I need a miter saw

[jlcichocki]

My old Bosch miter saw is on its last legs.  Been trying to hold on for the Kapex deal that ships in July.  Lately, I have been thinking about the Milwaukee M18 battery powered miter saw.  I would greatly appreciate anyone’s opinion with hands on ability to compare the two saws.  The battery has appeal as well as the 12 inch capacity.  But it doesn’t seem like anything can compete with the Kapex in terms of cut quality and dust collection.  Thanks.

Jeff

 

[Birdhunter]

I’ve had a really nice miter saw I bought at Home Depot. I gave it away when I got tired of taking it outside to use. The dust collection was terrible. I replaced it with a Kapex years ago. I’ve been very satisfied. I have a dedicated Festool Mini dust collector under the Kapex UG stand connected through a short wide diameter hose. Dust collection, while not perfect, is excellent. The battery option would not be an asset as my Kapex power runs through the vac and the vac would not be battery powered. If I had to take the Kapex to a job site, the battery option would be a good thing but then I’d have to get power to the vac.

To me, the Kapex is a semi-precision tool. If I were slamming through framing 2x4s all day long, I’d look at a non-Kapex option.

 

[jlcichocki]

I’ve had a really nice miter saw I bought at Home Depot. I gave it away when I got tired of taking it outside to use. The dust collection was terrible. I replaced it with a Kapex years ago. I’ve been very satisfied. I have a dedicated Festool Mini dust collector under the Kapex UG stand connected through a short wide diameter hose. Dust collection, while not perfect, is excellent. The battery option would not be an asset as my Kapex power runs through the vac and the vac would not be battery powered. If I had to take the Kapex to a job site, the battery option would be a good thing but then I’d have to get power to the vac.

To me, the Kapex is a semi-precision tool. If I were slamming through framing 2x4s all day long, I’d look at a non-Kapex option.

Wow thank you.  I was thinking so hard about which saw to get, I actually did forget the vac still needs electricity lol.  I’ll take a step back and rethink my entire work flow.  Thanks again!

Jeff

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

Makita do a 36v vac, we use them with a 36v mitre saw, and 36volt plunge saws.

Just a thought, buying a different make stand in saw, whilst waiting for a Kapex deal, is false economy surely?
I’m speaking as a pro user though  [wink]

 

[Bencan]

Yea so I just bought the kapex machine to replace me 12 year old dewalt 12” dual bevel. IMO this thing is outstanding, the only thing I find as a downer is carrying it in an out of people’s homes. It’s awkward to carry I find. I guess I could buy the stand but I like the one I have for now

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jlcichocki]

Yea so I just bought the kapex machine to replace me 12 year old dewalt 12” dual bevel. IMO this thing is outstanding, the only thing I find as a downer is carrying it in an out of people’s homes. It’s awkward to carry I find. I guess I could buy the stand but I like the one I have for now

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Thank you.  Congrats on the new saw.  I have a 15 yo Bosch, the model just before the glide model.  Needs to go ASAP.

 

[Handyoneill]

Kapex is superb. Used a number of mitre saws over the year. Bought one second hand it's just fsntastic

 

[InspektorGadget]

I owned a 12" DeWalt non sliding miter saw.  It was great I sold it because I found a Kapex on FB Marketplace, sent it in for a full service and used it for 3 months.  I sold it and bought the DeWalt with the XPS light again.  I was using a CT26 with the upgraded hose diameter on both saws.  The dust collection difference IMO is negligible.  I sold the Kapex, bought the DeWalt miter saw and used the extra money for other tools in my shop.  I have a track saw that I use for any wider cross cuts than my miter aw can handle, which isn't often.

I really wanted to like the Kapex, I have several sanders, domino, routers, saws etc. so I'm a festool fanboy of sorts, but I really wasn't very impressed with it....The Kapex is also the ONLY miter saw I've ever used that I experience kick back with.  Probably user error, but worth nothing.  It happened a lot with the Kapex.

Anyways, that's my two cents.  I love my DeWalt, I'd get a DeWalt or Milwaukee slider but I need it to sit flush against my shop wall so that wasn't an option.  Hope this helps.

My use is primarily building furniture, NOT trim carpentry.  So my use case may not be the same as everyone else.

 

[Bertotti]

I thought about a Kapex a few years ago but I don’t use the miter saw everyday or even every month so I wound up buying a Hitachi. Ironically enough now that I have. 12” miter saw bs the old 10” I use it a lot more. One big issue though is the weight. It weighs a ton! Must be darn near 70lbs! Otherwise I love it. I set the rails forward and need almost no clearance behind it as the saw slides forward like the Kapex. Very nice to save the room behind it. I’m not a fan of all the battery operated stuff. Other than drivers I still stick with corded tools. I hate having a tool with an expensive consumable part.

 

[ChuckM]

Snip.
I’m not a fan of all the battery operated stuff. Other than drivers I still stick with corded tools. I hate having a tool with an expensive consumable part.

Me neither, not to mention the fact that changes or improvements in battery technology can easily make a huge investment obsolete in just years. Sometimes, a battery can even cost as much as a tool itself from a different brand. The worst? There's no one standard like DVDs, USB, etc. across different brands and platforms. I own 5 different cordless drills for which only one has a spare battery.

Murphy's Law also tells me that I often run out of juice when I don't have a spare charged battery around (unless I count a break of a couple of hours a good thing). Sometimes, I work 6 hours in a row, and I hate to look for alternatives when a battery "dies" on me in the middle of something. Corded...never an issue.

 

[A M Carpentry]

As a professional carpenter I would not hesitate in recommending the Kapex mitre saws.
Have used and/or owned De-walts, Makitas, Electra Beckem, Bosch and a few others I fail to remember the names of and none even come close to the Kapex.
Accuracy, depth of cut/cross cut/bevel, ease of use, build quality are second to none.
Atb
Shirl. 

 

[sancho57]

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[yetihunter]

But it doesn’t seem like anything can compete with the Kapex in terms of cut quality and dust collection.  Thanks.

Jeff

I don’t know about dust collection (or weight, or fit and finish, or soft start), but the 12” Dewalt I picked up at Home Depot after I sold my Kapex has every bit the precision and cut quality with a Leitz blade that says Amana AGE instead of a Leitz blade that says Festool on it.  Nothing wrong with the Kapex, however. 

 

[Packard]

I also have a DeWalt.  I chose it because the indexes were stamped (with the attendant accuracy of a stamping die) and did not rely on the as-cast detents that all the other saws seemed to rely on. 

That reliance on as-cast detents is a product of cost-saving efforts.  There is nothing wrong with the systems they use.  I'm certain that the engineers who designed those saws called out a post-casting machine operation, but the bean counters then stepped in and said that the as-cast detents were "good enough". 

Also, the DeWalt index can be calibrated (as a whole, not as individual indexes).  None of the others seemed to have that ability. 

Note:  I have not had the opportunity to study the Kapex saws, so I cannot comment on how they handled the angle indexes.

 

[jeh]

These type of threads are worthless. There are plenty of posts on Mitre Saw pluses and minuses here as well as on the various tool review sites. Your options are:

1. Buy the Kapex if it fits your budget. It's a great saw. Ignore the noise on the failure of the prior version. It's vastly better than other options though for the price you could probably get two very good mitre saws.
2. Buy any of the other major brands. I prefer the Dewalt Flexvolt for its flexibility (corded or cordless).

 

[yetihunter]

These type of threads are worthless. There are plenty of posts on Mitre Saw pluses and minuses here as well as on the various tool review sites. Your options are:

1. Buy the Kapex if it fits your budget. It's a great saw. Ignore the noise on the failure of the prior version. It's vastly better than other options though for the price you could probably get two very good mitre saws.
2. Buy any of the other major brands. I prefer the Dewalt Flexvolt for its flexibility (corded or cordless).

Are they though?  Some of the Bosch and Makita saws supposedly have issues.  The DWS779/780 has all of the capabailities of the Kapex.  Out of the box, it can do everything the Kapex can do.  It's also way erm..rougher.. in every front.  From the sliding mechanism, to the trenching, to the locks to the saw jumping in the air when you pull the trigger... Currently, on the market, the 12" Dewalt is all I would trust as an option (I simply have no feedback or experience on the Milwaukee to work off of).  More importantly, is the buyer going to be cutting trim upright?  The internet will tell you can buy a DWS779 very cheap and add the light to turn it into the DWS780.  It won't tell you that every DWS779 I've seen has the holes bored for the crown stops but not the threads... Other importantly... is the buyer cutting posts all day long?  Because I'd take the Dewalt over the Kapex for that...regardless of budget.  The Kapex is the nicest to work with and I double down on that route if money is not tight.

 

[Packard]

For 4" x 4" posts I would just use a regular 12" chop saw (not sliding).  More durable, lighter, cheaper than the sliding versions.

 

[afish]

I have to agree with yetihunter.  The DWS779/780 is hard to beat especially for the money.  I wouldn't cut with either the Kapex or any miter saw in a finished house so the minor improvement the kapex might have in dust collection is arbitrary and isn't worth 2-3x the price.  If you are getting bad cuts from either its either you or the blade unless the saw has been dropped or something. Im not a fan of the Kapex handle either but that might just be me and isnt a deal breaker.  I dont mind spending the money but If Im spending considerably more for something I expect considerably more performance.  The cost for performance ratio isnt proportionate IMHO for the Kapex.   

 

[Packard]

I don't have a laser on my saw.  But recently I added Facap's zero clearance tape to the insert.  It offers a very precise way to measure cuts (and makes cleaner cuts at the same time).  It would appear to be more accurate than a laser which has to be calibrated and set to the width of the blade.

The zero clearance tape is always calibrated and set to the width of the blade. 

 

[squall_line]

I don't have a laser on my saw.  But recently I added Facap's zero clearance tape to the insert.  It offers a very precise way to measure cuts (and makes cleaner cuts at the same time).  It would appear to be more accurate than a laser which has to be calibrated and set to the width of the blade.

The zero clearance tape is always calibrated and set to the width of the blade.

Thinking out loud and not trying to be combative, but I can see the value of a laser or shadow if one is using their miter saw to cut tenons or dadoes, especially on a slider with a depth stop/trenching feature.  The parallax viewing error from the Zero Clearance could be a hindrance in that technique?