cheaper 12" miter saw on sale? or wait for lighter 7.5" to go on sale?

[Deuce Lee]

I'm in the market for a sliding miter saw.

Lowes has this Hitachi C12RSH on sale for $399, plus I can get 10% off for $359+tax. It's 70lbs so I'd get this Dewalt DW7440RS portable stand for it. Grand total? $548, not bad at all for a 12 sliding miter saw and a killer stand I'd say.

My heart though, would love to get a smaller Makita LS0714. I won't be cutting anything huge so it'll take care of 95% of what I'll need it for. It's $449 though. Since it's portable, i'd get this stand (no wheels but lightweight) :Dewalt DWX723. It's $199. Total? A bitter $648.

First question is: Why the heck is that smaller Dewalt stand more expensive then the larger, portable stand with wheels? it baffles me.

Second question: What would you guys do? Would you guys go with the bigger saw with stand that has wheels? or go with your heart and get the smaller one, which probably may not cut as much but should meet your needs, but unfortunately it's even more expensive?

I'm not in a major rush, but the hitachi sale might not last forever.

[Bill ThompsonNM]

Go with the one you like.. But you don't need to spend as much on the stand. Look for something at $80. The $200 dewalt looks like its built for a hefty saw.

[Peter J Lee]

I read a lot of positive comments about the Makita. I contemplated buying the same one, but my budget decided to put it off. I probably would have faked it for a while with a Workmate and a couple roller stands, but I was going to build the short version of Paulk's ulimate miter stand. Here is his Youtube video showing it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGZPubkww-E

[Jerome Hanby]

Those are nicer stands than the Delta that I have, but they are all pretty much the same idea. Mine holds the saw at a good height, takes up a pretty good sized foot print, and that's about all. If you don't need the stand to travel to job sites, I think just about anything you can build will occupy less space and work better. Plus you can add shelves and/or drawers to get additional storage n that same footprint. On my short list is a miter saw station that lines up with my RAS (Norm style),

[Rob Holcomb]

You said "I won't be cutting anything huge so it'll take care of 95% of what I'll need it for" but what about the other 5%? If it's me, I'm buying the bigger saw so that 5% isn't an issue down the road.

[Jim O'Dell]

I have the 10" version of the Hitachi slider and it has been very nice, so I'm sure the unit you are looking at will work well for you. You might look on Hitachi's website and see if they have any rebates on right now on that saw. I got a free 2 1/4 fixed based router when I got mine. Heck of a deal.
You know, I didn't see Home Depot put their mobile stand on sale this year. The past 3 years they have had it on for half price...99.99. I really need to get one for my tile saw. Jim.

[Duane Bledsoe]

Bigger, does more, costs less. Seems to be a no brainer to me.

[Deuce Lee]

Duane, i concur with you...but bigger means a PITA to care up and down stairs and from house to house...i'm not a contractor but i regularly take my tools to my bro's and dad's house and up and down stairs...that's the ONLY downfall for the bigger one, and a little bit more of a pain for storage cus it takes up more room

if I do end up with Bill's idea of a cheaper stand if i go with the makita...it's smaller, can be carried, so a cheaper portable stand should do it.

Rob, for the other 5%, i'll figure something out between my jig saws and table saw

About the hitachi, although they are similar, the C12LSH has terrible, terrible reviews from the negative reviewers...the C12RSH seems to be ok though...i'll have to read more into it

[keith micinski]

I also am looking for a smaller mitre saw that's more portable and really accurate. I had decided on the Makita and am just waiting for some sort of a deal to pop up on it. I have the bigger dewalt stand and it is really nice. My plan was to leave my Milwaukee on one end and put my makita on the other end. Bigger is not only not better its actually worse in this case My Milwaukee is such a monster it has gotten to the point where I am looking for ways around using it outside of the shop because it is such a pain to move around.

[keith micinski]

Also I bet its more like 99 percent that the smaller Makita will actually cover when it comes down to it.

[Deuce Lee]

Hey Bill, check this out...after looking more at the cheaper saws stands, looks like this Oasis BST07 is VERY similar to the DeWalt DWX723 at half the price...

This Denali seems decent too...and 90 bucks

Well, i'm going to give this some more thought...i'm on the fence right now but i'll evaluate everything and dig down deep to see what will really make me happy

[Deuce Lee]

Honestly you're probably right...it's a nice saw, blades are cheaper too

[Bill ThompsonNM]

The orange Borg and amazon also carry the portamate pm4000 which looks like it might be good for the makita. Only 28 lbs for what appears to be a heavy duty stand. $79 on amazon. Some of the stands weigh twice as much as the Makita!

[scott vroom]

70 lbs is alot to be hauling around, particularly up and down stairs. I do a lot of remodeling work and decided on the Hitachi C10FSH for a job site finish saw. It's 43 lbs and has the same max x-cut capacity (12.25") as the Hitachi 12". I've never regretted the purchase.

There are lots of budget stands out there, just make sure what you get is sturdy/stable and has solid stock support and well engineered stops. We have the TracRac T3 Professional. It's expensive (>$200) and weighs 50 lbs, but it has wheels and I can roll the collapsed stand w/the saw attached....very cool.

I agree with the poster that suggested buying a saw that will do that last 5%.....you'll kick yourself if you don't.

Good luck

[Chris Rosenberger]

I do not know if you have seen the Dewalt DW7440RS in person, but it is a short stand ment for use with a table saw.

You might want to check out these two deals.
They are very nice saw & stands.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...atalogId=10053

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...atalogId=10053