Thinking of upgrading my SCMS

[sammo]

Currently i have a cheap as chips mcallister SCMS - and have been saving for a replacement - I find i use it quite a lot; I have been putting some cash aside for a few months and have enough for a Festool; but now having 2nd thoughts - is it really worth the extra compared to a other brands DeWalt / Makita etc??????

 

[Doug B]

In a word...yes

Go for a demo, you wont be disappointed.

 

[sammo]

Thanks for the reply - Will go to Axminster either this weekend or next, the one in Sittingborne are pretty accommodating with Demo's - but it's a bit of a drive. However the stockists are few and far between (I am in the Croydon area) :?

After looking at the internet - there are no discounts advertised anywhere, may have to do that really un-British thing and haggle in person.
:wink:

 

[beech1948]

In a word ....NO

Festool Kapex is Ok but not perfect.
Its over priced
Its over hyped
A high end DeWalt or Makita is just as good and will produce EXCELLENT results.

In a blind test you could not tell the difference from a Kapex cut or a DW/Makita cut.

regards
Alan

 

[mailee]

I have the large DW 718 and although had enough money for the Kapex after trying it out I found the handle and trigger a tad difficult for my smallish hands to operate. I do prefer the horizontal handle of the DW too. HTH. :wink:

 

[dibs]

My son and I both have B&Q own brand SCMS's. The lad has the larger 210mm blade. The supplied blade was awful, but replaced with a better quality one, gives a lovely cut. His saw is carried around in his van, but, checked with a decent sqare, is still spot on at 90/45, about the only angles he uses. My own saw is the smaller 190mm, which did require a small amount of fettling, but again cuts true at 90/45 degrees. The blade for this has a 24mm bore, which only B&Q seem to do. I bought a slack handful at a clearance price-B&Q were changing the packaging. Both saws were about the £70 region when bought. Unless the cut is way out and can't be adjusted, I'd upgrade the blade and keep the saw. Cheap cordless drills though, they are just cr*p. DAMHIKT. Rick.

 

[Karl]

Hitachi do a SCMS with a similair to that of the Kapex. Tom did a review here. Might be an alternative.

I'm going to upgrade my saw later on this year to a 12" slider, and will be giving the Hitachi a good look over.

Cheers

Karl

 

[superunknown]

Have a look at the Makita build quality especially the saw bed area and then compare that to the Dewalt before you decide. I have used the Dewalt saws for years, but my next one will be a Makita.

Im after the LS1018L

 

[Dust Busker]

I have a Festool Kapex which I bought at a discount about three years ago. It's a great saw, but not so great as to be worth twice as much as the competition. The facility for setting bevel angles (ie off from vertical) is the best I've ever used but the other features are merely good.

Personally I wouldn't spend the money again on a Festool if I were looking for another mitre saw. Oh, and it's pretty big.

 

[Mike.C]

I have the large DW 718 and although had enough money for the Kapex after trying it out I found the handle and trigger a tad difficult for my smallish hands to operate. I do prefer the horizontal handle of the DW too. HTH. :wink:

Another vote for the Dewalt DW718.

Cheers

Mike

 

[sammo]

Thanks all....

The B&Q MacA one I have no longer locks into the angles and after a few cuts tends to drift; no amount of fiddling with the locking arm has resulted in a long term fix....
Anyhow until this problem it has served me pretty well over the last couple of years.
I liked the way the Festool - slid, saving space behind the saw (not a lot of room in the shed!) but once you have money in your pocket I begin to think I could get a couple of tools for the price of this one.

 

[chippy1970]

I have quiet a few Festool tools but still went for a Makita LS1013, I looked at the Kapex soon after it was released and I was offered a brand new one from a dealer for £750 inc a spare blade sounds really cheap now as they are well over a grand now.

The Makita has been fine for half that price, my main thing for not buyig a Kapex was that its just too expensive to take on a rough building site to have people cover in crap I would always worry about what I put through it etc. I have heard of a few problems with them and ive heard of a few people who love them.

 

[Windy*miller]

I think Dewalt is an odd company. I have a DW jigsaw which I can honestly say is the only tool I have that I don't enjoy using (it's really not very good), but I also have DW707 mitre saw, which I love. The company started out in 1922 when Mr Dewalt invented the radial arm saw, so I figure that they can probably do circular saw type kit but may be suspect on other things.

 

[darrenba]

I have quiet a few Festool tools but still went for a Makita LS1013.

Another vote here for the LS1013 too. Have had mine over a year and it's been superb. And D&M have got them at an excellent price at present.

 

[OPJ]

I bought a second-hand LS1013 not long ago. It had seen a lot of site work and spent the previous nine-months in storage but, with a new pair of brushes and a sharp blades, it cuts perfect mitres and is very accurate at cutting 90°, too. Probably not as easily portable as the Festool though and the rails certainly make it less compact. Makita also do a small 8in saw where the rails don't stick out the back as far, if you could work with the cutting capacities.

 

[sammo]

Think I am going with the LS1013... I just cannot bring myself to spend so much on the Festool...

 

[OPJ]

Another good thing about the LS1013 is that they've come down in price recently - you should still be able to get one new for about £350 (unless you 'need' the laser model), while they were closer to £500 a few years ago.

 

[sammo]

D&M seem to have some good offers, I feel a trip to Twickenham this weekend; see if they can do me a deal on the LS1013 & the Makita plunge saw as well (being a left hander I hate the way most circular saws spit the waste in my face!)

 

[beech1948]

Sammo,

I just did a bit of research on SCMS looking for one with "compact" slider bars. The HITACHI is about the only other one around at present. The saving of space at the back can be a big bonus,

regards
Alan

 

[sammo]

Thanks Alan - I have reached the same conclusion; I think i am going to sacrifice the space after all...