Toolstop have done a video of the upgrades to the post 2015 models:
https://youtu.be/olaTnTHCS5M
I bought one in the recent Amazon Warehouse '20% off sale' to see what it was like as, at £111 delivered, it was worth a punt and returnable if it turned out to be a dog. It was described "as new" and it was totally untouched apart from a small tear on the outer cardboard box. Pristine saw with all wrappers, preservative on the well machined table, bearings and guide bars and ready to go to work immediately. It was a keeper.
I did all the usual measurement checks and it was spot on out of the box and even the laser was dead on. Cut wise the supplied blade is OK'ish but I replaced it with a 60 tooth one and finish is superb. It is accurate, not particularly noisy and whilst the blade doesn't stop immediately, it is pretty good for a brushed motor. Dust extraction for a budget SCMS is very good and it has impressed me as a very capable saw. The extendable side tables are rather good and can be removed completely and used as supports for long pieces on a flat floor. The work piece clamp can be used vertically or horizontally on either side of the saw though it does get in the way on the RH side and it has a quick release screw so you can move the clamp bar up or down straight away. Unusually for a budget saw, all the prescribed angle markings were totally accurate on the scales for the mitre and the turntable. It has a crude (compared to the Kapex) trenching capabilty using an adjustable bolt and release plate which works very well.
I own a few Metabo tools and have been delighted with them all and bought this one to cut aluminium. I bought the Titan 216mm metal blade from Screwfix for about £9 in the recent sale and it is perfectly acceptable for what I want.
I don't know if it is much better than the pre-2015 saw but for a Made in China SCMS with a 3 year warranty it has performed superbly. OK its not a Kapex (I do have one and it is superb) but even at the normal price of £154 I think it offers superb value for money, looks to be very well made and though I haven't any experience of the pre-2015 model, the placement of the laser at the front is a worthwhile improvement and the blade cover mounted light is surprisingly effective.
I see Amazon have a pre-2015 used one in the Warehouse at the moment but frankly they are asking crazy money at £147 when the latest model is only £7 more.
