Makita LS1019L Mitre saw - anyone have an opinion?

[Lons]

For a long time I've been agonising whether I can justify spending £1000 on a KS120 and I can't, the missus will kill me.
I looked hard at it again today at Axminster but then compared it against the Makita LS1019L which at £540 is little more than half the price of the Festool and I've seen it cheaper on the internet.

At first look I am impressed and it has some nice features so any opinions of one in use in real life would be very welcome, I've done the usual research on youtube and the web but never sure how much to trust these sources.

I think the only difference from the LS1019 might be the addition of a laser guide light?

cheers
Bob

 

[Lons]

BUMP

Has no one used one of these or the LS1019 without laser? More than 100 views without comment.
I'm close to making a decision and want to make sure it's not a mistake.

Bob

 

[MattRoberts]

Sorry, no experience with that saw, but I believe the wood whisperer compared a makita against the bosch recently on YouTube

If my view is worth anything, if I were spending something in the region of £600 I would be pushing it a bit and getting the bosch GCM 12 GDL

 

[custard]

I think the only difference from the LS1019 might be the addition of a laser guide light?

I guess it all depends on what work you do, but as a furniture maker I wouldn't pay a premium for a mitre saw with a laser versus the same saw without.

I haven't seen a mitre saw (including the Kapex 120 I use) where the laser reliably holds it's accuracy across straight, angled and bevelled cuts, correct it for one and it's slightly off on the others. Consequently I only trust lasers for rough work where you're working to the nearest 1/8" or a 1/16".

Staying with the theme of "depends what you use it for", if trenching or cutting tenon shoulders will be important to you then it's worth investigating the abilities of individual machines on your short list, they really do vary.

 

[Doug71]

Never used the Makita myself but remember seeing on the Festool Owners Group that some people had a problem with it, something about the blade not parallel to the sliding arms? It does look a fine saw though.
I have hardly ever used the lasers on my Kapex, wouldn't miss them if they weren't there.

Doug

 

[mbartlett99]

I think your trouble is that its a fairly new saw - there won't be that many people with an informed opinion and the youtube reviews I saw were pretty aversge quality.

The Kapex is nice but it is pretty pricey for what it is - I bought one 2nd hand with the trolley and extensions for £750. Is it really worth all that money, well no not really. I've cut stool legs straight off the saw (compound angles) on my old Makita 1013 without issue.

Possibly one thing to bear in mind is that Makita's QA has taken a bit of a kicking lately on their smaller scm.

As for the laser - meh! Can't see it bright light anyway wouldn't trust if I could.

 

[Lons]

Sorry, no experience with that saw, but I believe the wood whisperer compared a makita against the bosch recently on YouTube

If my view is worth anything, if I were spending something in the region of £600 I would be pushing it a bit and getting the bosch GCM 12 GDL

Thanks but the Bosch is almost exactly £200 more expensive than the Makita which I can buy for £513 as a stock item, and I've looked at the Bosch several times including a few days ago in Axminster. I wasn't convinced tbh as it felt a bit sloppy, I know it could just be that it's a strange action and there are many advocates of the machine but I don't think it's for me.

 

[Lons]

Thanks for the input guys, much appreciated.
I had originally decided I wanted a Kapex but couldn't justify the £1000 price hit now I'm retired, I still can't and have been looking for a decent used one for most of last year without success. I was put off a little by reports of burnt out motors but I guess few machines are faultless.

I've had my DeWalt 705 for probably well over 25 years in which time it's never let me down but it's only a single mitre and not sliding so I need to change, I might even keep the DeWalt for rough work.

I'm not bothered about the laser but the price difference is only about £14 and the basic 1019 is hard to find in stock so I think they might have stopped making it.

I guess I need to have another look at all of them now I've got some birthday money burning a hole in my pocket.

As an aside, while talking to a salesman at my local Axminster about the Kapex I mentioned price match as I know they matched in the past and he was adamant that they won't do that now. Whatever I buy I'll give them an option to match or throw in some sweetners because whilst I want to buy locally there's a limit to how much of a premium I'm prepared to pay for that.

 

[MattRoberts]

Let us know what you end up with

 

[Lons]

Oh bu**er, bu**er, bu**er :roll: #-o

I've gone full circle and now thinking maybe I should just bite the bullet and fork out for the KS120.

There's stuff I could and should really sell which would soften the blow quite a bit. Can get one for just under £940 ( not a lot if I say it very quickly :shock: ) I need to sleep on it

 

[powertools]

Do yourself a favour and buy yourself a radial arm saw if it is only for use in the workshop.

 

[RogerBoyle]

Hi Lons
I'm currently is the same position looking at getting a new saw as my trusty Dewalt saw is getting a bit long in the tooth.
I've had a play with the Makita ,Dewalt 780 ,Bosch glide 12" and the Kapex. Over the course of the last week
I've ruled out the Kapex and the Makita

The Kapex while a good saw is not as good as the price suggests and has less of a cut capacity than the other saws and for the price it just feels cheap .
The Makita I ruled out as I just didn't like the way it felt when I was adjusting it to cut for compound mitres but that's just a personal thing.

So I'm kind of stumped with choosing between the Dewalt 780 or the Bosch Glide. Which ever one I get it will be workshop based most of the time so the weight issue associated with both is a moot point at least for me.

I do tend to be swaying towards the Bosch Glide though :twisted:

 

[MikeJhn]

The couple in your by line must be the two slide arms on the Bosch, so you have answered your question. :lol:

Mike

 

[Lons]

It's giving me a headache Mike, in the last few hours I'm back to thinking what would I get for the extra £400 cost of the Festool over the Makita and is it really worth it?

As I said earlier, I've looked hard at the Bosch a number of times and although it has the "back to the wall" design I'd prefer, I wasn't impressed by the amount it seemed to flex and I wonder if over time all those linkages will get sloppy.

I hadn't considered the DeWalt 780 as the bars extend out the back and I never did like the star locking know at the back of the saw so back to square one. The thing I have definitely decided is that I'm not going to rush and make a decision I'll regret as I've been very close to buying over the last few days.

Similar to you, mine is probably 90% shop based with occasional outings to my kids homes when I'm cajoled into doing work for them. #-o
I have a Startrite bandsaw and SIP tablesaw and though I do use my mitre saw a lot I'm always in danger of being seduced by shiny new toys.

cheers
Bob

PS Just found this youtube video clearly from DWalt comparing the 780 with the Bosch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqCMquiX6wo

 

[Simou1]

Lons

I bought a Kapex a year ago having bought, and then sold after 3 years use, one when they were first introduced. I sold it to a friend who specialises in high quality cabinet making and he has used it constantly dividing expensive wood in two with exact precision. His saw has never missed a beat, has had a couple of saw blades and a replacement plastic guard, and it looks as good as the day I sold it. It is 240v as is my new one.

Although I had to tweak the laser on delivery, the saw has performed exactly as claimed and cuts superbly. It is beautifully engineered and made and, in my opinion, is worth every penny. I would replace it with another without hesitation. If it is stolen in the next two years, Festool would provide a new one for a £100 excess.

I have no user experience of any of the other saws you have mentioned and I am sure that they are excellent bits of kit. However, nothing beats hands on use in your own workshop and I am unaware of any other manufacturer who offers the 15 day, use and return without question policy, that Festool provides with every tool, Kapex included.

It is a win win offer. If you like it, keep it safe in the knowledge that you have a superb saw. If you don’t, box it up get your money back and buy the next one on the wish list.

Pat

 

[mbartlett99]

There's a Kapex for sale on a well known auction site for £550 right now.

 

[Bodgers]

£1K is a lot of money to put into a single power tool if this is not for pro work. Especially if you are having to sell stuff to do it. The mitre saw is the last tool in the workshop Is spend the money on as well.

Plenty of much cheaper options that will get the job done. Yes the Festool is one of the best, but is it worth £1k?



Sent from my MI 3W using Tapatalk

 

[Lons]

There's a Kapex for sale on a well known auction site for £550 right now.

Thanks for that, no good for me though as I want 240 volt, my site work days are over.

 

[Lons]

OK decision made now for good or bad.

I've done a deal with Axminster and got them to put a Makita LS1019L aside for me to collect later this week as I want to support my local store where I can.

Was so tempted by the Kapex, especially as there is a dealer with 16 left in stock at £938 which they bought when the offer was on but came to my senses and decided just far too much for me to justify.

Many thanks to all for the advice offered, much appreciated.

Bob

 

[mbartlett99]

Well we all expect a thorough review once you've had a play!