Saw choice

[dpb]

... Ok; my only defense is that part of "other things" and "equal" didn't seem to ring out as a qualifier that would catch to a novice who's at the point of asking to choose amongst three disparate tools at a sale price... :)

_IF_ (the proverbial "big if") OP were still lurking around, figured it couldn't hurt to point out there was too little info about what, specifically, was in the mix to say anything at all other than generalities of what one is good for as opposed to another but that one could be a much better tool than either of the other two...anyway, doubt any of it really made much of an impact as OP never responded (which, of course, isn't unusual).

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[J. Clarke]

In what way is it dangerous? The worst that it can do is sling the board back in the direction it came with very limited lift , and it is far more likely to just jam up and stall the saw. Even that is only going to happen if you screw up badly in setting it up.

I find it inconvenient since it means moving the work across the saw from side to side, but I've never felt like I was in any danger from it.

[J. Clarke]

The problem is the "all else being equal". A 700 buck miter saw is a top of the line tool from Bosch or Milwaukee or one of the Japanese manufacturers. A 700 buck RAS is an entry level Craftsman. It's possible to do good work on that Craftsman but you have to keep an eye on it to make sure that it hasn't shifted on you, and for the cuts that both will do the miter saw is going to usually be the more convenient tool.