Dav, I have the 18 in. variable speed Craftsman Model No. 315.216090. So far, no problems. It has the on/off, tension and blade release at the front. I love the blade clamps. They keep the blade ends straight and i don't have any slipping in the clamps like I did with my ryobi. I like that the on off switch is a knob that pulls out to turn the saw on and off instead of a switch. The blower works very well. It also comes with a foot pedal. Basically I just looked at the saws and went with one that has Steve's recommendations from his video. It shakes quite a bit at full speed, but i rarely run it that way. I run at about 1200 with little vibration, which is good enough for me. It would probable run smoother on a proper stand and not just sitting on my table. So far, I have not been disappointed with my saw. I like that they have repair shops locally in case anything goes wrong. Check it out on their website.
Since I seem to be one of the only ones to use and be happy with a Craftsman, I thought I would put in my 2 cents. Oh, and the price wasn't bad. It was $220.00 US. Now off I run, back to lurkdom...
Ros