Sears 21829

[MikeR]

Through 5/12 price is $399.99

[Cheeky]

Through 5/12 price is $399.99

looks like it's $359 in the cart

[sweensdv]

What's a 21829?

[LCHIEN]

What's a 21829?

The last reincarnation of the BT3x.
Sold at Sears as a Craftsman.
Has a few differences particularly the stand and Aux table but the main mechanism is all BT3.

[GrandPoobah]

out of curiosity, what is the regular price on this saw (and, if you've got the time, for that matter: what is the reg price on other craftsman saws in the BT3* fold, and/or non-craftsman saws in the same family)?


I guess the concise version of my question is: can anyone fill me in on the "state of the union" regarding the BT3* universe: major players, reg pricing, sale severity/frequency. All of this is so that I can a) determine what kind of deal this is, and b) if it's not good enough for me to jump now, what should I keep one eye peeled for going forward...

thanks for any input

[Edit: ha ha, and now having reviewed my post I see LCHIEN's comment about the BT3 FAQ... I guess I'll be PM'ing him soon ]

[sparkeyjames]

Unless you buy a used Ryobi BT* the Sears Craftsman 21829 and the 21806 are as far as I know the only available NEW BT clones out there. The 21829 is the equivelent of the bt3100 with the router kit thrown in. Also has miter slots in the router table and a miter gauge to use in them (the BT3100 does not have these). It's also mounted on a very heavy duty folding roller stand that is very similar to the Bosch gravity lift stand. Most parts are interchangeable from the BT3100 to the SC 21829.
The 21806 is the slightly less capable BT clone. The smt is not as capable as the 21829's (shorter table travel). The rails are shorter there is no router table the rip fence is cheaper and the folding cart though capable is not as nice as the one on the 21829.

The normal price of a Sears Craftsman 21829 is about 450. When it is on sale which seems to be every 3 to 4 months Sears lowers the price to 400.


I'm not really sure the 21806 qualifies as a real BT clone more of a BTS clone?? anyone?

sparkeyjames.

[LinuxRandal]

Unless you buy a used Ryobi BT* the Sears Craftsman 21829 and the 21806 are as far as I know the only available NEW BT clones out there. The 21829 is the equivelent of the bt3100 with the router kit thrown in. Also has miter slots in the router table and a miter gauge to use in them (the BT3100 does not have these). It's also mounted on a very heavy duty folding roller stand. Most parts are interchangeable from the BT3100 to the SC 21829.
The 21806 is the slightly less capable BT clone. The smt is not as capable as the 21829's (shorter table travel). The rails are shorter there is no router table the rip fence is cheaper and the folding cart though capable is not as nice as the one on the 21829.

The normal price of a Sears Craftsman 21829 is about 450. When it is on sale which seems to be every 3 to 4 months Sears lowers the price to 400.


I'm not really sure the 21806 qualifies as a real BT clone more of a BTS clone?? anyone?

sparkeyjames.

Should point out, the 21829 is the USA number Sears BT3X clone. It is a different number in Canada, and supposably (never been up there to verify, or anything else), the BT3100 is still available in Canada.

The 21806, looks like Ryobi's new BT21. Not worth it.
That said, Cummin's still has some refurbished ones, to my knowledge (BT3100 Series).

[GrandPoobah]

sparkeyjames and LinuxRandal: great info, thank you guys.

[gwyneth]

Sears math is goofy...if it's part of the 20% off when you buy 399.99 or more worth of tools, my calculator says the discounted price, from 449.99 should be $360.

Whichever, it makes me really happy because I ordered one Saturday and the owner of the local Sears dealer, who already took off 10% as a Craftsman Club discount said he'd price match if it went on sale for less.

Which it apparently did the very next day.

[ruffolojo01]

Sears model number in Canada

Hi...I have been investigating whether the Sears 21829 or Ryobi BT3100 exists in Canada, and could not find either. Then I saw a flyer in Toronto for the Sears Craftsman 27565, normally $699 and on sale for $499 CDN. As luck would have it, my son works at Sears so I was able to apply his 10% discount and got a Sears card to bring the price down below $400 CDN. At this price, I am very happy with the purchase. I compared manuals with mine and the 21829 and the wording is identical except for references to model number and strangely enough, the Canadian version has a 2 year warranty while the the 21829 has a 1 year...so bonus ! This is the only saw I know for the price that will cut through a 4x4 completely in one pass - also found a 6" stacking dado set for cheap (many saws in this price range and portability do not even support dado blades) and push sticks which are not supplied with the saw. I am about to purchase a Sears router and I still haven't found the Canadian version of the 17543 but I'm still looking - the closest I have come is the 25246 (comes with a fixed base and plunge base). Also, I saw the Shark Guard which looks interesting - anyone purchase that ?

[BizCoach]

I have the shark guard - had it for years. It's great.

[pelligrini]

Intresting about the Model numbers. Less than $400 CDN isn't a bad deal either.
I've got the 21829 and it fits my tiny shop perfectly.

The stock router fence works, but it isn't the best thing in the world. I ended up making a custom router table insert on my saw that holds a jessem router lift FX. That's about the only thing I didn't like about the saw.

The Shark Guard a really good add too. I hardly used the stock fence, as it didn't have any dust collection capabilities. Manly just left it off because it was a PIA to take off and put on. I highly reccomend the Shark.

[spykmyk]

Through 5/12 price is $399.99

Anybody else see something about $399 through 5/12?

Cheeky said it's $359 in the cart.

I tried putting it in my cart and could only get it down to $429 with the sale price and cc member discount.

I got the cc member flyer in the mail today and this saw isn't on sale next month so I guess it looks like this might be the best price for a while????

[toolbelt diva]

Anybody else see something about $399 through 5/12?

Cheeky said it's $359 in the cart.

I tried putting it in my cart and could only get it down to $429 with the sale price and cc member discount.

I got the cc member flyer in the mail today and this saw isn't on sale next month so I guess it looks like this might be the best price for a while????

That is because those sale posts were from the year 2007.

[dkerfoot]

21829 Differences

Just to add my usual correction to the ongoing "The 21829 is just a BT3100 on wheels" misconception:

The improvements include:

• The nicest folding stand I have ever used. Very stable, very easy to use. Folds down to a tiny footprint in seconds. IMO the stand is worth close to $200 alone.
• The rails are longer - about 12" longer if I recall. This makes the 21829 a bigger, yet more compact saw. I have a dual-slot miter table permanently mounted and also keep an extra BT3 accessory table with a router base attached. If you are willing to move the rails (which I do without hesitation) you can safely cross-cut very wide workpieces.
• The SMT has two locations for the fence - one in the standard position and another farther back. This is a mod many people make to their BT3s, but factory built offers some nice advantages including a 2nd 90 degree stop.
• Includes the router table kit. Over time, I have found I use this more often than my large elaborate router table. I add a piece of mdf or plywood to the "fence" brackets as a sacrificial fence, instead of their fidgety two-piece fence. Works great.
• The Accessory table is wider and has two miter slots. They can't be aligned to the blade, but are very handy for featherboards, etc.

If you have a small shop, the 21829 is a wonderful TS. I simply could not do the work I do in my shop with any other saw.