Anyone have any strong opinions, bad experiences, etc? I've been googling Kobalt, DeWalt, Ryobi, Makita, etc and find mixed opinions. But I guess that's just how it is.
We have the Hitachi C12FDH (12" dual bevel with laser) and we love it!! It's affordable and we've had no problems with it. Of course I'd love a DeWalt or Makita (probably DeWalt over Makita, too bad I'm on a Ryobi budget!) but the Hitachi is definitely more than enough for the regular weekend warrior! We picked ours up on sale at Lowe's and got a free brad nailer and sander with it (LOVE the brad nailer, don't love the sander...thankfully we went DeWalt with that) but I can honestly say we would have paid full price with no freebies and still been thrilled with this saw! Amazon has it at 4 of 5 stars and I would definitely rate it 5+ stars!
We have a Craftsman that has held up great with moderate use over at least 5 years. I have no idea how much he paid for it, but thought I'd throw that option out there as well!
I got DH a 12 inch single bevel DeWalt saw for his birthday this past summer... its the one that runs about $300 at Lowes. We love it. And Dewalt is definantly a high-quality brand. I anticipate that he'll have this saw for years. It gets excellent reviews on Amazon too.
I have a Wen bevel compound sliding one from Menards. It was pretty cheap (I think it was $150), and it has worked for me (DeWalt was WAY out of my beginner builder budget!). Though I think I love the folding PorterCable table even more than the saw--the saw can be wheeled around on it when it's collapsed! Oh so convenient when building in small spaces!
zigmommy
Sun, 11/21/2010 - 17:10
We have the Hitachi C12FDH (12" dual bevel with laser) and we love it!! It's affordable and we've had no problems with it. Of course I'd love a DeWalt or Makita (probably DeWalt over Makita, too bad I'm on a Ryobi budget!) but the Hitachi is definitely more than enough for the regular weekend warrior! We picked ours up on sale at Lowe's and got a free brad nailer and sander with it (LOVE the brad nailer, don't love the sander...thankfully we went DeWalt with that) but I can honestly say we would have paid full price with no freebies and still been thrilled with this saw! Amazon has it at 4 of 5 stars and I would definitely rate it 5+ stars!
Happy Hunting!!
solomonson
Mon, 11/22/2010 - 11:54
Thank you.
kristen
Wed, 11/24/2010 - 12:14
We have a Craftsman that has held up great with moderate use over at least 5 years. I have no idea how much he paid for it, but thought I'd throw that option out there as well!
rosiethornock
Sat, 12/04/2010 - 13:44
I got DH a 12 inch single bevel DeWalt saw for his birthday this past summer... its the one that runs about $300 at Lowes. We love it. And Dewalt is definantly a high-quality brand. I anticipate that he'll have this saw for years. It gets excellent reviews on Amazon too.
mamma_joy
Sun, 12/05/2010 - 18:48
I have a Wen bevel compound sliding one from Menards. It was pretty cheap (I think it was $150), and it has worked for me (DeWalt was WAY out of my beginner builder budget!). Though I think I love the folding PorterCable table even more than the saw--the saw can be wheeled around on it when it's collapsed! Oh so convenient when building in small spaces!