Looking at getting a 12" double bevel, sliding compound miter saw. I've been comparing the Rigid R4222 to the DeWalt DWS779 or DWS780. I don't see much difference between the Dewalt models except for the XPS sighting and a very notable increase in price. The Rigid is the least expensive (but comparable to the DeWalt DWS779) and does look a little lighter duty than the DeWalts. I don't cut boards for a living so is there some reason to pick a DeWalt over the Rigid?
Rigid vs DeWalt miter saws
- Thread starter PeterN
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Renegade1LI
Well-known member
I have a 12" dewalt I bought back in the 90's, it's still spot on, no issues & original brushes. I used it alot years ago, now a few times a week, I think it's a good solid saw, getting a quality blade is key with any saw you get, don't skimp.
WWheeler
Well-known member
This might or might not help you but I went with the DW779 back in 2020 when it would fairly regularly on sale for $299, now you're lucky to find it on sale for $399 (which it is now at HD I believe), and the DWS780 was always around $600 ($650 today) and I never saw it go on sale once for as long as I price watched it but none of the BBS near me ever stocked it anyway.
Anywho, I added the "DWS779 XPS Work Light Upgrade Kit" from M&M Tool co which was altogether $80 at the time (about $100 now) which uses Genuine Dewalt DWS780 replacement parts to essentially turn a DWS779 into a DWS780. The light puts a shadow exactly where the saw kerf will be and changes everything. It's hard to see in direct sunlight though so I always try to move into a shady spot if there is one. I can't imagine using the saw without it. I only mention all that in the case you might want to consider that much if the DWS780 is still something you're considering also.
So, I never considered the Ridgid so can't give you my thoughts on it other than my personal opinion is that Ridgid is a quality homeowner level brand and Dewalt is a professional level brand, but that's just been my perception. I don't own any Ridgid tools so take my opinion for what it's worth. Not trying to flame any Ridgid fans out there. EDIT: FWIW I almost forgot I actually do own one Ridgid tool as I did mount my DWS779 on a "RIDGID Universal Mobile Miter Saw Stand", so there's that. TBH I did so because no one near me had a "Dewalt Adjustable Rolling Miter Saw Stand" in stock at the time and I needed to use it that day BUT I've been perfectly happy so far with the Ridgid stand. It's awesome IMHO.
I went with the Dewalt because it's all anyone I know has or that I've seen any of the contractors in my area use (Yellow dominates Red or any other color in this area, it's a regional thing) so I have already had plenty of first hand experience using it and knowing what others in my area thought of it well before I bought. Now I own my own. I could not be more happy with it.
Anywho, I added the "DWS779 XPS Work Light Upgrade Kit" from M&M Tool co which was altogether $80 at the time (about $100 now) which uses Genuine Dewalt DWS780 replacement parts to essentially turn a DWS779 into a DWS780. The light puts a shadow exactly where the saw kerf will be and changes everything. It's hard to see in direct sunlight though so I always try to move into a shady spot if there is one. I can't imagine using the saw without it. I only mention all that in the case you might want to consider that much if the DWS780 is still something you're considering also.
So, I never considered the Ridgid so can't give you my thoughts on it other than my personal opinion is that Ridgid is a quality homeowner level brand and Dewalt is a professional level brand, but that's just been my perception. I don't own any Ridgid tools so take my opinion for what it's worth. Not trying to flame any Ridgid fans out there. EDIT: FWIW I almost forgot I actually do own one Ridgid tool as I did mount my DWS779 on a "RIDGID Universal Mobile Miter Saw Stand", so there's that. TBH I did so because no one near me had a "Dewalt Adjustable Rolling Miter Saw Stand" in stock at the time and I needed to use it that day BUT I've been perfectly happy so far with the Ridgid stand. It's awesome IMHO.
I went with the Dewalt because it's all anyone I know has or that I've seen any of the contractors in my area use (Yellow dominates Red or any other color in this area, it's a regional thing) so I have already had plenty of first hand experience using it and knowing what others in my area thought of it well before I bought. Now I own my own. I could not be more happy with it.
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duneslider
Well-known member
At one point at work we had both saws and they both worked really well, this was 10+ years ago. I liked the ridgid better personally but we had a bunch of issues with the electric brake stopping working on the ridgid. It was always taken care of due to the good warranty. I ended up buying a dewalt for myself as a result, it has issues with the brake consistently engaging too. So, I don't know that there is much difference. I have a few ridgid power tools and have had good luck with all of them.
I have a DWS782. It is a dumbed down DWS780 much like the DWS779. I don't know what the difference is between the models of the 12" sliders. I can say, without reservation, my 1 2" Dewalt slider is a nice saw. I would gladly recommend it to a family member.
I know virtually nothing about the Ridgid saw.
Having a nice sliding miter is a fine addition to any shop.
Good luck selecting one.
Edit: if I was to get a DWS780, I would wait for a sale. I would want at a minimum a lower price or a package where they include the stand.
I know virtually nothing about the Ridgid saw.
Having a nice sliding miter is a fine addition to any shop.
Good luck selecting one.
Edit: if I was to get a DWS780, I would wait for a sale. I would want at a minimum a lower price or a package where they include the stand.
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dnschmidt
Well-known member
I'm a Milwaukee man but honestly DeWalt has owned this tool category since it became a tool category. Everybody does something better than the other guy and in this case DeWalt does miter saws better than anybody except Festool and that's even a subject worth debating. It's sort of like saber saws and Bosch and Sawzalls and Milwaukee. Don't fight it just go with the flow. They are a category leader for a reason.
Firebrick43
Well-known member
Is this for portable use or to put in a shop against the wall?
Tiny Jackson
Well-known member
As long as Festool, Bosch and Makita are out there, I highly doubt Dewalt owns the SCMS category.
Renegade1LI
Well-known member
I can say it is the majority saw at all the job sites around here, I'm sure they are all good but all the carpentry subs I've had over the last 20 years always seemed to have dewalt.
finn
Well-known member
I tend to stay away from captive brands like Kobalt, Ryobi, Ridgid, etc and stick with major brands with multiple distribution channels. Dewalt, Makita, Bosch, Hitachi ( Metabo), and even Craftsman now that they’re divorced from Sears.
WWheeler
Well-known member
Either. I use it for both indoors and out but prefer to go out to use it (hence the mobile base) just because good dust control is tough to achieve with any miter especially a slider without dedicating a large footprint to it and kind of boxing it in AND against a wall you're going to have to leave quite a bit of room behind it for the slider. The front of the saw will need to be 41" from the wall according to the vid below. If this is a concern might want to consider a Bosch Glide that has an articulating arm rather than a slider.
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Firebrick43
Well-known member
That is why I was asking the OP. I have a glide and it beats the sliders hands down for woodworking in a shop and such, but is so heavy that its very lousy to carry up stairs. 80 some pounds.
A buddy that does high end oak/maple/cherry trim has both. The glide is in the shop and a makita for doing onsite installs. He sold his DW780
nadogail
Well-known member
Because of budgetary limitations I bought a 12" sliding miter saw from Harbor Freight. It has yet to disappoint me. It does what I bought it for very well.
I mounted it on a wheeled table and take it to job sites.
I mounted it on a wheeled table and take it to job sites.
fourjeepin
Well-known member
I bought the Dewalt 12” slider because it was one sale at half off but wouldn’t hesitate to buy the Ridgid if I was looking. I often buy Ridgid as I feel they are good quality and have a great warranty.
More for portable use. I don't have a lot of room in the shop to cut the longer boards so I tend to cut them outside if possible.
pretty hard to beat Dewalt for mitre saws , IMO
I appreciate all the responses. Lots of good info from actual users. Even the Home Depot guy thought the DeWalt was a better saw but if you don't use it a lot the Rigid would be fine. Both are in the same price neighborhood and I think either would work for me. Probably go for the DeWalt.
WWheeler
Well-known member
That's cool and all, and why I brought up the same points and mentioned the Glide, even though it wasn't clear you were asking the OP, it seemed like you were wondering about the tool's best main usage in general, but I digress.
Just to be clear though, I wouldn't trade my ~3yr old DWS779 for two brand new Bosch Glides. I'm just sayin'. To me they're only advantage is the space factor and if that was one for me I'll just build another addition on my shop before I give up my Dewalt. Seriously.
jar944
Well-known member
Do you need a slider?
I'll take a non slider over a slider every time I don't need the capacity.
I'll take a non slider over a slider every time I don't need the capacity.
scooterbum46
Well-known member
I have the 780, had a 705, wanted a slider and to consolidate the number of saws, sold the 12" 705 and a smaller 10" compound miter. The 780 is great BUT - with it's 58 pounds mounted on the Dewalt rolling - folding stand you're lugging about 85 pounds (just be aware). The weight of the saw is enough to make setting it up a little bit of a chore, as the gas cylinders on the folding stand are almost overpowered. The other complaint is the lack of a soft start on the motor - start the saw and the torque reaction lifts the saw - you get used to it, but it's a surprise to new users..
Firebrick43
Well-known member
It is much stiffer side to side and smoother as well than any slider I have used. I resisted sliders for years as when cutting hardwoods the saws tend to wonder and don't cut to my standards. Some of the old well built chop saws did(I had an old delta) but they lacked capacity.
Its not just a space advantage. My glide with a ridge carbide blade make cuts that are damn close to my delta unisaw with a sled. It also has better locks for angles up front than the dewalt
The dewalt would have the weight advantage for portability, price, and possibly dust collection, but they all ****(or don't **** hard enough) in that regard
Ton ton
Well-known member
I run a DeWalt miter saw.
Handyandy23
Well-known member
Add another "I have the DeWalt and love it" review to the list. I have the DWS779 but I'll probably add the "780 conversion kit" at some point so it has the kerf shadow. It's heavy, but I have it mounted on a Ridgid "MSUV" rolling stand, which makes it much more manageable. Easier to store, and for transportation you just set the handle on your tailgate, then lift the wheel end and slide it in (so you're really only lugging part of the weight).
I've never used the Ridgid saw so I can't compare or necessarily say it's "bad". But I also don't understand when people say things like "it's fine for a homeowner". You can say that about something like a drill, but how do you say that about a saw where the whole purpose of the tool is precision? If you just want to chop stuff up "close enough" you can use a circular saw and save a few hundred bucks. You spend the money on a miter saw because you want precise angles and cuts, and DeWalt definitely delivers on that.
I had a store brand miter saw when I was younger and first starting out, and it was horribly inaccurate. The markings and settings weren't even close to correct, so you had to trial and error some cuts until you got it set just right. And even then it wasn't super consistent. The difference going to the DeWalt was night and day.
I'm not saying the Ridgid is necessarily that bad, but if you buy a cheaper saw to save $100-$200, but then you don't have confidence in the cuts, you actually just wasted whatever you spent on the saw. IMO for precision tools, there's no such thing as "homeowner grade". There's just tools that work and the price reflects that, or tools where someone thinks "meh that's good enough, nobody will probably notice that gap in my trim"
I've never used the Ridgid saw so I can't compare or necessarily say it's "bad". But I also don't understand when people say things like "it's fine for a homeowner". You can say that about something like a drill, but how do you say that about a saw where the whole purpose of the tool is precision? If you just want to chop stuff up "close enough" you can use a circular saw and save a few hundred bucks. You spend the money on a miter saw because you want precise angles and cuts, and DeWalt definitely delivers on that.
I had a store brand miter saw when I was younger and first starting out, and it was horribly inaccurate. The markings and settings weren't even close to correct, so you had to trial and error some cuts until you got it set just right. And even then it wasn't super consistent. The difference going to the DeWalt was night and day.
I'm not saying the Ridgid is necessarily that bad, but if you buy a cheaper saw to save $100-$200, but then you don't have confidence in the cuts, you actually just wasted whatever you spent on the saw. IMO for precision tools, there's no such thing as "homeowner grade". There's just tools that work and the price reflects that, or tools where someone thinks "meh that's good enough, nobody will probably notice that gap in my trim"
earl84
Well-known member
Ditto all these comments, especially the weight of the saw. Yes, it's portable, but it is heavy. I have the 779, and it is a very good saw, bought it on deep sale on Black Friday, came with a free Dewalt rolling stand. You probably can't wait that long though.
WWheeler
Well-known member
I've used a Bosch Glide and it's a very good saw. I will always recommend it to anyone who is wanting to use one exclusively in a shop where space is a concern BUT it is not as accurate as the Dewalt nor built to be dragged around from jobsite to jobsite and still be ready to go every time. That and the shadow lighting system that Dewalt uses that shows exactly where the cut will be made is so much better than laser sighting that shows you where one side's outside edge will be. Sure, we all got by just fine before either system was here but the Dewalt's just saves time no matter what side of the cut is the keep or offshoot.
The MAIN reason I'll go with Dewalt every time and wouldn't trade mine for any other, even ridiculously over-engineered and overpriced atrocities like Festool, is because I KNOW the Dewalt's reliability. Before this DWS779 I had a 12" Dewalt dual bevel miter (non-slider) for almost 15 years that I bought new on sale for $150 and sold it for $100 still running just like it always did and I hauled that thing around to countless jobsites especially when all I was doing was trimwork. Only thing it ever got were new brushes (which Dewalt sent me for free after having had it for many years out of warranty) and new blades. When I bought my DWS779 I sold it to a friend and every time I see it I regret selling it even though I don't have a use for it any more. A brand loyalty to a tool built on decades of beyond any expectations reliability adds more value to a tool than anything to me. ANY other brand's tool like it no matter how fancy or well liked by others seems like a fool's gamble and I'm not a gambling man.
I did all the research on saws a few years ago and bought a Makita 12". It came down to Makita or DeWalt. The Makita is nice, but very heavy and the stand had to be modified. The DeWalt is much lighter, less expensive and more portable. I would get the DeWalt if I had to do it over just due the portability/lower price, but I like the soft start feature on the Makita. I believe mine weighs 81 lbs and the DeWalt was 56 lbs. I'm not a fan of Ridgid power tools. All my stuff is DeWalt or Makita, except for a Bosche job site table saw.
Nothing beats the Shadow Line method for accurate blade location, nothing
But you should be picking based on features you want/need more then anything else.
_ limited space, get a different rail setup
_ mobility, find a smaller lighter model
_ cut capacity 10vs12vs non slider
_ accuracy- higher end or maybe non slider
Dewalt is a excellent saw, I really like my Makita tho. Ridgid is a nice performer for cost.
But you should be picking based on features you want/need more then anything else.
_ limited space, get a different rail setup
_ mobility, find a smaller lighter model
_ cut capacity 10vs12vs non slider
_ accuracy- higher end or maybe non slider
Dewalt is a excellent saw, I really like my Makita tho. Ridgid is a nice performer for cost.
Dakotadadv8
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Still have the Dewalt 12 inch since 2002 still going strong. Don't go cheap and buy good blades. Rigid makes good table top wet saws for cutting tiles buy it at HD and wet vacs.
I’ve owned Bosch, Makita, and Dewalt. The Bosch was too heavy and went out of adjustment moving it around, the Makita was great, but I’m on my second Dewalt. I gave the first one to a friend after using it for many years. Dewalt for me.
anndel
Well-known member
DeWalt and for sites I'm too lazy to drag out an extension cord, a 1st gen Milwaukee M18.
I purchased a Ridgid R4222 and the Universal Mobile Miter Saw Stand in September 2020 for a project I was working on. I looked at multiple sliding miter saws, DeWalt, Ridgid, HF, ... Most of them were capable to do much more than I needed. I decided on the Ridgid primarily because of Ridgid's Life Time Service program. While I didn't expect to wear out the saw on this project, it was/is a nice feature to have.
After setup I checked the saw for squareness and there were no issues. I has done everything I've asked it to do and I'm very pleased with it. I also really like the stand even though I have to struggle getting the saw from the folded to working position. It's possible I'm not using the correct technique (pressing down on the handle after releasing the latch).
After setup I checked the saw for squareness and there were no issues. I has done everything I've asked it to do and I'm very pleased with it. I also really like the stand even though I have to struggle getting the saw from the folded to working position. It's possible I'm not using the correct technique (pressing down on the handle after releasing the latch).
Ton ton
Well-known member
Glad to hear that you bought a DeWalt slider miter.
Gummi Bear
Well-known member
I don't have a compound slider, but rather the basic 716 saw (or whatever it was called 20+ years ago when I bought it). After an initial setup and confirming everything was square, it has been flawless. There doesn't appear to be hardly any runout in the blade either. I've been very happy with it.
I don't do framing or millwork for a living, but I do quite a bit around the house and for family.
I have hauled it all over the place. One of the best things I ever did for portability was the Ridgid portable stand. https://www.ridgid.com/us/en/ac9945-miter-saw-utility-vehicle I like the bigger wheels over some of the others on the market, makes it easier to roll it across uneven ground.
I don't do framing or millwork for a living, but I do quite a bit around the house and for family.
I have hauled it all over the place. One of the best things I ever did for portability was the Ridgid portable stand. https://www.ridgid.com/us/en/ac9945-miter-saw-utility-vehicle I like the bigger wheels over some of the others on the market, makes it easier to roll it across uneven ground.
Just saw a posting on the Toolguyd website indicating a stop sale on the 779/780 due to a possible rear guard breaking (you'll no longer find them on Home Depot or other big box websites). Sounds like the units in question were built between 4/2019 thru 3/2022. The saw I just bought had a date code of 11/2021 so it looks like mine is in the date range. Probable recall coming.