If you cut material to length all day — aluminium, timber, steel — you've probably looked at an automated stop system like TigerStop or ProfiStop and thought two things at once: that would transform our cutting station, and that is a serious amount of money.
Both reactions are correct. Automated positioners are excellent kit. But for a lot of New Zealand workshops they're more system — and more cost — than the job actually needs. This guide explains the real difference between an automated positioner and a digital length stop, helps you work out which one your bench actually needs, and introduces the locally made option: the ALEXCO Digital Saw Stop.
What TigerStop and ProfiStop actually do
TigerStop and ProfiStop are automated, motorised positioning systems. You type a length into a keypad or touchscreen, a stepper motor drives the stop to that exact position, and you cut. Load a cut list and the stop steps through every length for you. Higher-end setups push and pull the material, optimise the cutting order to reduce offcuts, print labels, and tie into your design software.
For a high-volume production line cutting hundreds of varied lengths a day, that automation pays for itself — in throughput, in reduced rework, and in material yield. If that's your operation, the big systems are worth every dollar.
Where a digital saw stop fits instead
Here's the part the big-system marketing skips over: most workshops don't need motorised positioning. They need to stop guessing.
The slow, error-prone part of cutting to length usually isn't moving the stop — it's measuring. Tape measure, pencil mark, eyeball the blade, hope. That's where the mistakes and the re-cuts come from.
A digital saw stop solves exactly that problem without the motor. You slide the stop by hand, and a digital scale shows you the precise length in millimetres — like a giant digital vernier caliper built into your bench. Set it, lock it, cut. Every part comes off the saw the same as the last.
You give up the automation (you move the stop yourself), but you keep the thing that actually drives accuracy: a trustworthy, repeatable measurement. For single-length runs, batch work, and general fabrication, that's the whole game — at a fraction of the price.
Automated positioner vs digital saw stop — at a glance
| Automated positioner (TigerStop / ProfiStop) | Digital saw stop (ALEXCO) | |
|---|---|---|
| How the stop moves | Motorised — driven to position automatically | By hand — you slide it to the readout |
| Measurement | Programmed, digital | Live digital readout (magnetic scale) |
| Cut lists / optimisation | Yes | No — one length at a time |
| Typical accuracy | Very high | Better than ±0.5 mm out of the box; ±0.15 mm over 6 m after calibration |
| Best for | High-volume, high-mix production lines | Workshops that need accurate, repeatable cuts without the capital outlay |
| Cost | A serious capital investment | From a few hundred dollars |
| Made / supported | Imported | Made in New Zealand |
Why the ALEXCO Digital Saw Stop is the sensible NZ option
The ALEXCO Digital Saw Stop was built for exactly this middle ground — proper measured accuracy, none of the cost or complexity of a motorised system.
- Accurate where it counts. A magnetic digital scale (the same technology used in digital calipers) gives you better than ±0.5 mm over 6 m straight away, and ±0.15 mm over 6 m after a short calibration. A calibration bar and instructions come in the box.
- Built to last. An 8 mm solid aluminium plate body with three roller-bearing guides for smooth, rigid travel, running on standard AA batteries.
- Ready to use. Each unit ships with the matching length of 40 × 80 V-slot rail to suit the size you order — retrofit it onto your existing bench or build a new cutting station around it.
- Works with what you've got. It's built on our 40 Series aluminium extrusion system, so any standard 40 series fence, fixing or accessory bolts straight on. Mount it with 40 series T-bolts through the tabletop, or corner brackets behind the rail.
- Made and supported in New Zealand. Priced in NZD, assembled to order in 2–4 days, with no overseas freight on a heavy machine and no waiting on offshore support. It's a genuine local product, not an imported box.
- A fraction of the cost. Sizes run from 2 m to 8 m, left- or right-hand, starting at NZ$650.
Build it into a complete cutting station
Because the saw stop runs on the same profile family as the rest of our range, it slots straight into a bench you build from ALEXCO extrusion — or you can fix it down onto your existing bench or roller setup. Pair it with our 40 Series T-slot / V-slot system for the table and lead-out. One supplier, one profile system, all made here.
So which one do you need?
A quick gut check:
- Cutting big, varied production runs all day and chasing throughput and yield? Look hard at an automated TigerStop or ProfiStop — that's their home ground.
- Want fast, accurate, repeatable cuts without writing a five-figure cheque? A digital saw stop does the job, and the ALEXCO Digital Saw Stop is the locally made, locally supported way to get one.
Most Kiwi workshops we talk to land in the second camp — and are slightly annoyed at how long they put up with a tape measure and a pencil before fixing it.
Ready to stop guessing? See sizes, hands and pricing for the ALEXCO Digital Saw Stop, made in New Zealand.