Makita LS1040 260mm Mitre Saw

[shim20]

anyone got one of these? they look handy, wondered what they are built like etc, are they built to the normal makita standard? cheers

 

[Setch]

I have one, which I was given (!) by a customer, gratis. I only recently got it, so apart from cleaning it up and tetsing it I've hardly used it, but it looks very nicely made - no slop at all in the hinge mechanism, the fence is dead straight and easy to adjust. I've made a few trial cuts and it makes good square cuts and tight mitres.

 

[Streepips]

Not got one of those but got a few bits of Makita kit and very happy with what I have in general.
There are lots of straightforward mitre saws like the 1040 and most around the same cost, so best to do a google of a few reviews , unless you hear what you need on here.
I have recently bought a Makita LSO714, the 190mm blade SCMS, the one with four rails as opposed to two and its very nice engineering and typical of a good quality Makita product, however its a bit more money than the one you are looking at.
Saying that, I have one of those anniversary silver and black 18v Li-ion combi drills that cost about £300:00 and a 12v Makita drill driver that cost £75:00, and although they are different prices ( and different purposes intended for use) they are both good quality, although the 18v not a patch on the Panasonic 15.6v drill driver.

I had a Rexon mitre saw a while ago, and it was fine, cost £99:00, cut dead straight and left a clean edge, adjusted to prefixed stops quickly and cleanly and never struggled. Except for when about 3 yrs old it just stopped one day, windings gone. decently engineered but electric done on the cheap and not worth repairing.
I bought a Fox after that ( I have a bit of Fox kit and despite its lack of snob appeal its generally decent kit at a good price, and can be worked hard without struggling or packing up ) in fact still have it and in operation its great, but way too heavy to be lugging about on site, hence the little Makita. LSO714.
The Makita kit is generally a better quality than most of the competition at the price, but some here and on other forums are concerned that Makita is farming out some production of its cheaper products to China or elsewhere and the quality is suffering because of it.
saying that, the model you are asking about is a pretty straightforward piece of kit and these saws have now been around long enough for even the cheapest manufacturer to get it right......... So why not get your moneys worth and go for one with 2 or even 3 years warranty?
Just avoid the ones with a single pole/rail ( never as rigid as 2 or more) and dont be taken in by extras like laser guides ( dubious value)
Hopefully someone will be along thats actually got experience of the model you are considering but I can only give you my thoughts on Makita generally.

 

[The Shark]

Hi Shim20,
I have had an LS1040 for a few years now, and am very impressed with it. It cut clean accurate mitres straight out of the box with minimal fettling, and I still use the original supplied blade.
I am a big fan of Makita kit for the serious home user such as myself, and my 1040 is built to the standard I have come to expect from Makita. That said, I have not taken it on site anywhere so don't know how it would stand up to site work.
It is not the biggest of capacities, so you perhaps need to make sure that it will fulfill all your needs size-wise before you take the plunge.
Don't know how other saws compare as this is my first one, and I am still happy with it.

HTH

Malc

 

[FatFreddysCat]

The Makita kit is generally a better quality than most of the competition at the price, but some here and on other forums are concerned that Makita is farming out some production of its cheaper products to China or elsewhere and the quality is suffering because of it.

From one of the reps at the last Woodmex I gathered that Makita own their own operation in China and unlike Record Power they don't sub-contract manufacturing to other companies. A lot of other firms manufacture some products in China these days in their own factories, e.g. Milwaukee, Bosch and deWalt to name three.

I have not taken it on site anywhere so don't know how it would stand up to site work.

That one I can answer. I've worked for several firms where there were LS1040s in use, both in the workshop and on site. The LS1040 performs very well indeed. As The Shark and others say it is a relatively simple, straightforward design with few bells and whistles. So very little to go wrong

If the OP wants a similar design but is on a lower budget there's always the Makita MLS100. That is made in Makita's Chinese factory but is nonetheless a good solid piece of kit. I have my own for taking out on site installations. It's acurate and seems well nailed together. It also came with a bostin' blade (at least for MDF skirtings and mouldings). The three downsides to the MLS that I am aware of are that the dust extraction bag mounting is a bit fragile (mine lasted about 3 weeks, but I've now made myself a much better system in any case), the finish isn't quite as nice (black crackle and not as attractive as the LS1040's cream) and the mitre scale isn't etched or engraved, it's printed, which means it will eventually wear out. Faced with the same question last year I bought an MLS100 at under £100. If I'd had the money the LS1040 would have been nice as the finish is superior, but in use there isn't much between them and the difference in the money almost bought me my Bosch 10.8 volt Li-Ion drill/driver :lol:

 

[shim20]

thanks for the replys, were very helpfull.