I am about ready to take the plunge and get a dual bevel sliding miter saw. I have narrowed it down to the Makita LS 1013 and the Hitachi C10FS. I like the Hitachi. I have used it when I worked for a trim outfit in DC. I like it because it is quiet and has built in bevel stops. However, I thought the scale was difficult to read. A lot of people like the Makita. I like it because the scale is easier to read and it has the swinging high fence. However, it doesn’t seem to have bevel stops. My question for Makita owners is do you miss having the bevel stops? Also, if you have had a chance to compare it to the Hitachi, is it relatively quiet? I am sick of the loud roar my Dewalt makes! Thanks
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While I haven't used the Makita, I have used the Hitachi for quite a while, and found a few draw backs to it's design.
The Biggest draw back was that the Hitatchi had no positive stops. It showed up over and over again. Usually when we sent a helper to cut repeated shelves for a book case and none of them were sqare. We always kept a 12" speed square next to the saw to check our cuts, but it is really nice to walk up to a saw and know that it IS square.
The bevel gauge pointer was too far away from the degree marks to read accurately.
We have switched to the Dewalt 12" dual compound saw, and love it. I also noticed that our Dewalt 10" saw is WAY louder than it's 12" sibling. Plus you get extra cutting depth with the 12" saw.
Just a few things I've noticed, hope it's helpful,
D-
Thanks, I thought that the Hitachi I just looked at had positive stops. Is it possible that yours were worn or was a different model.
It would be nice if the positive stops were a little more shallow. If you try to cut 2 or 3 degrees on either side of the detents, the saw will slip into the stop position. It forces you to use shims to get the angle on the saw rather than using the saw itself.....know what I mean?
We bought ours about 3 years ago. It has not so positive stops. I was really impressed with the smoothness of the motor though. If they added positive stops to the saw it would be a great improvement. There is still the problem with the bevel gauge though.
I would still recomend the Dewalt. It has a 2" bigger blade, which makes cutting larger crown moldings easier, and larger material in general. The gauge that reads the bevel works alot better than the Hitachi's. And did I mention the positive stops.
I am usually the cut guy, and if I could only have one chop saw, this would be the one. I hope I don't sound like a Dewalt Rep., but they've done a great job designing this saw.
D-
I have also been using the DW12" slider, have had it for about five years. Still on the honeymoon with this one:)
i own a Makita 1011 , thats the saw with one pole and it only tilts to the left side and i love it because its a couple of hundred dollars cheaper than the rest of them and it is accurate and it weighs only fourty lbs, but i think they stopped making it becaus i dont see it advertised anymore. good luck
Kevin,
the Makita is the new saw for our crew, I think everyone likes it. We used (old) Hitachis exclusively before. Personally I don't miss bevel stops but then again I've never used a saw a lot that had them.
Yes, easy to read the Makita scale, doesn't seem to be a problem with fine-tuning by degrees and the saw is relatively quiet and very smooth. I just used this saw to fabricate 12 4x4 barge knees with mortised joints and I'm sure happy I used this and not the old Hitachi and a skil saw!
best, GO
Just in case you read this, I've used the Makita a little, the Hitachi a little and the DeWalt a lot. The Makita seemeds better than the Hitachi, but both were lacking compared to the DeWalt. I've used it framing and trimming houses and the only time I dislike it is when I have to carry it for any distance to or from the trailer.
I've used both of the makita 10" slides alot as well as the Dewalt 12" slide . I thought all of these saws were excellent but recently purchased the Makite 12" slide and it is by far the best saw I have used very quiet and exceptionaly accurate.
To All,
Thanks for your replies. I have decided to go with the Makita. I have heard all that some of you have said about the Dewalt, but I don't want a tool that heavy and big. I also want to go with the 10" blades because they tend to be a lot less expensive to replace. However, the Dewalt does have that really nice fence...
I have a 12" Makita dual compound slide miter box. Picked it up new from a local hardware store that was discontinuing the line. Paid $399. :D I absolutly love the saw. You don't have to think about how to flip the piece over, you just cut it. The two draw backs are that it weighs a ton and the motor should have a soft start as it tends to kick. If you don't have the blade held above the work piece you could accidentally cut into the stock and ruin it.