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Ryobi 10” Portable Table Saw with Quick Stand RTS21G Review

Ryobi 10” Portable Table Saw with Quick Stand RTS21G

Manufacturer: Ryobi
Model number: RTS21G
Price: $199
Power source: Electric 110v
Motor size: 15 amp / 5000 RPM
Weight: 50.9 lbs

Trying to fit a Miter Saw with stand, Table Saw, saw horses, bags of tools, supplies etc in a small compact car is like trying to put a square peg into a round hole. It is very challenging! The designers at Ryobi have made things a lot easier for one rather bulky tool. The Ryobi RTS21G 10” Portable Table Saw with Quick Stand is designed to come off the quick stand and fold up for much easier storage. Having all the accessories and quick stand secure right to the saw, creates more room for other bulkier tools.

Initial Impression

When the RTS21G arrived my first impression was, “oh man another large, bulky tool that I have no room for!” Well I was wrong. When I took all the parts out of the box, there was more Styrofoam then I expected. It was packaged well and secured tightly in the box. The Operator’s manual was easy to understand and I was able to set up in a very short amount of time.

Once I assembled the stand and added the pieces to the saw, I was simply amazed at how easy it was to put the saw on the base. There are 4 knobs located at the bottom of the saw and each knob is a half turn to tighten it the base. Super simple to secure, even in the cold weather with gloves on.

Another thing that impressed me greatly was how just about every accessory has a place for storage right on the saw. The miter gauge, rip fence, push stick and the wrenches all secured directly on the saw. They fit snug and it takes some effort to take them off. This also is great for transportation, as important pieces of equipment do not go missing. There is nothing more frustrating than losing something you know was originally there, especially in the time of need. I do however wish Ryobi designed a place to store the blade guide and the anti-kickback pawls.

Testing

Bevel Test

One of the things I wanted to test on this saw was its accuracy. Making sure that when the dialed in at 0 degree, you are cutting at a precise 90 degree angle. Also when making cuts at the 45 degree bevel, you are making a perfect 45 degree cut. Sounds simple enough, but just as trim work, your cuts need to be exact. One or two degrees off usually means wasted money and time. Both cuts, 90 and 45 with the bevel indicator, were exact.

Safety Test

After some figuring out on installation, the blade guard and anti-kickback pawls worked without any issue. Having both the blade guard and anti-kickback pawls are pretty much standard on all table saws, but reassures you that there is safety measures in place. Only safety measure I wish the folks at Ryobi had included was the power loss reset feature. There is nothing more dangerous than the saw turning back on when you are not around, or something was accidentally placed on top of it, and the power is restored to the house or job-site.
The Riving Knife is another great feature that comes with this saw. As wood is ripped, but before the two pieces are completely separated, pre-existing stresses in the wood are released. The partially cut board may move or twist and the two separate halves of the cut press together and jam around the saw blade. The riving knife prevents such incidents and protects the user from severe injuries do to kick backs.

Cutting Test

I made several various cuts on the RTS21G. I ripped pieces of ¾” plywood, 2”x4”’s and even ripped a 2”x4” down the middle… All these cuts were made with ease. When cutting the plywood I had the sliding table assembly all the way open to 27”. Another great feature was the out feed support that slides out to provide stability to your longer rips.
I set up the 45deg bevel and made 4 equal cuts and fastened them together to form a box. All corners for perfect 90’s. This saw runs on a 15 amp motor and spins at 5000 rpms which breezes through cut.

Overall Impression

The RTS21G Table Saw with Quick Stand has many great attributes to it. More than I have included in this review. The sleek, compact design of this table saw, along with the storage features it has makes it a no brainer for any handyman, DIY’er or professional contactor for that matter to have. This saw allows the end user to focus more on the task at hand instead for worrying how they are going to fit all their equipment in their little compact car with 2 car seats in the back!

So back to my first question, what is one thing most professional contractors, handyman or Do-It-Yourselfers could use more of? More money? This saw is respectfully priced out at 199.00$. More Time? This saw sets up and breaks down in lightning speed. Storage Space? The storage space this saw saves will allow more room for greater, dependable tools from Ryobi.

Specifications:

• Amperage: 15 amps
• Blade diameter: 10”
• Blade speed: 5000 RPM
• Cord Length: 6’
• Weight: 51.0 lbs
• Table Length: 34”
• Maximum cut depth @ 45 degrees: 2.25”
• Maximum cut depth at 90 degrees: 3.25”

8 Comments

1. J. R. Nelson

   March 26, 2015 at 6:26 pm

   Thanks for a clear concise review that covers all the pertinent points. Would have liked a picture of the plywood rip. Sure helps me with my choice. Thanks again.

   Reply
2. Elaine

   March 16, 2016 at 10:05 pm

   Thanks great review

   Reply
3. David Alan

   October 11, 2017 at 12:42 am

   Hello Scott:

   Nice review. I just bought this saw. It looks promising, but I discovered a pretty big flaw / issue:

   The slots for the Mitre Gauge attachment are sloppy loose, and this attachment doesn’t become firmly oriented to the table until quite close to the front edge of blade.

   Net effect: I can’t get the laminate flooring I’m needing to crosscut to feed straight to the blade.

   I went back to the store to get a higher quality Mitre Gauge – Lowe’s didnt carry any by themselves(their saws on display all had them as part of the tool).

   But I discovered that Ryobi uses a ‘special’ standard that is non-standard. Every table saw at Lowes had a ‘normal’ dimension 3/8″ deep by 3/4″ wide dual slot & matching Mitre Gauge. Most were very precise. The Delta was impressively precise, even with just once inch of the gauge inserted.

   So, the Ryobi has a sloppy attachment and due to their ‘unique’ non-standard slot dimensions, no one offers a more precise alternative !

   I’m either going to have to get super creative here – or – more likely – return this otherwise well designed & promising saw.

   And I’m a huge Ryobi guy – I have nearly all of their 18v Tools !

   David in East Texas

   Reply
   1. Todd Fratzel

      October 11, 2017 at 6:23 am

      David – We see this occasionally with some tools, especially tile saws. One trick that may work is using some tape on the side of the slide rail of the miter gauge. Just a little to tighten up the slide and keep it from moving side to side. It seems that “cross cutting” becomes and after thought for some designers as the primary function is ripping. For laminate flooring, I’d cross cut that with a miter saw.

      Reply
      1. David Alan

         January 29, 2018 at 4:56 pm

         todd: Thanks fot the ‘tape tip’ I dont have the saw anymore but good idea it prob would have helped tighen the gap up a bit.

         Reply
4. Lee Fowble

   January 27, 2018 at 11:09 pm

   To most of us cross-cuts are just as critical as accurate rip-cuts. On all the table saws I’ve had over the years both the factory miter gauges and rip fences were replaced with after market units to get consistent accuracy. Due to space limitation in our new house, I’m having to down size many power tools and have been researching 10 inch saws. David’s comments about miter slots on the Ryobi are concerning to me as that was high on my list.

   Reply
   1. Todd Fratzel

      January 28, 2018 at 10:20 am

      Lee – Unfortunately on most (if not all) of the portable table saws on the market, they DO NOT use a cast-iron table due to weight. They use some sort of cast aluminum or similar top, because of that, the miter slots are NOT machined, and therefore don’t have the tolerances necessary for decent cross cut accuracy. Wish I had a solution, but it’s the reality of that category of saws. Have you considered a track saw? Very portable, incredibly accurate.

      Reply
   2. David Alan

      January 29, 2018 at 5:10 pm

      Lee: Exactly my concern. I can update this comment after reading yours.

      I returned the Ryobi Table saw that day & replaced it with the KOBALT 10″ Folding table saw – and then finished the laminate flooring job and by now Jan 2018 have also built a new screen porch room. Highly recommend the Kobalt saw its just $80 more but better in most respects. This one:

      https://m.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-15-Amp-10-in-Carbide-Tipped-Table-Saw/50056619

      very precise mitre slots and cutting. Love the nice folding action / wheels & compact size of Kobalt portable saw. Rock solid when set-up, also.

      After all that Im still a Ryobi fan I bought 3 more 18v tools on the porch job…just not a fan of that exact table saw.

      hope this helps

      David in East Texas

      Reply

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