Looks like the price has finally come down a bit, but it did seem to be $2000+ for something with a saw stop, but only $200+ for a regular table saw, making it out of reach of many home handypeople.
Interestingly, as I recall, nearly as many people are injured each year from power tools as are injured in vehicular collisions (in the US) and way more people drive than use power tools.
There is a solution, yes, but the problem is not solved.
I bought a saw stop literally last week -- depending on your needs, they have a "compact" table saw which is basically equivalent to the craftsman jobsite $250 one, but it's $900. That said, it's head and shoulders above the basic ones in build quality, QoL features, and many other things too, PLUS it has the sawstop system.
As a hobbyist in a small shop, I bought it as my "best saw i'll need for a very long time".
The $200 saws are pieces of garbage that anyone who pursues the hobby for more than like a few months will rapidly discover the flaws of. Best bet is middle-road to get like a dewalt for $400 or so but even that has flaws compared to the sawstop.
Just a quick note on this since I ran into the same wtf? moment a few years ago.
1) Saw Stop holds a number of patents that legally prevented anyone else from adding the same tech to their saws. Most of the patents didn’t expire until 2021, but a few are still effective until 2024. We will probably see other manufacturers add similar features in 2025 as a result.
2) SawStop built its reputation on being a premium brand in addition to being safer. So the quality of components, materials, and build is a lot higher than what you get in even a mid grade dewalt saw.
I still wouldn’t buy one at their exorbitant prices, but hopefully the “accidentally removing fingers” problem will be better solved in a few years.
Another point to show how deeply unethical the US patent system is. I wonder how many people have lost appendages because of these patents and the exorbitant pricing?
Nick Offerman has a great quote about this, it boils down to the guy deserves money for something he created and others could have, but were too cheap to make and require. It's not the patent holders fault that they can make money from caring about people's safety.
Interestingly, as I recall, nearly as many people are injured each year from power tools as are injured in vehicular collisions (in the US) and way more people drive than use power tools.
There is a solution, yes, but the problem is not solved.