( 13 reviews )
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Posted: 04-21-2009
It's a pretty good saw for the price. It has a few shoddy parts like the mounting for the sub fence and the hold down clamp. Not sure what that sub fence does, but the instructions are wrong and tell you to mount it on the wrong side. It goes on the left and does not mount flush. I think I will remove it. The assembly instructions are poor. You have to puzzle through them and infer what they are getting at. The motor is a goer and seems to have plenty of power. The laser line was off about 1 degree with the fence; had to adjust it and the 0 degree position. Due its size and the way the saw works, it will only cut a board 5-6 inches wide in one pass. Not really a replacement for my table saw, but good for quick cuts on molding and picture frames. If you want a better saw, you will have to pay up to $3-500 for the little details. But this one is fine for the casual home user.
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Posted: 03-20-2009
I got this saw a couple of weeks ago and couldn't be happier, I only gave it 4 stars because I haven't had it long enough to wring it out the way I usually do. I especially like its light weight, around 30lbs. I have limited space in my shop so I can store it in corner somewhere and when I need it I just stick it on my workbench and clamp it down with a couple of C-clamps. I was especially impressed by the smoothness for such a light saw. When I first got it I was expecting a lot of vibration but that was not the case. Laser, blade, mitre and bevel are right on. It really wants to have the extension tables though, I didn't get them with this saw but expect I will add them later. Hold down clamp is a little awkward but usable, I will likely change that with some sort of cam lock later. Some reviewers had trouble with the instruction manual but I thought they were fine. Considering that more and more stuff is made elsewhere and the poor snooks writing instruction manuals are likely not writting in their native language, you kinda need to read through syntax and sentence structure errors to grasp the concepts. Throw in a few typo errors from the printer and it is easy for some to write off the manuals as worthless. All in all, I think Hitachi is a highly underrated product. This is the first I have owned but I have borrowed and rented other products and they are definatley a products that deserve serious consideration. They are generally lower priced and you can find some real bargains in the remanufactured market.
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Posted: 03-20-2009
I got this saw a couple of weeks ago and couldn't be happier, I only gave it 4 stars because I haven't had it long enough to wring it out the way I usually do. I especially like its light weight, around 30lbs. I have limited space in my shop so I can store it in corner somewhere and when I need it I just stick it on my workbench and clamp it down with a couple of C-clamps. I was especially impressed by the smoothness for such a light saw. When I first got it I was expecting a lot of vibration but that was not the case. Laser, blade, mitre and bevel are right on. It really wants to have the extension tables though, I didn't get them with this saw but expect I will add them later. Hold down clamp is a little awkward but usable, I will likely change that with some sort of cam lock later. Some reviewers had trouble with the instruction manual but I thought they were fine. Considering that more and more stuff is made elsewhere and the poor snooks writing instruction manuals are likely not writting in their native language, you kinda need to read through syntax and sentence structure errors to grasp the concepts. Throw in a few typo errors from the printer and it is easy for some to write off the manuals as worthless. All in all, I think Hitachi is a highly underrated product. This is the first I have owned but I have borrowed and rented other products and they are definatley a products that deserve serious consideration. They are generally lower priced and you can find some real bargains in the remanufactured market. This is a follow-up - I did find one thing I wasn't to happy about. I was making some picture frames and found that the laser isn't that helpful on mitre cuts. I have it adjusted to where the left side of the blade hits the mark for 90 degree crosscuts but on a 45 will be off nearly a 1/4". I haven't determined yet if it is just my saw or whether it is inherent to the design. I have found no adjustment for paralax. May end up installing an aftermarket spindle mounted laser.
