10 responses so far ↓

• 1 Miramontes

  I was lucky in the extreme and found this saw in it’s box, unopened and unmolested at a local Lowe’s. It was marked down from $699 to $399 and then to $269. No, it was NOT a re-built/re-furb. I knew the $269 could not be right but they sold it to me anyway. I kept waiting for someone from the store to come running out to the parking lot and start wrestling me for it! I am an enthusiastic woodworker, not a contractor so my primary use of this monster will be for furniture building. My hope was that it could stand in for a radial arm saw with the exception of dadoing. Initially I tried to mount it to a universal saw stand from DeWalt but it turns out the mounting bolt/foot print is not square. This rules out most universal style stands. I returned that and went with the Hitachi recommended stand ordered from Amazon. Not a bad piece and it came with wheels! Solid mounting and as stable as I could hope for. Handles 10′ boards without flexing. The saw itself is just superb! The left fence had to be aligned but that was it. I am surprised to find that the adjustable laser is both easy to use and dead accurate! I’d thought it to be an amusing toy but now I’m hooked. Being able to align it left to right means you can have it define the edge of the blade for either side. I immediately replaced the factory blade with a thin kerf carbide 96 tooth Freud Avanti. Polished, finish ready cuts are the result. This is a furniture making dream come true. Ultra clean, repeatable cuts from any angle/compound. The supplied dust bag isn’t too awful but a few plumber’s rubber pipe fittings allowed me to hook up my shop-vac. Exceptional dust control is now the rule. Mahogany, red oak, pine and some rock hard maple have all gone under the blade. Thickness up to 4″. No control problems or bogging. The 15 amp motor is gutsy and solid. Rips and cross cuts are equally smooth and clean. The key is to keep the blade moving. The motion must be plunge and move forward at the same time. This prevents burns and saw marks. A gentle hand ensures zero blade wander/deflection. Where this beats a radial arm is in repeatability. Make cuts at any angle, return the table to zero and the cuts remain perfect. Try that with even the best radial arm and you will be right back to the table saw to clean up those cross cuts. I can’t speak to how this would do for a contractor but it is no doubt a lifetime tool for a woodworker. This brings a level of precision that would require my table saw as well as a circular and or jig saw to match. Add to that the speed and ease of use and this thing is pushing my table saw as the most important tool in my arsenal!

• 2 DeCarlo

  This saw is a monster. It is literally huge. I mounted it to the MSUV from Home Depot which makes it very portable. The saw has plenty of power. Stock blade is ok. Slides are ultra smooth. The laser is handy. I find that the LCD has little value. I just don’t ever look at it. Dust extraction is minimal as stated by many others. For $429 at Amazon I could not go wrong.

• 3 Quek

  The reason I bought this saw was because I am extremely satisfied with with the C10FSH, Hitachi’s 10″ saw with slide and laser. I would have purchased another one but I was able to purchase this C12LSH for about the same price. I figured I’d take a chance on a brand new larger model with a nifty digital readout. Likes: The digital readout is pretty cool and works great. The laser is very accurate. The saw looks beefy and is. Making adjustments are quick, easy, and precise, especially with the fine tuning knobs. I absolutely love the one trigger operation. The more I use the saw, the more I like it. Dislikes: The blade; Hitachi, shame on you! Splinter guard; With it set 2 inches back, I’m not sure what good it does but throw dust in your face. I removed it. Reaction to other reviewer comments; Packaging was good, although I made sure the box was not damaged and unopened before I purchased it. I wouldn’t say the saw is bulky. It’s big, it’s portable, but I wouldn’t want to take it to a job site. This saw has a tad more play at full draw than my 10″ but no more than any other 12″ saw I tested. I think you’ll be very happy with this saw as long as you make sure it’s brand new in an unopened, undamaged box.

• 4 Iribe

  The saw is amazing…buy it, you will not be disappointed. As for Amazon’s return policy, not so good. Granted, they will replace an item damaged during shipping, but consider this scenerio. The mitre adjust knob broke off during shipping when the saw shifted in the box. No big deal…right? Wrong, Amazon’s return policy required that I return the entire saw and they would ship me another saw. Far too much trouble for an easily installed, small part. I bought a new knob ($28) from an online parts house and installed it myself. Amazon could move to the next level of customer satisfaction by expanding/enhancing their return policy options.

• 5 Sainz

  Fit a finish, by far the best saw on the market for the price and above.

• 6 Irvin

  I saw this at Lowe’s for same price; and when I use a 10% discount coupon I save even more. On two occassions I have gone to the store manager and asked for a 10% discount and very nicely said I could go to Home Depot instead. I usually get the discount.

• 7 Nordstrand

  I bought this Hitachi miter saw when it was a Deal of the Day item not too long ago. The price was $99, and there was a $20 cash rebate, so this was a great deal (albeit, I haven’t even submitted my rebate yet).

  Don’t rush out to buy saw. Watch the price, it moves up and down pretty frequently. I’ve seen the price move from $99 (not deal of the day) up to $139, so, a little patience goes a long way.

  If you can get a good price on this saw, its a better deal to get an Irwin Laser Guide attachment then the Hitachi C10FCH2 (same saw, but w/ built in laser guide).

  Anyways, back to the saw.

  Pros:
  - Its got a great motor with plenty of power to spare.
  - Comes practically fully installed, nothing to mess with
  - Includes a Ferrite core on the power cord to condition the power for more constant, stable current
  - Comfortable handle and easy pull down motion
  - Smooth adjustment for bevel and miter cuts
  - Pretty good blade (at least while it is still moderately new)
  - Not too loud

  Cons: (All due to this being an entry level miter saw)
  - No electric brake… it takes the blade a little while to come to a stop
  - Does not include extension arms/wings for stabilizing longer pieces of wood

  Neutral:
  - Dust collection bag catches some debris, but most of it ends up on the floor surrounding the saw
  - Dust collection port can sometimes clog with shavings, depending on what kind of wood you are cutting

  Overall, I would DEFINITELY RECOMMEND this miter saw.

• 8 Brock

  Very happy with this saw , it has a very solid build, exact cuts, comes with a pretty good blade stock.

• 9 Beal

  Works great! - heavy, but seems quality built… I only wish I’d have had it sooner.

• 10 Navarro

  I bought this saw before I started replacing the hardwood floors in myhouse. From the price, I assumed it would be a “throwaway” when the job was completed.

  Not so! This is a GREAT saw, and it takes anything I throw at it. A definite keeper. I especially like the blade guard; when chopping repetitive pieces it makes me feel a lot more comfortable than my old saw did.

  Two cons:
  1) The blade it comes with is a coarse cutting 40-tooth job. I used it for a decking job and it was still very coarse.

  2) It doesn’t have a laser guide, and for the price difference, I should have got one. But I retro-fitted an inexpensive arbor-mounted laser and now this saw is perfect!

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