Visit any construction job site and you're likely to see at least one miter saw being used at any given moment. And most likely, it's going to be yellow in color. DeWalt miter saws are, far and away, the most popular among contractors. But the question is, why? Are they the only ones that do the job well? Or are they better than all the rest?
The answer to those last two questions is a resounding "NO". But it's unlikely that a guy who spent 0-700 on a miter saw is going to tell someone else it's not the best. So the other guy goes out and buys one, too.
Dewalt 12 Saw Blade
To demonstrate that there might be better alternatives, let's take a look at the latest generation of Makita slide compound miter saws, the 12 inch LS1216L and it's "little brother" the 10 inch LS1016L:
Both models come with an independent laser guide that can be turned on to check your alignment before you hit the trigger (laser is sold separately for the DeWalt) With Makita's new, unique gear drive design the motor casings are raised up above the usual position, giving you more clearance The LS1216L can handle crown molding up to 8" nested vertically (compared to 6-5/8" on the 12" DeWalt DW718) and baseboard up to 6-1/2", also vertical The LS1016L can handle crown molding up to 6-5/8" and baseboard up to 4-3/4" vertically Both Makita models have a powerful 15 amp motor, electronically controlled so the speed doesn't vary, even when working hard The LS1216L can cross cut up to 15" and the LS1016 up to 12" at 90 degrees Both the 10" and 12" models have innovative adjustable, split fences. The bottom and top portions slide independently to give more support, control and precision to your miter and bevel cuts The slide mechanism on both models has four round rails, riding on ball bearings, to give you smooth yet rigid movement and more accurate cuts (DeWalt uses only two rails) Each one has nine positive stops for miter cuts and seven for bevel cuts The price of the LS1216L is about the same as the DeWalt DW718 but it has more features Makita LS1016L and LS1216L dual bevel slide compound miter saws are built with typical Makita quality, durability and ease of use. One customer, writing a review of a Makita miter saw said: "Best saw I've ever used." Another said after using one of their miter saws, he changed all his power tools to Makita. And that's probably not a bad idea.