Miter saw: What do you think?

french_guy

What would be the smartest choice for the same price ($109)
Kobalt sliding 7"1/4 / 9 Amps
Hitachi 10" / 15 Amps

So basically more amps or sliding?

Other choice for less money: Skill 10" 15 Amps ($99)

woodworkbykirk

more amps is more important than sliding., its the difference of a saw actuallly having enough power to make a cut or having one that can bind up in a wider peice of material.. this is the beef i have with dewalt 12" sliders.. they put a tiny motor on them and they bind

joecaption

Depends on what you plan on using it for.
Saws that small will reallly limit what you can do with them.
There not going to be able to cut floor joist, most of the material to buld a deck, stair treads, some crown mouding even laminite flooring would be a streach.
I bought a 10" when I first started out and brought it back and traded for a 12" the same day.

ddawg16

I agree and disagree......

I really wish my compound miter was a slider......

But....

I have also found that having a good blade makes a world of difference.....

When it comes to power....up to a point, power is only a factor as to how fast you can cut into wood.

__________________
Common Sense is like Deodorant. Those that need it the most don't use it.
My
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
...
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
and
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

oh'mike

I have that little Kobalt slider----It's the handiest little thing---

For general home maintenance it's the one I would want---

For trim? No--If the main use is trim work---get a 12" with as much cutting height against the fence as possible----

For the price that little Kobalt is a very useful tool---

__________________
New members: Adding your location to your profile helps in many ways.--M--

Carreiro

I have a Ryobi 10". It's handy for small home renos and some trim. Putting up larger trim or cutting larger stock does pose a challenge.

When I bought it I was a bit of a noob to the tool and reno world and now I wish I had a slider. Bosch has the Axial Glide and that looks like one nice machine, but it's a bit pricy right. The other brand I would look at is Festool (expensive too).

If I had to do it again I would get a nice 10" or 12" slider, one with good fence height and depth of cut. Pay attention to saws, like mine, that have motors mounted on the side. The motor can sometimes limit the depth a saw can plunge. So even though you have a 10" blade you're not going to be able to cut 5" deep.

Also, keep in mind that with a slider space can be an issue. The double rails sticking out the back can really limit where you setup your saw. If you're mobile and have it in an open space you're good, but if you want to set it up flush against a wall you will find a regular compound miter a better choice.

Having said all that, you're posing a hard comparison. Remember you're comparing a 7 1/4" blade with that of a 10" blade. If I had to make a call on only those two choices, go with the 10".

I hope this helps a little.

funfool

My first thought is, go with amps for more power.
But, if Mike has the kobalt and gives it thumbs up, is good enough for me.

I have the 12" dewalt non sliding saw. It does fine for most things and am happy with it.
If all I did was finish stairs, newel post, pickets, hand rails and such.
I would prefer a smaller 8" saw.
The reason is blade surface and flex. I learned this from the days when I was a apprentice.
My boss had a 12" dewalt we used all the time for finish work, when a set of stairs came up, he pulled out the 8" milwaukee. He got a better cut with it.

20 years later, I notice it all the time cutting a fat piece of oak with my 12" saw, the blade deflects and cut is 1/2 a degree off.
I know to expect it, plan for it and how to fix it. Just saying bigger is not always better.
More amps and power is always better.

__________________
If it was easy, we would not call it work!

hyunelan2

I thought that 12" saws weren't ideal for trim because of the potential of blade deflection with the larger-diameter saw-blade?

FWIW, my 10" slider is about perfect for everything I've needed - it's a 15a.

oh'mike

Keep the blade sharp and there is little problem with a 12" saw----some of the thin kerf blades wobble a bit---The red Diablo blades are a good example---

The 12" miter saw is the one for most trim work---tall base moldings are popular and are cut most quickly against the fence---cutting on the flat using a smaller saw is fine ,but takes more time---

If you were being paid by the job--you would use the saw that gave you a quality cut in the least time--

__________________
New members: Adding your location to your profile helps in many ways.--M--

jeffsw6

The Bosch "gliding" saw is a clever design that does not have that issue. It is about $700 though, not the price range the first poster is looking at!

woodworkbykirk

with a mitre saw power is everything, your dealing with a much larger blade than a regular circular saw so it will need high rpms and torque.. a good blade is useless if the tool cant turn it at the proper rpms.. this is the issue with 13 amps saws and the dewalt 12`sliders.. earlier this year i did a custom stain grade trim package install.. because of it being stain grade we had to use brand new blades to ensure clean cuts. we tried our dewalt slider.. it was tearing out the wood.. so i brought in my bosch which runs at 900 rpms faster we had cuts that were like glass

similarly we use the dewalt for framing and siding.. i dont know how many times the saw has bound up and pulled material away from the table risking injury. this was cutting 2x pine and spruce and not in a single pass.. .

oh'mike

DeWalt has a lower RPM? That would explain a few things---I have an older Delta---much better machine than my DeWalt (big disappointment 714 slider)

__________________
New members: Adding your location to your profile helps in many ways.--M--

jeffsw6

Having just bought a Dewalt miter saw, I learned there are quite a few models to suit different needs. They have 10" and 12" saws priced about the same. For example, the DW713 is a 10" 5000 RPM saw but the DW715 is a 12" blade, 4000 RPM model. The price difference is about $10.

There are 10" and 12" sliding ones, too. Again those cost about the same.

Clearly they know that some customers want a huge blade and others need more torque.

woodworkbykirk

either way a 12" saw should have the same size motor.. its pathetic that dewalt considers their 12" slider a pro grade tool while putting a small motor on it..

next time your in the tool crib at a building supply just look at the motor housing on the dewalt and compare it to a bosch 5212, 4212L or the new milwaukee..