Which cordless miter saw?

[reader2580]

I have the older model Ryobi cordless miter saw right now. It is poorly made so I can't align it to make 90 degree cuts. I replaced the fence because it wasn't straight, but the replacement is not that great either. I bought cordless because I do volunteer work at Scouts camps in areas with no power. A degrees or two didn't matter for cutting 1x2s in that environment. (Miter saw way easier than circular saw I had been using)

I want a cordless miter saw for other uses where a perfect angle is required. What is good model to look at? I have a full set of Makita LXT tools with four newer batteries, but the Makita miter saw cost $500+. I would love to stay with one type of battery, but not for $500+. What other cordless miter saws are good? The Dewalt doesn't look too bad for under $400 with battery. (Would need another battery.)

 

[thaas4488]

The makita is a fantastic unit I will say that.

Dewalt are cheap at the depot now though but I think the price I see (300 vacinity) may be without batteries.

 

[TomB19]

I think cordless miter saws are a niche product. They are really about rough framing so they are ideal for the first guys on the site who do rough work like build concrete forms, do the framing, etc. There aren't too many job sites without power that require finish carpentry.

If you want decently accurate miters, put a decent blade in your cordless circular saw and use a speed square as a guide. It's not that hard to get excellent results with this technique.

 

[reader2580]

I have a regular 12" corded miter saw. It is just so heavy to move around. My Ryobi cordless is really light, but not well made. The Ryobi is so easy to move it and use it without finding an outlet or getting out an extension cord.

I suppose financially it makes sense to either move the 12" miter saw around or use my cordless circular saw instead. The Ryobi still works fine when I spend my annual week at Scout camp doing construction work.

 

[TomB19]

I have a DeWalt 708. It's big and heavy to move around, particularly with the big DeWalt miter stand.

... so I picked up a Hitachi 10" CMS for something like $150 CDN. It weights something just over 20# and even has a built in handle. I've since discovered it is perfectly suited for the Hitachi mobile job box. I've never known this level of portability.

There have been a couple of times when I would have preferred to not have to plug it in. Specifically, when electricians were rewiring the house and I was using a single extension cord for a couple of days. I had to swap plugs between various tools.

That would be a pretty thin excuse to buy a battery powered SCMS though. At least, for my purpose.