powermax?

[duckkisser]

Ok our school just got a powermax sliding miter saw only thing we could afford. we had a 300 doller purchase order and needed a miter saw and since this was 169 we jumped on it and bought some anti fatigue mats, hole saws ect....everything a growing boy needs. i know powermax isent a great brand but i guess its around the quality of craftsmen but i wanted to know if anyone knows if there miter saw will stay true over time? what is you opinion? keep in mind nothing was selling for less then 300 except a 12 in compound for 298

[Jim Heinbuch]

While you normally get what you pay for sometimes you get an inexpensive gem that can hold true and sometimes expensive fool's gold (dud). My advice would be to keep checking it for accuracy for the first few months and after that amount of time you would be able to see how it holds its adjustments (flatness and angles). I have bought many cheap tools knowing that I couldn't afford anything more and some of them I still have. Sometimes they were an intermediate step.

[ChetlovesMer]

I started out with a Craftsman 10 inch compound 20 yeas ago, before 12 inchers and sliders were readily available. It continues to serve me, and the zero and both 45's are still accurate. I paid under a hundred bucks for it back circa 1991.

Granted much of the work-load came off it when I got a 12 inch sliding Hitachi in 2005, but I still tote my old Craftsman to jobsites when I have to work outside my shop. (The Hitachi is awesome, but weighs a metric ton.)

So yes, sometimes you can get a cheapy that turns out to be a gem.

Sorry, I don't know boo about Powermax, but I think Alberta Jim's advice is solid.

[duckkisser]

plan on constantly checking it and we have a two year warrenty so i can always send it back there was one for 600 that i wanted for myself.