2019 Miter Saw options?

[3PedalMINI]

a few years ago my Kapex got stolen, at the time I was buying a house so I couldn't swing another saw. Did minimum research because I needed a saw ASAP and I ended up with the Bosch glide and I could not despise that thing more. I have to constantly tune it, the detents are not properly aligned and the blade has some of the worst deflection I have ever seen. (the general complaints with the saw) Now, I would have NO problem buying another Kapex, the thing is, because of this debacle I got a Incra miter setup on my PM2000 and have actually grown to love it. I know there is no replacing a miter saw, especially for molding so assuming a non kapex what would you look at doing?

I know this question has been beat to death, but there seems to be a BUNCH of new saws on the market. It actually seems like the battery powered saws are getting better reviews for accuracy then the corded ones. (although I would prefer corded)

I am mostly a DIYer but do have todo some jobsite work occasionally. Portability is not really a concern since it lives in the garage most of the time. All I want is a saw that doesn't deflect, can cut 5 1/4 baseboard vertically and something I can trust to cut a 90/45/22.5 and not have to put my woodpecker squares on it every time I make a move.  Again, I have no problem buying the kapex, except the motor burn does worry me a bit. But if I can save some money and have good results then why not?

 

[RKA]

Take a look at the Dewalt DW717.  I had a 780 which was built reasonably well.  It wasn't as accurate as the kapex, but a lot of that had to do with the 12" vs 10" and the small rails on the 12" saw head.  The 717 has a large vertical and crosscut capacity and a large bevel scale.  The two minor quibbles I had with the 780 was no soft start, but that takes a back seat to performance.  And the "bearings" if you can call them that on the slider are nowhere near as nice as Festool or Makita. 

Speaking of the Makita, the 1019 looks to be pretty nice.  A friend got one and I only had a chance to fondle it a bit after we tweaked the rails to get the blade inline with the rails.  That adjustment may take a bit of time, but once you get it right, it should be fine.  If I didn't have the Kapex, I think that would be at the top of the list.  Out of the box dust collection is probably pretty good as well.

 

[Oldwood]

I have a Makita 1019L and I am very happy with it. It has 2 hoses for dust collection but they both connect to a 1.25" port. I split the 2 hoses so I can connect them to a 2" t connection on my vacuum. This improves the dust collection a lot.

The rpm is a little less than some of the other saws but if you feed the blade into the work accordingly this is a non issue.

 

[3PedalMINI]

Hmmmm... The Makita actually looks really nice. I always forget about them! Does anyone have anything to say about Milwaukee?

Im almost leaning towards the Makita!

 

[ChuckM]

A couple positive remarks on the saw:
http://festoolownersgroup.com/other-tools-accessories/makita-ls1019l-miter-saw-mini-review/
https://www.mitersawreviews.biz/makita-ls1019l/

 

[ktb153]

I have the makita and have been using it daily for about 6 months now, I’m very happy with it. In that thread that was linked the member glass1 explains how to adjust the rails and I did that along with all the other initial adjustments when I first got the saw and everything is still dead on accurate. I have a dewalt 780 I use for site work and had a 12” glide that I sold after I bought the makita and am now considering another makita to replace the dewalt. I never owned the Kapex but used it a few times and as much as I love Festool that’s probably the only tool they make where I couldn’t justify it costing 3 times the makita. The only con with the makita is sometimes when plunging into a wide board the handle seems to vibrate which I’ve never experienced on another saw but the cut is still perfect so I don’t get it. Oh and their packaging is not made for shipping so buy locally if possible. It took 3 tries to get one without damage, the second one the box was torn in half and taped back together by FedEx where the saw obviously fell out of it and broke the handle.

 

[3PedalMINI]

Thanks guys! I’m strongly considering the makita. I read through that thread and I’m not sure I understand how to adjust the rails on it Incase I get one that is jacked up. Maybe if I had the saw in front of me it would make more sense.

I’m also wondering if I really need a sliding saw. I guess it’s nice to have the large cut capacity for larger panels and construction lumber.

 

[RKA]

It’s simpler than it sounds.

You loosen the screws holding the “cap” covering the front of the rails.  Then place a 12-15” 1x2 or other scrap of wood oriented vertically between the gap in between the rails.  Position the scrap of wood close to the rail ends (closest to you).  The scrap wood will be angled toward the left or right depending on how you fed it through the rails (which way depends on how you need to adjust).  Use the scrap of wood as a lever and push the top towards center so it’s closer to plumb.  Hold it where you want and tighten the screws on the cap.  It helps to have a second set of hands to tighten the screws because the rails will have a bit of spring to them. You’re only tweaking the rails in relation to one another 1/16” or less.  You may make several iterative adjustments testing in between until you get it just right. Start with a test cut as a baseline, note which way you twist the rails and compare the first and second cuts to see if you twisted in the correct direction or not.

 

[waho6o9]

36V Makita with a 7.5 inch blade used for small face frame type work and I Like it. 

The Festool vac hose hooks up to it so I'm good with it. 

View attachment 1

 

[3PedalMINI]

Grrr. Can’t fjnd anyone local that sells makita saws locally. Would love to check it out and feel it before I take the plunge.

I just don’t know what todo lol

 

[RKA]

If you venture up north, AW Meyer probably has one on the floor (near GW bridge).  Otherwise your best bet might be to play with the 36v model.  It’s reasonable similar.  Some larger Home Depot stores have them on display.

 

[Dane]

Here’s another vote for the Makita 1019, I’ve had mine for about 6 months and really like it. 

 

[Mike Goetzke]

I had the Makita LS1214FL for years and really liked it except for the slider bar needing so much room. I have many Makita cordless tools and batteries so I picked up the Makita 36V cordless. It is actually much smoother in action than the corded model. Highly recommend this.

Mike

 

[HowardH]

I can't believe I am saying this....take a deep breath... exhale.... Ok.  Here goes.  Harbor Freight has a new pro line called Hercules.  I saw a few videos on in and it is almost a dead ringer for the DW 780.  I didn't see any video yet with it hook up to a DC because otherwise it creates a cloud of dust.  However, it looks very solid and could be real competitor.

 

[Bob D.]

Grrr. Can’t fjnd anyone local that sells makita saws locally. Would love to check it out and feel it before I take the plunge.

I just don’t know what todo lol

You don't have a Home Depot in your corner of SNJ? There are at least a dozen stores that I know of. HD carries Makita, maybe they don't have the particular model you are looking for I don't know but when I search their site for "Makita miter saw" I get over 20 hits.

 

[TheSergeant]

I was looking at the Kapex for awhile but the motor issues kept me from it.  The price tag is well.  I went with a Bosch glide arm saw but the thing was simply not accurate.  I sold it.

I was going to buy the  new Makita but they had some alignment issues early on, so I decided to wait for them to sort it out.  In the meantime I purchased an older Makita LS1013 used from someone that upgrade to a Kapex no less.  I figured it would hold me over until the Makita sorted out the bugs in their new saw. 

This LS1013 is phenomenal!  Very accurate, very repeatable.  Pleasure to use and quieter than the Bosch.  Yes, it hangs out the back and you need to account for that but overall I'm very very happy with it.  Might be worth considering if you can find one locally for sale.  I see them regularly for ~$200 in my area. 

Beyond that I'd suggest the new Makita now that everything's been addressed.

 

[3PedalMINI]

I can't believe I am saying this....take a deep breath... exhale.... Ok.  Here goes.  Harbor Freight has a new pro line called Hercules.  I saw a few videos on in and it is almost a dead ringer for the DW 780.  I didn't see any video yet with it hook up to a DC because otherwise it creates a cloud of dust.  However, it looks very solid and could be real competitor.

its funny you mentioned this. I was in Harbor Freight the other day getting some furniture movers and saw it set up. It was actually VERY NICE, Surprisingly nice actually. Its definitely built to the dewalt standard. That being said I wonder how long it will last.

I want to get away from the 12" saws because of the deflection. If it was 10" I think I would have picked it up for giggles.

Im ready to order the makita I think. I wish I could buy it locally because of the shipping issues. Home depot sells makita, just not the saw in the store.

 

[Steven Owen]

It would always be between Makita and Dewalt for the best miter saws outside of the Kapex.  It’s easier to find more 3rd party accessories for the Dewalt Miter saws like zero clearance inserts and fence guides.  Zero clearance inserts and pretty critical if you’re doing any wood working. 

Blade deflection is largely an issue with the blade itself and not the saw.  Get a good high quality Crosscut blade like an Infinity, a Woodworker blade, ect...never use the OEM on Dewalt or Makita of you’re worried about blade deflection.

 

[demographic]

After using three different Bosch sliding crosscut mitre saws at work on various sites I'd avoid them damn things like the plague, you couldnt give me one.
There always seems to be an issue with the electric blade guard lock or its cutting way off or whatever else.
Almost every Makita Ive used has been basically reliable and taken a fair bit of hammer and many De-Walts have a dodgy little wheel on the blade guard that catches in the moldings of wood and throws the cut off line slightly. The only Milwaukee I've used has the same little wheel on the blade guard and I just wanted to launch that saw into the site skip.

I guess that means I'm more of a Makita bloke although I've never used a Hitachi and some of those look good.

Sorry but after Kapexgate I'd not be keen on spending Kapex type money on something I think might let the smoke out after a few years of babying it every time I use it.

 

[3PedalMINI]

Ordering the Makita. Ill report back once I get it, set it up and checked out.