Bosch 4212 Miter Saw, any considerations? Old or newer style Bosch miter saw?

[Ellery Coffman]

So, I just ordered a Bosch 4212 12" dual bevel compound miter saw from homedepot.com with 10% off + free shipping (comes to about $390 with tax). It appears to be an older design compared to the current Bosch miter saws such as the GCM12SD and the CM12. Did I make the right choice or should I have gone with a newer style Bosch miter saw?

Some differences I noted between the 4212 and the newer style Bosch 12" Miter Saws (CM12 and GCM12SD):
1. The 4212 doesn't have plastic indents, but appears to have it's indents cut into the casting, while the CM12 and GCM12SD both have a plastic piece that is screwed in place.
2. The CM12 is a direct drive, while the 4212 is belt driven.
3. The 4212 has a neat rotating handle. Not sure how useful this will be but...
4. The 4212 is dual bevel while the newer non-sliding Bosch 12" miter saws are all single bevel.
5. The 4212 has a slightly different table than the CM12, not sure which is going to be better. The CM12 has wider ends that come out, but the overall table top width looks to be the similar to the 4212.
6. The 4212 has a beefier bevel mechanism and front bevel controls while the CM12 does not.
7. The 4212 is not a slider, so it should be more accurate than the GCM12SD which had some slop that I could see when I slid the head all the way forward and moved it side to side.
8. The 4212 is 55 pounds (assuming it weighs the same as the 4212L), while the CM12 is only 43 pounds!?! I want a heavier saw since I don't plan to transport the thing. I really wonder if Bosch is making things cheaper or if they are concerned about weight...!?! The plastic indents may be a sign of making things cheaper as this would take less time and mean that less aluminum is used in making the base.

Things I liked about the single bevel CM12 and hope the 4212 has:
1. The CM12 has brass bushings for miter and bevel pivots, while the Makita I looked at had none and the DeWalt I have has none.
2. The CM12 and GCM12SD both had the flatest tables out of any miter saw I looked at (compared to Makita, DeWalt and Milwaukee).
3. I pulled the ends 12" out on the CM12 and the table was still perfectly flat! Had to be within .001" of an inch or better. Probably better.
4. The CM12 had independent left and right fences to allow for finer adjustment of each side (when compared to the DeWalt and Makita where the fence is all one piece). This means that if the fences are not coplanar, you can align them perfectly.
5. The fence operation on the CM12 was very smooth, and all contact surfaces were machined very well with no room to wiggle.

Other notes:
I couldn't find the 4212L anywhere and I think this is a laser version of the saw. Is the laser on the now discontinued 4212L accurate and a must have?

[Roy Turbett]

I had a Bosch 5412L and the laser wasn't accurate because the line moved as you lower the head. I took the saw back and bought a 4410L and it didn't have this problem because the resting position of the head is lower. I couldn't see the laser line when I worked outdoors in the sunlight and the battery didn't last very long. I never replaced it and I don't miss it.

[Curt Harms]

I had a Bosch 5412L and the laser wasn't accurate because the line moved as you lower the head. I took the saw back and bought a 4410L and it didn't have this problem because the resting position of the head is lower. I couldn't see the laser line when I worked outdoors in the sunlight and the battery didn't last very long. I never replaced it and I don't miss it. I have the discontinued Delta non-slider w/dual lasers. The lasers are nice indoors and especially with none-too-good lighting. They're about useless in sunlight. One of mine are inop. A replacement was around $89+shipping. Don't think so.

[Mike Henderson]

I have the Bosch 4212 and it's been a very good saw. I never used the laser that came with it so I can't comment on it (never missed it either).

If an accurate laser is what you're looking for, the Festool miter saw appears to have an accurate laser - from a demonstration I saw one time. But it's about $1,300 - way too rich for me.

Mike

[Mark Ashmeade]

I have a GCM12SD, which replaced a behemoth of a 240V slider. The slider was a European equivalent of a Ryobi, so not apples for apples, but I'm very happy with the GCM12SD.

It weighs 65lbs, so heavier than the ones you outline above.
The plastic detent ring I saw as a plus, it's easily replaced, and costs very little (~$5), should that be necessary.
The slider had lasers, not worth changing the batteries in. Utterly useless.

I think the glide mechanism can also be adjusted for slop. The way I looked at it was that the slider WILL wear. The glider MAY wear.

The main reason I bought it though was its small footprint, the slide bars don't poke out the back. The Hitachi has a neat mechanism to help with that, but they just stick out the front. Hideously ugly and coarse too.

But the major advantage you have is cost. The glider runs $300 more. You could almost get two 4212s for that, at the price you paid. Or a 4212 and a Litheon combo kit.

[Ellery Coffman]

Thanks guys. The lack of a laser doesn't bother me. I have used the Irwin laser add on since it was $10 during black Friday. It isn't too bad so I'll use it with the 4212 for the left side.

I was mainly concerned since Bosch redesigned their newer saws and I'm not sure which is better. The 4212 looks better than the cm12 on paper, but I haven't seen it yet.

[Ellery Coffman]

So, my saw came today, but was damaged by a fork lift?!? Home Depot took it back in the store and didn't even open it.

I also noticed more differences between the new and old Bosch miter saw:

1. The older xx12 (e.g. 4212, 5412 versions) don't have the brass bushings pressed into the cast aluminum (not sure how much this matters though).
2. The 4212 that came was made in Taiwan and not China?!? I know the new one's are made in China. I'd think Taiwan is better, but China stuff has surprised me too.

The table was flat within .005". However, when you tighten the front knob, the table actually warps about .006". I guess I never thought about it, but maybe that's why the DeWalt saws have a different latching mechanism and not a threaded knob. On the Bosch, a user could over torque the handle and either damage it or cause a temporary bow in the table. I also noticed that the motor had a little more vibration too it than my DeWalt. It seriously sounded like a bearing was going out on it. Not sure if shipping was the cause or not...