Opinions on Hitachi C12LSH sliding miter saw deal?

[William McFarland]

Hey Creekers,

I have a chance to purchase a used Hitachi C12LSH miter saw. The guy was originally asking $350 for the saw and I talked him down to $250. Comes with a pretty decent Dewalt blade and he says everything works as it should. It is about an hour away so I want to get opinions on the saw before I commit to going and getting it.

I'm going to be selling my Craftsman 22010 digital radial arm saw and a Dewalt DW705 12" miter saw. I'm thinking I can get $250-300 for the radial arm saw and $100 for the Dewalt miter saw which would put me way ahead. Both are in good condition and might sell for a little more.

Anyone with an opinion please chime in.

Thanks,
Will

[Brian Libby]

I really like the Hitachi saws. I have the 15 inch and love it. I have only heard good comments on the other hitachi saws.

[Jon Grider]

I like my 12" Hitachi sliding cms. Once I got it set up properly, it cut accurately and consistently. I don't use the laser except on cuts that don't require a lot of precision. Oh, and it does look like something from another world with the massive expanses of bright green plastic.

[William McFarland]

I like my 12" Hitachi sliding cms. Once I got it set up properly, it cut accurately and consistently. I don't use the laser except on cuts that don't require a lot of precision. Oh, and it does look like something from another world with the massive expanses of bright green plastic.

I guess I'm weird because I like the color scheme, lol.

[Jon Grider]

I guess I'm weird because I like the color scheme.

As they say, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"
I do like my saw, in spite of it looking like a Star Wars torture device.

[William McFarland]

Accuracy was one of the things I was worried about the most. The reviews look good though so that makes me a lot more comfortable.

[Russell Smallwood]

I have that saw (or the RSH, which is the same thing without the digital readout thingy). I've had it for around a year and so far I like it, very well built and rugged saw. The slider feature that allows you to minimize the amount of space required behind the saw is really nice as it allows me to well.... er..... minimize the space required behind the saw.

The one bone I have to pick is that the manual does not come with any instructions on adjusting the saw if it is out of alignment. It is assumed that you will take it to a service center for that (which I have and it was free and painless). I also had some frustration in what appeared to be blade drift or flex when cutting at 45 degrees (horizontal bevel) but after putting some sandpaper on the back of the fence, I think it has gone away (user error apparently :0).

$250 is a pretty good price for that saw, but I thought I saw an RSH at Lowes the other day from some ridiculously low price (clearing them out?) but I can't remember what it was.

Personally, I would be very hesitant to buy any SCMS used. They are so finicky that one has to wonder why it is being sold and I wonder what the local Hitachi service center gets for a re-alignment when a saw is out of warranty. Just a thought. Make sure it's well aligned when you pick it up before turning over the cash (advice that I'm sure you probably don't need).