Which scms? On a budget!!

[Froggy]

Hi Guys 'n ' Girls,

I'm in the market for a new SCMS but have a budget of <£200. What would you more knowledgable folk suggest? Would a factory refurb be an option or perhaps a good second machine or am I better going new but an inferior brand? And if so - which?

Grateful for any help Froggy.

 

[Mike.C]

If you can afford another £50 this one is a great little machine http://www.screwfix.com/prods/69195/Pow ... Mitre-Saw# Being an XPS it has their shadow line system (laser)

You can also get Dewalt factory refurbs (done by Dewalt) on Ebay and other selected stores, which come with a 12 month warranty and will give you a chance to get a better model for your money.

HTH

Cheers

Mike

 

[goldeneyedmonkey]

I don't think the XPS system is a laser, it's a light behind the blade. So you're basically cutting the exact shadow of the blade. (I think)

I'd see if you could get an entry level Makita for that money IMHO.

 

[big soft moose]

we've got one of these http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-ax ... prod32404/ which is only slightly outside your budget - with its quiet induction motor it is a joy to use, and pisses all over the other team's much more expensive dewalt.

 

[Froggy]

Thanks for taking the time out to advise me chaps. I really appreciate it. Still unsure which route to take yet. I will have to ponder some more. :roll:

 

[chunkolini]

Buy this. £215 Dewalt DW770 SCMS
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/DEWALT-DW770-240- ... 483cdcdd1d
Normal price around £300
A bargain, reconditioned, it means it has been out of the box, still guaranteed. I have got one of these, the other day I was cutting 50mm x200mm oak easily. The mitres are accurate and the stops can be adjusted. The sliding mechanism is inside the handle keeping it quite small when not in use.
I ithas sold keep an eye on fleabay as they come up quite often at his kind of price.

My neighbour hates me over this one, he bought one a few months back for about £300, showed me how good it is, so I got one at this price.
Chunko'.

 

[Mike.C]

we've got one of these http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-ax ... prod32404/ which is only slightly outside your budget - with its quiet induction motor it is a joy to use, and waters all over the other team's much more expensive dewalt.

Your dreaming mate :lol: The Axminster which is a clone of the Elektra Beckum KGS 301, with an updated cover, is a good induction motored saw. But to say that it pisses all over the other teams much more expensive Dewalt is crazy.
For a start what Dewalt model are you talking about?

Having both the EB 301 and Dewalt 718 I do know what I am talking about, and IMHO it is horses for courses. If you want to pay 3 times the amount of Froggys budget and have a maximum cross cut of 14"/345mm (or 16"/400mm with an extension), a 61/2"/150mm depth of cut, with a first class factory fitted laser that cuts spot on every time, and a motor that is so quiet it sounds like an induction motor then the big duel bevel Dewalt fits the bill (as do a few other manufacturer's machine's)

On the other hand if you do not want to spend that amount, there are many other saws on the market that for just a few pounds more (£250 or £275), including Dewalts, Metabo's and the Axminster that you pointed out. But I would not say that any of them piss all over the others.

Cheers

Mike

 

[OPJ]

Don't neglect the second-hand market - you could, for instance, probably pick up a used Makita LS1013 for about £200, maybe even less. I bought one of these saws (second-hand) earlier this year and it's been brilliant. I highly recommend them for accuracy and repeatability in the workshop. No induction motor but, for a brush motor, they do have a soft start and are more bearable than many of the cheaper brands.

I noticed recently on Metabo's website that they're introducing a new range of sliding mitre saws to the UK; some with induction motors but they all seem to have a means of supposedly improving dust extraction... I'm sure they'll be way out of your budget but, it may be of interest to others.

 

[big soft moose]

we've got one of these http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-ax ... prod32404/ which is only slightly outside your budget - with its quiet induction motor it is a joy to use, and waters all over the other team's much more expensive dewalt.

Your dreaming mate :lol: The Axminster which is a clone of the Elektra Beckum KGS 301, with an updated cover, is a good induction motored saw. But to say that it waters all over the other teams much more expensive Dewalt is crazy.
For a start what Dewalt model are you talking about?

Having both the EB 301 and Dewalt 718 I do know what I am talking about, and IMHO it is horses for courses. If you want to pay 3 times the amount of Froggys budget and have a maximum cross cut of 14"/345mm (or 16"/400mm with an extension), a 61/2"/150mm depth of cut, with a first class factory fitted laser that cuts spot on every time, and a motor that is so quiet it sounds like an induction motor then the big duel bevel Dewalt fits the bill (as do a few other manufacturer's machine's)

On the other hand if you do not want to spend that amount, there are many other saws on the market that for just a few pounds more (£250 or £275), including Dewalts, Metabo's and the Axminster that you pointed out. But I would not say that any of them water all over the others.

Cheers

Mike

put it this way the dewalt (I think its triple 7 but i could be wrong) is so loud in operation (brush motor) that it cant be used during office hours because it disturbs people in the office next door - our axminster (induction motor) on the other hand is quiet enough that we can use it without ear protection (tho i dont normally)

In terms of cutting performance there is nowt between them - except that the axminster is still using its factory supplied blade but the dewalt has been changed because the initial blade was crap and went dull very quickly (both saws are being used for the same sort of work - ie cutting decking boards to length)

The axminster has a decent steel blade guard that retracts every time it is used - the DW has a cheap crappy piece of plastic which doesnt always retract fully and periodically catches on the work.

neither saw has a laser fitted but in my experience they are a gimmick and unecessary anyway, it is childs play to line the saw up with the line without one.

The axminmster cost us a tad over 200 notes (ex vat) , the dewalt was over 100 more than that , for louder worse performance

based on my experience that qualifies as pisssing all over, course I accept that other peoples experience may be different, but i can only speak as i find

btw the only point where the DW does outscore the axminster is the stand - but thats an optional extra, so you could buy one seperately to go with the ax if you wanted to - our axi is on a wheeled cabinet base with drop down supports on folding brackets so we didnt bother

 

[andycktm]

I used to have the axi one,bought because of its quiet induction motor.
The saw was nice and quiet but i could not honestly say it was accurate.
My mate has the 718 and its super accurate.
The major difference i liked was the pre set cut angle locators are adjustable on the dewalt.

 

[Dibs-h]

I have the 10" Hitach and have to say I am thoroughly impressed with it. Bevels and mitres both ways. Was a refurb and about £175 IIRC.

HIH

Dibs

 

[Froggy]

I have the 10" Hitach and have to say I am thoroughly impressed with it. Bevels and mitres both ways. Was a refurb and about £175 IIRC.

HIH

Dibs

What's 'IIRC' Rick?

 

[Pvt_Ryan]

IIRC - If I Recall Correctly

 

[Froggy]

IIRC - If I Recall Correctly

Thank you.

 

[devonwoody]

I purchased the Axminster one five years ago and it is quite suitable for the home workshop, came with a good quality CMT blade, and that is 90% of the cutting action. Dont know about trade use.

 

[cambournepete]

I picked up an EB KGS300 for £24 at auction
Got a few replacement parts Inc the dust extraction and a new blade and the whole lot cost well under £100
And it works well