# which mitre saw do you guys prefer?



## fr8train (Jul 17, 2007)

Hey all,

I'm looking at getting a new mitre saw. I was looking at either the DW703 or the 713, from what I can tell, they are basically the same saw, even look identical. I know the 713 is the replacement for the 703. 

Anyone know what the changes were, and do they warrant the few extra bucks? I've been seeing the 703 everywhere for about 30 bucks less.

Any opinions would be appreciated.

PS, I'm not dead set on either saw, just seems to be a good deal.

Mike


----------



## WilsonRMDL (Sep 4, 2007)

I've used the dewalt 12" sliders and love them. not sure if thats what your talking about. The only dewalt miter saw i ever had a problem with was the 12" with the deep throat capacity. It just didnt seem to have as much power as the other dewalt models for some reason. You might want to look into makita or hitachi sliders, they're lighter and really smooth. I'm talking about the 10" models, not the 12" with all the gadgets on it that weighs 100 lbs.


----------



## Jengle (Jan 13, 2007)

*Rigid Slider*

check out the Rigid 12" compound DUAL slider. I did a mess of Tommy Bahama stores in 2004 and we just fetched on up as soon as we hit town. The caddy is as good as any out there too. THe saw is powerful, fast to adjust, and I aint never seen a rigid tool in the shop unlike my what? Milwaulkee, Porter-Cable and Bosch tools.

MS1290LZ is the model number with the laser. I don't care much for the light show though.


----------



## JumboJack (Aug 14, 2007)

Jengle said:


> check out the Rigid 12" compound DUAL slider. I did a mess of Tommy Bahama stores in 2004 and we just fetched on up as soon as we hit town. The caddy is as good as any out there too. THe saw is powerful, fast to adjust, and I aint never seen a rigid tool in the shop unlike my what? Milwaulkee, Porter-Cable and Bosch tools.
> 
> MS1290LZ is the model number with the laser. I don't care much for the light show though.


I have the Rigid and realy like it....


----------



## RobertCDF (Aug 18, 2005)

I have the ridgid and would sell it to anyone. I hate it. It wont stay in square and now the bevel is jacked and I will have to take it apart just to get it to bevel. I didnt even use it very often. Now I have the makita 10" slider. MUCH better.


----------



## JumboJack (Aug 14, 2007)

RobertCDF said:


> I have the ridgid and would sell it to anyone. I hate it. It wont stay in square and now the bevel is jacked and I will have to take it apart just to get it to bevel. I didnt even use it very often. Now I have the makita 10" slider. MUCH better.


Never had any trouble with it staying square.It is one of those tools that I just use and use and it does the job every thime.


----------



## Twiggy (Nov 22, 2007)

Definitely check out the Makita saws if you are in the market for a sliding mitre saw. I own a 10" Ridgid (non-slider) and wish I had never bought the thing. 

At work we use a 10" Makita sliding compound mitre saw. It is a bomb-proof workhorse of a saw. We only have to adjust it once or twice a month when the bevel stop gets knocked out of alignment. We use this saw for everything from framing (yes, framing...try it you'll never go back) right down to trim. 

We pair our saw with the Dewalt adjustable mitre saw stand. It can support like 300-400 pounds, and can cut lengths of up to 16-18' un-altered. With a little extra support for the workpiece, we've cut 24' TGI joists on that stand. I wouldn't use anything else.


----------



## jiffy (Oct 21, 2007)

I'll second the fact that my Makita 10" sliding dual bevel miter saw is a cut above the rest.


----------



## ecooke21 (Sep 21, 2004)

I currently own three of them

1. Dewalt 708
2. Rigid pos
3. Dewalt 718

Hands down the dewalts are better.. much smaller foot print also (not a real big deal) the rigid "thumb wheel" sucks ass in the cold weather.. it sticks.. I will stick with my dewalts.. Also I have heard good things about the Bosch..


----------



## dunn2500 (Dec 17, 2007)

dewalts get out of calibration too easy..........................hitachi is tougher but they have really small fences


----------



## TempestV (Feb 3, 2007)

I like the old Dewalt slider. The new one with the deep throat doesn't seem as good of quality. Makitas are good quality, but I don't like the design as much as the Dewalts.


----------



## dougchips (Apr 23, 2006)

jiffy said:


> I'll second the fact that my Makita 10" sliding dual bevel miter saw is a cut above the rest.


I'll add a third to this one.


----------



## Norrrrrrrrrrrrm (Jan 20, 2007)

I have the bosch 10'' csm and it is wicked awesome. My father is a makita man and he likes mine better than his new new 10'' csm. Seriouslr, the bosch is a top notch saw. Do some research on it.


----------



## mikey48 (Sep 22, 2007)

I bought the Hitachi C 10FSH 10 inch slider. Right out of the box it is the most accurate saw I have ever used. It is also light enough to lug around the worksite. The motor is belt driven and very smooth running. I love using it.


----------



## Bone Saw (Feb 13, 2006)

I have a makita 10"dscms which is a damn near perfect saw, but I rarely use it, I also have the ridgid 12"dscms which is my workhorse, and I can't complain about it one bit, I like a saw that has a large massive base which this one has, and as far as keeping it true, 5 minutes with a square allen wrench and 10mil. box wrench, which applies to any saw:thumbsup:


----------



## amalowany (Dec 17, 2007)

*Which one to buy???*

I Have owned many a compound and have to agree with the Dewalt users. Rigid is huge if your trying to carry it into a house or doorway, Bosch has too many gadgets, Makita bogs out on hard cuts, Hitachi is the jolly green giant and if your getting a Dewalt (or any mitre) get the sliding 12" or you'll be mad when others won't quite reach the end of the cut. That's all I have to say bout that.:thumbsup:


----------



## Ahren (Nov 20, 2007)

I just sold my Makita 10" sdcms a few months ago and got the Dewalt 12" sdcms. The Makita was a champion which kept going strong and accurate for 6 years. It just didn't have quite the "oomph" I wanted for mitering 2x PT which is something I do quite often. I like the bigger capacity of the Dewalt 12", and once I got rid of the cheesy blade that comes with it and threw on a Matsu****a, it cuts wet 2x8 PT on the bevel like a breeze. I haven't had to mess with any adjustments yet, only having it for a few months. But so far so good.


----------



## WNYcarpenter (Mar 2, 2007)

More often than not, I'm cutting a scribe line. The saw's acurracy isn't as important to me. I like the dewalt for the solid tilt lock compared to my Makita....Setting the table angle for custom cuts is easier with the Makita and Hitachi...Dewalt's fence is taller...Bosch is cumbersome but nice if you are set up for a time. (Not much experience with the Bosche tools 'cause no one likes to lug them around!)

My thinking is an 8" Hitachi (lighter,cheaper)for finish work, complimented with a 12" Dewalt chop saw for framing. 

Not everything has to be cut with a miter saw so a decent circular saw and a good blade goes a long way.

I'd buy anything if they offerred a 60*+ cut!


----------



## csbs_ar (Dec 30, 2007)

Jengle said:


> check out the Rigid 12" compound DUAL slider. I did a mess of Tommy Bahama stores in 2004 and we just fetched on up as soon as we hit town. The caddy is as good as any out there too. THe saw is powerful, fast to adjust, and I aint never seen a rigid tool in the shop unlike my what? Milwaulkee, Porter-Cable and Bosch tools.
> 
> MS1290LZ is the model number with the laser. I don't care much for the light show though.


 
This is a great saw.


----------



## In_Mexifornia (Mar 7, 2007)

I've got the DW716. I like the sliders, but it's heavy and I use mine all the time and I just don't like lugging that slider around.

**The 713 is only a single bevel which means it only tilts one way. **

The newer saws accept the laser attachment that fits right on.


----------



## csbs_ar (Dec 30, 2007)

In_Mexifornia said:


> I've got the DW716. I like the sliders, but it's heavy and I use mine all the time and I just don't like lugging that slider around.
> 
> **The 713 is only a single bevel which means it only tilts one way. **
> 
> The newer saws accept the laser attachment that fits right on.


DeFault charges 70 extra dollars for the laser.


----------



## john5mt (Jan 21, 2007)

I personally only really like to use hitachi's because there miter gauges are way more accurate and they stay true. 


If hitachi went out of business it would be a toss up between the makita and the bosch. 

dewalt and rigid saws are garbage that go out of square constantly.


----------



## nadonailer (Nov 15, 2005)

Makita 12" slider :thumbup:


----------



## JB Renovations (Jan 8, 2008)

I have a Makita 10" sliding saw, well its my dad's he's a general contractor/renovator. Its a nice saw works great everything, its a good bang for your buck, however I find it kinda bulky in the back where it slides. I don't know maybe its because I'm used to the Delta 10" we used to have. 
I would recommend the Makit to anyone who is looking to get a good saw, however I don't think that it is for everyone. The HITACHI saw is a pretty good looking one and I saw a demostration of it and it seemed pretty powerful.

John


----------



## Morning Wood (Jan 12, 2008)

Bosch 10" dual bevel slider.


----------



## AustinDB (Sep 11, 2006)

I haven't had any issues w/ my dewalt compound slider not keeping adjustments, all though I occasionally hit the table adjustment when moving about (should lock it then). Dewalt has a new 8" (or 8.25?) compount slider-it's of course smaller and lighter-finding something light enough to lug around would be a selling point if I had to buy another one. I've already gone through one motor on my DW-bought the rebuild parts for $140 and it continues to be a great saw.


----------



## McGaw (Sep 22, 2007)

I'm in love with my Craftsman 10" slider. It's the best saw I've ever used.


----------



## MasterEngineer (Sep 24, 2006)

The new Dewalt 12" slider is not as good as the older one. The original Dewalt is on top with Bosch and Metabo.


----------



## tburritt (Dec 8, 2007)

I have and use the Dewalt 12" I own 2 sliders I truck mounted and one on a Ridgid cart laser on the cart mounted one but I find the you need to adjust it often since the saw is portable. For the shop I am looking at the Grizleye tools. Dewalt is cheaper quality tools but work very well and most box store have a no hasel return policy if something breaks just exchange it. I end up doing that for a lot of dewaly cordless tools, but stay AWAY from Dewalt nailers they are JUNK!!!!! go Paslode my .02


----------



## HallisseyDesign (Jul 6, 2007)

I have the dewalt 8 1/2" single bevel sliding , 10" double bevel, 12" double bevel sliding. Also a 12" double bevel dewalt.


----------



## dlcj (Oct 1, 2007)

I have the dewalt dual bevel deep throat (cant remember the model #). It has a deeper vertical cut than the slider and i could not justify paying double for the slider. I only use it for trim or hardwood maybe the occasional 2x4 so it dont get much punishment and still looks like new after 5 years. Anything bigger to cut i just use the much cheaper Dw364 circular saw.


----------



## Dustball (Jul 7, 2006)

I just ordered a Hitachi C12LDH dual-bevel saw a few mins ago. Came across it on Amazon and their price blew everyone else out of the water and free shipping too.

http://www.amazon.com/Hitachi-C12LDH-12-Inch-Digital-Display/dp/B000E7UJR8


----------



## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

I too just ordered a Hitachi from Amazon but I got the C10FSH slider. Great price PLUS a $25 mail-in rebate....PLUS a freeM12VC Hitachi router (via rebate).


----------



## troubleseeker (Sep 24, 2006)

nadonailer said:


> Makita 12" slider :thumbup:


A hell of a good saw if your wallet can afford it and your back lasts long enough to move it around:laughing: Of course, I guess that is why they always seem to come out on top in most of the "comparison surveys", you get what you pay for. Got to admit though, 95% of my work is still done with basic 12" Dewalt single or dual bevel non slider, half the price and half the weight.


----------



## shoemaker (Jun 1, 2007)

I'll throw my Hitachi in the ring.*Hitachi C12FDH 15 Amp*
I've tried many brands and the Hitachi will stand with the best of them.
I've had Dewalts(meh),Craftsman(OK),Makitas(great saw) and tried a few <cough junk cough> lesser brands.


----------



## jstrand23 (Jan 13, 2007)

I love my 12" Makita dual slide. It really helped that Tool Crib had them buy one, get one free last fall. Under $300 per saw. Great saw, better price.


----------



## tool junkie (Jan 30, 2008)

I have the rigid and it works great for me.


----------



## Chad W. (Feb 17, 2008)

fr8train said:


> Hey all,
> 
> I'm looking at getting a new mitre saw. I was looking at either the DW703 or the 713, from what I can tell, they are basically the same saw, even look identical. I know the 713 is the replacement for the 703.
> 
> ...


Hey Mike, I'm not sure if your still in the market for a saw as this thread is fairly old but I just purchased the 713 yesterday. I too was interested in the 703 as it was on clearance for $40 dollars less. I couldn't find any major differences between the two but in the end I chose the 713 b/c it looked like all the 703's had been tampered with(i.e- returned, "open boxed", etc..) I used it for the first time today to build my workstation for it. I'm a pro tile/stone setter by day and a wanna be trim carpenter by night.


----------



## vital151 (Jan 15, 2008)

dewalt is a good brand but overpriced and recently quality went down. if bulk does not matter to you get the rigid. great saw and lifetime warranty


----------



## Bozzy (Feb 22, 2008)

If you do a lot of small trim, look at those with a "soft start"


----------

