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Hitachi C12FDH 15 Amp 12-Inch Dual Bevel Miter Saw with Laser | List Price: $622.22
Discount Price: $269.95
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Brand: Hitachi
Binding: Tools & Hardware
Features: - 12-inch dual bevel compound miter saw with laser marker
- Miter range 52 degrees right and left; bevel range 48 degrees right and left; 15 Amp; 4,000 rpm
- Micro bevel adjustment knob for fine tuning bevel angles; larger pivoting fence raises to 5-1/8 inches for cutting crown molding
- Includes TCT 32-tooth saw blade, dust bag, vise assembly, box wrench, hex bar wrench and holder assembly
- Measures 24.6 by 30.7 by 27 inches (W by D by H); 46.3 pounds; 5-year warranty
Save your money - look at DeWalt [Posted on 2008-05-06]
I was looking to replace a 19 year old 9" B&D power miter box and after some considerable research, decided on this model.
I have previous experience with Hitachi power tools and was expecting to receive a tool of comparable quality - instead what I received was a broken tool that is made in China.
Amazon was great handling the return and got me a replacement right away, but the replacement saw was broken at the same location (the right adjustable fence was ripped from the base).
Inspection of the aluminum casting revealed large occlusions in the material, leading me to believe that the entire base is made of the same substandard materials.
I would stay away from this tool - look at the DEWALT DW716 15 Amp Double-Bevel Compound Miter Saw- it will cost more, but you will be infinitely happier with the quality of the tool and construction - plus it is made in North America.
Good saw at a great price [Posted on 2008-05-09]
I bought a reconditioned saw at the site that is linked to Amazon for $149. It looks brand new and works great. I bought a 90 tooth Hitachi blade from the same source and it is the only blade I have used on the saw. The settings were accurate out of the box but I had to move the pointers a little which I consider very minor. You have to do a bit of assembly on the extended fence on the left but again this is minor. The saw and blade work and cuts are consistently accurate. Features I like include the accurate table for cutting, the rotating table is very close in height to the rest of the table, the miter settings have indents at the normal angles but they are easy to override for settings within a half degree of the setting, and good dust collection.
The capacities listed for this saw seem a bit conservative or incomplete to me. I can cut a 6 inch piece vertically against the fence and I did not see any capacity close to this. If you thumb the guard out of the way you may be able to do 7 inches this way. It is handy for mitering large base moulding. Crosscuts at 90 degrees in thin material (1 inch or less), you can do something over 7 inches (7 is the most time I've tried) laid down flat. I did not try it but I believe you could easily crosscut a 4x6.
It's probably worth the $250-300 they get for a new one but at $149 its a no-brainer. You are getting a double bevel saw of good design and quality at a price below what a simple single bevel 12 inch of the cheapest price point goes for. If you buy new, you may want to look hard at the FCH - the model with the digital angle readout. For miter settings this is not a big deal but it's a little hard to read bevel settings to half a degree.
Jim
very dissatisfied [Posted on 2008-06-02]
I received my Hitachi C12FDH miter saw as a Christmas gift from my duaghter and son-in-law, to replace an older Delta that was shot.
After about 6 uses the belt guard broke and fell off, I emailed Hitachi and got no response, so I fastened it back on with a nylon cable tie and rubber band. After a few months and little usage the bolt holding the retractor arm to the blade guard broke, I again emailed the company, and again got no response. Finally I called the toll free number on the website, and tried to get the belt guard and bolt under warranty, only to be told I had to take it to an authorized service center, (apparently they are unaware that other people CAN operated a screwdriver). I took a half day off work, drove an hour and a half to the service center, and found out there that I needed a store receipt to prove I had purchased it, (remember it was a Christmas gift). I was very dissatisfied with their unwillingness to invest a few bucks in retaining me as a customer. I came home, went to my local hardware, purchased some longer screws and fender washers for the belt guard, and a replacement screw for the retractor arm, and fixed it myself. I'm sure I voided the warranty by doing this, but in my opinion, the warranty was worthless from the start. When someone asks me about my saw, I'm sure I'll share this story and try to persuade them to buy Makita, Delta, Craftsman, or anything other that Hitachi.
Very Happy with Saw [Posted on 2008-06-13]
I have been using this saw in my small cabinet shop business for a couple weeks now and it already deserves a 5 star rating. Of course I don't know how long it will last, but I'm betting it will be an improvement over the Dewalts I have been using. I've owned 5 of the dewalt 12" saws and two of them burned out in 2-3 years, so it was time to try another brand this time. Of course we use them hard, and they get hundreds of cycles a week.
I'm very happy with the acuracy of the saw and it seems very solid. I thought the laser was a gimmick and almost didn't bother to calibrate it, but now I consider it a must-have feature. I don't use it very often, but it really comes in handy if you scribe a pencil drawn angle to your work and want to chop it right on the line--no need to even bother the measure the angle.
The dust collection works good for a chop saw saw too. Might get 70% of the dust or so, which is much better than any other saw I've used.
A couple small things I don't like though--this sucker is loud. While I always use ear protection anyway, this is the only saw Ive used in which it is mandatory. I tried to sneak a quick cut in without the ear pro. once and it is painful---and that can't be good for you.
The other minor downside is it takes up more space than the Dewalts. With dust collection attached it needs about 6" more space from the back wall in the shop. But it's still way better than a sliding miter saw. (I'd rather have non sliding saws as the very rare times I need more capacity I use the sliding table on the table saw.)
The first thing I did is build this into a chop saw table with the Kreg system stops. Why more people don't bother to set up a chop saw properly is a mystery to me. I couldn't build a shed with out it! Anytime you use a tapemeasure to pencil mark and then nudge the work around into position you are wasting your life.
Five stars for this tool.
-Steve
Hitiachi 12 Inch Miter Saw Model C12FDH Review [Posted on 2008-06-29]
After researching miter saws and reading the reviews, I chose this saw as my first miter saw to ever own. When I received it, the left fence was broken during shipping. Returned it back to Amazon for an exchange and had no problems with the second saw I received. It has performed and worked perfectly out of the box. I have had no issues with this saw at all, just used it to build a 600 square foot deck. When comparing the price to Lowes, it was $50 cheaper on Amazon plus the free shipping. Overall I would recommend this saw to anyone, very easy to use and if any adjustments need to be performed they look very easy to do.
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