What to look for in a compound miter saw?

[om21braz]

If price is really no object - Festool. It's only a 10", but is designed to make the most of it.

Miter Saw Kapex KS 12 Sliding Compound Miter Saw 561287 - Festool Power Tools

 

[Steppenwolfe]

I had not thought about portability. It will stay in one place most of the time but there will be times I need to move it. The 12" I'm looking at is quite heavy.

12" Makita dual bevel sliding compound. It's a beast... Last saw you will ever buy.

 

[kidr]

I bought the HF model for 139 bucks. Giggle every time I use it. Love It.

 

[EddieWalker]

I have an older 12 inch Delta miter saw that I really don't care for, but it keeps on working. It's aluminum, and was probably one of the better saws at the time. It had a lazer for either side of the blade that was great for about a year, then it quit working.

When I bought my first miter saw, I figured it was for cabinet type work, but I've found that it is the best tool for cutting studs and beams if they fit. I use it for rough type work 90 percent of the time. If this beast ever dies, I will look at Makita first. That is the only brand that consistently impresses me. I've read some great reviews about Bosch, but having bought about a dozen different Bosch power tools, I think I'm done with Bosch. DeWalt is probably the most common decent brand out there. They are good entry level, home owner brands that the contractors I know consider throw away tools that they get for their workers.

Somebody mentioned 15 amps. I would be very hesitant buying a tool that maxes any 15 amp outlet. Too close to tripping a breaker if you don't have 20 amps available. I also have a small Honda generator that only goes up to 13 amps. If you work anywhere but your own house, you never know what's available for power.

Lately, I've been thinking that a smaller, cordless miter saw might be a good idea. I do a lot of trim work and having an easier to carry around saw would get a lot of use.

 

[carmedic310]

I bought the ridgid 12" compound miter saw with stand about 12 years ago.I love it.Their lifetime warrantee is awesome and they do stand behind it no problem.Usually they have a promotion to get the portable stand when you buy the saw for a lower price or free.I bought mine at Home Depot This saw has done everything I wanted it to do for years now with no problems.I bent the backshield (my fault) they replaced it without any hesitation and no cost to me

 

[N80]

Thanks for all the tips. I usually take the prevailing advice I get here on TBN but this time I think I am going to get an off-brand saw. Most of my tools are DeWalt, Makita, Bosch and Porter-Cable. But in this case I think I'm going to get the Kobalt 12" dual bevel. It is $200 less than the comparable DeWalt and comes with the same warranty. This saw is going to see pretty infrequent duty and I just can't see paying twice as much for one of the better brands. Reviews of the Kobalt have been really good. I will look at the Rigid as well. I have a rigid corded drill that is a beast and has held up to abuse.

I do have a Kobalt 18v cordless 1/2" impact wrench that I feel is superior to many of the other big names so I have a little bit of faith in them, although I suspect all these Kobalt tools are sourced from different manufacturers and mostly from Taiwan and China.

 

[bigtiller]

Have you seen this? I googled that saw, and this is the first you tube thing that came up. It's about 1.5 minutes long. He has a switch problem. It probably is warranted but how much time and expense will that be?

Kobalt 12 inch Miter Saw - YouTube

 

[N80]

The comments all said he was using it wrong. Not pressing a safety switch first.

 

[prichard]

N80, I've been watching this thread to see if anyone weighed in on the lower cost units since I have been shopping and will go with one of them once I have a project big enough to justify.

There's no way I'd use the saw enough to spend $500 - $1000. Besides, precision cuts are for the table saw not a miter, IMO.

 

[N80]

If this was a tool I'd use frequently I'd spend the extra money. For molding you need absolute precision but that's not what I'll be using it for. Plus, for molding a lot of pros use 10" and smaller ones for better accuracy. I also suspect the non-sliding ones are more precise unless you get into the high dollar ones. My interest in the saw is as much about efficiency as it is about precision. Bad tools are often worse than no tool at all but I think I can hit some middle ground here. We'll see.