My husband bought me a new 16" Master Mechanic for my birthday last week and it has been a pain. First, the cam screw came flying out after about 5 minutes. Three times. I used some thread locker and it's been okay since, BUT I decided I wanted to up my skills and do some inside cuts. I bought some plain blades (the saw only came with pin ends) and thought it was going to be a breeze to install with the screw assemblies. It wasn't. First of all, the upper blade holder is nothing like the one pictured in the manual. After some thought I figured it out and guess what? The blades are too short. The original holder looks like it was attached to the bottom of the upper arm, this one is on top and looks like a sewing machine foot. I was thinking about getting an adapter, but they attach to the front and I'm undecided as to whether it would make the reach. With the bare minimum in the screw assemblies, it's about 3/8" shy of sliding in, even with the tension completely off. So, after all that I was wondering if anyone had any ideas or should I return it and look for something else?I'd appreciate any input.
Update: Got up this morning and my husband had already returned it and ordered a 16" General International to replace it. I hope this is a better one. Fingers crossed!