Power Saws Reviews

I researched miter saws and read reviews, asked fellow contractors and what not, and decided to go with this instead of the hitachi 10" slider, because i noticed alot of complaints about the hitachi having way to much play with the slide rails. Amazon got the saw to me with a busted box and i dont know how it didnt fall apart carrying it to my door. So i opted to just open it up and see if anything appeared to be dammaged and it seemed fine. Took the saw out of the box and put it all together, and everything was off, the fence was way off, the bevel, miter, etc. So when i got that all squared up i cut a couple peices of 5 3/4 crown i had laying around flat, (yes it was 52Degree crown so the stops were at 31.6 and 33.9)
DIDNT LINE UP RIGHT AT ALL! Came to find that the table would lock into what degree you set in in but would have almost a full degree L & R of play. So where is it really being locked down at? .7 .2 ? I talked to a buddy of mine unfortunatly after a bought this saw and he said he had the same issue so i know it wasn't from the shipping. Unfortunatly issue wasn't adjustable so sent it back and got my refund with out a fuss, thanx amazon. Sux to because it seemed like a nice saw, just not acurate unless you dont do high end staingrade crown and cabinets and dont mind the caulk hehehe. Dont buy this saw if you want precession but if you dont mind your miters being off and dont do crown go for it, bitchin saw. By the way the fence is a 4" not a 4 1/2 so if you need to cut those 38 and 45 degree peices of crown be sure it isnt big because you wont be doing it against this little fence. Im gonna say screw a slider all together and get this beauty check this beast out (DELTA? Industrial Model 36-412 12" Dual Bevel Miter))

I am amazed there is such a difference of opinion about this saw. In my case, it required only minor adjustment right out of the box. After several months of use, the saw still cuts dead-on 90 degrees without any adjustment. I especially like the micro adjustment feature and use it frequently. Some complaints such as dust collection and less than premium saw blade are common to most saw brands. Really, to effectively collect fine dust from a miter saw you need to fit a dust hood behind the saw hooked to a very powerful dust collector. I agree with most of the positive comments other reviewers have made about the saw and would certainly buy it again.

After a whole lot of research on a lot of different brands of dual bevel miter saws Bosch came out on top for a number of reasons. The quality is top notch, it came out of the box staight and dialed in and needed no adjustments. I put it on a Craftsman stand and put it right to work. The saw performed perfectly and with out any problems I cut and installed all of my case mouldings. being that not all angles are created equal the fine adjustment feature came in very handy. The only complaint I have is the dust bag is not very useful...so I attached my shop vac to the dust bag port and solved almost all the dust problems. Bosch really delivered on the 4410L and I want to thank all of the folks that reviewed it.

This is an excellent saw that I have owned and used on the job for many years. It is lightweight and extremely durable with a powerful 13 Amp motor. The handle positions and balance are just right for me, giving a very controlled cut. With the optional rip fence, and a standard carbide tipped master-crosscut blade, I have used it many times when a table saw was unavailable, to rip 16-foot 2X PT into 1-1/4" strips. This is a brutal task for any 7-1/4" circular saw, but this Makita takes the choking strain and heat buildup in stride. I wouldn't recommend trying this continuously with another brand of sidewinder unless you really want to see what it's made of, and can afford to replace it. This saw is also great for cutting 1/2" cement backerboard using a 7-inch dry-cut continuous-rim blade.
An occasional set of motor brushes and a new power cord are the only repairs made over the years. I'm still amazed that the switch hasn't fried yet considering all of the heavy loading this saw has seen.
The 5007NBK is a contractors' saw made for continuous, repetitive cutting, so there is no electric brake or safety on the trigger switch. The saw has a blade lock for easy blade changing. Depth adjustment is done with a thumb lever located at the rear of the heavy gauge aluminum foot.
This saw was considered by many to be "The Builders' Saw" in the eighties and early nineties and was extremely prevalent on jobsites then. It has outlasted other saws I have owned by many years, and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a durable, long lasting tool for heavy on the job use.

Ive been a self employed carpenter for thirty years and used every circular on the market. Skil before & after Bosch, B&D, Porter Cable before & after Rockwell, Milwalkee, DeWalt, Miller Falls, and Sears. Nothing has the feel, power and dependability of this Makita. Even the old worm drive skil, which you need a crane after rafters or stair stringers, has met it's match with the 5007. It is heavy enough not to bounce all over the work as light diy saws do, but light enough to still drink a soda one handed at the end of the day. You can rip all day with it, and it never overheats, nor can you bind it into a stall easily. Only complaint I have is I wish it wouldn't hit you in the face with the saw dust. Good saw buy it. Oh! it is made right here in the USA.
This is a complaint; I dropped mine down a flight of stairs, and bent it. I replaced it. It is now made overseas, and no longer made in Buford Georgia. No wonder so many Americans are out of work.

My brother-in-law does remodeling and as a result, puts his power tools through hell. He's used the same Makita circular saw since the 1980s. It was based on seeing how well his saw still performed that I decided to purchase the Makita. I've never been sorry. I'm not a pro, but I certainly enjoy having a powerful, accurate saw when I need to make home repairs. I haven't found anything I can't slice through with this little monster. I've had it several years and it works like a new tool. The 13-amp motor supplies more than enough power for extended cutting of hard, thick lumber and has the added homeowner's advantage of not causing your 15-amp breakers to trip like some of the larger saws. There's a good reason you see these things all over job sites - they work well and last forever.

Let me start off by saying that this is the last table saw you will ever own. It is powerful, smooth and solid as a rock (it weights just slight less than a sizeable boulder). Put a Forrest Woodworker II blade on it and you will get cuts so smooth you could probably sell your jointer.

Assembly is a bit of a chore, the direction could be better and the extension fence could be easier to mount to the saw. Plan on investing a good portion of an afternoon to get it together. However, once you do, hitting the on/off switch that first time will make you glad you made the investment.

If I could rate the saw in different categories I would give it 3 stars for the set up and 5 stars for its performance. Here are some of the problems I had. I couldn't easily tell which cast iron extension wing went on the left and which on the right. The wings aren't marked. After researching and analyzing the picture in the manuals in great detail I finally figured out that the left one has a countersunk screw hole in it. Also two of the pretapped holes in the guide tube were misaligned. This wasn't that big a deal because there are a bunch of other holes in the guide tube to use to attach to the front rail. In general there are a lot of holes in the rails and no explicit directions about where they should line up with the cast iron tables. This was easy to address but still mildly irritating. By holding the rails to the table and sliding it left or right I could figure out where to align it. One major objection I have is that the Z bracket system isn't used to attach the extension table to the cast iron wing in the Biesenmeyer model. It's used for the Unifence model. It would really simplify the stabilization and attachment of the extension table. It was a struggle to attach the extension table. In order to align the extension table flush to the cast iron table one person has to hold the extension table up while another one clamps it together. But the underside of the wings and table don't have a convenient surface to clamp together so it ended being misaligned a lot. I eventually just put a long clamp across the table, essentially squeezing the front and back rail against the extension table which held it in place. So the assembly was irritating but it's just a minor inconvenience. Another issue I had was the side extension table is substantially shorter than the one pictured on the box and in the manual. It barely was long enough to get the 50" distance from the saw blade. I was impressed that the Biesenmeyer face was absolutely parallel to the saw blade right out of the box. Also I was pleasantly suprised that the witness line on the fence was only 1/16" off. I think Delta does a good job in aligning things properly at the factory. Overall it was a frustrating set up but the blade/fence are parallel, the table top is flat and stable which is what really matters to me. I didn't go to the lengths that other reviews did in checking the flatness of the cast iron surface. All I did was put a straight edge on the table top and adjusted things to keep the surfaces flush. If your livelihood depended on it I guess such minute differences would matter but I'm a DIY/woodworking hobbiest.

I am the envy of my woodworking friends! ;-)
This thing rocks. Solid and powerfull, this thing handles everything I've thrown at it. The accessories that came with it are great, as well. And the Biesemeyer fence is fantastic! Having the rolling base is a plus, as well. On the downside, it was tough to put it all together because it is HEAVY and there are many parts. Plus, the bags that held all of the screws fell apart so I spent some time just sorting the screws, washers, nuts, etc into piles. Things would have been much easier with an extra set of hands - especially when installing the cast iron extensions. But, once it's all in place, aligned and square it is fantastic!

This saw was not designed for the homeowner but for the professional carpenter.

It will be too heavy for the casual board cutter and the great design features will only be apparent to skilled pro's.

Circular saws have been built following the same basic design for years. Expensive circular saws had strong, durable motors and heavy duty fences while the cheapies had poor fences and poor motors. The depth and angle adjustments in either group were at best a suggestion of precision.

Dewalt to their credit decided to build a better saw and succeeded masterfully. The other saw manufacturers are still doing things the same old way.

What's great - Heavy duty fence, clear view of the cut point from the left hand side of the saw, notch to position power cord so it is out of the way on rips, clear and precise depth and angle adjustment, unbelievably smooth and powerful motor.

What's not - it's heavy yet it's mass makes it very stable

Several years ago I had a chance to use a friend's Dewalt DW364. It was so amazing that I hoped my venerable Makita 8 1/4" contractor saw would die. The Makita is still running strong (it's 22 years old) but I finally bought a DW364 anyway.

The makita gets used for framing - the dewalt for finish work.

As a side note - I have never seen a professional carpenter use a rip fence.

Caslo

Its a bit heavy, but it is also the best circular saw I've ever owned!

Way back in '89 I destroyed a worm gear drive saw. I replaced it with a major brand, big discount store, consumer grade saw,,, then 2 more. Finally I realized that I had spent as much as a nice commercial grade saw would have cost, in just 4 years !! So I began studying and researching and found this saw. I never did like the way that the worm drive saw would torque to the side when I pulled the trigger. The saw wasn't hard to control after the initial start-up but that sideways jump annoyed me. So I didn't even consider another worm drive saw. This saw looked rugged enough and the base plate was precisely adjustable for paralell to the blade. I was sold. It self destructed in '04.
I did a short overview of what was available and still couldn't find anything I liked better,,so, in '04 I bought another one. This time though the saw has been upgraded to 15 amps from the previous 13 amps, and I couldn't be happier. 10 or 11 years from now if this one goes out again, I'll buy another one gladly. The smoothest running, straightest cutting, easiest to control saw I've ever seen has no competition. Well,,, maybe the 8 1/4 inch version of the same saw.

I love the Hitachi 10" and 8 1/2" sliding compound saws for their lightness, compactness, and portability. The power and accuracy is all one could ask for. The range of motion, mitering 57 degrees to the right, is awesome. Sounds good so far, right? Well, no . . . I will never buy another unless they change one thing:

That miter scale, with those idiotic 10th pitch marks (It's the USA, folks, and we do some things different!), crown miter marks and preset angle marks crowded on an already hard-to-read scale with poorly cast markings, is impossible to read. Many other finish carpenters agree.

I complained to a Hitachi rep. at a big tool exhibit about this and he actually told me that Hitachi wasn't going to change their tool "just for me." OK, fine! I'll take my business elsewhere.

It's too bad. It's a pretty good tool with one huge flaw that, in my opinion, makes it too-much-hassle to use.

I've owned my saw for about 5 years. It was recommended to me by a friend who is a professional chippy (his boss later bought two of them). I use it for home projects so it doesn't get the thrashing a professional might have given it. I'm very happy with it's accurate and clean cuts, and with its smooth action. I've bought a second spindle and bolt for the vise clamp so I have one on each side (saves the time and hassle of unscrewing that long thread when changing sides).

On the downside: the angles are a little hard to read; I've broken one orange plastic indicator on the bevel scale; and I find the depth adjustment bolt cumbersome to use. I suspect it is not robust enough to withstand being dropped although with the rear "holder" fitted it shows no tendancy to tip over backwards (a problem another reviewer mentioned). These are not enough to take away my enjoyment.

Ironically, here in New Zealand it's sold as a 10 1/4" saw and comes standard with a 262mm blade, although the instructions state categorically "Never attempt to install saw blades larger than 255mm (10") in diameter." - I wonder if the warranty was void before I left the shop!

This is a great tool. I bought it when it first came out and heve been the most impressed from day one. It is 6 years old now and cuts as good now as ever. It is light years more accurate that the dewalt or makita saws. I suggest buying a black paint pen with the saw and putting the pen on the 0 mark and every slash mark along the angle scale at every ten degree marks then the angle scale is easy to see. One of the nicest things is that the detents are easy to adjust minutely from for finish work and still work well enough for framing. IF the bevel marker brakes making a new one from colored tin is easy and then the tin can be bent closer to the scale for faster more accurate bevel settings. I wish I had done that sooner.

Amazon says this saw features "Hitachi exclusive 5-year warranty" but Amazon technical data and other non-Amazon sources say it's a one-year warranty. Which is it, guys? Hitachi service parts are usually about twice the price of competitors' parts, so warranty is a really important thing here.

Warranty on this Japanese-made saw is only ONE year as stated in literature shipped with the tool and on other seller sites, NOT five years as Amazon site says. The saw itself works about as well as a Porter Cable Tiger orbital model (they both cut fast with much noise and vibration), but it's heavier and bulky. The two-prong cord is thinly covered with rubber but it's stiff and it wrinkles at sharp curves -- Milwaukee's thick supple smooth cords with heavy molded plugs are leagues ahead of this one. The hard black plastic shroud around the gearcase is remarkably ill-fitting in places, with irritating sharp molding edges raised at the open center seam. The rather lightweight blow-molded fitted plastic case with plastic latches is not large enough to hold the saw with the single privided blade attached. Lastly, the prices of common wear parts like the switch (a $64 part) and cord ($22 despite its shoddy quality) and the foot assembly ($20 and already bent and cracked from an hour's gentle use pruning shrubbery) will make this saw uncommonly expensive to repair when it breaks.

I purchased this as part of my basement remodeling project. It has exceeded my expectations. I have not noticed any problems with a loose blade, as mentioned in other reviews. I was cutting through 2x4's, sheetrock, and metal, and this saw worked great for all of them. It had quick, smooth, easy cutting strokes. The variable speed was wonderful, and switching from circular to straight cut was a breeze. Changing the blade was simple too (I wish it came with more than 1 blade). My main motive for purchasing this was price, but after owning it, I would still get this saw, even if I had to pay more.

Nice saw with impressive power from the 18V batteries. Good ergonomics and handling with the following exception: Narrow blade opening in the table and the ample blade guard makes it a bit difficult to get a good view of the blade and your cut line while cutting. I thought a saw with the blade on the left would minimize this problem, yet with some adjustment from my usual cutting position, it still works pretty good.... its just in those situations when you don't have the 'ideal' position to make your cut that you really notice it. Charger recharges drained batteries fairly quickly, and as a bonus... the 18V batteries also fit my Milwaukee reciprocating sawzall.

After checking and trying several options including 3& 4 piece "package Deals" I decided I did not need the other items and this was the best saw for my purpose, it was also made in the USA. I am pleased with my decision.

You simply can't bog this guy down. I compared this to a Hitachi C6DC and although the Hitachi was slightly more comfortable, I couldn't get used to the blade on the right and the Milwaukee seemed to get through 2x8s effortlessly. The Hitachi could get the same job done, but it was worked harder than the Mil. Great tool.

Like his corded brother this saw is top notch as far as the mechanical aspects go. There is a definate problem though with the batteries. They do not stay charged for very long, and unfortunately for me I purchaced before I read the reviews of other customers explaining that the batteries are only good for about a year. Hopefully Milwaukee will design a better system soon.

one of the best saws for light demo , when your crawling through a tight space or a long run from an outlet.
I still carry a corded monster for big stuff.

I already have a super sawzall but there are places I need a sawzall where I can't get to electricity (like up in a tree). I bought this saw for the small stuff including pruning small branches, roots, etc.. This is a lot better than having to drag out the chain saw. If you don't need a sawzall very often, this is an excellent quality saw for the homeowner. I have other Milwaukee tools and am very satisfied with them also.

I am disappointed with this purchase.

I was looking forward to having a great new tool to work with this weekend. I've never owned anything by Porter-Cable, so I was looking forward to a quality tool. But I disovered problems that made me spend a couple hours trying to figure out what if anything is wrong. Now I'm going to have to find out how to get it repaired or just send it back. This, I'm sure, will take another couple hours and maybe I won't have the tool for several weeks.

The problem is that the extended blade guard rubs up against the saw blade. The edge of the saw blade comes very close to this guard. It has very little clearance on one side and a lot of clearance on the other side. It makes contact when adjusting the depth of cut. I really don't want to see what happens when the blade is spinning at 4,500 RPM and hits this guard. Not to mention if I get a blade with thicker carbide teeth.

Other problems: I had to add a little oil. After following instuctions to check oil level, I determined that some gear oil was needed. Also, there is some cheesy looking stop bolt on the bottom of the saw body that contacts the sole plate at the deepest cut setting. This looks like it doesn't belong.

The manual is very poor. The diagrams are hard to read. I had trouble identifying parts. I had assumed that Porter-Cable would be made in the US. Wrong. Made in Mexico.

I wish someone made a quality corded trim saw. I'm probably not going to use it enough to justify a rechargeable system. Also, I think I would be a little more careless with a cordless cutting tool.

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One very usefull little trim saw! Worm drive works very well and seems to handle anything lite. You can not cut a 2x4 with this so don't buy it thinking you can.

The only thing porter cable should have done with it is to have provided a box for it!!

The saw is much to easy to break or bend if not placed in some kind of box when transporting it. The size of this saw makes it very hard to find just the right size box as well....

But we have to give the tool itself 5 star because it works very very well!

A bit on the "To high priced side" with out a storage box however!

I purcahsed this saw a few months back after salivating for it for a few years now. I couldn't justify purchasing this saw when my table saw and circular saw more than do the job, but finally I got sick of using those bigger tools for small jobs and that's I finally gave in to this purchase.

Now this item isn't the cheapest option available out there but by far in my eyes it's the best and worth every penny. Right out the box with the stock blade the saw does a good job on various thicknesses of wood. I haven't had the pleasure of using it on plexigass yet but I'll get there. Overall though, I definitely recommend this saw but remember this is a trim saw. You have your regular circular saw and or table saw for the big jobs. This saw is more for the small little jobs or cutting trim, etc. Enjoy!

PS... My only complaint is that this tool does not come with a case. In my eyes, every power tool should come with its own case.

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Bosch invented them, black and decker destroyed Em!

This is the most accurate barrel grip we have in our cabinet and door company. This tool is just outstanding! I have a small problem with my right hand, turning my wrist is getting harder the more I build!

The ease of this tool in rotation gives me dead on cuts every time. If your working out a large template on a 4 X 8 sheet of 9 ply not a problem this tool will eat wood all day long!

The very problem most cabinet makers have is the saw dust getting on the cut line... Not with this tool. Directional air blows the lines clean for a perfect cut every time!

I have to give this tool a 9.5 out of 10.
Worth every dime!!

Having always used top handle jig saws in the past,
I thought I would replace my stolen jig saw with
this inovative barrel grip style.
It is everything as advertised. The barrel grip is
easy to hold and control, better in my opinion that
top handle styles. This saw is powerful and easily powers
through stock.
The only thing I could suggest improvement on is the Power
Switch. It is a thin surface mounted switch that is a bit
difficult to operate. For me, in one handed operation, it requires me to extend my thumb an unnatural distance to turn
it on and the same to turn it off. So with the saw running, I
have to extend my arm and contortion my thumb to turn it off.
This issue is minor trust me, the saw in total more than makes
up for it.

Someone finally got it right!

Starting with the blade install/removal. You push the blade into place. That's it, no tools, no twists, no turns or other mechanicions. Removal is even easier! Slide the release lever and the blade is ejected! This is the perfect blade handling system!!

The barrel design offers better control than traditional "top handle" models. For some this may be a matter of preference. This tool is an extension of my hand.

The (retractable) blade guide offers excellent stability for the blade. This is especially useful when cutting thicker (over 3/4") stock. This feature greatly reduces the blades tendency to "wonder" to the outside of a curve cut. This feature would typically not be used for sheet metal.

At over 6 amps, the 1591 is among the most powerful jig saws made. Despite the power, this unit is relatively vibration free. This is especially important for a barrel grip design, where you are basically holding the motor body. I have found this tool to be powerful enough to replace many reciprocating saw applications, while offering lighter weight and greater control.

The lone drawback to this design is the slide switch. While the speed is thumb wheel variable, it does not offer the variable speed trigger, common in top handle models (aka Bosch 1590). I have (and love) both models, but usually reach for the barrel grip model.

If a variable speed trigger were available on the barrel grip model, the saw would be perfect.