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Neither, 12" Makita.
*Looked at Makita and DeWalt, went with DW because for less money, they provided a good blade. The Makita came with a joke of a throwaway blade, so add $60 (cost of dewalt blade retail) to the Makita price and it looks like a bad deal all the way.The DeWalt has been a good saw. It is fairly precise, but a bit jerky with the switch and brake.MD
*I have had the DW slider for three years now it is great. Coupled it with my old Saw Helper stand and extensions I have even cut vinyl soffit panels with it. Pricey and haevey, but worth it to me.Dave
*b Your name (first then last): Now I get it!I picked up the Ridgid a couple months back. I am amazed at how well it works for the price. I was a little suspicious of the brand. Now I would swear by it, or at least the miter saw.Good points:-The controls are great, nice on the hands, easy to adjust.-The power is smooth. Light work stays put during power up.-The base is solid and well machined.-I personally like both the handle and the carry handle. -It is really easy to pick up and carry since it is well balanced.Bad points: -I have noticed the adjustments loosen up fast during transport. I always check and resquare my saw before use anyway, but this one makes you want to be more careful.-It is heavy, but I guess that adds to sturdy.I haven't had it long enough to break it though, so I can't speak for the durability or warrantee.
*The DeWalt has worked well for me and seems to have plenty of power for cutting through damn near anything. Sam
*We have a bunch of the DW compound saws. As long as they are that cheap for what you get, I'll keep buying them. No, they are not the "greatest" saw ever made, but for the price...........Ed. Williams
*Whatever you get, the horizontal handle is a lot easier on your wrist than the "stick" handle if you're inclined to have carpal tunnel problems. I bought the Dewalt.Been there, done that, got the operation...
*Mad Dog,I've been looking for a reason to spend less money on a 12" compound miter, rather than a 10" sliding miter, other than the cost factor (which is significant). I'll probably buy one or the other before the end of the year. What's your take?John
*I don't think I could buy any of that Ridgid stuff cause everybody would know you got it at HD.
*Just my paranoia....but I'll bet that the Ridgid tools start to decline in quality(the quality of the new ones, now ones ya have now going bad) as the Home Depot DIY crowd starts to rely on the brand. They'll get a nice big base, happy with the quality and price, then slowly start to cheapen things hoping the DIY crowd still buys on name brand with nothing else to compare to. This happened big time with Ikea products. When they first moved in, the stuff was pretty good, then ,over time, things got cheaper as the prices slowly rose. Jeff
*Now you got me thinking about how I could buy a complete rig of that Ridgid, then a bunch of Homer orange toolboxes and buckets, orange tool bags, cords and hoses, my Impulses are already orange--Then buy an orange truck or van and the homeowners will think I am special.
*Jeff,I think the same holds true for the DeWalt line also. When DeWalt first introduced the 13 amp DW705CMS you hardly ever heard of guys haveing problems with motors and switches. It seems after the saw gained popularity and DeWalt went to the 15 amp motor the price went down.Makes you wonder if quality dropped after popularity went up.I know of a few carpenters that still have the early model 13 amp 705 and have worn out several blades on them. Unfortunately, the switch on my 15 amp model wore out before the first blade. Those guys paid $329.00 for those early models compared to$259.00 for the late ones.
*I have one of the early versions (type 1) and never had any problems with it. The only thing I have to do is check and reset the bevel if I pick the saw up by the handle with the pivot locked.
*Hitachi CF8 or CF10 are both better in my judgment. The DeWalt I owned for a month got dropped and went out of whack. The darn thing is just about impossible to adjust back to square, you need 3 or 4 hands. Ditto on the Ridgid being a poster child for Home Depot.
*Sounds like what Sears has done with Craftsman hand tools...
*Emerson owns Rigid or the other way around. Emerson was the crapsman power tool mfg. Enough said?
*I have both DW 705 and DW 708, both type I's. I could live without the 705 but I will most likely go to the DW 708 again, should I break or have my current one ripped-off. Though, I've noticed some subtle differences on the new ones that perplex me, such as the compound adjustment spring-loaded torx bolt stops, which are now, neither torx, nor spring-loaded... I knew threre was something funny when I saw that Ridgid table saw with a big 'ol Craftsman fence on it?!...fv
*I wouldn't be surprised to see Ridgid drop the quality ball the same way DeWalt and Craftsman have (in some cases). The point is, if they get one tool right, it's a good buy. It doesn't mean it is an endorsement for everything they might build. Hey, I've seen shitty Toyotas and O.K. Chevys. The the world order isn't that simple. Just don't buy a Monday Ridgid!
*Manf. Rebate on Dewalt 705S.I saw this rebate offer on a few web sites. The schmucks at HD never heard of such a thing. I emailed Dewalt to get the skinny. Reply: "The $20 rebate on the DW705S is valid any new DW705S purchasedbetween November 24, 2000 to February 28, 2001." You hvae to email to get the form if your supplier is clueless.A good deal ($250-$20), but it does make one curious about quality though.
*Hey John,I'll be danged if I have the real answer to this. I like the big sliders from DW and Makita a lot more than a plain miter or compound saw, but the price is too high to justify, I still have my sawbuck for fascia, siding, soffit, etc. so for me the compound miter saw works well, but the DW only moves one way (same with the sawbuck) and the sliders go either way and that matters more to me than the extra cutting capacity so I'm still SOL unless I flip the workpiece upside down but then the cut suffers.Still, an extra 200 dollars seems too much.MD
*Everyone makes tools for Crapsman.
*Incidently, you should check that 12" sliding compound miter saw at Sears, it looks pretty beafy and well made. I wonder how different it is from the Ridgid? I have no HD around these woods but, I'm curious nonetheless since Emerson, the company that built Sears radial arm saws, I've heard, also makes the Ridgid tools. fv
*Last year the cabinet shop I was working in bought a 12" Makuta and a 12" Dealt. The merchant allowed us to return the one we didn't like after a month of side-by-side testing! During that time I got a good taste of both machines. Although the Mac was built to finer, fighter tolerances, the "cruder" Dealt just seemed to be just a little bit better in actual use.Lining up cuts and setting compound angles without parallax error was easier on the Dealt, thanks to a comfortable, horizontal offset handle and thanks to a "peek able" blotted blade guard. Speaking of guards, the one on the Mac is flunky, and held in place by ONE bolt. That bolt vibrated loose, and within that month of testing, fell out during a cut. Without support, the guard dropped onto the blade and shattered before bouncing off my face. Talk about a lawsuit waiting to happen. Our shop kept the Dealt.I have used a Rigid compound for intallation work. While it was a very good saw for the money, with an extremely smooth powertrain, it came nowhere near the quality of a Makita Bosch or DeWalt. The Ridgid feature I found most annoying was the stop mechanism for the compound miter adjustment. It was a cheesy set up that used slotted blocks held in place by hex-head set-screws. The stops were not only impossible to accurately adjust, but also prone to vibrating or jarring loose. Every careless bump the knock stops -- and therefore the blade angle -- past 45 degrees or to 97 degrees. The horizontal angle setting was just fine, with firm positive stops. But the compound setting wasn't "Ridgid" at all... they should change their name to "Flaccid."Good luck. I hope the saw you choose serves you well.Dave Larsen, Calgary, Canada
*I thought this thread was done with. If you still havn't bought the saw yet, buy the Dewalt and "happy cutting!"fv
*On my jobs we have Makita, Dewalt, Sears, and Hitachi show up. Sears gets used for chopping 2x's only. The Makita will last longer than any of the others because it gets used the least when there's a choice. Chunky and hard to be accurate. Mr. Dewalt is a steady friend but Old Man Hitachi has the most respect for exquisite work - and he's been around the longest. Emerson is an electronics company, getting it's start a long time ago in electric motors. Counting tools, radios, appliances, etc. it's now the largest electronics company in the world and still growing fast. They are responsible for Rigid tools at HD. Not a bad line but look here - The Ford escort was the largest selling vehicle in the world. Did that make it the best? Would I drive one? Not on a bet!
*I rescind my statement about the Dewalt blade. This thing is chipping out the backs of mouldings. Now I spent another $160 on a high qualtiy blade, so I regret not getting the Makita.I'll stand by my words about how you can't win this game!MD
*I had a Makita 12" sliding saw, and I don't regret having switched over to the DeWalt. The break on the Makita jerked the saw in such a way that the blade would want to come down and destroy a perfectly fine cut. I didn't care for the wrist bending handle and that little red safety switch that did nothing but make things very awkward.fv
*well good tools aint cheap and cheap tools aint good. Is the real subject here I have owned both the 10''hicrochless and now the dewalt. I'd still be using the hibachi but some one liked it better than me. Now I'd have to say after a year of use the dewalt is my favorite saw and the blades you put on it are key. over $100. is standard for a good blade and I don't mind spending that for the cut quality. The crew I just finished with had a hitachi and they put more milege on the dewalt to the point I had to take it back to the shop.I felt like i had to pick a # just to get on it.All the addadicktome's that you can out fit this saw with are not cheap either but they do make it into a sweet rig that I'll stay with till something better comes along.
*I used a dealt last year and bought a Rigid this year, I see very little difference. The Rigid seems a little lighter and cuts very true. I have built decks and framed with it and now I'm doing interior trim with no adjustments yet. I would buy the Rigid again, the price was better, dust collection is better and it came with a free table. I've no problem with Rigid quality, just look at the reviews! Including the table saw review on this web site. Yes I bought that too and it's great.
*Robb-Ican`t speak for the Rigid, but I`ve got a later model DeWalt . Its taken a hell of a beating from my help and still cuts true. A friend has one, though and the tilt adjuster stripped out
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