Way back in '89 I destroyed a worm gear drive saw. I replaced it with a major brand, big discount store, consumer grade saw,,, then 2 more. Finally I realized that I had spent as much as a nice commercial grade saw would have cost, in just 4 years !! So I began studying and researching and found this saw. I never did like the way that the worm drive saw would torque to the side when I pulled the trigger. The saw wasn't hard to control after the initial start-up but that sideways jump annoyed me. So I didn't even consider another worm drive saw. This saw looked rugged enough and the base plate was precisely adjustable for paralell to the blade. I was sold. It self destructed in '04.