I had visions of something "better" myself, so when I saw a brand new Ultra 220vs (2004 model) for sale on Craigslist for $399, I bought it. I have it setting side by side with my 788, and do like the Ultra. Termite is right, changing blades in the RBI isn't as simple as with the DW, but I do like the consistency of setting the tension. It's smooth, but not a lot better than the 788.
What I don't like about it is that it's hard to bottom feed because the arm doesn't raise as high as the DW. The arm does stay up, but I have the EZ Lift on the DW and that works well for me. My other negative is that the blade holders will not accept sanding strips. Bottom clamp is essentially a small hole for the blade. However, the clamps do work very well, even better than the DW clamps in my humble opinion.
In summary, I may be putting the "new" Ultra back on the market. Anyone else have opinions on this?
