Power Saws Reviews

The saw looks new, but the box arrived with broken seems and crushed corners. Also, there were no staples and just lots of tape holding it closed (i.e Like Chuck R's). The tape was over the shipping label so the damage looks like it occured during transit (UPS sucks!). I'm having a hard time squaring up the fence with the blade, so I might be returning this thing for another one.

I have been researching Sliding Miter saws for over a year now. They all have many good points, and each has at least some room for improvement. I ended up with this saw due to it's rugged design and it's accuracy. The fact that I caught it during Amazon special in which I received a Makita 4340FCT just made the deal all the sweeter since I had already decided upon the 1214. I am in engineering field but do woodworking and remodeling on the side with goal of building fine furnature in near future. Even though the saw does max out to 60 degrees, it is direct drive, no blade vibration or wobble and its accuracy is excellent. The Miter saw arrived within 3-4 days after purchase and this was using Super Saver Shipping just after the Holiday. Box was in perfect shape as was the saw. I am extremely pleased with both Amazon and Makita. Fit and Finish are perfect. The table turns soooo smoothly. Really no surprises since I had spent so much time researching but if your going to spend this much on a tool, you want to make sure it is the right choice off the bat. I love the tool and the cost was already a great deal before catching the Amazon Special. Overall, a home-run.

Box had been opened and then taped closed you could tell because the large stapples were torn out. There was know packing list supplied so I couldn't be sure if everything was there.

When I read 2.25 HP being described as "powerful," I thought this must be some kind of sick joke. I use chainsaws all the time with my carcasses, and 16" ain't nothing. First of all, let's get one thing straight, o.k.? Electric chainsaws have their limitations. That being said, I could still use it for chopping down trees and roundin up firewood. However, as for my, shall we say, clandestine operations, I have found this Milwaukee variety of chainsaw to be less than cutting edge, pardon the pun.

I purchased this chainsaw in March 2001 and immediately noticed oil leaking. I notified a Milwaukee representative who informed me that a small leakage of oil was normal but if the oil reservoir was empty then I should bring it to a service dealer. I finally did this once I was convinced that it was leaking too much and after waiting about 4 weeks I was informed that the parts needed were still on back order. In turn for my inconvenience I was given a new chain saw. Unfortunately, this new chain saw is doing the same thing. I have put out an inquiry regarding this problem to Milwaukee but still have not heard back.
I must say that I am very satisfied with the way this chain saw works and easily cuts through large sized logs.

LBuono

when the time came to get a new chainsaw I saw Milwaukee made an electric. With the advent of portable power generators it made sence. The Milwaukee power chainsaw cuts everything it goes up against. The safety features are great and dont impede the "average" guy trying to get a "job done". Its tough, dependable (as your generator), and will cut anything its gas powered "cousin" will without all the "hoopla".

This saw rules-
It is only my second circular saw (I am 13) but I think it will be my last saw. It will cut through fresh pressure treated wood with out breaking a sweat. This saw is so quiet that you do not need ear plugs. I own many other Milwaukee tools, I expect high quality from them, and like always, the past with flying colors. You will need some worm drive oil, Milwaukee part # 49-32-0050, and then your set. It will not cut a 4x4 in one pass, but it will cut a 6x6 in two passes.

Good luck,
And Happy cutting
Sammy.

IF YOU'RE INTO HEAVY DUTY REMODELING OR FIRE REPAIR,THIS SAW IS FOR YOU. IT'S NOT FOR WIMPS AND IT WON'T LET YOU DOWN. I'VE HAD MINE FOR OVER TEN YEARS AND IT SHOWS NO SIGN OF WEARING OUT.

To have a fair review of this saw, besides long lasting quality we should point out two important features of this outstanding saw: 1)SAFETY is maximized by Milwaukee here, positioning the handles far from the blade ! 2)YOU CAN SEE where you cut, making precise cuts.(almost impossible with other circular saws).

I purchased this saw believing it was made in the USA. The technical data provided by Amazon states the country of manufacture as being the US. I was very dissapointed when the product arrived and found "Made In Taiwan" on the box. I called Milwaukee and was told the US made miter saw, model # 6494, had been discontinued and that the -6 on the end of the model number denotes made in Taiwan. I decided to keep the saw despite this issue, if the quality seemed good. Overall, the saw appeared well made. However I was dissapointed to find a crack in the aluminum base in an area where the casting was quite thin. Needless to say the saw is being returned, and I am shopping for a different brand.

I bought this saw as a job site saw, its good for cutting baseboard, 2x4, and casing. It has the best range of degrees of any saw. 59 to the right with 51 to the left. And you can push the bevel cut three degrees to right. All that helps in the field. BUT the bevel doesn't have a positive stop at 0 an 45. What it does have is strong spring that holds and stops it at these places. so if you lean a little on the motor as your tightening the lever, you could easly be off a degree or two from 0 or 45. Not good. The micro adjustment on the miter cuts isn't anything to write home about also. Milwakee makes a big deal of this in their ads, but other saw micro adjust just as well.
The saws motor is load, but doesn't have the high pitch whine the some makita's, hitachi saws have, that's good. It also came with a 60 tooth blade, better than advertised.

I gave it three stars because it only has the wide range on the miter cuts going for it. Other than that its just a chop saw with a good 5 year warrenty. My ideal cabinet shop saw is the 8 1/4 slide hitachi saw.

The Milwaukee Magnum is a serious, heavy-duty tool, that does what it should--makes very accurate cuts, one after the other, all day. I'm very demanding of my tools and I looked at a LOT of miter saws and the Magnum was the only saw that consistantly was top of the class for accurate cuts and durability.

And it delivers. I've used the Mag now for 6 months and this baby is going to be with me for a long, long time. Plenty of power and the cuts are dead on, every time. No deflection, no curved cuts. The flip fence feature is brilliant and I say this because I have a friend who almost lost a finger with another brand of saw that didn't have this feature.

The price, size, and weight probably mean this is not a saw for the occasional-project homeowner. The whole design of this saw is geared toward the professional. If you're just building one deck, this is more tool than you need.

I was also disappointed that the saw is made in Taiwan. It doesn't mean it's not a good tool, though. I also agree with a previous reviewer who mentioned the front adjustment knob sticks out too far and could be bent when moving the saw around.

It's getting harder to find serious tools these days. It's nice to find something that works AND is built to last.

I bought this saw relying on the P-C name and reputation. The tool arrived in an undamaged package. It really looked like it was very well engineered and manufactured until... Until I made the first 1/4" angle steel cut. The cut was perfect but the next morning I found oil all over the base of the saw. Well, it's my own fault, I trusted P-C name and not the reviewer above that documented the issue with the seal. So I decided to fix it by bringing the saw to the authorized P-C service center. It took them 4 weeks just to look at it and now they are telling me that it will take another 15-30 days for the parts to arrive. So I don't have my saw for a month already and I don't know when I get it back and how long the seal will last again. If you want to have no problems stay away from this P-C saw otherwise be prepared for the oil leaks!

The Porter-Cable 1410 is 100 times better than the best abrasive chop saw. However, it's not comparable to a big 3-phase industrial cold saw. At the price, it's an excellent value.

This saw makes beautiful cuts when used properly. You shouldn't crowd the motor, and if the blade produces sparks you're applying too much pressure. The result of hurrying is rapid blade destruction. The saw isn't slow; you just can't run it like an abrasive chop saw.

I'd recommend buying at least one extra blade, so you can rotate blades through the sharpener's without having to have your saw down.

My only complaint is that the first 1410 I bought quit quite suddenly during a project, with fewer than three hours of operation on the motor. This cost me delay of the project, plus most of a day spent driving into Atlanta to the Southeast Porter-Cable repair facility, where they gave me a new saw. (That is, after they told me on the phone they would give me a new saw, then tried to welsh on their offer, and I subsequently intimidated them.)

Even though the box says "Tennessee" on it, the saw is made in Taiwan. That strikes me as a little bit deceptive. But the place of manufacture doesn't really matter where performance is concerned.

The saw would get a full 5-star rating if I hadn't received a lemon the first time out.

Clean, fast square cuts that don't get hot. Could use a faster vice.

Item arrived non-working closest service center is 1200 miles away no quality check done

Overall I'm satisfied with this saw for the price. It does two things most circular saws can't: cuts a 60 degree bevel in 2x's, and cuts 6x's in 2 passes. The power, stability, and lack of run-out/wobble in this saw make for very nice cuts. It's a brute to handle, but so are 7 1/4" worm saws.
Unfortunately, there are two shortcomings that cost it a star. First, there are no adjustment stops for the 0 and 45 degree bevel. Second, the foot on mine is out of alignment with the blade by almost 1/8", making it impossible to cut against a rip board. I've used Skill circular saws for years so I'm not surprised - I just hoped they might have done better with this model. On the positive side, Skill stuck with a steel foot which doesn't scratch or drag on lumber and like aluminum does. The only decent aluminum foot I've ever used was the nickle plated Hitachi (which appears to have been discontinued). Wake up tool industry! We have stainless clad aluminum cookware - why can't we get a stainless clad aluminum saw foot?

Having owned this saw for 10 years and working in construction, loghome building, and timberframing I have found this saw to be very reliable. It has the torque to power thru any wood or log necessary for the job at hand. The saw is versatile and can be used with different accessories made for it. I would definitely recommend this saw to anyone for any type of construction.

The saw weighs a bit more than expected. Once I got familair with the proper way to attach the saw blades, it was easy to attach.

I am doing a major remodel job to my bathroom. The steel bathtub had to be removed. Rather than rent a saw or hire someone to do the job, I purchased the RS500K and planned on splitting the tub in two so it could easily be removed. Spent another $30 for a few different blades. Tungsten Carbide worked best at a slower speed for this tough sawing job. Speed control was a little tricky at first but it was pretty easy to get the hang of it. Cutting in middle of the tub took a bit of acrobatics and was a bit tricky. I was able to reverse the blade and cut in a push instead of a pull direction quite safely. It also made the acrobatics easier to endure. Steady easy pressure finally got the job done. Actually took quicker than I thought it would. Holding the saw, whether pushing or pulling was quite comfortable. Dont forget the cutting oil, it does make a difference. The motor does get hot, but anywhere you are holding the saw, you are far from the heat of it. So for doing the odd tough jobs, this is all you need. The blades that came with the saw are not tungsten carbide, though I did try the metal blade and the quality seemed comparable to a similiar type from another brand. Storage case is nice and plenty of room to keep spare blades.

I bought this one based on price alone. There have been many times when having a reciprocating saw around the house would have been just the ticket. After looking around and not wanting to spend the money on a cordless I decided to give this one a shot and am glad I did. There is plenty of power for everything I've needed it for, the blade locking system is fine and provided you choose the proper blade for the task it will do what is needed. One thing to keep in mind is that blade selection is 75% of the equation with these things. Wood blade for wood, metal blade for metal, etc. DO NOT go with cheap blades and you won't be disappointed.

This saw works well for small jobs, but you do have to be careful that you do not bind the saw blade. It is not nearly as powerful as a corded saw.

After buying the Bosch 24 volt package, I am now finding dust collecting on my matching corded tools. I have found the reciprocating saw does run down the batteries quicker than the other tools, but I do like the tooless blade changing lever on the reciprocating saw and the jig saw. All the tools are top-notch performers. I love the easy height blade adjustment on the circular saw. It fell 25 feet off a roof and worked just fine after. (lucky for me, this saw is built). I did find out from Bosch that the batteries should be charged when the tool starts slowing down, and should never be run down to nothing, like the old nickle -cadmium batteries that developed a memory. Bosch makes a great product here!

I have used every cordless saw avaible, and this one comes the closest to replacing it's corded counterpart. My wormdrive still looks new because I only get it out for BIG cutting jobs. I wish the thumb saftey was placed where it could be engaged without contorting my hand (like the Makita) but I bought it for power and precision, and Bosch delivers

I have had this miter saw for about 8 or so years, and use it frequently for home repairs, rough carpentry and most recently woodworking projects. As a beginner it was a decent saw, I used it to frame out my entire basement and for many other projects too that didn't require a lot of precision. It is a workhorse, I've never had a problem with the motor or blade.

But as I've gone on to more difficult and demanding work, this saw has not kept up. It was never very good at miter cuts, the detents that should click when the blade is at 45* or 90* were never accurate, and it is very difficult to make fine adjustments when swinging the saw for miter cuts, especially if near a detent (the saw will roll into the detent instead of staying where you put it). The lack of a handle in front to rotate the saw is a big disadvantage when trying to adjust the angle. You can't get any leverage on the tool to make fine adjustments.

To add to that, it's lighty constructed and the blade wavers from side to side as you move the handle up and down by about a 16th of an inch making straight, clean cuts very difficult. Added to that, the 8.25" blade is too small to cut a 2x4 on edge against the fence, which is extremely frustrating the first time (and every time) you need to do that.

I can't recommend to anyone to buy this saw when for only a very few more $$$ you can get a 10" CMS that will be sturdier and more than likely more accurate too. That said, if you need it for rough carpentry and never need to cut a 2x4 on edge, and don't care much if the cut edge is a little wavy and is probably off by a couple of degrees, then go ahead. Otherwise look for a different saw.

I give it two stars instead of one because it has always been a reliable performer, even if it isn't the most precise tool I've ever owned.

I have had this saw for 3 years and have framed a portable building and many other small jobs and its great. If you want a saw which will handle trim, 2x4s, and other small widths this saw is great.

I do mean little, because of it's size you are greatly hindered on the maximum width you can cut. This saw is great for anything narrower the 5 inches and is perfect for molding, trim and 2X4. The saw has the power to cut through whatever you need it to (within its size). Bought mine as a trim saw and mild framing saw over 12 years ago and with only a replacement of its brushes (and many blades later) it is still going strong. For a while it had to fill in for full framing work after my 10" died. If capacity is an issue get a larger saw 10" or 12", if its capacity suits your needs...this saw will handle it.

Have not used saw yet, was disapointed that saw is made in China.

The Makita 5007 FAK is the best standard circular saw I have ever worked with. I love the electric brake because for me the sooner the blade stops the better. It is light-weight compared to a lot of the other saws I have tried or used before. The best part about this saw in particular is the light. I can't count the number of times we have been out on the job sight and this has come in handy. It may cost a little more than some saws, but it is worth it for someone who uses a saw five or six days a week! Nice carring case too.

OK, I admit it. I'm a circular saw junkie. I have just about every one currently on the market. And other than the Bosch with wormdrive and the Porter trim saw, this is my favorite saw. And for general use, this is the saw I reach for the most often. I just built a hutch compound for some of my animals with my Makita and I hated when the project was done. I wanted to keep sawing. This saw is light and durable and when paired with the DeWalt blades, it is amazing to use. As to the bevel limitations, they have never become an issue with this saw. I just use a miter saw or a trim saw for angles over 45 degrees.