Is the Kapex the best miter box on the market? Henderson attendees please answer

[nickao]

Since several members have used the saw now, albeit for a short amount of time, I have one question.

Is the Kapex the best miter box on the market?

I know longevity can not be addressed, but I also know when I handle a great tool it is evident the second I touch it. I knew the Panasonic cordless were the best I ever used within 15 minutes.

Please only answer this question if you have used the saw either here or abroad. I have not read anything  from anyone that attended the Henderson event that explicitly stated this is the best miter box made(unless I missed it). It is being advertised as such, fill us in guys.

I would like the short answer, yes or no.

Nickao

 

[Per Swenson]

Yes ;D

No crap

Hands down.

OK

Per

 

[Dan Clark]

Yes. No "ca ca"!  Great features, great accuracy, and very good dust collection.  And VERY light and compact.

I'm trying NOT to spend $1,300, but it's getting very tough.

Dan.

 

[nickao]

Sounds good. My miter is almost dead, good timing.

Nickao

 

[Dan Clermont]

I hate being so positive all the time about Festool stuff but that KAPEX is on a playing field above the rest.

The following features impressed me:

- Variable speed. I've cut metal and composites on my Makita and it never feels safe. Variable speed would be a nice feature for me

- small footprint. I have a small shop and my current saw is too big. The KAPEX can be placed righ tup against the wall and I believe it was 24" or 26" deep

-Dust Collection. Not perfect but pretty darn good!

- Laser. The laser stays on for 30 minutes after the first time you use it so sometimes you don't have to cut the wood with the blade and can rely on the laser burning through the wood (Steve Bace said so  so it will save on blade wear)

- Can cut almost 5" as seen in some of the pics

- at 47 pounds it doesn't sound like it would be much lighter but because you carry it up against your body it feels extremely light.

- my favorite was the bevel adjustment and how simple it is to adjust the blade angle. When you rotate the knob the saw doesn't spring back and it is pretty smooth

I was very impressed with the saw and know one will find its way into my shop!

Dan Clermont

 

[ireland]

Yes it is and by far and away the best

I got mine in january and I use it every day on site and in the workshop

Festool spent alot of time developing it and it shows

They seem to raise the bar with every tool they make and the kapex is no exception

 

[Ned]

Yes.  I'll leave it to others to give the details.

One thing I don't think has been mentioned, or I'll mention it again:  the head is counterbalanced--move the head to adjust the bevel angle--don't lock it--and it stays put.  Wow.  Dee-luxe.

Finest in the world?  Don't know.  Head and shoulders above anything I've ever seen?  Yes.

Ned

 

[Brice Burrell]

 Nick, I spend a lot of time each year standing in front of my Makita 1214, in my opinion, the 1214 is the best saw on the US market (the Kapex is no yet on the market here). I don't care too much about the weight or the lasers, I care about performance, period. Here's what features a miter saw must have to meet my standards. First, accuracy! Then, durability! The blade guard must move completely out of the way to see the blade to align cut. Visibility from both sides of the blade to align cuts (the motor can't block the view). Must be able to lock the miter within 1/4" of a degree of the detent. The saw bed must be perfectly coplanar. I have to be able to cut right or left handed.

The Kapex delivers in all areas, however, as you pointed out I can't comment on the durability. When I look at the dust collection, light weight, smaller foot print and the micro adjustment bevel and very nice trenching features.....the Kapex will be the best miter saw on the market, no question.
 One comment on the rails forward design, it really doesn't save as much space as you think. I measured the Kapex and the front to back measurement was 31" or so. My Makita is around 37".

 

[festoolfan1000]

I agree that the 1214 is a well made saw, probably the best of the currently available but its lack of fence adjustability and immense size make it very impractical and frustrating to use.

In fact I disliked it so much for these reasons, I sold it and purchased a Dewalt dw716 with the laser to replace it. I couldn't be happier! it weighs 24lbs less! Still cuts a 2x10 (along with the greatest vertical cut capacity of any saw on the market) and the laser is adjustable in 3 axis' not to mention the beautifully simply and dead on blade to fence adjustability. With no rails I can put it right up against the wall and the dust collection is quite good when attached to the CT22.  All this for less than 500 bucks. With this I simply can't fathom how the Kapex could be worth $800 more and I do this stuff for a living.

 

[nickao]

Thank you for your excellent comments guys.

My cuts need to be super accurate. So much so that I can not use any miter saw I have ever tried to do my work for certain operations. I strictly use the miter box to cut rough sizes. I am a shop worker so the heavier the better. Neither the DeWalt or Makita can make the cuts I need by just setting the angle and cutting, neither can any other miter box I have used actually. It may be due to minute slippage in the angle lock mechanism causing the small errors to compound as you go through the cuts. You can see how the smallest  amount adds up quick with 32 pieces in the following example.

If I can cut 32 pie shaped wedges and make a perfect circle with them then the saw will be accurate enough for my work right off the miter table. Try it on your saw. Several of the pieces will have to have their angles adjusted to make a perfect fit. Cutting these pie shaped wedges will be my first test of the saw. I call it a torture test for accuracy. I achieve this now by using a jig with my table saw, soon I will use an MFT and guide rail to do the same thing(hopefully I can work it out).

I hope the kapex is accurate enough to justify the 1300.00. And I guess I will find out, because it sounds like the best bet I have at this point.

Nickao

 

[nickao]

I should qualify my previous post saying I can use a miter box to accomplish my accuracy torture test with a jig for the smaller  pieces and the larger pieces I use the table saw with a jig.

I thought the newer Hitachi digital readout would be the answer but it is not accurate nor precise enough either. Actually I find my Ridgid saw is every bit the saw the Hitachi is.

Most miter boxes are better then the radial arm saws I used years ago. They were a bear to keep well adjusted. So in that respect the miter box was a great development, just never has the accuracy been that great. It's not that I hate the miter boxes, cross cutting shorter widths with the miter box is much simpler than it has ever been.

Nickao

 

[Dan Clermont]

Think of it this way. If you buy the KAPEX and aren't happy with it someone will buy it off you for 85 cents on the dollar so it will maybe cost you $150

But I bet you will like it. The lasers are adjustable if you need to however they are set at the factory and should not be touched

Dan Clermont

 

[Thomas R]

OK, short answer.......Yes

Thomas

 

[semenza]

Think of it this way. If you buy the KAPEX and aren't happy with it someone will buy it off you for 85 cents on the dollar so it will maybe cost you $150

But I bet you will like it. The lasers are adjustable if you need to however they are set at the factory and should not be touched

Dan Clermont

Hi,

  Or use the 30 day guarantee for 100% - return shipping.  I am not saying this is likely to happen but that is what it is there for.

Seth