Freud SD208 8" Professional Dado Set

After researching and shopping around for a dado set, I finally decided on the Freud SD208. Bear in mind, for the last 30 plus years, my personal set was a Craftsman Kromedge 8" 'Satin Edge' dado set, which wasn't all that bad. While the chippers were carbide, the 2 main blades were not. I could still cut plywood, but solid wood looked more like I was cutting my dados with a torch! Our shop had a nice 10" Freud set, but I've retired and no longer have access to it My main priorities for a replacement set were; 1) good carbide, 2) good clean cut and flat bottom, and 3) price that won't break the bank. Obviously that last point eliminated the 10" sets, and even if you could find a decent price on a 10" set, chances are you're going to sacrifice on the carbide and/or cut. As far as my intended use, since retiring I now just make cabinets, bookcases, and woodwork for family, friends and fun. So my budget was under $150. The first thing I noticed removing the blades from the case was how big the carbide teeth are on the main blades. The alternating bevel teeth are big, but the main chipper looks huge. Installing the blades, the shaft hole fits snug but doesn't catch like some of my old blades.The shims require a little patience as the thinnest ones can fall in the shaft threads, but from my experience that's just the facts of life. It cuts effortlessly, clean, and smooth. I'm satisfied overall, with only two small issues. First is, the smallest dado you can cut is a full 1/4" (using just one blade), which makes my drawer bottoms a little sloppy. I want a little clearance for expansion, but this is too much. I tried using one chipper blade as they're thinner, but that's not what they're designed for and it splintered the wood. Of course this has more to do with modern plywood dimensions, but dado manufacturers know the industry trends. Second, while there is a good assortment of shims for a wide variety of widths, I would like to see included in the set a 1/16" chipper. I have one in my old set and it seems like I used it in almost every setup I encountered. I don't know if even more expensive sets include them or maybe they're a thing of the past. And I know the shims give an almost infinite variety of widths. But after 30 plus years of using one, it was my go-to blade. I consider these minor nuisances, and the plus factor of beefy carbide teeth clearly outweighs my narrow dado issue. If I were to purchase another set today, I wouldn't hesitate to get this one. I've never had a bad experience with Freud, they are a top-notch company. I'm still using re-sharpened 20 year old Freud blades in my shop today!