Yes or no on the Makita LS1016L sliding miter saw?

[Tim Morton]

I am in the market for a new miter saw, and I made an Amazon impulse purchase, and then tried to cancel it. It had already shipped and is in transit, but Amazon is fine with me refusing delivery.

I have read mostly great things about the saw, but have a few concerns with some things i read about kick backs due to a problem with the fence, and also maybe long term durability.

If i return it i would likly go for the 10" Bosch slider, but really that is more money than i care to spend for a hobbyist tool. So please don't suggest i buy the Kapex:cool:

[Brian Tymchak]

I can't speak of the 1016 but I have owned a 1013 for about 10 years now that I still really like. Still no play on the rails when sliding. Like you I'm a hobbyist at best, so it doesn't get used a whole lot so I can't really speak to its durability in a high-use shop. From a picture I just googled up the 1016 seems to have a similar fence to the 1013 and I've never had any kick backs.

Having said that though, if I was buying new, I would take a hard look at the Bosch Glider as it requires much less clearance behind the saw. Good for conserving floor space in small shops.

[Mark Woodmark]

I owned a Makita LS1216L for a little over a year. It was the biggest piece of crap I ever saw. Inaccurate, not durable, and constantly needing repair. Makita was very little help. I sold the thing at a real loss. I will never buy a Makita anything again due to their poor customer service more so than the tool itself.

That said I have other Makita tools, most work OK and some I love. My previous sliding miter saw was a 10 inch Makita. It was a great saw and is still doing work for a friend of mine after almost 30 years.

[Tim Morton]

Small sample group, but i am getting the hint...one thing i did not like about the Bosch glider, was there did not seem to be any resistance to the slider, like it was floating in air.

To me that felt weird in my hand, however i did not turn the blade on, so maybe with it running there is a little more resistance and it feels more natural.

EDIT: Just watched a video on the glide saw, and the tension is adjustable...so i think i will save up a few more coins and think about the 10" glide saw.

[Matthew Hills]

I bought a LS1016L a year and a half ago. Mine has worked well for fairly light (home hobbyist) usage. Love the cut quality and soft start. Dust collection poor as expected. I mounted on a Bosch mobile base, and move it outside for most cutting. I haven't been doing bevels much--mostly 90 and some miter cuts.

Some other saws I looked at:
DeWalt DW717: people like the shadow line system rather than the laser; stock blade reportedly not very good; most display models I saw were pretty abused.
Bosch Glide: novel actuation reduced rear clearance requirements; expensive; heavy; reports of issues with table flatness; I'd picked up on some remarks about unexpectedly reduced capacity for some cuts, although this saw is generally higher capacity than the other 10" models I was looking at.

All saws that I looked at seemed to have scattered reports of quality issues -- whether it be uneven tables/fences, catches in their motion, or losing alignment. This included the Kapex. Hard to tell if issues were addressed over the course of production. I had that impression for the Kapex. The Kapex and the small LW0714 were the only saws I saw with good dust collection reviews.

I did buy the saw locally -- I had been seeing enough reports of issues for miter saws, that I wanted a simple return option if there were any issues out of the box.

Matt

[Terry Beadle]

I know a guy that does trim work in houses for a living. Highly recommends the Makita. I'd be shocked, shocked I tell you...hoot! If you were not totally not satisfied with the Makita. IMO a good buy.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

The 1013 that I have is a wonderful saw. I don't know about the 1016, but I find it a little hard to believe that its a lot different than the 1013. The L part is a joke IMHO, but unless you get a lemon, the 1013 is a proven design and I'd wager that you'll love it. I also don't see any need for the top slide. The 1013 doesn't have that, and it has plenty of capacity.

[Tim Morton]

The 1013 that I have is a wonderful saw. I don't know about the 1016, but I find it a little hard to believe that its a lot different than the 1013. The L part is a joke IMHO, but unless you get a lemon, the 1013 is a proven design and I'd wager that you'll love it.

I am reading that the 1013 was in fact a great saw, and the 1016 is not standing up as well. I have a makita 10" slide saw at work that i absoluytely do not like, i will have to check and see if that is the 1013 or not.

Problem with the Bosch glider may be the thing is just too heavy to move around, and i do tend to move it from basement shop, to garage to jobsite frequent enough to give it some thought as to whether the bosh is the right choice.

[Greg R Bradley]

It is mostly bad news for Makita 16 series. Some people are happy so they must make some of them that work OK. At the last Makita event, the rep was sick of hearing complaints about the 16 series saws.

On Makita sliders, everyone mostly likes the 13 & 14 series saws such as the 1013 raved about by Brian above and my 1214 that I sold last year. I sold mine to a fellow that had bought and returned 2 16 series saws and paid the same price for my used 1214 as he had for the new 1016 saws. He is thrilled with my used saw.

BTW, they are all horrible for dust collection.

The only remaining Makita from the 14 series is the 7.5" 0714, which is also decent with dust collection.

Lots of people quite upset about the Bosch Glide but they seem to be getting better according to my local tool supplier.

I'm happy with my Bosch, Dewalt, and Rigid NON-sliders. I'm a Makita fan in general, and bought several Makita tools this year including a big demo hammer & chainsaw.

Is there a downside to trying out the saw that is coming and then returning it if it isn't satisfactory?

Edited to add: I see several people saying good things about the 16 series based upon their satisfaction with 13 or 14 series saws. They have virtually NOTHING similar on them.

[Tim Morton]

It is mostly bad news for Makita 16 series. Some people are happy so they must make some of them that work OK. At the last Makita event, the rep was sick of hearing complaints about the 16 series saws.

On Makita sliders, everyone mostly likes the 13 & 14 series saws such as the 1013 raved about by Brian above and my 1214 that I sold last year. I sold mine to a fellow that had bought and returned 2 16 series saws and paid the same price for my used 1214 as he had for the new 1016 saws. He is thrilled with my used saw.

BTW, they are all horrible for dust collection.

The only remaining Makita from the 14 series is the 7.5" 0714, which is also decent with dust collection.

Lots of people quite upset about the Bosch Glide but they seem to be getting better according to my local tool supplier.

I'm happy with my Bosch, Dewalt, and Rigid NON-sliders. I'm a Makita fan in general, and bought several Makita tools this year including a big demo hammer & chainsaw.

Is there a downside to trying out the saw that is coming and then returning it if it isn't satisfactory?

Edited to add: I see several people saying good things about the 16 series based upon their satisfaction with 13 or 14 series saws. They have virtually NOTHING similar on them.

This is spot on to what i have been reading as well, so thanks for the confirmation.

As to "downside"...i guess other than i would guess that i would like the makita for the first month i am sure...and that anomalies may not show up in my return window.

i think it may be time to step back a bit...and consider my first thoughts and get a non slider. I do not have an immediate need for the saw at the moment.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

They have virtually NOTHING similar on them.

I don't think that's accurate Greg. The 16 may be a dud because of the top slides, but look at the pics below.
LS1013
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61QwgcDLhJS._SL1500_.jpg
LS1016L
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41X1CtDJCYL.jpg

In my opinion, the handle was better oriented vertically, they ought to get away from the top slides, and the table on the 16 looks better than the round bar supports. It's the same proven saw head, with a few cosmetic updates. Yes, peoples experience with a different model is valid, because I can tell you that the 13's short falls were very few, and the bloodline is visible in the 16.

I'd wager that the folks who earn a living with their saws are more likely to choose a simple older saw, like the 1013 or the older Hitachi, than a new gee whiz look at all the crap we added so we stand out on the borg's lineup at a price point piece of junk. Reliability matters more than that extra 1/4" of crosscut that will never be used or dust collection hearsay. If you want a good answer to your question, find out what the contractors are using. FYI, I have used my 1013 for more than 10 years now, and it has caused zero problems. It has been used for construction and furniture. It has gone through more blades than I care to count. If I stick the Festool vac hose in the dust port, it does a good enough job with dust. I've done things that should have killed it, like had a piece of pressure treated lumber seize the blade so hard that I had to remove the blade from the saw to get it out. Bottom line, I'm sad to hear that the new Makita may be junk, but I know that the old one is not, and that will at the very least get me to consider the brand when I have to again.

[Larry Edgerton]

What Steve said.....

I have a 1013, love it. Supplier gave me a 1016 to try, would not buy one myself, the 1013 is a far better saw for what I need it for. The size of the table is my favorite thing about that saw and the reason that I bought it in the first place.

Larry

[Tim Morton]

I have cancelled the 1016....thanks for all the help and input.

[Peter Quinn]

I'm late to the conversation, but I love my 1016 and wouldn't take another slider if you gave me one. Its been a great saw for several years and is an improvement over the 1013 in nearly every way IMO. I had the 1013 for a long time and gave it to my BIL when I bought the new one, still works fine. The motor is quieter and stronger, the scales are larger, easier to read, easier to set. I love the dual rail system, eliminates a bit of flex. They stole quite a few convenience option from the KAPEX and I appreciate those. That said the reason I bought it was the 1013 was such a good saw I had a thing for makita. The Kapex? Over rated, we have one at work, not a fan. Oh, its got some tricks, but super accurate? Not one of them, and that double button EU safety nanny on switch should go back to the pain cave where it much have been designed. I could go on, but just save your money. Try one for your self at least before buying, for me the first time I tried the Kapex I was sold…….on the makita!

THe bosch glider? Seems like a great idea, lots of first class features……but don't buy one over the internet, buy locally. A guy I sub for occasionally got one last year, order over internet. The packaging in the box is marginal at best, its a heavy beast, and most carriers beat the pants out of them in transit. So the thing shows up tweaked, won't set up square over its range to save its life. It was purchased and sat for two months before it went into service. Bosch has a no questions asked one month return policy….oops, missed that window. He sent it back, they fixed something that he didn't even know had broken, but fence still tweaked when returned….he sent it back, they sent it back. Nightmare, still not right but he kept it due to lack of choice. I've used it and I'm not jumping up and down happy with it, but its not all bad news. The fence is decent when not tweaked, adjustment are easy, good depth capacity, strong quiet motor. I still prefer my makita, maybe its just what your comfortable with?

[Cyrus Brewster 7]

I have had the 1016 for over 2 years now and have no complaints. After purchasing i had some buyers remorse from reading reviews after the fact. But none of the issues have surfaced. I came from the Ridgid 12" slider that I really liked but downsized because I built a miter saw station. It is doing well so far.

[peter gagliardi]

It's good that you returned it! They really, really under thought and under engineered the 1016! The location of the miter scale under the workpiece when cutting- well stupid is not a strong enough word!
Add to that an absolutely paltry fence design with no back support on the right, and a movable wing on the left susceptible to bending and damage that can't be repaired if a piece or chunk gets thrown into it, which WILL happen with enough use!
Oh, and let's not forget the minuscule bevel protractor, with markings so small you need a microscope to see them, and built in stops that can't seem to hold their accuracy.
Oh, yeah, I almost forgot, the miter table stops working smoothly after about a year or so, and gets sticky, so you have to dismantle and clean up!
Yup, yessir, Makita really got that one right!!!!
Nothing more than yard art if you ask me!
I bought the Bosch 12" slider thinking it would be good, but the fences weren't square to table. Miter settings were off, etc.... I brought it back!
We bought a bunch of years ago now, a Ridgid, that I laughed at till I used it. It still works good and is a decent machine for the money!
We used the Dewalts for years before that, but when it got wore, we tried several new Dewalts, which were terrible- vibration, inaccurate etc.. So we settled on the Ridgid at the time- while not the best saw on the market, definitely a good quality, user friendly unit with good legible scales and lasting accuracy that is well worth the asking price.
I currently have a Kapex as well, it is hands down the best, easiest to use, most accurate, cleanest, easiest to read and set the scales, AND most expensive!!! I would have bought it years ago, had I known, or been able to tolerate the insane price jump from the other machines at almost 1/2 the cost!
For comparison, I use the machines day in and out as part of my business doing high-end residential and commercial install work from our custom woodworking shop.

[Mike Carino]

I use an old Hitachi C10FS...Those are great saws the new ones are junk IMO. The Bosch is decent but there are a lot of plastic knobs and levers to break off. If I were in the market for a new saw it would probably be DeWalt. Its very simple, tough and it will do anything you need to do with a slider. The Bosch would work well for a dedicated shop saw where it wouldn't get banged around.

[Matthew Hills]

I have cancelled the 1016....thanks for all the help and input.

And then something else to chew on: the new Bosch 10" glide...

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/editors-blog/new-bosch-cm10gd-10-inch-dual-bevel-glide-miter-saw

Matt

[Tom Ewell]

Put the 1013 through probably 10 or so full house trim/siding/kitchen jobs and enumerable remods, it's a stout machine, bought a Kapex and offset the cost by selling the 1013 over three years ago to another crew, it's still going strong and those guys don't baby their tools.

Shame to hear that the 1016 seems to be of lesser quality.

[C Scott McDonald]

I have one and would buy it again. I used it to remodel an entire house plus my hobby woodworking stuff. The laser is more of a distraction so I dont use it. Dust collection is non existant. Once i got it dialed in it has stayed put and I have lugged that thing up and down stairs, in and out of the van etc.

[Val Kosmider]

Not to hijack the thread, but I am in the market for a compound sliding miter saw, and thinking that the Bosch 5312 is the ticket for me. I am a hobby wood worker--lots projects, but not a person who woodworks for a living. My preference is to try and buy the best tool I can afford.

My question: why do people here (apparently, from the posts in this thread) prefer the 10" saw over the 12" saw? The 12" seems like a no brainer as it gives you a 'bigger' cut--depth, and width.

Yes, I get that the 12" costs more, but is there another reason why people prefer the smaller saw which I am missing?

[Tom Ewell]

Yes, I get that the 12" costs more, but is there another reason why people prefer the smaller saw which I am missing?

bigger is usually heavier
larger blade amplifies vibration/run out
larger capacity can increase inaccuracy.

if you're not mobile much being heavier is not really a disadvantage in the shop environ
high quality blade can minimize vibration, but 12" high quality blades get top dollar and often disproportionate to same at 10"
dial in the saw to refine accuracy best you can to minimize effect of larger capacity.

unless you're cutting 'fat' or wide stock regularly, there is no real reason to go big

I've never gone to 12" on a slider but I do use a 12" compound miter for framing, decks and most construction type scenarios, once into the finer work, I try to get into the smallest saw that'll do the job efficiently and don't think I've ever been tied up by not having a 12" slider.

[Tim Morton]

Not to hijack the thread, but I am in the market for a compound sliding miter saw, and thinking that the Bosch 5312 is the ticket for me. I am a hobby wood worker--lots projects, but not a person who woodworks for a living. My preference is to try and buy the best tool I can afford.

My question: why do people here (apparently, from the posts in this thread) prefer the 10" saw over the 12" saw? The 12" seems like a no brainer as it gives you a 'bigger' cut--depth, and width.

Yes, I get that the 12" costs more, but is there another reason why people prefer the smaller saw which I am missing?

Not a hijack at all...and i too would either go 10" slider, or 12" non slider. With a 10" slider however i can cut 12" wide boards in one pass...as opposed to flipping the board over. So thats less wear and tear on me and the saw.

And like it was pointed out, i would expect a 12" slider to weigh a lot more than a 10" slider...and cost more.

Update...i did cancel the saw today and it is on its way back to amazon....not sure what i am going to buy now, but i think i will just keep my eyes open for now.

Thanks for all the help and advice...both pro and cons.

[Larry Edgerton]

.
My question: why do people here (apparently, from the posts in this thread) prefer the 10" saw over the 12" saw? The 12" seems like a no brainer as it gives you a 'bigger' cut--depth, and width.

Yes, I get that the 12" costs more, but is there another reason why people prefer the smaller saw which I am missing?

There is a lot less blade deflection in a 10" saw. I use both a Makita 12" and a Hitachi 10 " sliders on site as well as my favorite old 10" Delta straight chop. If I could only have one saw, god forbid, it would be the Hitachi 10" slider. Its not the one with all the gizmo junk you see in the BORG.

Larry

[Peter Quinn]

There is a lot less blade deflection in a 10" saw. I use both a Makita 12" and a Hitachi 10 " sliders on site as well as my favorite old 10" Delta straight chop. If I could only have one saw, god forbid, it would be the Hitachi 10" slider. Its not the one with all the gizmo junk you see in the BORG.

Larry

Ditto what Larry said about deflection. And on a job where you have to pack out every day, you quickly realize how much weight difference there is between a 10" and a 12". I'm not carrying a 12" in and out of the van if a 10" will get the job done. I've been using an old 8 1/2" hitachi on the garage build I'm doing because I can pick it up with one hand, easy going up a ladder as required. Also ditto the 10" hitachi's, the foreman I work under has one, I've put plenty of hours on it doing side jobs, fine saw, very accurate, good trim saw, good weight to power balance.