I got one of the $299 Milwaukee sliding miter saws and now having some second thoughts about this. Would like to get your input, especially those who have used these saws.
I am a hobbiest and this is my first power miter saw and the first use for this will be for the trim installation as part of the upcoming kitchen refacing in our house. I can also see myself using this in the shop for crosscuts.
I got this mainly because of the ridiculously low price when HD cleared these out a few weeks ago and I happened to be there at the right time. Normally, I would never be able to time these deals. However, I am not sure if this is the saw I should be getting. I definitely do not need the 12" capacity, which makes it big and bulky also dust hookup requires and additional adaptor. Also, seems like the Milwaukee does not come with a good blade, which Makita does.
I started to think may be the new Makita SCMS LS1016 may be better for me, which is smaller, although I am not sure how much smaller especially in terms of the space needed at the back of the saw due to the slider.
Also, it appears these saws are prone to flex, which seems to be a bigger problem with larger 12" saws. Is this true?
Currently the Craigslist is flooded with these saws and I don't think the proceeds will be nearly enough to make it an equal trade to the Makita version. The best I could get seems to be $425-$450 and I would need to add over $100 to get the Makita.
How do you think the two saws compare and would you keep the Milwaukee or go for the Makita even if it means putting in an additional $100 or more into the deal?
If I decide to keep the Milwaukee, which blade would give me the best finish, given the blade that comes with the saw is not that great.