OK, where was this going?
Should anyone ever ask me what the definition of tangent is I might consider pointing them to this thread!
First point to get out of the way, I don't eat salsa (or nearly any Mexican food) at all. Mexican food and I always seem to have a.....uh....shall we say "short term" relationship.
I'm one of those that the major tool companies really dislike as I tend to have no brand loyalty what-so-ever. (Sorry Steve, this also tends to spill over into my automobile buying). Were you to tour my shop you would find PC, Delta, Jet, Rikon, DeWalt, Craftsman, HF, Hitachi, DeVilbiss, Hegner, Ryobi, Makita, Milwaukee, Kenmore (an important tool that serves as the repository for a large and varied selection of cold beverages
), and probably a few others that I can't remember. I try to always buy the best I can afford at the time that (and here's the definitive point) best suits my needs and skills.
Some of my tools are near-pro level (Jet Cabinet saw, Hegner scrollsaw), but most are consumer/hobbyist level because I just can't justify something more expensive. (My TS budget was $800 and I came very close to buying a Delta contractor saw but stumbled upon the 1 year old Jet at an auction. A little overkill, perhaps, but too good a deal to pass up.)
If I am very fortunate I get to spend about 10 - 12 hours a week in the shop. Things like my Rikon BS is all the saw I need and then some. It's now about 16 months old and probably has less than 100 hours use. It will serve me for many years at that rate. If I were running a full time shop I certainly would have looked at MM and a few others at that level.
I strongly believe that your needs should have more to do with determining the tool you buy than brand loyalty.
So, Allen et. al., If you ever sense that I am leaning toward being a brand zealot please please please call me on it and slap some sense into me.
I, too, am a veteran of other forums where such behavior is tolerated and I have stopped visiting those sites. My time's too valuable.
Now, where did I put my chips?