Miter saw reviews

Why miter saw reviews? While there are many different miter saws available in the market, each model comes with its own pros and cons, which makes it important to look at the different aspects of that particular saw and figure out if it meets your requirements better. The different aspects that you need to consider before buying a saw include the size of the blade, the design of the saw, the power of the motor and the cutting capacity along with the miter and bevel settings for accuracy and control.

 

The size of the blade is important because it decides the amount of wood the blade will cut through. Similarly, the design of the saw will determine whether it is a fixed base saw, or one with a slider to affect the cuts easily, apart from it, this will also determine the area that the saw will occupy. Finally, the alignment options and accuracy help in quickly making the required parallel cuts. For the beginners or the professionals who want spot-on accuracy, there are additional requirements of laser-guided cutting or LED-based pointers on the woodwork to give the saw operator information about exactly what the miter saw will cut.

 

Following is the brief of few of the best miter saws available in market, and their descriptions will help in your understanding of what that miter saw is better suited for, thus allowing you to make a decision that the saw would suit your requirement or not.

 

1. Bosch GCM12SD

  • With a 12-inch blade and a 15-amp powered motor, the miter saw can move the blade at 3800-RPM at 0-load making it an excellent cutting device.
  • The saw makes use of a patented axial-glide system with horizontal and vertical arms for the motion instead of sliding rails, and, this results the blade in taking up much lesser space. It also uses the squarelock quick-release fence system to provide easier gliding.
  • Apart from this, with its dust bag, along with a dust chute and a vacuum adapter ensures that there is no sawdust strewn around the work area, making it one of the cleanest saws.
  • The device comes with an ergonomic grip and easy to handle design, which makes it easy to operate. The only real shortcoming is that it is 65-pounds in weight, which makes it less portable.

 Get Bosch GCM12SD at 55% off the retail price from Amazon now.

Overall, the above points make it an excellent blade for cutting larger furniture items. The only thing to be taken care of is that the saw cannot be moved very easily due to its high weight.

 

2. Makita LS1040

  • The 15-amp powered LS1040 can run its 10-inch TCT blade at an amazing 4600-RPM with no load, which makes it one of the smoothest and best cutters available.
  • The saw comes with a shaft lock and a thumb-activated safety switch and paddle trigger to provide a high level of safety while cutting.
  • With its aluminum base, not only does the Makita have an excellent durability, but also the saw comes with a laser-pointer and an LED system to aid in extremely accurate cutting.
  • The saw also keeps the work-area clean with its dust bag and is extremely portable due to its less than 25 pound (just 24.2 pound) weight.

 Get  Makita LS1040 at 39% off the retail price from Amazon

The Makita LS1040 is an excellent saw, but it is slightly more expensive as compared to the normal saws. While the 10-inch blade makes it smaller for the larger cutting, this is an excellent saw for making very accurate and thin cuts.

 

3. DeWalt DW716

  • The DW716 comes with a 12-inch double bevel carbide-tip blade and a 15-amp motor to move this blade at a reasonable 3600-RPM at 0-load.
  • The saw also comes with an LED system, which illuminates the cutting area to provide the saw operator with more information of where the cuts are happening.
  • The 12-inch blade allows cutting through PVC, steel and other material except wood also easy, however the device needs to be calibrated for the first time until it can start cutting through the materials.

  Get DeWalt DW716 at 50% off the retail price from Amazon.

Overall, the above points make it an excellent blade for cutting larger furniture items, but the calibration requires some expert understanding for accuracy. This blade is extremely durable and cut through even bricks, but it lacks the type of accuracy that the Makita can offer. Nevertheless, if you are planning to buy a good non-sliding compound miter saw with high power, speed and torque with reasonable accuracy, the DW716 is a good choice.

 

4. DeWalt DW718

  • Same as the DW716, this has a 15-amp motor and 3600-RPM power and a 12-inch cutting blade; however, the only difference is that this is a sliding blade.
  • With its innovative design, the saw can cut through very thick blocks of wood, supporting even a 16-inch thick wood cut at 45-degrees.
  • While the device misses a laser-guiding system, it is compatible with the DW7187 laser guiding system for people who really want this feature.

 Get Dewalt DW718 at 54% off the retail price from Amazon now.

To conclude, with its high durability and cutting power, the DW718 is extremely useful when it comes to cutting through thick blocks. Nevertheless, this blade is not as accurate or smooth as the Makita or other options, which are smaller and aimed at thorough finishes. The in-built blade meets the needs of rough cuts, but if you want to make better cuts, it is recommended that you get a good, sharp and durable blade.

 

5. Hitachi C10FSH

  • The Hitachi C10FSH comes with a 12-amp motor and still provides a very high 3800-RPM speed at 0-load for its 10-inch tungsten coated blade saw.
  • With its Poly-V-Belt transmission and soft start technology, the saw is not only smoother to operate, but also reduces the blade’s recoil during the startup of the saw.
  • For safety, the saw includes a splinter guard, chip deflector and a safety switch, and the bevel is extremely accurate and provides very smooth cuts. It also includes the laser-guiding feature for more control.
  • With its 44-pound weight, this is also among the more portable saws in its range.

 Get Hitachi C10FSH at 51% off the retail price from Amazon now

On the whole, with its extremely high accuracy and 5-year Hitachi warranty, the Hitachi C10FSH is an extremely good option.

 

6. Hitachi C10FCE2

  • With an impressive 5000-RPM of its 10-inch blade, the 15-amp motor powered C10FCE2 is one of the most powerful cutting saws from Hitachi. It can deliver up to 1950 watts of max-output power, thus enabling the blade to cut through wood, PVC and sheet metal smoothly.
  • The miter provides extremely accurate cuts, even though the saw does not come with in-built laser guiding system.
  • This saw is also very light, and with its weight as 26.3, it is amongst the most portable saws in its range of power and cutting ability.

 Get Hitachi C10FCE2 at 47% off the retail price from Amazon now.

This is an extremely handy saw, for both newbie and professional woodworkers alike, and while it is almost as durable and accurate as the Ryobi or the Makita, it comes at a fraction of their price, which makes it an extremely good buy.

 

The above are some of the best saws in the industry and you can opt for the saw that meets your requirements. If you are looking for a good, small and durable saw, but are tight on budget, you should consider the Hitachi saws. On the other hand, if you want a small saw, but are ok with the price, then the durability and accuracy of Makita LS1040 is what you should be considering. The Bosch GCM12SD is also a good buy for the features and price that it is being offered for. Finally, if you want to cut through huge chunks of wood, and are ok with slightly rough finishes, then you should consider the DeWalt models. The DW 716 and 718 can be considered depending on whether you need a non-sliding or a sliding saw.

 

To conclude, you should consider your needs and your budget before concluding on the model. Make sure that you check the pricing options provided by the different sellers, and check the reviews of people, who have used the same saw to do work which is similar to your requirement, to make a more educated decision.