 I've been a huge fan of my Milwaukee 10" SCMS for a long time. It's been used for building everything from homes to furniture and it's worked great. But, after using the Makita for about a year or so - I may change my mind in some instances. The makita has all the features as the Milwaukee but with the 12" blade and a higher fence it's much easier to do trimwork. It also has a feature that I wasn't too sure about when I first got it and that was the laser. I've actually found that it is useful in some cases.
This saw was pretty much dead on right out of the box. But do check the tightness of the bolts - after several days of use I had to adjust the table just a little and found that there was a loose bolt.
As far as durability - I would put it pretty close to the Milwaukee. In the first week it was dropped by an employee off the back of the table not once but twice. It was still right on and hasn't shown any problems from it. The only thing that happened was the bevel lock handle broke off, which is the one downside I have with this saw. The bevel lock is located - right on the backside - about as far away from where you stand as possible. And it's not a fixed position bolt - it can move side to side just a little. Not so bad if you're on one of the positive stop positions but can move if you don't have it tightened perfectly square.
Features
» Built-in laser clearly indicates line of cut with micro fine adjustments; independent switch allows laser to be seen with and without the blade rotating
» Dual steel rails with dual linear ball bearings ensures stable, accurate and vibration-free cutting
» Powerful, direct drive 15 AMP motor never slips or bogs down
» 9 positive stops at 15°, 22.5°, 31.6°, 45° left or right and 0° for the most common miter cuts; additional positive stop at 33.9° left.
» Electronic speed control maintains constant speed under load for smooth cutting; soft start feature for smooth startups
» Single cast aluminum base with built-in wrench storage for easy access
» Smooth easy slide system allows cross cuts up to 4 x 12 material
» Large turn base and adjustable pivot fence for supporting larger stock
|
