Kobalt SCMS?

[Tim]

Anyone here have the new kobalt scms lowe's is selling? I've not noticed it there until recently, and it seems to be a fairly well made tool for the price.. but I'd like some hands on opinions.

[Puckdropper]

Tim wrote in news:2Z%Ej.8344$ [e-mail]:

I have one. I just used it today. (This was just the second time, I anticipate using it more as the temperature warms up.)

Pros:

• Easy to start, just grip the front handle and button

• Requires a reasonable amount of pressure to lower the blade in to the work + Adjustable depth cuts

• Laser (but it's off by 1/16", so if you want a cut to 16", align the laser at 16 1/16") + Adjustable wings, with stops

• Smooth sliding action

• Cuts seem square, even though I haven't followed the alignment procedures yet. (Nor have I checked the cuts for squareness. My square wasn't nearby.)

Cons:

- Dust collection is ineffective

- Cutting a 2x6 requires using slide function (it almost cuts all the way through) - Wings were a little difficult to pull out this time, it might be all the dust. - Attached clamp seems like it would interfere with using full capacity of the saw. (I haven't really had need for it yet, and thus haven't really installed and set it up.)

For the $200 Lowes wants for it, I think it's a good deal. A recommended accessory is an air compressor with a blow gun. That'll allow you to clean the dust off it. I tried a bench brush, and had limited success...

Besides the dust issue, my biggest problem has been user error. That is, I have a tendency to set the cuts up so the long side is on the right side of the saw, under the body. They should be set up so the long side is on the left side, so only the off-cut is under the motor.

Puckdropper

[J. Clarke]

A google search found several reports that it is the same as the saw that Sears sells under the "Craftsman" brand. You might want to go over to the Sears site and read the reviews there (some of which are rather negative), make a list of points to look at, and then examine a saw in the Lowes store to see if they also apply to it or if Lowes has addressed the problems that the Craftsman has shown in service.

Apparently if you treat the Craftsman as a "build your own miter saw" kit that requires some tweaking (not just adjusting but removing metal and replacing minor hardware with better) and don't expect too much from it then it's a decent enough saw.

[mac davis]

If the Kobalt is the same as my old Craftsman CMS, I'd recommend it... Mines cut everything from pen blanks to firewood and keeps on ticking..

The only problem I've had in 5 or 6 years of use/abuse is that I wasn't checking the tension on the bolt on the pivot and when it loosened up the cut became erratic and eventually took out the zero clearance plate... My fault, for sure.

Dust collection? haven't seen a cms yet that I'd use indoors without a hood or something for the DC..

Laser? Useless, IMO, and when the battery died I didn't bother replacing it.. I've use a friend's high-end CMS that had a real laser mounted on the saw instead of replacing a blade washer, and it worked ok, but if I'm going to have to figure how much to allow between the laser line and the cut, what's the use of the damn thing?

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

[Tim]

Thanks for the input.. for the main thing I'll be using it for (chopping the warped places/knots/checks/defects out of rough cut air dried red oak) I think it'd do. I will be checking out the craftsman, but I haven't noticed one in sears that looked quite like this one. Wasn't looking for an exact match, though.

[Tim]

I thought I'd post my results with this tool, in case anyone else is thinking about it. Don't. It worked fine for a day or two, then I let it kick back just a little. The little blade washers with the oval shaped hole? Yeah, they're round now. And something broke in the head.. it sounds like a box of rocks now. But this is why lowe's has a return policy as lenient as is it, right? ;)