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10" compound vs 7-1/4" 20v slider?


RT29

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I'm about to replace my Craftsman 10" miter saw which finally quit. I'm debating the DeWalt 10" compound,

or the 20v slider 7-1/4". DeWalt discontinued the 10" slider so that's not an option any longer.

Since I have Dewalt / Milwaukee batteries already I'm considering the 20v slider for lightweight / portability. It will not travel,

but I'm limited on garage space. I' a DIYer who mainly cut 2x4s, 2x6s, and smaller , with a rare 4x4 every so often. 

So a nice 10" corded miter of any brand could suit my needs. If any of you have either of these two? Please chime in your pros / cons.

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I was never particularly ecstatic with the accuracy of my past Dewalt 10” (the current basic corded model) and 12” miters, but that doesn’t at all mean they were behind the rest of the market on average. I couldn’t fault the reliability or power of either of them.

 

From your description, it sounds like a 10” covers pretty much everything you do, while a 7.5” slider is longer in one dimension and shorter in the other for what you need. While maybe not as sexy, Dewalt’s basic corded 10” is also cheaper and has a smaller footprint. It weighs the same as the 7.5” slider at about 40lbs, which doesn’t strike me as an amount of weight that most guys would find cumbersome. A cursory glance isn’t making me believe the 7.5” cordless slider has any additional features, either, beyond obviously being cordless and a slider. No dual bevel or adjustable stoppers or anything.

 

I haven’t seen it, but iirc someone here mentioned Dewalt has released a 10” Flexvolt slider in Europe, and you’d expect it to make its way here before long. If you don’t need to rush to your purchase.

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Get a stand. Weight really doesn’t matter because even without a stand it is always sitting somewhere. You need the weight for the accuracy and so the frame doesn’t twist from torque. Cast steel or iron is the cheapest lightest way to do that. “Weight” as in portability is secondary.

All cutoff saws are awkward space eaters. But on the truck/van is where it matters. In a garage you can always pack other things around it if you break it down.

If all you do is straight cuts all the sliding, compound bevel stuff is meaningless. So a 7.5” does everything up to about 2x6. As soon as you bevel in either vertical or horizontal though the height and width of the cut face go up dramatically. That’s when bigger blades and sliders are a must. On a 10” compound dual bevel without a slider 4” crown molding is pushing the limits and 6” is not possible unless you can do it vertical or on some crazy jig angle. On a slider it’s easy. Even steep angles on say deck boards on a 10” are pushing it.

BUT sliders are worse than dual bevel are worse than single for accuracy. Every moving part, bearing, etc., needs some looseness to move and each one cocks the blade out of tolerance that much more. So do longer slides. So if all you do is straight 99 degree cuts avoid all that stuff. Simpler is better. It’s great for cribbing and rigging and form work where wood is sacrificial anyway or where you have two saws set up. But in DIY it limits your capabilities. You don’t need multiple saws and the cheap price is a trap. So since you have just one primary saw it needs to do everything. I’d go for a slider but portability isn’t there so I’d be looking for a corded 10” slider. The 7.5” seems like a huge compromise even with a slider.

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So with all that the DWS779 looks close to your price range and does everything albeit at 12”. If you want to get under $300 other than sales that puts you into either a house brand like a Ryobi which is intended for DIY or a Chinese brand, at 10”. A 12” sliding compound miter is a big saw that will do anything. You’re already looking at a $300 price tag. I’d go all the way if you only buy one once a decade. You can probably rent/loan it out for free beer to recoup the costs!

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Actually a decent number of companies do non-sliding, single-bevel 10” miters for around $200. The funny thing is, it’s a similar cost of entry whether it’s Dewalt or Makita as it is for a number of “middle-tier” brands. If a non-sliding 10” is guaranteed to never be inadequate as far as capacity is concerned, it seems an easy decision.

 

If one can make the move fast, Lowe’s has a $200 sale on 12” single-bevel Dewalts:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/DEWALT-12-in-15-Amp-Single-Bevel-Compound-Miter-Saw/1001053564


Lowe’s also presently has a Metabo HPT dual-bevel 12” on sale at $200:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Metabo-HPT-was-Hitachi-Power-Tools-12-in-15-Amp-Dual-Bevel-Compound-Miter-Saw/1000883818


They also have a Metabo HPT dual-bevel 10” slider on sale for $250:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Metabo-HPT-was-Hitachi-Power-Tools-10-In-Slide-Miter-Saw/1002652924

 

Kobalt has a dual-bevel 10” slider for $250.


Ridgid has a dual-bevel 10” for $225.

 

Makita has a single-bevel at only $210; it appears older and is probably better suited for the percentage of people who want a bit more accuracy and aren’t bothered by the absence of detents (which aren’t always very accurate anyway). It also does have side slots to attach Makita support extensions.

 

I don’t consider that an exhaustive list at all especially when different people are going to have different priorities, but as far as decent corded miters for $250 or less that aren’t frequently leaving your garage they are a good start.

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After going to HD and seeing the 7-1/4” DeWalt it did look smaller than imagined. The 10” Flexvolt is going for around 600+ from the UK, so that is out the question. I did email DeWalt and they said there are no plans to release a 10” slider again. The Dw717 was it and maybe there are some still available which I found one that was 700, and coming from Europe. I did like the Ridgid 4210 10” slider. II’ll research some reviews on that. The Ryobi looked cheap, and I’ll  check out Lowe’s Metabo too. The 12” will probably not fit the footprint left behind where the Craftsman was on my workbench. The slider sounds like a better option so I’m not limiting my cut possibilities and stick with the 10” model.

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Yeah...from the get-go it didn’t sound like a 7.5” was going to be adequate for the tasks you were describing.

 

Although I actually think a 7.5” or so may be the best second miter saw anyone can get...because it covers 90+% of what people use miters for, and does it more comfortably than larger heavier miters...most people DO occasionally need more capacity, while not having room for more than one miter. It just is what it is.

 

For most people I think a 10” even sans slider is plenty. Although there were occasional challenges along the way, I was able to get by with one for a number of years myself. For those who need more, a slider may be more likely to be the more immediately useful thing vs 12”...but sliders tend to cost more. It’s a lot of extra parts instead of just bigger versions of the same parts. It just is what it is.

 

I have no direct familiarity with the Ridgid. It is a house-brand, which I don’t disparage for DIY purposes at all. With that in mind I would suggest giving both the Metabo HTP and Kobalt a look along the way. They’re both less expensive than the Ridgid, and most people who own them don’t seem to have anything negative to say. Some Kobalt miters are actually getting very positive reviews of late, and that can’t be an accident. I haven’t gotten a direct look at either brand but would expect their quality level to be more on the level of Ridgid than Ryobi. A quick drop into Lowe’s to check them both out can’t hurt. The worst that can happen is you are able to determine they are decidedly inadequate, and the $120 surplus the Ridgid costs is more than worth it to you. Sounds like a fair trade to me.

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The Milwaukee 71/4" will cut all your needs listed and is double bevel also. Granted the few 4x4s you may cut will need to be turned to cut through completely,other than that it will do all you mentioned and is only 28lbs. I use this saw everyday for 90 percent of my cutting needs. Excellent saw in my opinion and plenty accurate.
Good luck either way in your purchase!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-T377A using Tapatalk

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Ridgid is an oddity. It is not a house brand of Home Depot unlike Ryobi. You can buy Ridgid branded pipe wrenches almost anywhere for instance. But they make/market a lot of stuff that is exclusive to Home Depot which makes it look like a house brand. It is a professional grade value brand or a higher priced homeowner brand, but Ridgid Tool is definitely independent. Take a look at the RE-6 crimper/cutter for instance, definitely not an HD product.

Which brings up a point. They seem to position their power tools at the low end...decent quality at good prices. But then they have a lot of professional grade tools with few if any equivalents. The closest thing to that RE-6 which comes complete at $2500-3000 is the Greenlee ECCX Pros at around $4500 but then you have to buy another $1000 of accessories to make it equivalent. Then buy dies for both.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I went with the 7-1/4" DeWalt. The portability and the fact I have the battery platform was the deciding factors. Saves space and makes all the cuts (slider) that my 10" did. 

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I went with the 7-1/4" DeWalt. The portability and the fact I have the battery platform was the deciding factors. Saves space and makes all the cuts (slider) that my 10" did. 

It will run better when you put a Flexvolt battery on it.

It will cut better if you true/tune it up. Lots of YouTube videos about how to get it to cut straight


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On 5/20/2020 at 12:05 AM, Mordekyle said:


It will run better when you put a Flexvolt battery on it.

It will cut better if you true/tune it up. Lots of YouTube videos about how to get it to cut straight


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Next time I use it I will put on a flexvolt. I used it with a 5.0 Ah. And I did adjust the squareness. Only the fence needed a very slight move, the blade was fine.

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