Best budget miter saw

[mbennett]

I'm tired of borrowing miter saws every time I have a project, but don't want to spend an arm and a leg. Any advice on what's the best saw for less than 250?

[sweensdv]

If "close enough" is good enough where accuracy is concerned then I'd take a look at the Harbor Freight 10" or 12" sliding compound miter saws.

If precise accuracy is a must then look at the standard miter saws by DeWalt or Bosch. IMO, stay away from Craftsman, RIDGID, Ryobi and house brands.

[Sawatzky]

I don't know if they are still making them, but I have a 4 year old Delta Shopmaster that is great. It is accurate and powerful. That saw was less than $150.00. If you want to spend up to $250.00 then I think you should be able to get a DeWalt, which would also be a good saw. I have a 10" saw, which works well, but it would be nice to have 12" or a slider. Many here have had good luck with the HF slider when tuned up and with a new blade. I think you can get that saw for under $150.00.

[Woodshark]

I have the Delta Shopmaster 10".

I've used it to build out and finish a basement and install several rooms worth of laminate flooring.

I would like 12" sliding saw but for the money it is hard to beat. I bought mine at Lowes several years ago for $79. You can find them all day long at the big box stores for less than $100.

If you don't have a local store, Amazon it and get free shipping.

http://www.amazon.com/Delta-SM100M-S...5360492&sr=8-1

[bmyers]

I went with a used Hitachi 10" slider after trying a few (new) bargin brands. I knew I'd be better off with a quality used machine rather then a new bargin brand saw. Ended up paying about $180 for a used one which was more than no-name stuff but WELL worth it.

Keep an eye on craigslist, local ebay auctions, regular auctions and the classifieds in the local paper. It might take a little longer to find something good and at the right price but you'll thank yourself later.


Bill

[rjwaldren]

I just came back from my local Lowes, they had nearly their entire line up on clearance. A lot of good looking stuff between $100-$200 - all brands, sizes both sliding and stationary.

Definitely check out your local store.

[unclecritic]

I have the HF 10" slider and it actually cut pretty straight out of the box, but the blade was junk and I put in a dewalt blade... its ok, but if your going to use one alot, i would spend a little extra money on a bigger name brand...I just used my buddys 2 year old craftsman and it was actually pretty nice...

[radhak]

I think the best place to start is

http://www.reconditionedsales.com/, which sells Hitachi tools.

I got a friend to buy from there before we laid laminates for his floor, and we found the 10" one dead-on accurate, and for a fraction of the price of a new one. And shipping is dirt-cheap!

[Hoover]

A second vote for Hitachi, especially the reconditioned saws. Good quality, I have a 10" non slider. It does a great job, simple reliable and powerful.

[mbennett]

Specs

Which options are more important than others?

10" vs 12"
single bevel vs. double bevel
non sliding vs. sliding
no laser vs laser
etc.....

I know which items are more desireable, but when weighing options which are more important than others?

[LarryG]

Which options are more important than others?

Depends entirely on what you're going to do with it.

If you work with a lot of mouldings, double bevel is virtually essential. I don't, so I get by fine with my single-bevel saw.

Blade size and sliding vs non-sliding are all about capacity. How wide of a workpiece do you need to cut? My 12" non-slider occasionally comes up short but for the most part, it has all the capacity I need.

Some lasers, like the add-on kind that mount to the arbor shaft or the blade guard, are sometimes so inaccurate as to be virtually useless. Others, like the twin-beam model built into the handle of my Delta 36-255L, are deadly accurate and a wonderful convenience. (When you run across someone who says all lasers are gimmicks and don't work, or are prone to failure, I can just about guarantee you they've not tried a really good one.)

IOW, the importance of these features is something only you can decide. What is important to one person may be completely unimportant to another.

[atgcpaul]

I have a 10" Ryobi CMS which was $80 or $90 at HD. For the most part it
fits the bill. Sometimes I wish I had a slider or a 12" but this gets the job
done.

[Eagan]

After reading a favorable report in Wood Magazine, I got a Pro-Teck 10" saw - and it's great for what I use it for. Regretfully, they are out of business. You might still find one at Menard's, tho.

[steve-norrell]

I have a 10" Ryobi CMS which was $80 or $90 at HD. For the most part it fits the bill. Sometimes I wish I had a slider or a 12" but this gets the job done.

Ditto this. I have a 10" Delta CMS that handles 95%+ of my needs. Cost was about $100. The only thing I added was one of those laser gadgets that fit on the arbor, but that's because my old eyeballs need all the help they can get. The laser beam falls right on the left edge of the blade and if I remember that, it works quite satisfactorily. Additional features would not have been justified on the basis of the VERY, VERY few times I could have used them.

LarryG. has some excellent comments. I would like a laser beam like the one he describes.

Regards, Steve

[jonmulzer]

www.laserkerf.com

Deadly accurate, extremely adjustable, fits most saws. Check it out.