What's the ultimate miter saw? Sub $1k

[travis howe]

Of course I've scoured SMC and the web for the best miter saw for woodworking.

I really like the Bosch 4212l and had thought good things of the Hitachi C10FSH 10 but then I hear it's not very stable with the settings.

So regardless of my thoughts and needs, I wanted to know what you all think the "Ultimate Miter Saw" is?

Sorry, not looking for the crazy one-offs, looking for something I could really buy if money wasn't a major issue.... Sub $1k.

[Ron Kellison]

I have the Hitachi (sans laser) and the settings are rock solid.

Regards,

Ron

[Mike Henderson]

I have that Bosch 4212L and am very happy with it.

Mike

[Jim O'Dell]

I have the Hitachi 10" slider with laser...no problems at all. Holds rock solid. The Hitachi was actually 2nd on my list with the Makita 10" being #1. I could have bought 2 of the Hitachi units (at the price I got it for) for what the Makita was going to cost me. I'd still rather have the larger base and the slightly more powerful motor (15 amp vs the Hitachi 13 amp) but the savings has been well worth the difference. Jim.

[Don Morris]

I have the Hitachi C10FS. That's without the "H" or high fence. Boy does it need the high fence. Great saw but when I got to crown molding it sucks. When I see pictures of the C10FSH I drool with envy at that high left side. Would liked to have seen them put the "H" on both sides as most other saws have but the way I do crown molding I put the saw on one side and do it all there so that would be no problem. Can't speak about the others, never owned them but the Hitachi is a solid performer. Read one reviewer who did custom work in homes, went to a 12" saw (Bosch) but after a while, was going back to his 10" Hitachi. I like the idea of a 12" saw over a 10" as there are a few cuts that a 12" could make a 10" just can't do. But many seem to think they start to wobble a little at that length so if you're really into accuracy, I guess you have to stay with the 10".

[Ron Bontz]

Well I have a Dewalt 708 slider. However if I were to replace it I would look very closely at the Bosch 4212 or the Milwaukee. The lasers are nice but over rated IMHO. Good luck.:)
I almost forgot. If I am going to spend $1000 or better then I would look for a quality radial arm saw. It's more versatile.

[Scott Schwake]

I have the Hitachi C10FSH. I really like it for the most part, but like you mentioned, some of the positive stops (22.5, 45, etc) have become a bit sloppy. It's probably 5 years old or so, but doesn't get a ton of use. I don't know if they've changed anything in the design since I bought mine that would prevent this from happening, or maybe that's just the way it is. Maybe I'll look into a replacment part one of these days, the manual doesn't really address it.

[Jim Kountz]

I have several Dewalts and a Hitachi and both are really nice saws. The Dewalt are tanks and can really take a lot of abuse. Two of mine are sliders and also jobsite saws and one is about 10 years old. Ive never done a thing to it besides change the blade. Its never been knocked out of alignment and this is a saw that rides down the road in an enclosed trailer down some rough roads to jobsites. The Hitachi is a really nice saw although its not a slider. I agree with another poster that the lasers on these things are over rated. The laser line itself is too fat on every saw I have ever used. I need to cut more accurately than that personally.
If I were looking at a new saw today I would look hard and long at the new Milwaukee slider. Ive spent some time on one in the field and also played with one in stores. Its a brute of a saw and looks very rugged and well made.
I would never think of trying to replace a miter saw with a radial arm saw. Not in a million years.

[Dewey Torres]

If you are at all considering the Makita, Denver CL has one that looks like the seller will take less than the list price for the 12"

http://denver.craigslist.org/tls/1136382418.html

[Russ Boyd]

I have an older 12" dewalt. Nice but cost a fortune to repair (unexpected). Bought a 10" Makita (with laser) to use while Dewalt was in the shop. Use the Makita exclusively now and I love the laser. Russ

[Kev Godwin]

I've been using the Makita LS1013 for about 5 years now and am very pleased with it. A few month ago Wood magazine did one of their tool ratings and rated it as their "Top Tool Approved" (If that really means anything :rolleyes:). They did have a slightly higher score for the Festool but essentially said the small difference did not justify the large cost differential.

Regardless, I would buy it again if I was in the market for one.
Kev

[David DeCristoforo]

Since they first appeared, I have never been without a Hitachi C8F. Unless you simply must have a bigger blade, this has got to be the best saw of it's type ever. It's solid, accurate, smooth, light and compact (easy to move around) and almost completely immune from the deflection common to the larger saws. I am on my third one right now. OK, you might ask "If they are so great how come you've gone through three of em?" Well, that's a fair question. So.... the first one I had got ripped off before it was six months old. The second one was used day in and day out for over ten years until the pivot finally got funky. I sold it last year to a door shop for fifty bucks (they are still using it for crosscutting but it's locked down at 90 degrees) and got a new one.

[Peter Scoma]

I have that Bosch 4212L and am very happy with it.

Mike

+1 Great saw imo

PS

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Makita 1013 fan here. Great saw. Actually you have a bunch of good options though. One thing I like about the Mak over the others is the way that the slide is built. It is different, and in my not so humble opinion, better.

[Carl Babel]

Can't speak for the 4212L, but I have a Bosch slider (3915) and it has been rock solid. I keep checking it, thinking it must have drifted over 10 years after being moved around and banged up a bit, but it still reads square.

Of course, it could be my measurements :D

[phil harold]

+1 Hitachi C8F
mine is over 13 years old
I contemplate buying a bigger newer one until I try one at a store or another carpenter's
the 8" seems so much more accurate

[Chuck Isaacson]

I am not going to lie, I have the $190 Tradesman 10" sliding compound from Menards and I absolutely love it. It does everything that the others do and it does it cheap. I wasn't expecting much from this saw and was pleasantly surprised. So far it has turned out to be quite stable, an easy slider and quite accurate.

[Mike Gager]

hey i got a question, on my $100 ryobi miter saw, when you turn it on it sounds like the worlds coming to an end its so loud. are the higher dollar saws quieter???

[John Thompson]

Had the Hitachi 10" and sold it to get the Hitachi 12". I know many trim carpenters that swear by the Hitachi 8 1/2'. Great saws for the money. I have used the Makita.. also a great saw. I have not used the Bosch or DW so no comment.

Sarge..

[Steve Rozmiarek]

hey i got a question, on my $100 ryobi miter saw, when you turn it on it sounds like the worlds coming to an end its so loud. are the higher dollar saws quieter???

LOL! Yes, there are much quieter higher priced saws. I can't speak for all of them, but the Bosch, Dewalt, Hitachi and Makitas that I have been aroung have all been somewhat less noisey than the end of the world. None of them are louder than my shop vac.

[Don Bullock]

I have the Hitachi 10" slider with laser...no problems at all. Holds rock solid. The Hitachi was actually 2nd on my list with the Makita 10" being #1. I could have bought 2 of the Hitachi units (at the price I got it for) for what the Makita was going to cost me. I'd still rather have the larger base and the slightly more powerful motor (15 amp vs the Hitachi 13 amp) but the savings has been well worth the difference. Jim.

I must have gotten my Hitachi on the same deal that Jim got his. It's been as good as he said, "rock solid." I'm not sure how much better a miter saw other than possibly the brand that starts with an "F" I could get and I'm still not sure why it's better.

[Steve Benson]

Ok, since i don't post very often mainly because i dont feel i have a ton to add to fine woodworking, as i don't make a whole lot of "FINE" things you may take what i say with a grain of salt . Anyway i bought a Bosch 4212L last year for like $600 and now at Amazon for $370 i think its a damn steal. I bought a Forrest Chopmaster 80T for it and it cuts 4" x 8" Walnut with just a little slowing of the motor and absolutely no tearout. For the saw and the blade totaling $500 is a pretty sweet deal, though dust collection on it is complete joke, i recomend hooking up a very powerful cyclone to it to get it all. My Festool CT33 and a 1300cfm Griz dust collector dont help very much. The laser is nice for lazyness but not dead precise as it moves on the wood as you lower the saw blade closer to wood. But altogether a pretty nice saw. I am a big Festool user and having used the Kapex i dont honestly believe it is worth the money. The only Festool tool i can honestly say that about...
Steve

[David DeCristoforo]

"...the brand that starts with an "F" I could get and I'm still not sure why it's better..."

Doesn't count... it's way over the $1K cap.

[Archie England]

another very satisfied Bosch 4212 user.

[Edward Garrett]

First and foremost, I am a hobbiest woodworker and certainly not near the caliber of most of the folks on this site; that being said....

I just replaced an 8 y/o Dewalt DW705 with a DW716 and I love it. I also have the Bosch 12" slider (purchased last year), which - as many have posted here - is rock solid and an excellent saw as well. I have 60T blade on the Bosch, and an 80T blade on the Dewalt (both Freud). I did "handle" both the Bosch 12" (non-slider) as well as the DW716 before I purchased the DW716. I finally chose the Dewalt because - and this will probably sound a bit quirky - I prefer where the handle is on the Dewalt in terms of it being a little bit closer to the machine itself and therefore closer the workpiece. This has become a bit more comfortable for me over the years. And as was stated in a previous post, the laser on the Bosch really wasn't attrractive to me b/c it only "appears" when the blade is spinning, and it moves (very slightly) as the spinning blade gets closer to the workpiece....on my Bosch slider I still find myself lining up the cut with the blade itself before starting the cut when accuracy is a must.

Other than that, I love both my Bosch slider and my (new) Dewalt non-slider.

[Dave Falkenstein]

...I wanted to know what you all think the "Ultimate Miter Saw" is?...something I could really buy if money wasn't a major issue.... Sub $1k.

Sorry, but I have a hard time wrapping my brain around "Ultimate", "money wasn't a major issue" and "Sub $1K" all in the list of criteria.

But... My experience has been excellent with the Hitachi 8" SCMS. A real workhorse, accurate, and more mobile than most SCMS (if that is important). I now have a Bosch 10" SCMS that lives in my home-based shop, and like the up-front controls and easy to read miter scales. Settings seem to stay put.

The pricing on SCMS jumps from around $600 for the higher priced, higher quality, full feature brands to over $1K for Festool.

[Greg Deakins]

I had a choice while trimming out a hotel of the bosch or the makita. Many cuts later, the makita won with an overall more solid feel, easier slide, and reliability. (said only because the arbor on the bosch loosened up and became wobbley, and had to be sent for repair.) These saws were only about a year old, but used heavily. Used a hitachi in a cabinet shop for three years, only repair during that time was brushes. Then at my home shop I use a 12 dewalt. IT has been a true soldier and has gone through ten years of abuse. But if I was looking for a new miter saw, having played with those four brands quite a bit, I would go with the Makita, hands down.