Greg Kimnach wrote:

one of the best additions to my shop was the festool ts55eq. expensive,
but worth it.

take a look at:
http://www.festoolusa.com/ProductDet...&prodid=561174


Yup, Festool seems to be starting with a fresh piece of paper when
the design their versions of common handheld woodworking power
tools. Their plunge circular saw is a great example of what the
results of their approach produces - including variable speed.

The only other power tool brand that has done anything inovative
that I can think of is Dewalt with their DW621 plunge routers.
OK, so the sliding compound miter saw is another example- but
PowerMatic trumpeting their "inovation" of adding wheels to
a cabinet saw - well - DUH! My Robland X31 combi - which weighs
in at around 1,100 pounds - has a mobility kit as an option that
most buyers opt for. Most "euro" machines have a mobility kit
option - my LT16SEC bandsaw - which is "only" 385 pounds can
be moved around pretty easily when I need a longer infeed
outfeed alley. Otherwise, it's against the wall next to the
SCMS station.

I like to have options - and I'll pay more for them - if they
seem useful. Variable speed circular saws seem a useful
thing to have - when it comes to things to cut, one size
(fixed rpm, vary the number and type of teeth) does not
fit all cutting needs.

charlie b
tool phreak