5 responses so far ↓

• 1 Ashley

  This is my first saw with a laser. In concept it is a great idea, but in practice it is a bit gimmicky. There is nothing like watching the saw blade cut your pencil mark in half.

  The digital readouts are nice, a definite improvement over a scale.

  My unit does not swivel easily. It is binding for some reason, and I havn’t had a chance to fix it.

  I bought the saw with Hitachi’s mitre box stand, which is a great companion to the saw. Well engineered and sturdy.

  The saw has an annoying kick when it starts. A soft start feature should have been standard fare.

  My unit did not come damaged. As for adjusting things, everything I buy gets adjusted anyways. The guys putting the machinery togther are not fine craftsmen, and if you want to be a fine craftsman you need to know how to fine tune your own machinery.

• 2 Slider

  I just got a this 12″ saw. The laser line did not agree with cut line. According to the manual and tech support from Hitachi there is not adjustment. After studying the set-up I realized that a small wedge of wood could be slid between the light and the housing. This changed the angle enough to get perfect blade alignment. Perhaps hot glue will be necessary to keep it in place.

• 3 Tarpey

  I have had this saw for over two years and it has worked out well. Really, no problems and out of the box it worked well enough, but I save my precise cuts for the table saw/cross cut sled. One thing that has to be said for this saw or almost any saw is the stock blade is inferior and you will not realize the value of the saw without a better blade. Of course dishing out +300 for a saw then having to add another $75 or so for a quality blade hurts! I am using a Freud Diablo blade and what a difference. Clean clean cuts, but a great blade may make any saw great.

  For me the digital read out is an okay feature, but I move the darn thing to the mechanical stops 90% of the time. More useful in the bevel than miter. Once in awhile I have used to dial in very precise angles (like 7.5%). The laser can be very useful, but you have to check it and adjust it. Cut a shallow kerf in a 2×4, then lower the blade into that kerf and clamp down the wood. Now raise the blade and adjust the laser to fall in that kerf. Sounds easy! Since the left/right adjustment is hard to get to and you can’t see really it, you would think that somewhere in the manual they might do you a favor and tell you the size Allen wrench you need. How about metric vs. English at least?

  One word of advice. If you are thinking about a 10″ sliding compound miter, but are hesitating about spending the extra 2 to 3 hundred $, I say bite the bullet and do it. Makita has a nice one and I have seen it for 500ish. You will find yourself wanting that extra bit of versatility and cross cut capacity (this saw is about 8 1/4″ cross cut, 5 3/4 at 45 miter).

  I have a few tools that I love like family and others that do the job. This one is not something I fall asleep dreaming about or ever find myself looking at in a fond dreamy way, but it is a workhorse. Still, it is pricey because of the gizmos. If you need more capacity, get a sliding saw. If you are using it for rough cuts and want to save some money, get one without all the bells and whistles (laser, digital) and save the money. If you want something in between, I think this is a safe bet.

• 4 Leung

  The Lasers and Digital readout are brilliant.
  Need to buy a good blade though

• 5 Dorazio

  Excellent saw. The digital readout is convenient and very accurate to the 1/2 degree. The Hitachi laser is better than any other out there in that it can be used WITHOUT the blade spinning. This allows you to safely line up your work before pulling the trigger. The bevel and angle adjustments are smooth and accurate. The quality of the materials are unmatched. And of course the most important part, the saw is powerful and true.

  I’m very pleased.

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