Compound Mitre saw Recomendations

[phil harold]

A lot of crown molding headed my way
time to replace the old 8" hitachi
needs to have a laser
what is the most favored one?
pros and cons, please

[Victor Robinson]

Well I'll get the party started with the most expensive option.

IF you're willing to spare no expense, Festool's Kapex is a nice saw. The lasers are extremely accurate. The saw has a bevy of other nice features, but it's nearly twice the price of the next most highly rated saw.

Pros
Accurate
Lightweight, fairly portable at 40lb
Relatively quiet for a miter saw
Excellent dust collection (though not as good as other Festools)
Rail-forward design (can be placed against a wall in the shop)
Handy depth limiting feature for trench cuts
Good hold-down clamp
Festool's 3yr warranty

Cons
Really frickin expensive
Accessories (crown stops, cart, wings, blades etc.) are expensive, as with all things Festool
It's a 10 inch saw, so cutting capacity not as high as 12" saws...can do up to 6.5" crown though

[phil harold]

I can buy three Hitachi C12RSH compared to a Kapex
looks interesting, will have to check it out

thanks for the info

[George Bokros]

Hitachi 12" C12LSH

[Robert Parent]

I recently bought a Bosch - 10 inch, Glide Arm saw and it is fantastic! Not inexpensive, but high quality never is.

Robert

[Anthony Whitesell]

I recently bought a Bosch - 10 inch, Glide Arm saw and it is fantastic! Not inexpensive, but high quality never is.

Robert

That's the one I'm looking at. I am seeing prices $500-600. Lying in a void between Dewalt, Hitachi, and Makita saws and the Kapex. the At 80+ pounds, it is not light either.

[Matt Krusen]

I have heard great things about the Bosch glide saws. I've never used one in action but I've played with a display model and the arm motion is super smooth. That being said, I love my Kapex and don't regret the purchase whatsoever. Cried once when I bought it, smile every time I use it.

[Jim German]

What are your use cases? How much are you using it? Are you moving it around? Outside work? Inside?

For the money, the DW715 can't be beat, its only $200.

I'm not overly impressed with my Kapex, certainly not for the price. But if I was working in client's house all the time, it'd be a no brainer as its dust collection is leaps and bounds better than anything else.

[michael langman]

I bought a Makita 10" with a laser from CPO Outlets reconditioned for 300.00 about 5 years ago. It has suited my needs.

[scott vroom]

There are dozens of saws that will cut crown accurately. The critical info missing from the OP is the size of the crown he needs to cut.

I bought a Bosch 5312 several years ago. It'll cut up to 4-1/4 tall and 12" wide....it's perfect for me in general construction for both wide dimensional lumber and beams, as well as for moulding, and for breaking down long 4/4 for cabinet making.

[phil harold]

What are your use cases? How much are you using it? Are you moving it around? Outside work? Inside?

Mostly Inside on an AD & E saw stand
I will say this house has at least 3000sqft of coffered ceilings
4500sqft of a double crown with led rope lighting
Lets not forget all the cabinetry that has crown

just for laughs, "How much should I charge?"

The critical info missing from the OP is the size of the crown he needs to cut.

Could be any size...
My old cfs 8" Hitachi did plenty of 12" hard maple enkeboll crown
I have been using a few Makita, Default and Bosch
not really impressed with them, maybe give the Bosch the favorite of the bunch

[Ray Newman]

Geo. Bokros: re Hitachi 12" C12LSH. How effective is the dust collection??

[Cody Pierce]

I'll echo the love for the Hitachi C12RSH.

Can't beat what it does for the price and quality. The laser is useless in the sun though.

[Richard Shaefer]

I can buy three Hitachi C12RSH compared to a Kapex
looks interesting, will have to check it out

thanks for the info

I can fit three Kapex saws in the volume of one Hitachi C12RSH. That saw is rediculously massive.

seriously, I look at that saw in Lowes and I feel like the chmp looking at the Obelisk in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

[Anthony Whitesell]

For some reason the 12" saws look twice as big as the 10" saws. I saw the 10" and 12" Bosch glider side by side. The 12" looked huge. I expected the larger to weigh 2x the 10", but the 12" was only about 2 pounds heavier than the 10".