Been away too long!

[doodle1]

Hello Everyone,
I have been MIA for a while on this site now but been lurking on and off. My saw, a craftsman, was giving me a hard time for a while and I haven't been able to cut much. Well, the other day I got the bug to cut a pattern, glued it up to the wood, cut all the entry holes, turned on my saw and nothing happened. Only the light worked. So, I took it all apart, cleaned it up and tried again....Nothing....so now the search is on for a new saw, not going to mess with this one anymore....every time I take it apart I end up with extra parts somehow and this is the final straw. Any suggestions as to what I should go with now? I am leaning towards a Dewalt 788 but should I just splurge and go with an Excalibur? I only do projects for birthdays and holidays so not lots of use, but when I want to use it I want it to be reliable and efficient. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

[Wood Dog]

Both or your choices are good saws, its just a matter of how deep are your pockets?
BTW........nice to see you back.

[wood-n-things]

Nice to have you back. I agree it all depends on how much you want to spend. I finally got the ex 21 and my 788 quickly became my backup saw. The ex is worth every penny.

[doodle1]

There is an ex 16 at a local store for $589 is that a good price or should I try and get a 21 for a bit more?

[hotshot]

Sherri, I'm sure most here are going to recommend the 21 over the 16. I myself have the 21, but seldom cut anything that wouldn't be possible on the 16. Having those extra inches is nice should you ever need it, but you are the only one that knows what kind of cutting you are likely to do.

-------Randy