I bought a saw stop couple years ago. Once I sawed into a piece 2x4 that had tinfoil stuck to it Yeah boom is best way to describe the noise and the instant blade drop. This event let me know how effective the system works. I only whined a little bit as I paid for a new cartridge to get the saw working again
I find blade slippage due to the clamps, The pegas do last longer, stay sharper longer down side is they are more brittle and if I happen to bend a blade, even slightly during hole entry Pegas will probably break prematurely.
I have a 14 inch Rikon that I bought used ,maybe six years ago,. works great although I did have an issue with throwing blades but a call to the manufacture and was given excellent instructions to trouble shoot and make adjustments
I am my greatest critic of my work. Perhaps you are as well Eplfan 2011.Looking closely I do see a bit (very minor) of waver on the bottom bough sometimes it is not our inabilities. Sometimes the blade follows a grain or soft spot in the wood