Need a miter saw recommendation please

[casinoq]

Looking to ask the Mrs. Clause for a miter saw for christmas and need recommendations. Wanting to stay at or below $150, a 10 inch blade should suffice. I would like one with a sliding feature but I dont know if its necessary?

I wouldn't use it a ton, mainly just building stuff around the house for fun and small home repair projects.

thanks in advance

 

[Finky198]

I would do some searching on here, the most recommended on here is probably going to be the Dewalt line of saws, of which I am also a very satisfied user of. You really can't beat the value and durability of them. Although in $150 price range you might be very limited in your selection with the features your looking for.

There is also a fairly active used market for miter saws on CL not sure if that's an option

 

[crewchief888]

i've been looking at one for occasional use, (once or twice a year)

most are more $$ than i can justify spending.

i decided to go with a 10" kobalt dual bevel slider when i finally lay out the cash for one. it's $50 above your budget.

i make my rounds of the pawn shops every month, all they have are beat up, missing parts, and wayyy overpriced.

 

[kctyphoon]

the fact is they will all work about the same. the professional models are made to work with 8 hours a day, 5 days a week in mind. if your not that person, and most of us arent then almost any will be good... my friend at work picked up a really nice craftsman model with the "compact" sliding feature whish is really nice.. allows you to keep the saw closer to a wall cause the slide stays in front of the saw instead of the rear... with all the black friday deals though, it would be hard to NOT go for a model that came with a free stand though..

so for you i would seriously recomend the black friday deal on the 10" Ryobi saw.. its a sliding miter saw, and comes with a basic stand for free, which is really all you need.. if you can get past the skittle green color, then im sure that saw will make you happy. its on sale in HD for only $169..


(assuming the prices stay the same after friday - if not the saw itself is still $169, stand is $59)

here - check out the flyer http://toolguyd.com/home-depot-black-friday-2015-tool-deal-adscan/

 

[cheechi]

the higher priced/pro branded ones are not better at being a miter saw per se. They are better at getting beat up by guys who didn't buy it and don't have the same respect for it that you do. Dewalt, Ridgid, Hitachi, are ones I've used that are very sturdy but no different in overall accuracy than the Kobalt one I've used. The Kobalt definitely wasn't meant to be abused that's for sure, but it cut well.

Another thing to consider is repeatibility. Most have locking stops at common angles. over time and with abuse they get looser so you have to measure instead of relying on the saw alone.

a lot of people here are impressed with the HF miter saws.

 

[SMKS]

I've been pretty darn happy with my 10" Hitachi. It's in your budget.

If you think you'll be cutting 2x8 or larger consistently, step up to a 12" model or a slider. I rarely cut that size lumber, so I went with the 10". If I ever go to build a deck or something that requires many cuts on 2x8 or larger, then I'll upgrade to a slider or 12".

The 10" is also smaller and easier to move than a slider or a 12". I keep mine up on a shelf when not used, so size and weight are a factor.

 

[evintho]

Don't discount craigslist. My local CL is filled with 'em. You don't want one that was used by a contractor. A saw owned by a home hobbyist that's lightly used is your best bet. I found this 12" Delta on CL for $100. Came with the Diablo blade too. It's served me well over the years.

 

[casinoq]

Thanks for the help! i picked up one of the ridgid miter saw stands that HD had on sale for $100, i think I'm going to go with the Hitachi 10" that is on sale for $99. it should be plenty for what i will be using it for.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Get a slider if it is in the budget.

If you are going to do moldings and finish cuts, get a high tooth count (70+) top quality balde (Freud). A good blade makes a huge difference.

 

[stevenhs]

Go on craiglist. In my area there is a ton

 

[Birdyman88]

I would like to offer my experience. I own a Ryobi 12" and have been happy with it for the $100 I paid 7 years ago. I am still on the original brushes. I've cut a ton of stuff with it (including metal) and it gives some very professional results.

But, If I ever bought again I would look for something that is a little more robust and precise/consistent with the angles - I'm talking like pretty exact here - just something that is overall tighter in it's operation. No matter how carefully I align this saw, I still get a little movement/drift during the actual cut which can cause some corners to not mate as well as I like. This likely correlates to the price I paid for the saw. I do a lot of custom molding around my house and honestly, most people wouldn't notice the flaw, and caulking the corner is easy enough. However, I also build picture frames from large ornate molding so fixing the corners is a little more involved. Next time I will buy something that is more robust and exact with the angles.

No matter what you get, I highly recommend spending money on good blades. I use Hitachi blades and couldn't be happier. I have a 90 tooth blade that leaves the cut smooth as glass.

 

[Frank Dukes]

Budget saw Hitachi seems to be well liked. I've seen the dual bevel 12" for $230 lately at lowes and menards.

 

[TomB19]

I've been pretty darn happy with my 10" Hitachi. It's in your budget.

Me too.

It cuts more accurately than my DeWalt 708 for ultra-precision work like crown molding, not that the DeWalt is bad. I think it comes down to the smaller blade and less deflection but, whatever the case, it's pretty sweet.

Small, light, and folds a bit for storage/transport. Handy carry handle, too.