Honestly, I thought Japanese pull saws were just a trendy gimmick until I had to do a super tight crosscut on a built-in in a 1920s Seattle craftsman. | Carpenters - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals
Never let you down" is a pretty low bar for a tool. My old car never left me stranded either, but I still like the one with air conditioning. Sometimes the hype is just about not suffering for no reason.
Hold up, you're still using a western saw for a full reno? That's wild to me. I tried one years ago and the kickback almost sent me through a wall... I'd take a modern safety feature over that kind of trust any day. The old stuff works until it really, really doesn't.
Got to admit my old saw and I have a similar relationship. Honestly though, I've been won over by the dust collection on these new ones. Makes cleanup way less of a nightmare.