Hitachi c10fsh 10 Inch Sliding Compound Miter Saw With Laser

95 of 96 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Saw, June 19, 2003
By Anthony A. Coscia (Newtown, CT) - See all my reviews
I purchased this saw today after weeks of shopping around. It seems that all of the contractors I spoke with have the 8 inch Hitachi slider and swear by it. I was looking for a bit more capacity but with the same reliability, accuracy and the advantage of a laser guide. This saw is extremely well made and accurate out of the box. While it has a bit more plastic than it's 8" counterpart it is still made like a tank at less weight than the competition(44lbs I believe). The slide, bevel and miter functions are all smooth and the preset angles are easy to set but not to stiff that they don't allow you to set angles close to the presets without accidentally "clicking" into them when tightenned. The fence seems to be improved over previous models and is a bit higher. It will also flip out for longer workpieces. As for the laser guide, I was skeptical of their accuacy but I couldn't be more wrong. It was dead on out of the box and easily adustable depending on you personal preferences. Some people seem to have complained that the laser line disappears as soon as the blade is lowered, but it is so accurate that it doesn't matter. Once you match your laser to your line, there is no need to follow it through the actual cut.

There is not one flimsey piece on this tool. While not overly heavy, it is very solid. The only drawback to this saw that I can see is the relatively small table area. If however weight and portability is important to you, this could be seen as an advantage. The standard blade is acceptable but the 72 tooth blade that comes as a "bonus" is excellent. Some people have complained about the dust collection. I found it to be adequate but not great. In all fairness, I have never had a tool with a system that was much better. I have heard that the rear rubber blade guard (to aid dust collection) has problems when using a powerful vac. for the collector but I have not tried that yet. If you are looking for a slide compound miter saw with a laser, this is the only one as of now. Compared to other quality 10" sliders, the Hitachi C10-FSH is priced towards the high end of the scale at between $499 and $530 but based on my initial impressions, worth every penny.
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157 of 166 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars C10FSH: A cut-above the rest!!!..., June 3, 2003
By brian (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
I recently purchased this saw, and boy am I impressed! I do tool testing for a large Orange Home Improvement company! I have tested dewalt, bosch, makita, and other hitachi mitre saws. This time Hitachi is a cut-above the rest! They made some worth mentioning improvements over the C10FS. Most notably, they have increased the left / right fence's aluminum thickness; the older version has a problem with fence cracking! The dust collection (how much dust actually goes into the dust bag) of this new saw is nearly double (if not more) than the C10FS.

The dust collection is large and can accomidate a wide range of vacuum systems. Worth mentioning, the vacuum mount (where you attach you vacuum hose) is aluminum, not plastic as in the case of most saws! The rubber thinggy behind the blade does its job well. The flip fence is nice and sturdy; while easy to move out of the way if not needed! Mine did not come with the dust sleeve for the rails (as many have wrote in their reviews here as well).

The only downfall is the laser position! It is accurate and it lets the operator know precisely where the blade will cut, the fine adjustment laser knob works great for tweaking the laser if needed! However, I have noticed that as soon as one starts to cut, the black rubber dust guide (right behind the blade) gets in the way of the laser beam! Meaning that one is able to see the line before you start cutting, but once you start, the line disappears behind the black rubber! I have also noticed that the bevel stops were removed! The C10FS had like 5 bevel stops, now it only has three (90, 45 left / right)!

The saw has incredible smoothness and a nice slide action. The recoil has been reduced immensely; thanks in part the poly v-beld driven motor! One other thing worth noting, like the C10fs and other hitachi's, the left and right fence's are independent of each other! This has always been a hitachi marvel! This little detail allows one to recalibrate the fence easier, rather than the half moon piece of aluminum that usually joins both left / right fences! I have heard cases where (makita, dewalt, and bosch) fences have warped due to the fact that they are one piece!

If anyone is in the market for the most accurate and most consistent saw period, look no further than the C10FSH!!!...
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37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome!, March 22, 2005
By S. Giffin (US, Bay Area) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
After reading reviews here I was concerned about purchasing this saw. I took the plunge today and went and grabbed it from a local store.

My main concern was the accuracy. When adjusted correctly, the saw should cut so that the kerf ends where the laser mark lands. It does exactly that. I used a Starret combo square to mark a 90 cut and lined it up with the laser and sure enough, this thing is dead on. I also used this same sqare the check run out of the laser since some of the reviewers here mentioned it was off 1/64th and the end of the cut. No its not. I set the square on the fence and checked the laser at 2 feet and its less then a 64th at that range.

BTW, I own a DeWalt 708 (12 inch slider). This saw is better in every way with exception to slightly less cutting capacity.

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