12" Hitachi Sliding Mitre Saw Vs. Bosch

[Garrett French]

This guy's about to drop a stack of cash on a mitre saw:

I am trying to decide between buying a 12" hatachi sliding mitre saw or the bosch. any tips?

I'd hate to just steer him towards the most expensive one on our site... KIDDING.

Anyways, I'd really appreciate your thoughts on this... the only difference I can tell between his two choices is the $10 difference on Amazon. There has to be more to the case than that right?

Is there a brand or model he's leaving out that he really should be considering?

Thank you in helping me make sure he doesn't do anything rash with his hard earned cash

[Rob Bodenschatz]

I have the Hitachi. Happy with it. I looked at the Bosch but at the time there were a bunch of complaints about it. Don't remember the details. One thing about the Hitachi is that it retracts into itself when sliding, taking up less depth.

[tod evans]

the hitachi has a better rep. than the bosch.....i`d advise against a 12" saw unless he actually needs the extra deapth of cut for trim work.....10" saws will usually give a better cut.....tod

[Stuart Ablett]

I have an old Hitachi 8" slider, and it is DEAD accurate even though it has seen a LOT of use and abuse (before I got it, on the abuse bit) I very much like Hitachi.

I think that 12" is a bit much as well, unless the guy REALLY needs it for something. The blades are a lot more money out of the gate, and the cost more to sharpen than a 10" as well.

The Hitachi 10" has a really good rep, it will be my next SCMS, if I can ever kill the 8" saw

Cheers!

[Kevin Brady]

Unless you really need a 12" saw, give some thought to the 10" Makita slider. I borrowed one from a friend to do a flooring job in our basement. Accuracy was spot-on, no lateral play that I could detect, and the laser sight was right on as well. The detents for common angles (90, 45, etc.) are right on the money, which is nice when you are changing back and forth between different cuts and don't want to be checking each time.

I think Makita offers a 12" slider, but I don't have any first-hand experience with it.

Cheers,

Kevin

[Travis Porter]

The new Hitachi has a smaller footprint requirement which equates to less bench depth required if they plan to put it near a wall.

[Dawson Mossman]

Guys, I am new to the group, but hoping you can help me out. I'm going to be getting a sliding compound and am deciding between the Hitachi 10" (C10FSH) and the Bosch 4410L ... I know these are both great saws and the biggest question I have right now is about the 12 amp Hitachi motor vs. the 15 amp on the Bosch (and most other SCMS)? I've read that amp is not the best thing to judge a saw by and I've found that the watts for Hitachi is 1320, but I cannot find a watt rating for the Bosch?

Should I be concerned with the smaller (12 amp) Hitachi motor? Or is this a non-factor in the overall saw performance?

Thanks.

[Jim DeLaney]

Dawson,
I've had the 8" Hitachi for about fifteen years, and it's been dead on solid for all that time. The only maintenance has been replacement of some plastic guard parts, and the motor brushed (about six months ago).

This saw has cut everything from picture frame molding to fence palings, and has never complained. I've only realigned it once, and it didn't really need it then - I was just being anal about it...

If it dies tomorrow, I'll buy a new TEN INCH (10") Hitachi. I can't really see the need for a 12" blade, besides, the bigger the blade, the more flex - and that's a bad thing.

[tod evans]

dawson,
what are you planning on cutting with the saw? the old 77 worm drives sported a 13 amp motor and would chew through multiple subdivisions and never miss a lick..
most mitersaws will on occasion cut some 12/4 hardwood and given the tooth count and blade geometry even a 15 amp motor is going to grunt. but most of their lives is spent cutting 4/4 or smaller stock so 13 amp shouldn`t be a problem.
the biggest issue with the hitachi is the awfull colors!

[Dawson Mossman]

I will be cutting 4/4 or smaller typically ... certainly not dealing with larger on a regular basis. The Hitachi 10" sports only a 12 amp motor (not even 13), which is what caught my eye in today's market of saws that are all 15 amp, or 13 minimum. I haven't heard anything bad about the saw in terms of power, but wanted to make sure. Do you know the typically watt output of most 10" mitre saws (as I mentioned the Hitachi is 1320)?

The colors don't bother me I just want the best saw for my money.