Item : B0009MGOSG Customer Reviews Exceptional Saw! by .. R. Candy (NJ, USA) I was lucky in the extreme and found this saw in it's box, unopened and unmolested at a local Lowe's. It was marked down from $699 to $399 and then to $269. No, it was NOT a re-built/re-furb. I knew the $269 could not be right but they sold it to me anyway. I kept waiting for someone from the store to come running out to the parking lot and start wrestling me for it! I am an enthusiastic woodworker, not a contractor so my primary use of this monster will be for furniture building. My hope was that it could stand in for a radial arm saw with the exception of dadoing. Initially I tried to mount it to a universal saw stand from DeWalt but it turns out the mounting bolt/foot print is not square. This rules out most universal style stands. I returned that and went with the Hitachi recommended stand ordered from Amazon. Not a bad piece and it came with wheels! Solid mounting and as stable as I could hope for. Handles 10' boards without flexing. The saw itself is just superb! The left fence had to be aligned but that was it. I am surprised to find that the adjustable laser is both easy to use and dead accurate! I'd thought it to be an amusing toy but now I'm hooked. Being able to align it left to right means you can have it define the edge of the blade for either side. I immediately replaced the factory blade with a thin kerf carbide 96 tooth Freud Avanti. Polished, finish ready cuts are the result. This is a furniture making dream come true. Ultra clean, repeatable cuts from any angle/compound. The supplied dust bag isn't too awful but a few plumber's rubber pipe fittings allowed me to hook up my shop-vac. Exceptional dust control is now the rule. Mahogany, red oak, pine and some rock hard maple have all gone under the blade. Thickness up to 4". No control problems or bogging. The 15 amp motor is gutsy and solid. Rips and cross cuts are equally smooth and clean. The key is to keep the blade moving. The motion must be plunge and move forward at the same time. This prevents burns and saw marks. A gentle hand ensures zero blade wander/deflection. Where this beats a radial arm is in repeatability. Make cuts at any angle, return the table to zero and the cuts remain perfect. Try that with even the best radial arm and you will be right back to the table saw to clean up those cross cuts. I can't speak to how this would do for a contractor but it is no doubt a lifetime tool for a woodworker. This brings a level of precision that would require my table saw as well as a circular and or jig saw to match. Add to that the speed and ease of use and this thing is pushing my table saw as the most important tool in my arsenal! Great Saw by .. Randy (Brookfield, WI United States) The reason I bought this saw was because I am extremely satisfied with with the C10FSH, Hitachi's 10" saw with slide and laser. I would have purchased another one but I was able to purchase this C12LSH for about the same price. I figured I'd take a chance on a brand new larger model with a nifty digital readout. Likes: The digital readout is pretty cool and works great. The laser is very accurate. The saw looks beefy and is. Making adjustments are quick, easy, and precise, especially with the fine tuning knobs. I absolutely love the one trigger operation. The more I use the saw, the more I like it. Dislikes: The blade; Hitachi, shame on you! Splinter guard; With it set 2 inches back, I'm not sure what good it does but throw dust in your face. I removed it. Reaction to other reviewer comments; Packaging was good, although I made sure the box was not damaged and unopened before I purchased it. I wouldn't say the saw is bulky. It's big, it's portable, but I wouldn't want to take it to a job site. This saw has a tad more play at full draw than my 10" but no more than any other 12" saw I tested. I think you'll be very happy with this saw as long as you make sure it's brand new in an unopened, undamaged box. LASER Alignment Tricky by .. W. Holt (United States) As others have said the packaging is horrible with just a few pieces of cardboard as filler, but nothing was harmed. The saw does come almost fully assembled and ready to run, if everything is adjusted properly. Laser: Initially the LASER line was skewed and the instructions only addressed aligning the LASER with either the right or left side of the blade. After poking around I found the alignment screw hidden under a warning sticker. I removed the metal plate over the LASER and replaced the clear cover underneath with the same screws, made the adjustment (2.5mm Allen wrench), then replaced the metal cover. Additionally if the LASER doesn't fully reach the left or right side of the blade with the external adjustment, there is a rubber plug underneath the LASER that provides access to another 2.5mm Allen screw for further adjustment. Blade: There is a significant amount of tear-out on the bottom and back of the cut, if the saw came with a better blade I would have given it five stars. It's just upsetting after spending so much money on what is otherwise a fantastic saw, to now need to spend another chunk of money for a new blade. My FAVORITE Tool by .. Bill K. (Hot Springs, AR) This tool gets used more than ANY tool I own or have ever owned. I can cut up to a 12" board at 90 degrees ........ a real time saver. I hated using my table saw for a simple 12" cross cut but now I can use the Sliding Mitre saw ....... If I have any complaint it would be about the dust extraction. There MUST be a way to get a better design to grab up more of the dust and chunks. Even with a good dust collector attached to the port there's junk all around the saw ..... but this is typical of mitre saws .... but Hitachi SHOULD be able to be better. The digital display is outstanding and ALL adjustments are easy and work great. BUY THIS SAW!!!! Hitachi 12" sliding compound saw by .. Ricky R. Taylor (Texas) I have used this saw for about a year now and I absolutely love it. It takes less space behind the saw than any other sliding saw, which in a small shop can make a big difference. The digital read out gives precise angle readouts and the laser is easily adjusted for right or left side cutting. I tried out the Ridgid and the Craftsman before buying this saw and I could not get either the Rigid or Craftsman to cut a square line and I love Ridgid tools. I don't know if it was the saw blade or the saws or maybe me, but they would not stay set up on square. This one was pretty easy to set up and has stayed setup. Great saw, a little pricey but I got mine at Lowes on sale for 30% off.