Which Miter Saw?

[dbird]

I am a new home owner and I need a miter saw and am unsure which manufacture I should buy. I am committed to getting a 10" because price is an issue but other than that.... Depot has Delta, Porter Cable, Dewalt, Ryobi and Rigid 10" Compound Miters for about 200usd. Not relay interested in Craftsman from past exp.

I guess I am wondering who make a more accurate and reliable saw? I have some Ryobi sanders and circ. saw and am unimpressed with the quality but that is about the only experience I have with power tools in the pas decade. Did I miss any manufactures?

Thanks, David

[Patriarch]

dbird wrote in news: [e-mail]:

The interesting thing is that, with mergers and consolidation, there are only two top level corporations represented there.

The Ridgid looks good, from the cursory examination I've given it, and the abuse that the 12" version has taken on my nephew's house rebuild.

My 12" DeWalt CMS has been worth every bit of the $299 I spent on it. The

80T finish blade was a good upgrade as well.

Rumours were, at one time, that the inexpensive Delta had problems. I have no personal experience with those, however.

Patriarch, whose _favorite_ miter saws came from Maine...

[Lew Hodgett]

Might want to throw Hitachi into the mix.

Had a very good reputation when made in Japan, but alas, those days are gone.

Lew

[nospam_coloradotrout]

I picked up a DW708 (dual bevel, 12") refurb for $209 at a WW show.

Now when I get out the engineers square, I'm not impressed with the fence to base squareness. And when I hold a dial indicator to the blade I'm not impressed with the runout.

That said.. it's been rated at or near the top, and comments here support that.

[Salmo]

I used a Makita 10" slide compound saw for a year (believe it or not, my neighbor loaned it to me until he needed it!) and can honestly say that having used a "normal" Delta for a few years this was like comparing coal to gold. The Makita was a dream to use.

My euphoria came to an end when he moved and, much to my dismay, wanted his saw back (had to happen sooner or later). So, I had to get my own and decided to go one step further by getting the Makita 12" slide compound miter saw. That was six months ago and I haven't regretted the decision for a second. Not only that, but both Makitas were far easier to lift around than the Delta (a real work-horse, but certainly limited compared to the sliding compound saws).

Anything I've ever owned by Makita, Delta, and Porter Cable has been satisfactory, with Makita at the top.

Keith P