Hitachi Power Tools - any experience?

I've been looking to replace my cast iron 10" miter saw before I seriously get hurt. Among other things the brake is shot, cord strain relief going into motor housing is half broken (probably from using at

10 below zero), doesn't cut 45 degree bevel 90 degrees perpendicular.

I never had, used or know anyone that owns Hitachi equipment. Lowes has reduced the price of a 12" DUAL bevel from 319 to 289. They are currently having a 15% off power tools sale which brings this to like $246 and I have a $10 off coupon. So 236 for a dual bevel 12" is pretty damm good when compared to what I see.

Sure, I know I can get some POS from Harbor Freight. The only question is how does the quality of Hitachi compare to say Ridgid, DeWalt, Craftsman. I know Ridgid has lifetime warranty now. Hatachi gives 5 yrs on miter saws.

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Not a contractor but I use it a lot rebuilding foreclosed "HUD Wrecks".

Reply to
Red Green
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First, every company seems to have some tools that they do well and others that are duds. Generally, however, Hitachi is a company that produces professional quality tools for the most part. Rigid and Craftsman are definitely aimed at the homeowner market IMO. DeWalt has some decent tools. That is speaking generally, however. Like I said, each company has it's winners and losers.

I've had a Hitachi slide saw for over 10 years that has served me well. Can't say about the model you are looking at. One thing I don't like is all the bells and whistles they are adding which just seem like gimmicks to me. Something tells me it would hold up just fine.

Reply to
marson

Our area is blessed with a really top notch contractor supply company. It's the kind of place where you take a really tough problem and walk out in 10 minutes with the tool to do it right. The counter guys are super knowledgeable about trade tools, fasteners and such. Last time I was there we had a conversation about Hitachi offerings, and I was surprised at how highly regarded the line is. Only hearsay, of course, but FWIW I'd definitely go for the deal at Lowes. HTH

Joe

Reply to
Joe

I currently have the Hitachi Router and portable table saw, which I use very frequently for about one and a half years now and they are still running strong and true.

Reply to
SBH

I can't speak about Hitachi. A friend tends too gravitate towards them when window shopping. I have a DeWalt 12".

Moving the saw became a lot easier when I mounted it permanently on a "Miter Saw Utility Vehicle ". It works perfect, easy moving to and from the job site. I love the MSUV, saves my back! A DeWalt saw mounted on a Ridgid, folding, rolling table. *

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Worth every penny....

  • RIDGID?s Miter Saw Utility Vehicle gives you the maximum mileage from your miter saw. Folded for transport, the MS-UV rolls your mounted saw to wherever it?s needed on large wheels that easily handle rough terrain or stairs. On site, it unfolds in three quick steps to form a rigid stand that supports 8 ft. stock. Test drive the MS-UV and you?ll be finished forever with makeshift miter saw setups.
Reply to
Oren

I've got the same Dewalt/Ridgid MSUV configuration! It is a GREAT setup. As much as I like the Dewalt miter saw, I think I'm going to go with the Ridgid

12" CMS next. I have a couple of Ridgid power tools and they are superb IMO.
Reply to
Dave Bugg

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All I know about Ridgid is they make great plumbing tools. I have DeWalt, not miter saw, and think its a little overrated. Craftsman power tools, a notch above Harbor Freight, is not in the same league as Hitachi. Check out the reviews on Fine Woodworking. This one is from Amazon.com:

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Reply to
Frank

I've been window shopping for the (sliding) SCMS. Not really a need to change, but I like tool candy:)

Mounting the DW saw on the MSUV did not have default mount holes, for the DW (did for other brands). I set the saw and had to drill one hole for one bolt to match up. That's just the way I mounted the saw....

Reply to
Oren

Red Green wrote in news:Xns9A70480F598CRedGreen@216.168.3.70:

Thanks for the feedback all. Sounds decent from what I read and your replies. If the quality turns out well and meets my needs, which I'm sure it will, it's a really good deal (hmmm, the movie Fargo just popped to mind) comparatively.

It's done. Picked it up tonight. It indeed was $236+tax. Check out tomorrow.

One thing I've already learned about 12' ones. Blades are a lot more expensive.

Reply to
Red Green

The 12" blades last longer though, more teeth to share in the cutting. And they can be resharpened

Enjoy the new tool.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in news:grDHj.5641$ snipped-for-privacy@nlpi070.nbdc.sbc.com:

Edwin:

Is it worth having them resharpened or are you talking about sharpening yourself if you want to deal with it? Self sharpen carbide???

If having them done elsewhere my first guess would be to try a tool repair shop or an outdoor power equipment place that has a repair shop.

Reply to
Red Green

Sharpening them right takes special equipment. I've had mine done here

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A 12" blade with 80 teeth is $16 plus shipping. A really good blade is $50 to $150 so it is well worth sharpening them. I bought a DeWalt 12" miter saw. The blade was OK, but then I lent it to someone doing laminate flooring, knowing the blade would be trashed when the job was done. I sent it to Ridge Carbide and it came back better than when it was new.

If I ever need a new blade, this is the one I'd get

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Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in news:IQMHj.3175$ snipped-for-privacy@nlpi061.nbdc.sbc.com:

Thanks again Edwin. I kept that link. I see they are in NJ. From where I am I see it will cost me $5.50 to ship it. Assume about the same to return so $27 for a "new" blade.

That laminate flooring kills them. First one I put down I had a new steel plywood blade laying around. Maybe 6 cuts and it was blue smoke trashed. Carbide did well for the whole floor. Found out some laminate flooring has aluminum oxide in it's surface. Same stuff used for metal sanding paper. Steel blade didn't have a change :-)

I assume the person ran the carbide blade until it blue smoked. Can they be sharpened when they are at that point?

Red...

Reply to
Red Green

I learned the same thing about metal in some flooring. I was wondering why the blades were dying a fast death.

I've installed urethane flex moulding* and THAT will kill a blade faster than 5/8" thick Mohawk hardwood flooring :)

  • Valuflex is a urethane resin and can be used for most interior or exterior profiles.

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Reply to
Oren

I made three cuts with a steel blade on a tablesaw about 10 years ago. I had two cuts to go at nigh so I went to WalMart and bought a cheap steel blade there. Barely made the second cut.

I lent the saw and blade knowing the blade would be trashed and figured I'd get a new and better one. Since I was sending out a couple of other blades to be sharpened, I figured I'd take a chance and try getting the DeWalt blade done too. Bad is it was, it came back better than from the factory. Cleaner cuts with no splintering. Well worth sharpening as it saved me the cost of a new blade.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Similar experience here. Almost every town in the country has a saw and tool sharpening shop. My experiences with several of them over the decades has been uniformly great. Some saw blades can be junque right out of the box, and the shop technician will weed out these losers for you, maybe even call you to make sure you want to spend the money on a substandard blade. They also have keen eye for the quality blades. For example, the Skarpaz blades are highly regarded locally, although the shop does not have retail sales. Definitely plan to give one a try next time I need a replacement. HTH

Joe

Reply to
Joe

Red Green wrote in news:Xns9A70E46ABD362RedGreen@216.168.3.70:

Had to return it!!!

Finally got to unpack it. Went over it and checked out blade alignments. All OK right out of box.

There is this fence part that flips out of the way for bevel cuts. When it was flipped out of the way the left and right main fences were flush with a straight edge. But when this part was flipped into place in the middle for non-bevel cutting it did not sit flush with the main fence. Protruded slightly but < 1/16th. No adjustment for this. This meant the workpiece was never really flush left and right of the blade. Not much and I could have lived with it but it&#39;s brand new and alignment is one of the reasons I&#39;m replacing the old 10".

I head over to Lowes this morning to check out the display model. It is indeed flush with main fence. Explain to guy what&#39;s up. He agrees it isn&#39;t right. Bring it in and he will exchange. Says he won&#39;t be there but Rebecca will be.

He calls Rebecca over and tells her the story. Rebecca says maybe I should call Hitachi. Maybe a known problem and they have a fix like putting a washer in the bolt that the arm pivots on to move it back and flush with fence. I&#39;m like yep there is a problem but I ain&#39;t fixing it. I haven&#39;t even used it yet. Hatachi may tell me to bring it to a service center. I don&#39;t think so. The one on display shows fine. I&#39;ll exchange the one I have for a new one in an unopened box. If you want to call Hatachi after I return it that&#39;s up to you.

I get new one home. Fence and fence part that flips out are all flush. All blade angles are in alignment right out of box like the first one.

Rain all day here. Maybe tomorrow finally be able to get it dirty.

Reply to
Red Green

.168.3.70:

I have the Hitachi 12 inch Laser guided Miter Saw. I absolutely love it. I think you will be happy with your decision.

Reply to
depictureboy

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