I have started cutting up the pieces for my tool cart cabinet.  And in the process I have been spending some time working with my budget Grizzly track saw.  It made me contemplate weather a $220 track saw is worth it, compared to a $450 Makita or $650 Festool.

On the plus side the Grizzly is better than a skill saw.  It is many times easier to cut in a nearly perfect straight line.  It also comes with two 52" rails, I really would not want anything shorter than this (the latest model uses 32" rails).  And with a bit of care it gets the job done (for a fraction of the price).

On the down side:

There is nothing level or square about the rail. The ends were not squarely cut, it was damaged in shipping, and every part of the rail tips and rocks.  A better rail system probably eliminates this problem.  Going with a thicker splinter guard helped, but there is still way too much play of the tool on the rail.  I find I need to put a thumb on the base of the tool to push it into the rail to get consistent cuts.

The depth adjustment is neither accurate, or easy to use.  Dust collection is sub par.  It lacks a case (why?).  The rails don't connect well together, there is too much play in them.  The rails are proprietary to the grizzly, you cant use the wide array of rails from other brands or any of the accessories.

The negatives list is fairly large, however this cuts way better and faster than I was managing with my skill saw.  And with enough care you can get accurate cuts.  I do wish I had a 90" continuous rail, I would not use it often but it would be useful from time to time.  And I wish I did not need to baby it as much, but this is not so frustrating that I want to spend $500 or so to solve the problem.  However if I was making any money at all on wood working, or trying to build things quickly, I would spend the money in a heart beat to get a better saw.  I can see the attraction of the Festools, for users who are making money.  One bad cut can cost you $50 or more these days and doing that a few times would totally justify the expense.