Miter saw


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I've never used one, but the Kapex is on my list when my DeWalt craps out :P.  This Fall I may have to help speed up the process :rolleyes:

 

The DeWalt is a decent saw and is fairly consistent, but the dust extraction isn't very good and fine tuning angle cuts leaves a lot to be desired...  Basically I've demoted this saw to chopping down rough stock to length and use my table saw and a Wixey gauge for fine angle cuts..

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I assume you want a sliding one. The Kapex is nice if you have the cash...provided you get a good one: completely hated my first unit, gave it another chance and got a perfect one. More down to earth, there is the Bosch glide saws, I think the sliding action on the one I've used is smoother than the Kapex, personally. If the size and weight is no issue, the 12-inch Hitachi is very affordable and well regarded, check Lowes for sales.

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I love my Kapex, but I bought it primarily because I wanted to put my miter station in a particular place that had a limited depth available...and the forward rails on the Kapex made it possible to utilize that space.  Of course I'm drunk on the green Kool-Aid so it didn't bother me to drop the outrageous coin on it.  But I think realistically the Bosch is probably 90% the saw that the Kapex is...probably not quite as consistently accurate, but surely more than adequate at about half the price.  I've also heard good things about the top-of-the-line Makita.

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I really like my Hitachi C12RSH. Not quite as big a footprint needed as most of the other sliders. Good blade from the factory, better than most. 90º stop and laser were right on, I had to adjust recently the 45º to the left. That's to be expected, I suppose. Pretty good dust collection when hooked up, awful when not obviously. I'd say north of 80%, perhaps 90%. The dust port is of an odd size, about my only complaint. A plumbing flex fitting takes care of that.

 

At $400, the only way I'd upgrade is the Kapex, and this will have to break for me to do that.

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I've got the Kapex, a DeWalt 708 and an older Mikita...

 

I needed a replacement for my fifteen-year-old DeWalt as its accuracy had fallen-off over the years...

 

I surveyed the field... It came down to the Hitachi or the Kapex (the new series Bosch wasn't available at the time). I went Kapex because of the forward-rail system.

 

After three years, I've found the Kapex to be a decent non-production SCMS. It's accurate, holds angles, little deflection, etc. However, I would hesitate to bring it on a job-site -- The first real 'bang' would do it in -- and at $1300, that would be an expensive 'bang'... :)

 

I keep the DeWalt for DIY... Doesn't hold angles as well as the Kapex, nor is it as accurate (even new, it wasn't that accurate). But for most DIY it's OK. It's not OK when you get to crown moldings...

 

The Makita is about 20 years old and dead-on accurate. The thing weighs a ton and going to be sold-off this year...

 

I've got a friend who is a high-end trim contractor. He surveyed the field in 2013 and went with the 10" Bosch Glide. He also liked the Kapex and Hitachi, but the Bosch is a more attractive price-point. He got the 10" as it had less play than the 12".

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If you have other Festool, have limited distance to the wall, need a light saw or if you move your miter saw around a lot a Kapex is well worth it. If it is going to be stationary I would not have bought a Kapex. I have been very happy with the Makita LS1221. I have also been very happy with the Bosch 5312. The price ranges are all over the map. I have not had any issues with any of the miter saw listed above so my opinion might be heavily biased. 

 

I do know if one were to have an issue I would want it to be the Festool. 

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