safer. Perhaps people expect that at $100 more it should be a perfect cabinet-grade saw (which is just unrealistic). Finally, DeWalt's rack-and-pinion fence system is a dream to use. My shop has wide temperature swings and I used to have to re-align my old table-saw's fence almost every time I used it (thermal expansion / contraction). What a pain! This DeWalt fence is rock solid! Simply love it.