Did chop saws make the RAS obsolete?

I have a craftsman one I have had for almost 60 years and use it almost every time I go in the shop.  Having a thin negative rake blade on it is the way to go.

OTOH if you want to get rid of one you can go to a web site by Emerson (they made all of them for Sears) and they will tell you how to disable it and send you $50.

I think chop saws became the replacement because they do almost everything the RAS does and it is much more portable for jobsite work.  Just my guess.

IMO, I never considered a RAS safer and while you can rip with them it isn't as quick as walking to a TS and adjusting the fence.

I cut my eye teeth on a SEARS 10" RAS. Bought it 1970, sold it about 12 years later. Sold it as I purchased a Delta contractors saw for a price almost too good to be true! Plus there was no room for both in my garage shop and I was tired of moving the RAS when I need to use it. Never felt the RAS was dangerous.  I ran negative hook blades and was very careful the few times I ripped with it. For rip cuts, I mostly utilized a circular saw and shop made guide to rip. 

In my opinion, the decline of RAS is due to the advertisement and the resulting increased popularity of the miter saw, which was touted to do almost anything a RAS could do,  at a much cheaper selling price,  and it is safer. As for safety, I believe one of the early chop saw makers was sued over the saw design. Doing a quick internet, DeWalt and Black Decker are now currently facing a suit over the design of their compounds miter saws. I have talked to several woodworkers about an RAS. They claim it is far too dangerous, the operator must place his/her hands too close to the blade, you cannot do a rip cut, etc. But none of the them ever utilized a RAS. Seems as they just parroted back what someone wrote on the internet. If I had the room in my current shop, I would be on the lookout for an older DELTA 12" turret head RAS.

I launched too many pieces of wood trying to rip with it. So I discarded the blade and made a drum sanding station out of mine by threading on a drill chuck.

Our high school shop had a Sears and a Rockwell RAS and we used them mainly to cut rough stock to length. Other uses were cutting stock to finish size and cutting tenons. Both bad ideas but we did not know better.  When I setup my first shop naturally I wanted a RAS saw since that was what I trained on. Kept it for less than 2 years until I figured out that it was never going to be as accurate or versatile as a good cabinet saw. I never really wanted a miter saw until I got a deal on one from a friend downsizing his shop. Its handy for carpentry work and cutting rough stock to length but that is all I use it for.

Inherent inaccuracy made the RAS obsolete for me.

I never wanted a miter saw and then I got one primarily for doing some outdoor work for a porch etc. then it got moved into the shop. Now I wonder why I didn't get it sooner. 
One advantage is that I don't have to clean off the little table to make a cut unlike the accumulated stuff on the TS table.

I own a Craftsman Radial arm saw and yes they can be dangerous.  New users need to be aware that the saws are not very accurate for cutting angles or bevels.  You can get 90 degree crosscuts, by fine tuning, but the minute you move the arm your accuracy goes out the window.  When cross cutting you must resist the saws tendency to self feed by holding the carriage back while letting it move forward to make the cut.  When ripping you want the blade teeth to be down into the table surface a bit.and be sure to set the front of the guard just clears the piece being cut and set the anti-kickback pawls so they will prevent the board from coming back at you.  You will need a push stick to finish the rip cut and never take both hands off the board at the same time.

If you are interested in buying one, I will sell you mine as I never use it anymore.

My experience parrots Lee's. Sears had a reputation then and supported the tools. Most of mine came from that establishment.

Yes, the maker will buy back the motor, but recycling the rest is my issue. Well, that and its replacements --chop and TS. 

I remember researching the RAS vs TS option back in the early 80s. RA was more useful(?) and TS at same price point was too fiddly, too small and more  a jobsite critter. And, my work mate had the RAS.

BigMikeTuna on RAS vs. TS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV4uXtxnOdg

Added later 2 d 13 h 23 s:

Found this and and thought I'd add it to this topic.  His channels isn't about woodworking, but he's made a nine-part series on the RAS.  Well done IMO.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9cAmsfvf7g&list=PLxUYt3yjiZAA0t_U6dqF_-BrWAec88ym4

Chop saws did not make the RAS obsolete.......lawyers and lawsuits did encourage manufacturers to discontinue making RASs however. These legal pressures where in some ways caused by people using a RAS to perform various tasks in their shops that a RAS was really not intended to do (at least, safely). I have a RAS and a chop saw......and I'll continue to use the RAS to perform limited duties like cutting rough stock to working length.

No, it made them cheap to find on Craiglist tho.