No, it's a chop saw. The general problems with chop saws still apply
- they're just not much use.
They're _great_ for shopfitting. Lots of quick crosscuts and crude butt joints in ready-finished softwood. For anything else though, they're too inflexible. You just don't need to cut all the way through narrow timber very often, and if you do, a handsaw is lighter, nearly as quick, and keeps you warmer.
If you go "up a notch"
Yes. There's no way they can be otherwise. It's for slicing up trees! What do you _think_ it's going to do to you ?
This is one good reason why I don't want you to go out and buy a table saw. You're far too likely to injure yourself with it. There are a whole load of 99 quid table saws in the big DIY sheds that I just don't think are safe for untrained new users to carry home and use, or that they're particularly safe for anyone to use.
Table saws are dangerous. To use it safely you need to know how to do so - now we're not _born_ knowing this, so we need to learn it. How ? Usenet is good, but it has limits ! Really you need to be shown by someone who does know (most users don't) and who can show you how to do this with a good saw. It's always easier to learn with good tools, then you can better appreciate what's good or bad about the cheaper ones.
There are two main risks with a table saw. One is sticking your hand in the blade. This is hard to do with modern saws, because the guards (even on cheap saws) are pretty good. Cheap modern DIY saws are often better equipped than older commercial saws.
The best remaining way to stick your hand into a blade is by putting your hand on the timber and pushing _both_ into the blade. Very common mistake, particularly when the blade is hidden halfway in the timber and not visible through the top. You avoid this by using a push stick, not your hands. I feed timber by hand, but _never_ let my hands leave the edge of the saw's table (on my saw this keeps them a safe distance from the blade, even at most stretch)
The second risk is much less obvious. It's called kickback. The saw turns into a catapult and throws the timber at you. This is too complicated to explain in text, because there are several reasons it might happen. Some of the causes are _not_ obvious and as you don't know them already (how could you ?) I'd be concerned about setting you loose armed with a saw and no knowledge. If you can find a copy, Ian Kirby's "The Accurate Table Saw" is a good book to start by reading.
In general, I wouldn't like to use a small table saw. As I posted a few days ago, I want something powerful enough to just cut the timber, not turn it into a wrestling match. Predictable power is much safer than unpredictability.
I'd rather you used it like a good amateur. "Professional" means you're getting paid for it, not that you're any good. There's a lot of dodgy stuff done on building sites and most "professionals" are working at the low end, not the high end.