[pescadero]

another thing that nobody mentioned -- storage space and workspace. one thing to consider is how much room all of these tools take up. for most of us, space is limited. as you start to accumulate tools, where to put them ends up becoming a problem. there's only so much room in a shop, and more often than not buying a new tool ends up causing a change in your shop layout. i have to admit, if i had more space i might just get a miter saw, but as it is right now i have so many tools that i have to keep many of the tools rolled off to one side of the shop to keep them out of the way.

so in terms of maximizing the utility of whatever you decide to buy, there's bang for the buck performance to be considered, and there's also bang for the floor space performance that needs to be considered!

BTW, if you look at most pro shop layouts, things tend to be centered around the table saw because its such a high utility item.

hth