Rockwell BladeRunner. My thoughts.

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So a little while ago I saw ztFab post about this Rockwell BladeRunner and I looked into a bit. Seemed interesting. Basically an upside down jig saw, adjustable speed, multiple blades, included wall brackets, vacuum attachment, stainless steel top.Went to the site and decided not to drop $180 incase it sucked, but figured I would try it out for the first payment of $45 and if it sucked I would send it back. Easier to be out a small amount of money vs a large amount and have to wait for a refund.Well I was a little confused, because it was an "As seen on tv" and those products are usually all that great, but the other half of me said it had to be ok since it was Rockwell and they don't really make a bad product. So it arrives and I was playing around with it with some wood, 16g mild steel and .063 aluminum. Wood cuts like BUTTER. 16g mild steel cuts AWESOME! .063 aluminum gave me some trouble with the aluminum blade so I switched it to the steel blade which was a higher TPI count. And by trouble I mean the metal bouncing up/down. I fixed this by using a piece of wood underneath the metal. Doesn't jump around anymore. Also able to cut 6061 .100 aluminum by itself without jumping around at all. Cuts very similar to steel. The blades leave a really smooth edge, not sharp. You won't cut yourself on it (unless you have a dull blade)I've had it for a few weeks now and hooked up the vacuum attachment last night. Works pretty damn good. Not perfect, but works good. I will say you should still wear safety glasses because pieces still do fly around near your face even with the vacuum.Downsides:Only 2 downsides I have found to this machine thus far. When sliding the fence in, there is a cross section (one slide goes horizontal and one goes vertical) when the fence pushes through this X it's a little tight but the rest is fine.The other downside is when you put the fence in sideways and lock it down, it's not 100% straight. Someone had a review saying it was .025 off. Still not a huge ordeal. My problem is the fence isn't flat, it's grooved. So don't expect to cut a piece of 16gauge or .100 thick and rest it against the fence. It needs to be like 1/4" tall (my guess) or put on a piece of wood. I cut a a piece of aluminum .100 last night freehand just following a line and got it with 1/32 on each side. And I can't cut straight to save my life. Overall:Love this thing! Well worth the money and I'm going to keep it. The fact that it weighs only 17lbs and comes with a wall mount is a huge plus. Also comes with 5 blades. No I don't have to bother with converting my wood bandsaw to metal, I can just sell it as is.I recommend this to anyone, small, lightweight and pretty powerful.^^Not my pic^^Reviewshttp://www.youtube.com/results?searc...ll+bladerunnerDetailshttps://www.rockwelltools.com/us/Bla...Saw-P1564.aspxTorchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:Gamble,Thanks for the honest review. Looks like it can probably replace the bulky table saw in my garage.MillerMatic 135Handler 210 w/ DP3035 SpoolgunLincoln AC-225Primeweld TIG225xEverlast Power Arc 200Weldcraft TIG rigSmith American Classic O/AEvolution Rage 2 SawTD Cutmaster 52Miller Thunderbolt with HF Box
Reply:No problem, plus it comes with a 2 year warranty.Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:It's been about a year with this machine and here are my updated thoughts.Since buying a plasma cutter I hardly touch this thing. It's really a big pain in the *** to find the perfect blade. The ones that came with it were great, but seems everything I have tried from the local store suck. With aluminum it will gall up really quick, like after 1 or 2 cuts. The vibration sucks when cutting, you really have to put some force on it and it will still bounce out of your hands. This is with the wall mount of course. I'm thinking on the floor it had less vibrations and using a piece of thin soft wood under whatever you are cutting is almost a must. So went to use this to cut some thin acrylic for my lamp and the blade lock/release got stuck and felt all gummy. Was hard to push the button in and slide it over. I got the blade in, and made sure it was tight, started cutting and got a few inches before the blade threw itself off. (good thing for the top blade guard that I had down tight because I had a feeling it could happen)Sent an email to Rockwell and the first response I got was them telling me how to push a button and slide it over. Yep pretty sure I got that part down I replied and said I know how to use the machine and explained the problem in further detail and gave them the serial number. The money back guarantee is only for 30 days so that isn't an option. They did however not have any issues sending me out a new one and will email me a call tag to send the old one back. To recap. The saw has now gotten cheaper (I think it's $149ish now) and can also be purchased from menards. If you can find the right blade and use a piece of thin wood under it, it cuts really well. Adjustable speed is nice. Customer service and warranty seem to be pretty good so far. Will let you know when the new one arrives. All in all a good product and great customer service. Better than a good product with crap customer service.Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:Nice review! Thanks for taking time to share you experience!PlasmaCam CNC cutterLathe and Band SawClamps