WEN Plunge Cut Sidewinder Circular Track Saw

I researched quite a bit before buying this saw, track, and clamps. For the amount of panel breakdown I do (minimal), I felt this saw would easily fulfill my needs. Upon opening the box I was impressed with the build quality and features. It wasn't until I plugged it in and pulled the trigger that my favorable first impression diminished rapidly. The saw I received has a knocking sound and also a knocking feeling in the handle. After letting it spin down, I realized there is quite a bit of "gear slop" in the "transmission". The output shaft of the motor has a pinion gear on it which drives a larger gear on the blade arbor shaft. The mesh/backlash, or gap between the gear teeth, is too great. You can tell this by slowly rotating the blade back and forth. You can feel the looseness as the arbor gear teeth swing back and forth between the motor gear teeth (pinion). This swing back and forth will damage the gears over the long haul when in operation and is the source of the knocking I was hearing and feeling. I have a 50 year old heavy Black and Decker saw and a 15 year old Milwaukee saw that have a quarter of the slop this brand new Wen has. I will likely send this thing back and hope the replacement has better mesh/backlash between the gears. -jp Edit #1: So, after writing the aforementioned, I decided to return this saw and ask for a replacement. The replacement has arrived and I've compared the two. The newer one is, indeed, quieter and has less of a knocking feeling in the handle. I was able to compare the degree of "slop" between the two saws and found the first unit has approximately 7.5 deg before the teeth engage. The replacement is closer to 5 or 6 deg. Not a tremendous improvement, but better. For the price, I'm pleased with the features and performance of the saw. Given the price, features, and improvement I've changed my rating from 2 to 4. Thanks Amazon for your great warranty service. Edit #2: Ok, well, the replacement saw has become very disappointing. I have used it extensively twice now. Both times, the saw travels 12-24 inches and then stops spinning. I release the trigger, pull again, and it starts right up...only to stop again another 12-24" down the board. Sometimes its shorter, sometimes its longer. I have varied the motor rpm, it does it at any speed. I have done it under heavy load and light load, still happens. I've switched receptacles in the shop, still does it. Consulted the manual for troubleshooting, nothing there. This happened ONE DAY after the Amazon return/refund time period expired. I've contacted Wen for support. I'll report their response. I really want to like this saw but its getting more difficult.