One thing to keep in mind is that there are only so many topics or projects to write about in any specialty publication. So about every 4 years or so, they have to redo the same subject, using a new tool or jig or gadget to justify the re-do. Their tool reviews are often very interesting, but considering things like the long-lived Bosch 1617, the 735 planer, and so many other "standard" tools, it's often an article about very small differences or improvements.
For example, the articles comparing track saws. I have a middle ranked machine which is a little heavier than the top model (guess which RainMan 2.0), The cuts on my saw are equal to those on my table saw, so differences in cutting are pretty difficult to measure (if you use the saw as recommended. What justifies the article in the end is a side comment that the top of the line model "feels" better in the hand. But you can't fill pages of copy with just that.
In all though, the WoodSmith publication does a nice job, and they do provide pretty good project plans for published projects, and there is still a bit of the old Shop Notes in the centerfold.