Member
Assuming you are talking a powered miter saw they have 8 on their site. HF is notorious for having gems and duds. The 10" might be a gem, the similar 12 might be a dud. Or there might be two similar 10's with different model numbers, one being great the other being horrible. You need to research a specific model number to know anything.
Member
I used a 10" SCMS from HF at my BiL's a few years back, it was fairly new and lightly used, he is an occasional DIY'r . His father had recently bought him the saw, he was complaining that his miters on trim wouldn't come out good, asked me to look at it. I fired it up, made a few cuts, unplugged it, asked him what it cost, threw it in his garbage barrel as he watched. It was way beyond bad And deep into dangerous. The arbor was loose, had a nasty wobble, the path of travel was not straight so it bound up going through a cut, kicked back real bad. Way too much flex in the arm. Don't feel too bad for him, I had recently bought a new makita 10" SCMS, and gave him my older model that was still in fine condition. So the one I used was verging on criminal....but you might get another example of the same saw and have a different experience. It's that kind of place.
Member
Originally Posted by Andrew Kertesz
Do not walk, run.
Building furniture or doing trim work, even a small bit out of true can make a huge difference. I would actually sue a hand saw until you can afford a proper miter saw.
Chris
Member
A used Mercers is preferable in my mind to a new Kia. YMMV.
Chris
Member
80% of a 90 degree angle is 72-108 degrees.
Contributor
Plan "B"?
IMAG0150.jpg
This one was $5.....
Member
they sell caulk so it is all good. Gallons I hope....
80% of a 90 degree angle is 72-108 degrees.
Member
I bought one about five years ago, the 10-inch slider, thinking it would only last until I did the job I bought it for. Sadly, it's still going strong, still cutting away. Although I admit I've had it outside under a shed structure and it has gotten some rust on the sliders. my only complaint is I have to wear hearing protection b/c it makes such a loud noise when cutting. can't wait to get a real miter saw and see what the difference is and why it would be worth paying hundreds of dollars more. Admittidly, if I was a contractor or professional, I probably would get two so I could have one as a back up.
Member
I don't have HF miter saw but I think their saws are not that bad at all.
Member
I have had great success with HF motorized tools including their sliding mitre saw, welder, dust collector and pneumatic tools. Where you see the difference in quality are things like duct tape, dust collector hoses and drill bits. I like to use the term value for money. If you are a part time woodworker like me that can often only work on weekends, these tools provide good value. An example is a room I renovated with cherry millwork and ceiling cove molding. the first few pieces I did with a hand saw mitre box was tedious and required touch up on my disc sander. Once I got the HF compound mitre saw the joints were all tight and crisp.
Contributor
The 12" SCMS will be $137.99 on Black Friday.
Mike
Contributor
I used their 12" slider at a customers house, and much as I hate to admit it it is a hell of a saw for $137.99. Not perfect, but not $600 either.
Larry
Member
My dad bought one to cut all the moldings for the new house. It did the job. Still works. About the only issue with it is that it goes a bit too low now and the sawblade rubs on the bottom, which being aluminum takes it well
Member
Bought a HF 12" slider back around 2002. After the first couple of days use, 2 of the 4 plastic handles (forgot details) broke off, but the metal bolts underneathe them allowed continued use. After one month, and the completion of the job, I took it back for a full refund. Besides these plastic handles, I do not recall any other problems. The broken plastic handles did not affect the operation or safety of the saw. Shortly after, I purchased the 12" (non-sliding) Ridgid. Today, it shows some blade "walking," but not so significant that I have to replace it (yet). For true(r) accuracy, or for more delicate work, I simply use the TS. If you need the bigger cutting bed, I would not hesitate to purchase the HF SCS. At $139, you can use it till it breaks (if it does), then return it for your money back or an exchange to keep on cutting.
I also have 2 HF trim routers ($25, or less on sale), 2 HF Multi-tools (also $25, or less on sale) and 1 ROS ($29.95, I think). One of the trim routers height adjustment is stripped due to cheap plastice thumb wheels (I glued sand paper under the housing to assist the clamping grip and it helps). The ROS is only a back up (the hook & loop pad went out on my DeWalt and I had to order one, and at the time, had to finish the job). It's a little heavy and vibrates considerably, but it will perform the job required of it. With the multi-tools, I cannot compare because I've never used another brand, but agin, the HF versions have done everything I've wanted... and I do not baby my tools.
Like has been said many times before, HF has some gems, but they also have a LOT OF JUNK. But there's another level of quality tools with the HF brand too, but you'll have to use them to find out which are which, or... which ones you'll settle for. Good luck.
Contributor
Late to this thread, but it's a hoot. The OP asked for opinions from actual users of the HF miter saw.
David
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