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Chicago Electric #98194 12" Sliding Compound Miter Saw Out of the box review.
This is NOT a usage, or long term review, this is just a fit and finish sort of thing. So if that is what you are interested in, read on...
I picked up a Chicago Electric #98194 on Friday with a coupon I have been sitting on for a few months that expired on Sunday, so it was a use it or lose it sort of thing. The coupon brought the price for this 12" sliding compound miter saw down to $109.99, and then throw the 2 year warranty on top of that, and taxes and I walked out the door for just a few cents over $140.00.
A few things worthy of note here. The packaging that Harbor Freight is using these days, especially the foam blocking material, is FAR superior and protective than the packaging I am used to from them. This thing was very secure in its box. Now with that said and out of the way, let's get down to the nitty gritty.
Out of the box, it took me a minute to figure out how all the knobs, levers, buttons and other various controls worked. Checking with various squares, and drafting triangles finds that the fence / blade etc... are all dialed dead in from the factory, and that the stops at 22.5, 30, and 45 degrees are exactly where they are supposed to be, and that he blade tilt measurements are where they are supposed to be.
The pointers for both rotate, and bevel were misadjusted, but easily brought into line with nothing more than a #2 Phillips screwdriver.
The throat plate on this saw is adjustable, which in this price range was a stunning find. I did not expect this, and am very happy that it is adjustable. I may still make a ZCTP for it, but at least this way, I am in no huge hurry...
There was no play in either the head assembly, or the arbor bearing, so the blade stays true throughout the lift / lowering cycle. And while not perfectly smooth, the slide action is on par with the much more expensive Ridgid and DeWalt sliders that were on display at Home Depot. (The only slider I have laid hands on that is perfectly smooth sliding is the Makita...)
Overall the saw looks solid, and well thought out. and the fit and finish where it matters is top notch. However there are areas on this saw, that were obviously neglected in manufacturing, as there are some rough spots on the table, and the frame that are in non functional areas, that it looks like instead of cleanly machining the casting excess off, they must have just whacked it off with an angle grinder and called it good. Now whoever did this job does nice enough work, but you can tell there is a slightly irregular surface that looks very odd...
The routing for the power for the saw, as well as the battery compartment for the laser are both, well in the way of the lockout device for raising / lowering the head. A touch of fiddling with it and you can get them in a workable position, but it's annoying that you have to do it.
The lock down mechanism for the table is simply a thread in rod, no quick release here. It is an obnoxiously crude design, but it functions so well it is hard to complain about it... Just twist the know counter clockwise to loosen, set your position, then turn clockwise to tighten. Very intuitive.
All of the control surfaces and plastics are well machined, and solidly cast. The handle feels good in the hand.
The included blade is a 60T General purpose blade. The carbide teeth appear well brazed, and everything looks solid enough, but the overall look and feel of the build quality, sharpening of the teeth etc... of this blade make me want to exchange it for a Freud 80T before I even fire the saw up...
The dust bag is completely pointless, the loose weave of this thing offers no filtration whatsoever. But that is not a concern for me. I either use the CMS outdoors, or hooked up with a hood to the dust collector...
Overall, I believe that swapping in a quality blade and just ignoring the funky machining in cosmetic areas, all the while just remembering that this saw cost me less than a non sliding 10" Ryobi, or B&D CMS, and I will be happy as a clam. All the function I want is there, and it all appears smooth. The moment of truth will come tomorrow when I plug it in, and send it sailing on its maiden voyage across some 2x10s that I need to crosscut at a compound angle (odd piece of support decking for the hot water heater needs to be replaced...)
*UPDATED 12/14/2010*
I got an opportunity this evening to fire it up, and double, then triple check the saw. There is some good, and some really bad to report…
The good.
- The bevel stop at 0 is dead on perfect. No problem.
- The laser is dead on, with waste to the left of the blade, and is VERY bright contrary to most reviews. I seem to have gotten a bright laser…. I need to adjust this though. I like the waste on the right side of the blade…
- Something I didn’t mention in my initial review. It comes with a spare set of brushes. Something my more expensive machines make you pay extra for…
- The saw is no noisier than my B&D. That is until… Well we will get to that in a few lines…
The not so good but not terrible.
- The bevel stop at 45 degrees was off. It took a little bit of fiddling, and about 10 test cuts to get it dead on, but now, it’s dead on…
The absolutely awful.
- That blade. Now a low quality blade is NO surprise on any saw under $1,000.00. But just HOW bad this blade is will make your skin crawl. This thing relieves me permanently of ANY desire to EVER buy any bits or blades from Harbor Freight. I will have to grab a Freud Diablo D12980X and swap it over before I can write even a basic how this thing cuts. I think I would have been happier had Harbor Freight just left the blade out of the whole package…. This blade is every bit as bad as the Drill Master hole saws I got from them. ICK! My initial visual inspection of this blade was spot on. What a piece of JUNK!Posting comments is disabled.
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dbhost commented
I have had this miter saw now for around 6 months or so. After getting over the initial humps I am learning to live with it's foibles. Not necessarily a problem of this specific saw, but with this general design of saw....
The slide function has been doing exactly what I wanted it to do, exactly as it should be doing it. However those slide rails make this saw HUGE. It eats up floor space, and in my shop, that is a precious commodity. However I knew this was going to be an issue with any slider that cost less than a Festool Kapex, or the new Bosch articulating arm slider.
As I mentioned in my original review, the OEM blade is something HF should be embarrassed that they sell. Simply put, the carbide tips were broken, missing, or just badly soldered on. I know better than to try HF bits or blades though, so a Diablo 80T went on almost instantly. I do NOT regret that at all...
The laser is fine, but just like every other miter saw I have ever used with a laser, I just don't use it. I honestly am half tempted to just remove the darned thing...
Dust collection is atrocious at best, but then again, it's a miter saw. I need to build a proper bench with a hood for it, but that hasn't been my top priority.
I am not sure if I mentioned it in my original review, but this saw is a little on the loud side. Not like planer or jointer loud, but certainly louder than my BT. I tend to think a good part of that noise is the blade itself.
I still have it installed on the Firestorm folding stand, and am actually quite anxious to get the proper miter station built. I figure after the clamshell storage cabinets get built, a miter station is my next shop project. And chances are it will be made with cheap BORG ply as the stuff they sell by me actually is pretty stable. They have been selling a decent cabinet grade ply that has a pretty good sale price right now, so I am planning on snatching a few sheets for shop projects....
I will say without a doubt, this is NOT a portable saw. This thing is heavy, and bulky. But I will also say that for the price I paid, even if I had paid their full retail, I don't think you could get a better saw. Yes you need to calibrate it when you take it out of the box, but it holds its settings extremely well, and with a good blade, gives a very accurate, clean cut. I have been doing molding throughout the house with this thing, as well as several mitered frame / raised panel doors, and my miters are always nice and tight. Crosscut capacity because of the slide is more than ample. I haven't had any cuts that I would do on a miter saw that this thing can't do, and it does it all so well...
I have no doubt this saw will be with me for years, if not decades to come. I can without hesitation recommend this saw for anyone wanting a 12" slider in their home woodworking shop...