New Model 4405 Bosch Sliding Miter Saw

[Jameel Abraham]

http://www.boschtools.com/Products/Tools/Pages/BoschProductDetail.aspx?pid=4405

After returning both a 5412L, and recently a 4410L, Bosch was kind enough to refund my purchase. I held on to my previous Bosch, a 3915 and I was wise for doing so. The newer saws didnt hold a candle to to my 8 year old 3915. The newer ones were not as solid or tight, didn't cut as well in general. The 4410L had numerous problems, the worse of which was the bar that locks into the miter detent was so sloppy I could move the table +/- an entire degree. The 3915 was always rock solid. So I've been researching a replacement saw since even my 3915 has a couple issues (from years of use and wear, not any defect). I've pretty much settled on the Makita 10", since it gets a little better reviews than the Bosch. That was until I got an email this morning from Bosch featuring a new 10" saw. This looks like the replacement for the 3915. It's basically the same saw, without all the extra crap the 4410L has that makes it sloppy. It does have the upfront bevel control, but it's much simpler than the 4410L. One thing I did like about the 4410 was the dust port. For a miter saw it was huge. I even screwed on a rubber deflector ala Festool Kapex and the dust collection was impressive. The new 4405 has this very large port and I see they've added a deflector to the hood area. So has anyone had the chance to see this saw? What do you think? I was pretty much settled on the Makita, but if this 4405 rivals my 3915, I will have to reconsider.

[Neal Clayton]

the deflector makes sense. i have a 4410 as well and the dust port is basically worthless since there's nothing to deflect the dust when the blade is all the way down.

[Narayan Nayar]

Well, as an owner of the Makita (which, btw, is for sale in the classifieds section ;)) I can say it's a known quantity. I was on the fence between the Makita and the Bosch and went with the Makita, largely because I felt the Bosch had too much plastic and I much preferred the slider on the Makita as I thought it had much less slop. Owners of the Bosch will probably dispute my assertion, of course.

If dust collection is what you're after, though, the Makita surely has to be near the bottom of the list. It's probably no worse than most sliders in this regard, but unless you build a shroud, dust gets everywhere.

I do think highly of Bosch tools though. I've got their plunge router and a few other things and they're all great.

As I said, the Makita is a known quantity. If you need a saw soon, I'd go with the Makita. If you don't, wait until you can try this new Bosch to see if it suits your needs.

[Mike Heidrick]

I played with the new Milwaukee at HD this past weekend. Pretty nice but they wanted $699. I will keep the Hitachi!

[Brian W Evans]

I recently bought the Makita LS1214FL and I am very impressed with it. I have been doing the casings/moldings in my kitchen & dining room and it is a pleasure to work with. I agree with the previous poster that the dust collection is worthless, but the rest is rock solid.

Good luck.

[Jameel Abraham]

I was running through Menards last night and noticed that they carry the saw. Had some folks waiting in the car, so I couldn't really look close, but from the brief look, it did seem more solid. I looked at the how the lever that engages the miter detents was fixed to the table. Two big metal plates. More to come...

[Jameel Abraham]

I ended up buying the 4405 and have been using it for a couple months now.

It's much stiffer and generally robust than the 4410L. It's definitely superior. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles, like dual bevel, micro miter adjust (that's a gimmick anyway) or the rotatable handle, but the build quality and rigidity makes up for it. The dust collection is also not bad, although it could be improved with a slightly larger rubber deflector. I also did away with the throat plate inserts and made my own from a single piece of bloodwood. In all, I'm very satisfied with the saw. It cuts very smoothly, and the blade is in line with the rails, which is important for smooth straight cuts.