Power Saws Reviews

As an owner of a previous Makita 12 slider, I noticed when the new laser models started showing from Dewalt, Hitachi, etc. the basic theme is everything but the kitchen sink. The Hitachi seems more like a kids transformer toy with all the swirly plastic design. This is a trend with their stuff in recent years.

In the real world, a chop/miter saw in this range needs to set up easily and go to work. These new designs with an included laser looked more like a fashion statement than something you'd use to make money. Perhaps I'm wrong, but that's my first impression.
The thought of an accurate laser on a 12 appealed to me, but until the Makita version arrived, I didn't like the feel of the other brands. I assumed the Makita would be a solid tool based on my older saw and it's durable performance in my shop.

My first unit arrived in unuseable condition, with most of the locking parts loose. After an exchange and I had a factory new unit. Much to my surprise, the table was almost 2 deg off center in the pin stop 0 deg position. Not to be discouraged, I loosened the fence bolts and made up for 1 deg. Then it was time to get under the unit and see if I could recover any thing from the bracket that holds the positive stop pin. This process netted me around 1/2 deg, so it was back to the fence. The only way to solve the problem was to remove the fence and drill open the aluminum bolt holes a bit for the last 1/2 deg and finally I have an actual square cut.

On both units I noticed the knobs for locking down the slide and the miter were delicate, and I had to learn to be easy on them or they would break quite easily after a period of use. My rear tilt plastic handle was cracked on this second unit, but I had no time for a second exchange, so I made the decision to deal with it. The shipping box for these is quite a bit smaller than the ones from years past, and the interior packing is reduced as well. On both units, it was easy to see why things might not survive 2 shipping routes - the box is not very good.

Are their any positives - yes. The motor is quiet and the laser is accurate. You can loosen a small knob and choose to move it either right or left of the blade. It's easy to get a feel for where the cut will happen, which for me seems to be exactly on the edge of the laser line. It saves time on many cuts.
The table is very smooth, and has less contact when you move it. It also has better gapping for dust to fall away from the top and fence. The flip fence and right side add-on fence set up and align well on my unit.

My reason for buying the unit was the laser, and I like that function of the saw. It's too bad the tool suffers from so many design flaws. My old 1211 has a solid feel, but this new 1214 gives me the impression that 6 years later the same price point does not get you the the same quality. Makes Sense - The other companies efforts were a warning shot over the bow - I didn't see it coming and assumed Makita would make a better product.

So this is the new face of quality? Perhaps I've reached the point where a consumer tool is not the right choice for my needs.
It's easy to think I was unlucky with a bad run of the unit, so perhaps after some QC from the company, these will thrill a weekend warrior. I don't think it would survive every day use in a real shop.

E

If I could I would give this Makita 10 stars I see one other review mentioning many design flaws? Where? I own or have owned them all Dewalt 708, Ridgid 12",Dewalt 718,Hitachi 10inch Hitachi 8", Bosch 10" and two Bosch 5412 12 Inch and I have to tell you this one is as near a perfect saw as you can get forget the laser Im talking the saw as a whole the laser is just an added bonus to an already superbly designed and operating saw.The saw is vey smooth and its head carriage is the most solid due to the dual linear slide bearings all other saws use one and then a bronze sleeve which I do not understand because for the cost of one more bearing they could all be much more accurate as this is.As far as quiet I do not see that but it is a motor with gears and it is understandable that there will be some generated noise but it is not as harsh as some of the other saws out there.The blade is great that comes with this saw it cuts very clean with little tear out, but my choice is the Ridgid 100 tooth 12" quiet blade it is by far the best cut and yes I mean better than my Forrest chopmaster I know its hard to believe but give it a try you'll see what I mean and with Home Depot you can always return it!..I love this saw and also have the Makita 1013 that is years old and still is like new as far as cutting accuracy goes...Design flaws NO best saw out there YES!!! try the new Dewalt 718 if you want to see design flaws I just returned one it is a piece of junk and dangerous to boot with very poor craftsmansip and build quality or how about the new Hitachi with the digital readout now thats a very inaccurate saw try one at Lowes and flex the head at full extension it has (i checked it with a dial indicator)over 1/8" side play in the head carriage, that is not usable for accurate cutting unless you are manufacturing tomatoe crates.Do yourself a favor and try this saw or the 1013 with or without the laser if you can get by with a 10". To date no other manufacturer has beat this saw as far as accuaracy,smoothness and build quality goes and it is assembled right here in the United States.

I ordered the LS1214L to replace a DeWalt DW716 that I returned and it is super nice. I was hesitant about mail-ordering it b/c of a few reviews about damage during shipping so I checked everything out before signing for the delivery and I'm glad I did. Although there was no damage, Makita does not take any extra care when boxing the unit. In fairness, I don't recall that DeWalt did either (though I purchased it from Home Depot), but I think it's something they both should reconsider now that a lot of their saws are being delivered to their final destination via UPS ground. Something I ran into when putting the saw on it's stand was that it was not locked in the 0 degree bevel position (... or any position) and as I was trying to seat it, the saw collapsed. Except for a couple of unecessary nicks on the blade table insert, no harm was done but I could have easily dropped the saw. Okay, enough about poor packaging.

As for the saw, everything seemed to be in order. Bevel and miter pointers were on the money with no adjustments needed. The laser is set to .04 mm to the right of the blade kerf, square to the fence and dead on accurate. Depending on the cut, the laser shoots on either side of the blade. The slide action is awesome ... smooth as silk. The saw is pretty heavy, so you may want to spend the extra money for a good stand. I have a Hitachi UU610cz that works pretty well for a portable stand. It's rock solid stable but the TracRac design places the aluminum mounts on an aluminum track which does flex at the end of a slide cut. So far it has not affected the accuracy of the cuts but I do find myself gently finishing off each cut.

One of my complaints about the DeWalt double bevel compound miter was that on a 45/45 right bevel/miter, the arbor housing hit the fence. There are no problems hitting anything on this saw. The bevel scale is much easier to read and the overall craftsmanship of the LS1214L is much more refined than the DeWalt DW715, DW716 and DW718. I've test cut just a few bevel/miter cuts and the saw performs very well with the laser making it super easy to cut your mark. I have been using the saw indoors and of course outdoor use will affect the visibility of the laser ... just something to keep in mind but I think the extra cost for the laser is well worth it. The saw came with a 70 tooth MAKblade that is quiet and cuts good. The soft start is smooth and the brake is more gradual than some of the other saws that I've used. The bottom line is that I'm extremely pleased with the LS1214L and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a quality built high performance sliding compound miter saw.

I've owned this saw for about 4 months now and made over 1000 cuts with it.
The Good: It's a very strong unit, Everything is made from cast iron to it's very strong and easy to adapt with your own tables and jigs and such. The vise is a design which I've never seen before, once you back it off about 1 turn it moves freely until you tighten it again really speeding up material changes.

The Bad: The manual says nothing about coolant and Grizzly doesn't sell any type of cutting coolant. Even with the coolant on very slow it sprays everywhere, I made a sheetmetal guard to collect most of it and funnel it back into the resivoir. And after I owned this saw for about 1 month the drive pulley started getting a very loud creaking sound whenever it was running, I checked it out and it looks ok but the sound never went away. Still cuttin' though! For the money, I'd buy it again.

For a small shop its a serious tool. With the help of Amazon I got it in 2 days [ extra blades took two weeks]. I encountered two small problems, the cover for the belts had to be redrilled to fit and the instructions did not deal with the issue of coolant. Coolant and thread cutting chemicals are something that should be addressed in the owners manual. Once I got down to business, this saw is a Grizzly, It rips through steel like a bear through a knapsack.

Consumer Reports (August 2005 Issue) reviewed this saw and recommended it as a Best Buy. If your budget allows, I would recommend going with the Hitachi C7BD2 (also a CR Best Buy). The C7BD2 includes an electric brake for much quicker stopping of the blade and therefore better safety. Like the C7BD2 this saw has a powerful 15 Amp motor and a sturdy alumimum base.

I also wish both saws had better depth adjustment (there are no measurement markings to approximate the depth of cut). Lastly a Laser guide would have also been nice.

I compared the Hitachi C7SB2 to several other saws in its price range and chose the C7SB2 for the following reasons:
* Lever locks used for blade height and angle adjustment instead of wing nuts or knobs. My old saw used wing nuts that are difficult to tighten and loosen.
* Aluminum saw base makes the saw lighter and feels more solid than pressed steel bases.
* Blade lock makes it easy to change saw blades.
* Replaceable brushes for easy maintenance.
* Carrying case included.
* Carbide blade included.
* Priced below $100.

This saw would have received a 5 with the exception of two issues:
1) The blade guard retracting lever is made of plastic (most saw manufacturers use plastic) that could break in time.
2) The Hitachi information label is lifting at the edges and will probably come off at some point.

Saw is pretty quiet as saws go. Unfortunatly the blade and the reference line on the base of the saw don't line up. Your cut winds up being off by 1/16 of an inch. Tried a second one but had the same problem.

I have yet to be disappointed with something from Makita and this is no exception. The saw runs as smooth as silk and is very quiet. All mechanisms are precise with no slop. I am a professional furniture maker and I don't use a circular saw in my work often, but I can't afford to buy junk. I have used the saw to cut 8/4 hardwood and it has plenty of power for that so it will definitely handle construction lumber that most people would use it for. The saw also comes with a bonus M-Force blade that is terrific and makes splinter free (top and bottom) rip and cross cuts.

I've been a finsish carpenter for 7 years and I've used all the saws out there and this saw is by far the smoothest, and the most accurate saw on the market. I did not give this a 5 star because of the locking mechanisim, has broke on me 3 times in two years. Also you can only go 60 degrees one way instead of both, like the older version. Change those two things and you've created the ultimate saw.

and i've used them all I think! However, it doesn't get 5 stars because the fence along the back, crucial for getting a square cut, wasn't straight. Hopefully this manufacturing glitch didn't show up on all the units. The nice smooth action and the quiet start make this saw stand out however.

The MK770EXP is light weight. Its "DC" motor has a lot of toqure for its size but it is a right angle "gearmotor". These gears have a lot of backlash (about .200" at the circumferece of the wheel). The brushes "will" need to be changed out and they of course rub on the commutator which resonates through the gear head to the wheel. This vibration tends to chip my tile entering the corners and on exit. Out in the middle of the tile with constant pressure its fine. Consider the MK100 with its "AC" motor and belt drive(it should have a much smoother cut). Loosing those noisy brushes, that need changed, for belts that also will wear out, but I think worth the trade. Gaining the 10" wheel would also have obvious benifits.

This is the saw that home improvement centers should carry. I do 10-15 tile jobs per year for friends and friends of friends plus myself and family. I do not need a $900 10" saw. However this saw rips and diagonals the same size tile. It has the same adjustments and capabilities as the more expensive saw. It may not have last as long as the saw doing 50-75 jobs per year, but neither will I. This saw will give the average DYI the opportunity to make their job professional. A great saw at a fair price that will last a lifetime, versatile, easy to use, and accurate. [...]

The case is worth the extra $15. It's metal and roomy enough to carry accessories and extra blades.

It's a very handy little saw. Perfect for cutting sheets of plywood to size. The blade cuts a 1/16" kerf. It's powerful enough for the job, but not so powerful that it kicks back if the blade binds (the blade just stops). I bought it since I wanted a saw where the motor didn't overhang the baseplate on either side and I wouldn't have to worry about its interfering with a too-thick fence. There's two things PC could do to improve it. Replace the stamped steel base plate with the rolled edges with an aluminum plate with square edges. That would make it easier to gauge the distance from the plate edge to the blade, and also make using a thinner fence possible. The other is to provide a more precise adjustment for the bevel.

It doesn't cut deep enough to cut a 2x4. If one wants to do that, the PC Saw Boss would be a better choice.

I bought this saw about 3 years ago for a Christmas project. I didn't figure on using it much after that, but over the years I've put it to weekly use. I've used it on everything from 2x fir to 1x oak and it has handled it all very well. I use the high quality Bosch blades on mine and it really makes a difference. Maybe some day this saw will wear out and I'll get a high-end model, but it doesn't show any signs of wearing out. It's a good saw for $...

I originally bought this saw to cut holes in my computer for extra fans. Skeptical at first with this cheap price but when i tried it, i was amazed that it can cut clean holes and pretty much anything i wanted through metal. It's got more power than you think! Quite comfortable and easy to use too. I dont have a lot of power tools nor experience, but with saw doesnt require much experience. Just pick it up power it on and go. I did a few projects with wood and it cuts through wood cleanly and quickly. I love this tool, never going back to a hand saw or hack saw ever.

great little saw for jobs you wouldn't want to break out a big saw for. Also it is virtually silent to use. only drawback is not alot of battery life. I would definately suggest purchase of additional battery or two, that's what I did.

I ordered this saw because I have an old JTAS-10XL table saw, (from the days when Jet products were US made and blue in color) which is an excellent precision machine. I also got 10% off and free shipping on the bandsaw.
The bandsaw has so far been a disaster. I received mine on May 22 and immediately found a table with 14 mil dish. I called the WMH Tool customer service and they sent me another in a week, 3rd day air: just as dished. Another call to Cust Svc, with a request that they get a Quality Control person to check stock to find a flat one. Well that took another 10 days, even 3rd day air, and the table was barely acceptable with a 6 mil dish.
Then I took the saw out of the box and put it together. Seemed to run ok, so I added the JRB-14 riser block kit and fence kit. All seemed to be going well enough until I tried to install the extended guide post that supports the upper blade guide and guard. No way! the saw frame and original guide post are 19mm diameter, but the one in the riser block kit is 22mm. Another call to WMH Cust Svc, with another request that someone measure the part, got a replacement guide post sent out, ups ground this time, and guess what: another 22mm guide post. Another call to WMH, and the service rep is sending yet another replacement: this time it's "the only other part number" and is hoped to fit. Looks like the saw they sent me was old stock, which does not match up with the riser block kit any more.
So! Now it's been 5 weeks since I got the saw, 7 calls to WMH, lots of aggravation, and I have two useless cast iron tables, two useless 22mm steel bars, and no saw to use. (The short guide bar is pretty scary with 6" of blade exposed). It remains to be seen if the 2nd replacement post will work, or maybe I will have to ask for a new upper frame (!) and upper guide to go with that 22mm bar.
Other beefs: the stand is thin enough that the top flexes easily when using the saw, making the saw wiggle back and forth. The riser block take about an inch off the throat. The guide block adjustments are pretty cheesy.
In summary, my admiration for Jet tools is gone. Even though this is a cheapie, they should do better with it or not try to sell the product. They are clearly having quality problems and do not have enough control over the changes in their product to be able to send out the right replacement parts. If I were to do this over, I would not buy Jet.

I actually have a cheaper, but very similar, Reliant 14" open-base band saw. It works very well, both for fine work and pretty heavy work (cutting a stack of 4" logs into rustic coffee table legs). I have not tried it as a resaw; its not designed for that. The blade guides must be adjusted upon each use, and whenever anything is moved, and occasionally while it is in use. But this has not proved inconvenient, and is common on much finer band saws. I have had no trouble with blade tracking - the wheels and wheel bearings were good originally, and have held up, and the frame is perfectly rigid. I do not have to realign the wheels. The bottom adjustments are relatively inaccessible, in comparison to the knobs on the Delta, so I don't adjust them as often as I should; I compensate with the upper adjustments when possible. The table has remained even across the blade slot. I think that is the key point when purchasing such a saw: get one where the table is not twisting. I have seen two similar band saws with broken trunnion castings; mine is fine (I don't tilt the table).

Way-back-when the first really good small band saw came out we bought it and loved it (the R-brand which is now the D-brand). A while later JET came onto the market with a 14" but being reluctant to change something that wasn't broke we kept our R-brand for many more years. One day someone offered us a lot of gold for our whole woodshop and the old enclosed base band saw went with it. Later we started a new shop that produced models and prototypes for other shops. When outfitting the shop and generally being in like with our wallets slightly more than our machines we considered the JET 14" for the first time. After a few trials and a lot of jabber on the jungle telegraph we took the chance. At that time the open base was a new thing. While not as svelte looking as the enclosed base we soon found that it was easier to clean up after and we could store stuff underneath - valuable space for those once-in-awhile jigs. It also seemed to run quieter without those flat sheetmetal walls. About the only thing the D-brand has over the JET is the quality of the motor but that was not enough to convince us to part with the extra money. The JET 14" has very good everything else and is a valued piece of equipment in the shop. Of all the 14" saws it is clearly amongst the best - which is good as it is also one of the least expensive. Hints: Buy the frame extension - it does not weaken the frame measurably and you will enjoy the added working height. If you do not buy it now you will accumulate blades which will not fit if you buy it later. Use a 3" 45 degree PVC elbow modified to a clamshell to fit over the lower guide and blade to provide better dust extraction. Keeps the sawdust off the lower wheel. Wear safety glasses. Pay attention: this is not a machine where you want your attention wandering unless your goal is to receive disability payments. Somewhat enigmatically I still wish we had the closed base. It looks better.