If you're in the market for a mitre saw and you don't end up buying one of the Makita mitre saws in their lineup, then what ever you do, don't buy a cheaper brand. You see, before I go into what makes a precision engineered mitre saw like a Makita, I want to just outline mitre saws in general.
Don't Buy a Cheapo Mitre Saw!!
If you have yet to buy your first mitre saw then you need to know that looks can be deceiving. They all can look quite similar on the outside but the difference in the handling between a cheapo, and a precision engineered tool of this type is measurable. A cheap mitre saw will have a negative impact on the overall quality of your finished work.
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Makita LS1016L 10" Dual Sliding Compound Mitre Saw With Laser |  |
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US $499.00 | 7d 13h 9m |
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Makita LS1016L 10" Dual Sliding Compound Mitre Saw With Laser | |
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US $500.15 | 7d 13h 4m |
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Makita 2414nb metal and concrete, cut off, mitre & chop saw used, good condition | |
7 Bids | US $71.88 | 2d 17h 31m |
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A Mitre Saw is for Intricate Precision Work
Mitre saws are made for difficult, precision cuts and if your saw is sticky, wobbly, or a hassle in any way, it just makes it all the more difficult to do top quality work. As an example, if your mitre saw can't cut a reliable razor line, you'll find yourself just not taking those types of pinpoint measurements.
The Laser Sight Cheap Saw Joke
In fact the real joke is cheap mitre saws that come with a laser sight. Perhaps you may have seen them before and thought how impressive it was that a mitre saw costing so little, actually had a wizz-bang laser sight on it. The fact is that there is so much “play” in these sticky, loosely fitted tools, that a laser sight is pretty useless.
Makita Mitre Saws Were the First back in the 80s
Makita doesn't dominate the mitre saw market like it did back in the early 1980s, when miter saws first started showing up on job sites. Back in those earlier years, when you saw a compound mitre saw on a site, it inevitably was a Makita. However, over the years since then, other tool companies have come out with their own versions.
They Were the First to Come Out
So would I own a competing brand of miter saw? Sure, if you gave it to me! However; if I were to buy another one, I'd go with a Makita and basically for the same reason I wear Levy Jeans. They were the first and they're top quality product. By the way, I also wouldn't use anything other than a sliding compound miter saw either. One that flips both ways. Left and right.
Go With a Sliding Compound if You Can Afford it
You see without a sliding compound feature, you have to “dive down” into all your cuts. It makes it all but impossible to “walk the blade into” a compound miter cut. With a slider though, you can pull the saw all the way back and mark off or “walk the blade into” far more precision cuts, by bumping the blade against the edge of the wood to “feel” or “notch” your way into your final cut.
Get a Sliding Compound that Flips Left and Right
Also if you are going to only buy, own and use one miter saw, a sliding saw means that you won't be limited on the width of the stock you cut. At some point you'll need to make broader cuts in wider pieces of wood. Finally a mitre saw that flips both ways is just so much nicer to use over the long haul. It means not having to flip stock around that can lead to confusion on your angles and joinery.