You've got £600 for a new mitre saw...

[Raymien]

My old Evolution mitre saw is vibrating so bad at a bevel that cutting mitred skirting is impossible. So it's time for a replacement. I want to get the best I can afford, and it appears at the £600 mark its either of these. Which would you buy and why? Or would it be something else?

Accuracy is my only aim in all honesty. A double bevel would be nice. Dust collection isn't a deal breaker (all mitre saws throw out some) I don't need huge depth, but I guess there will always be a time where it'll come in handy.

Festool Kapex KS60
Makita LS1219L
Makita LS1019L and save a bit of cash

 

[Adam W.]

I'm very happy with my Makita, it's been trusty now for about 15 years.

 

[mikej460]

From what I've watched on YouTube and read, one of the big considerations is shadow line vs laser. Reviews point to shadow line as a must have add-on for a Kapex; I've never used it but you might want to see if it would be of use to you and if it can be added to the Makita.

 

[baldkev]

I have the dls110z makita, based on the ls1019, and its fab. Ive had it about a year. No experience of the kapex

 

[TRITON]

Id go for the festool.
I have no experience of the kapex, but do have of other festool products and they are not to be faulted.
OK, you say extraction isnt an issue, but as we all know the miter saw releases clouds of dust that covers the entire workshop, and festools extraction straight off the bat is considerably better than anyone elses. Itys got full adjustability, is double bevel, has a shadow line marking, comes with an angle finder and probably most important the build and inspection is 2nd to none, and way above the mass produced in Asia makita.

 

[johnnyb]

way above is a bit strong tbh. if they cut proper then they is proper.are makita saws are built in Asia? kapex had some very serious motor issues not long back.
on the other hand they are solid performers if hugely overpriced and I reckon a bit delicate. the best thing is there part of a clever system.
I've always used bosch mitre saws and mine has outstanding durability and accuracy.

 

[clogs]

had my DeWalt sliding chop saw 305mm blade....sorry cant remeber the model number, I'd go look but it's on a job....
( I dont really like that firm) bought it new when that model first came to the UK....at the time nothing else like it...well as big....
have to admit I knocked it off the bench....(forklift dohh) it's still as acurate as the day I bought it.....
swings left n right (handy fo the woke brigade...lol)....definite stops for common angles...
it'd take a good saw to beat it....
only thing I'd change is I'd buy the 240v model now as I dont do site work anymore......
keep saying when it dies I'll get a new 240v motor from DeWalt.....
it's over 15 years old prob nearer 20 and I just couldn't live without it....
PS the average blade 90 tooth is roughly £100..... but u get good life.....
I have three blades....an older one for laminate n manmade wood, slightly newer blade for general framing work....
and a brand spankers for the good stuff....
good luck with ur choice ...let us know how u get on.....

 

[Adam W.]

way above is a bit strong tbh. if they cut proper then they is proper.are makita saws are built in Asia? kapex had some very serious motor issues not long back.
on the other hand they are solid performers if hugely overpriced and I reckon a bit delicate. the best thing is there part of a clever system.
I've always used bosch mitre saws and mine has outstanding durability and accuracy.

My Makita LS1214 is made in Japan and is built proper, as you would expect.

 

[RichardG]

I had a demo of the LS1019 and was impressed, dust extraction was certainly better than my Bosch GCM 8 SJL which itself was a big improvement over the Evolution I still have. The front facing rails are a massive space saving and it seemed good value. The cut repeatability was spot on when moving from 45 left to 45 degree right and back to 90. There were some issues reported on the net about getting a bowed cut on wide boards due to a miss-alignment of the rails (can be user fixed) but I didn’t see that. This became my top of list saw to buy mainly to reduce the footprint from the Bosch which is massive.

 

[Raymien]

Thank you, some really helpful replies.

I've released the £620 Kapex is saw only, so wouldn't come with the fancy bevel guide etc, and adding on the LED takes it up nearer the £700 mark...

With my Wickes trade discount I can get the Makita LS1019 for £513 delivered which is an attractive price, but the LS1219 is only £100 more at FFX...that extra size is niggling me, even though I'm not sure I'll need it 98% of the time The motor issue with the Festool concerns me too.

Then again I've seen the Bosch 254 get good write ups on here as I've been doing some searching, and it's cheaper than the LS1019...argh! Why are there so many options!

 

[RichardG]

Note that there are 2 versions of the Makita, one with laser and one without, so make sure it’s the model you want.

 

[Soylent1]

I've had the ls1219 for about a year now, no issues whatsoever with it. I upgraded from the ls1018.
I can't comment on the kapex but the makita is as accurate as the day I set it up. Used almost daily and being chucked in the back of a van !
If you can I'd opt for the 1219 as I'm sure the bigger capacity will come in handy at some point.

 

[Terrytpot]

I thought I had similar requirements to you when I took the plunge and got myself a Dewalt DW717XPS-GB 3 years ago. Turns out that whilst it's delivered on what I wanted I didn't actually buy what I actually did want! What I should have paid more attention to (in my case) was just how much real estate these saws eat up, and how poor the dust extraction is. I've built the standard wheeled with wings cabinet for it to sit on,complete with hood, but even when shoved into a corner it's hardly "out of the way". With my evolved hindsight I'd now opt for one of the Bosch "Glide rail" saws although when I was choosing they had only just hit the market and were a bit of an unknown as to whether that system was effective or just a gimmick.

 

[Spectric]

I've always used bosch mitre saws and mine has outstanding durability and accuracy.

Fully agree that Bosch make quality products, I have the Bosch on the rails, not the axial glide and it has performed great straight out of the box for the last 10 years, more than can be said for a lot of woodworking machinery that needs fetling to achieve best performance, even the blade supplied was good.

only thing I'd change is I'd buy the 240v model now as I dont do site work anymore....

I have found that 110 volt stuff seems to be more robust in the motor department, never found a definitive reason but it might just be that the OEM knows it will have to take more abuse if on sites.

Have looked at shadow lines and lasers, still open minded because I tend to cut slightly off line so it is a tad longer than needed and then try it, if to tight I take a very light skim so it fits. Maybe not a quick efficient method but it does give tightness.

What I should have paid more attention to (in my case) was just how much real estate these saws eat up, and how poor the dust extraction is.

This is something I found when my Bosch sat on the stand it came with, a great site setup but way to much footprint in the shed, so it now has it's own trolley I made that has storage below so making more use of the space and yes they do make dust.

Also a bigger saw can be very handy, maybe not always needed but you will be stuck if you need to cut beyond the capacity of the smaller saw, and the bigger saw will cut wider planks.

 

[johnnyb]

I always wish my 10 inch bosch was lighter. to the point my next will be much lighter. not such a consideration in the workshop but a massive factor on mobile stuff. makita do some good battery saws as well.

 

[Sauter Shop]

Triton have just entered the Mitre saw market. It's a lot of machine for the money
Triton TCMS254 Sliding Compound Mitre Saw - sautershop

 

[TRITON]

way above is a bit strong tbh. if they cut proper then they is proper.are makita saws are built in Asia? kapex had some very serious motor issues not long back.
on the other hand they are solid performers if hugely overpriced and I reckon a bit delicate. the best thing is there part of a clever system.
I've always used bosch mitre saws and mine has outstanding durability and accuracy.

The kapex and makita from the OP's post are Makita LS1219L = £625, LS1019L = £590 and the Kapex is £625 If you consider the festool to be overpriced then you must be considering all the saws in the ops list to be over priced.
As to motor problems, is that applicable here ? unless a time machine is part of the equation :? "if they cut proper then they is proper" :? sorry I cant see what you mean here. Especially given the problems reported on the makita, namely the rails being squint and the indexing being made of soft alloy. Pre determined settings for angles wearing and causing sloppiness is not proper cutting by anyones standard.
Festool are primarily made in Germany, a country well known for sloppy workmanship... oh no wait, that would be Asia

 

[johnnyb]

festool are not always perfect and they are as prone to misalignment and faults as alot of high end gear. they are good saws though the equivalent bosch would be £350 without discounts I do think the festool system is good but then it becomes an expensive indulgence.
so yes festool saws are good much better as a system but other manufacturers saws are as good and in many cases better but way cheaper.(or hugely superior capacity for an equivalent price)

 

[Spectric]

The best thing about Festool is dust extraction, if you expect a clinically clean working enviroment then Festool is ok but otherwise there are a lot of good comparable saws. As I said, I have had no issues with my Bosch and so far my Makita track saw has been great just like all the Makita stuff I have used over the last thirty years.

Festool are primarily made in Germany, a county well known for sloppy workmanship... oh no wait, that would be Asia

I would say that both German and Japanese tools are comparable in all departments, the reason people think of poor quality asian tools is because a British company has had products made to a cost to give them a good profit margin, but actual asian companies do produce high quality if requested, Makita has a good reputation and well deserved, think how long they have been in the market and most people will probably have owned one at some point, my first was an AEG in the late eighties and then Makita all the way.

 

[Selwyn]

I bought the Makita LS1219 about 3 weeks ago on ebay for £527 from powertoolmate. I got the saw even through straight after I saw it priced again at £625 ish so I think I got lucky with a mistake.

Good saw, very big and very heavy. I think instinctively I would have though the 1019 is fine as more portable.

I'd be choosing that or looking for the Bosch on an offer somewhere.

Wickes periodically do a 20% trade discount so you could hang on for that and save a bit more...