Printable View
I'm looking for a good 10" compound miter saw with a laser guide for around $200. I know there are a couple of brands including Craftsman and Hitachi. Does anyone have any experiences -- good or bad -- with this kind of saw? Any suggestions for where to find them? Thanks.
I own the Delta 12" and I love the lasers. If you adjust them right, you can kiss sneaking up on the cut goodbuy. I can split a pencil line with no problem. I know alot of people think they are a gimmik that you can do without, but they do work and they make my life easier.
Elllen, I will agree with Silas. Now that I am used to the laser line, I really love it! I don't have it on both sides of the cut, but that is okay, there are very few times I would need it on the off cut side.
I have the Craftsman 12 inch double bevel slider and I love it! I have used a bosch and a Dewalt and this saw compares nicely to them. I bought it because I got it at a huge discount. I have no regrets about buying it.
The saw did require adjusting out of the box. However, once I got it set up, I haven't had to re-adjust it.
My wife bought an aftermarket laser that replaces a washer on the arbor. I quickly returned it since the idea of turning the saw on and lowering the blade to move the guard to see the beam on the workpiece just seemed silly to me. I may be wrong, but I think this is the method used by most/some of the saws that come with a laser. My goal was to buy a different style that is turned on separatly and is always on the workpiece. Probably a laserkerf (http://www.laserkerf.com/). I too think it is a great idea especially for cutting moulding.
I have the Craftsman 10" CMS w/Laser Trak. This saw utilizes the washer style laser and for accurate cuts the laser line is useless. The laser line on mine is approximately 1/16"-1/32" to the left of the actual cutline. When making bevel cuts, if I don't lower the blade just right the table has a tendency to flex which throws off the angle and messes up the cut. I dislike this saw so much that I wouldn't even consider selling it to a stranger.
If I were going to buy one of these things, Ellen...it would be the PC or Delta twin laser system. Both sides of the cut and laser power independent from the motor.
I have the Craftsman 10" w/lasertrak. I didn't have the same problem as Dave Sweeney but the laser died after a month and I just replaced it with the washer and use the saw the old way. While it was working, I found it to be accurate.
After that...I built the laser into a student laser lab with mirrors and switches and stuff so kids could see how a laser works. It's more useful as a lab than it was as a woodworking tool. ;)
Im have the Sears Craftsman 10 inch with laser,I like it:p
I have the Hitachi 10" slider with laser. I love it!! While the dual laser would be nice to instantly line up the cut, I've trained myself to pretty quickly line it up with one laser. I got my saw on ebay for slightly more than $200, but ya never know...
Keith
I added a button and battery pack. I can flip the switch and have the laser on "full time", great if I am doing multiple cuts. Or I hit a seperate button I drilled next to the trigger to fire the laser before I pull the trigger. This is good for one to two cuts and not forgetting to turn the laser off.
Thanks for all the comments. Apparently DeWalt does not have a 10" CMS with laser, or I would buy it. The closest I've found is a Ridgid -- 10", CMS, Laser, "lifetime" guarantee, $200. Does anyone have one or any comments on it?