Any advice on a low end power miter saw?

[Gary Liming]

Looking at ones $150-200 Sears has a Craftsman compound slider on sale for $200, which is very similar to the Kobalt one at Lowes. Sears also carries a GMC import for $150, but it has a cheap blade the would have to be replaced (another $30)

Any others out there that folks are happy with? Anyone got any experience with the Habor Freight sliders?

Thanks in advance,

[Louie Ballis]

I have a 12 inch HF sliding miter saw that ran around 175, and couldnt be happier with it. It came with a crummy blade but I put on a freud 100 tooth blade and it is certainly up to the task (IMHO) that I use it for.

This is the first and only sliding miter saw that I have owned so I am not speaking from much experiance but I have often wondered how much better the higher end saws really are?

It is loud though.

[Dan Friedrichs]

Have you looked for used ones? I see ones for sale on craigslist all the time for less than $50. I bought a Dewalt for $30 - good shape, holds it settings very well, and square and flat in all the right places.

[Gary Liming]

Yeah, I've looked on CL, but they want more for a used name brand that a cheaper one new. I guess I've never know how to make that tradeoff - the worth of saving some money by taking a chance on a tool that's been used (abused?). Some of the reviews of the GMC (the chinese one Sears sells) or the HF one have been pretty good.

MY old one "blew up"! I was cutting some boards, just like I've done for the past 15 years with that saw (a lower end Black and Decker, not compound, not a slider) and suddenly there was a BOOM, the saw was off, and there were pieces of galvanized steel sheet metal all over, and a couple of carbide teeth missing from the blade! After searching for blood and shrapnel (there was none) I went looking, and it seems there was a piece of sheet metal that formed a vent for the DC port behind the blade that became loose and caught the blade. Take a look at yours - see if there is anything loose! I felt pretty lucky. Attached are some pics.

Anyway, thanks for the advice.

[glenn bradley]

I run the small DeWalt (DW703). I saw it at Lowe's for around $160.00 recently. Probably making room for the new keen-o Porter Cable version.

[mickey cassiba]

Isn't that a Stanley now?

[Van Huskey]

In that price range I would look at the Hitachi C10FCH2 for about $150 or the C10FCE2 which you should be able to find for about $120. I would spend the $30 over the HF in a heart beat, even with a coupon, after sales tax it wouldn't entice me. I will buy HF stuff BUT even the gems have to be less than half what the tools costs from a quality tool company.

[David G Baker]

I purchased an off brand miter saw from Home Depot for around $80. It isn't perfect but as a back-up it has served me well.

[Gary Liming]

In that price range I would look at the Hitachi C10FCH2 for about $150 or the C10FCE2 which you should be able to find for about $120. I saw them at Lowes - I think the only difference was that one has a laser, which I am not sure if one is all that useful. They did seem like a solid unit.



I would spend the $30 over the HF in a heart beat, even with a coupon, after sales tax it wouldn't entice me. I will buy HF stuff BUT even the gems have to be less than half what the tools costs from a quality tool company.

I appreciate the comment about HF - sometimes what they have is just what is needed, and sometimes its a real POS - its hard to tell which is which at times. Somehow, though, spending the $$ is hard, but soon forgotten and a good tool lasts a long time.

[Van Huskey]

I saw them at Lowes - I think the only difference was that one has a laser, which I am not sure if one is all that useful. They did seem like a solid unit.



I appreciate the comment about HF - sometimes what they have is just what is needed, and sometimes its a real POS - its hard to tell which is which at times. Somehow, though, spending the $$ is hard, but soon forgotten and a good tool lasts a long time.

Two more things about HF, even if a certain number of people love a tool from them their QC makes me wary even then, second I can't bring myself to buy a power tool from them unless it is going to be a one/two use kinda item. If for instance you need a multi-tool for a one shot project great, if you use it later and it fails so be it, a miter saw is an oft used workhorse in a woodworking shop or even just as a DIY tool, for the little extra coin I will spend it on a CMS where I might not on other rarely used tools.

[Loren Hedahl]

I always check power miter saws on display by dropping the blade into the slot in the table and then wiggle it back and forth to see how much side-to-side slop there is. Any inaccuracy here would affect both the length of the board being cut as well as the angle.

I've always found the lower end saws including the HF to be pretty sloppy whereas the higher end saws seem to be a lot tighter.

This could be an unfair test, because it is possible the higher end saws are set up more precisely during assembly (or have had less wiggle testing done!).

While a person could compensate for slop in the pivot by keeping a constant pressure on the saw in one direction during the cutting process, I would rather have a tool that didn't need to be operated in a cumbersome manner. An extra 50 to 100 bucks seems to separate the men from the boys in these saws. Probably worth the money!