Customer Reviews

DELTA 36-250 Sidekick 10-Inch Compound Miter Saw with Stand

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a really good saw with a host of accessories that usually are not included with others. The stand is nice and sturdy although the work supports could be a little beefier. The only real gripe I have with this saw is the table adjustment. The table does not lock at the common mitre's very well. It takes a little time to get it precise because of the lack of stops. All-in-all, a great package for the price.

I bought one of these two years ago to build my first greenhouse. I just love it! I looked at alternatives, and at the time there just wasn't much else to compare. I cut many 4x6's as well as small delicate items.
The included saw blade is good, but I bought a better one (a Freud) since for fine work.
The sliding mechanism is great and the stand is very convenient. I was worried that it would be too flimsy, but that's not the case. It certainly flexes, but since the saw is firmly attached to the metal table, it doesn't really matter. And it certainly can't be beat for convenience, unless you have space for a fixed mount.
The sliding mechanism is very smooth and seems to resist dirt very well.
As mentioned in another review, the mitre stops could be firmer. Also, when setting an arbitrary angle, one has to wiggle a bit back and forth to get a precise setting.
Overall, it's a big ticket item, but I'm so glad I went for it. A cheaper item would have caused so much more work and grief.

Our sidekick has received much use and abuse and continues to work like a dream. We've used it as a framing saw on three large and countless smaller projects and for hundreds of compound miter cuts on hardwood. The saw still cuts square as the day it was new. The stand is a little flexy, but is fine for all but long, very heavy lumber. With an additional work stand, cutting long 4x6 treated posts is easy to do alone. I really shopped long and hard before buying and was worried about if this was the right tool, but it has proven itself worthy and a good value.

I bought this saw 8 mos. ago and I use it every day. I am a finish carpenter and do cabinetry in high-end estates. After using DeWalts DW708 and Hitachi's 8.5 slide compounds for years, I bought this saw thinnking I was getting a deal (the big base, the stand). The only good thing I can say is that it still works when I plug it in. The bad: the worst thing is that this saw has so much "head-flex" that you can not achieve accurate miter cuts on larger crown moulding. The head will actually flex on a compound cut, and can "flex" sometimes up to 1/16 through the cut, especially in hardwoods, where more pressure is needed. It is so frustating trying to get large crown to fit laser tight with this saw. The miter guage is a sticker and is peeeling off making it soon non-existant to read any stops. The stops are achieved with the ball bearing settling into a detent on the lower plate, this is horrible when trying to find accuracy, I have a real hard time making perfect 90 deg. cuts the farther I pull the blade out... Why didn't DELTA make a positive detent stop on the popular degrees?? The stand is falling apart, I am constantly finding peices in the back of my truck or on the floor of the shop ( I do not abuse my tools or throw them around) , Delta won't replace lost peices only broken ones. It only tilts right, and it wouldn't have been difficult to cast the rear aluminum peoce for a left tilt also. On the job sites, the saw attracts a lot of attention because you can't ever find one of these in a store, people like the big base and the stand....but the true test is how it cuts, and DELTA needs to tighten up the accuracy on this saw. I'm selling this saw, it was mistake to buy without testing it firsthand.

A cousin of mine bought this saw and we have had very good luck with it. Infact, I liked it so much that I went to buy my own. Well, my first saw came and after getting it out of the box I noticed the handle was cracked right where the handle meets the saw. I understand accidents happen in shipping so I sent it back. My new replacement saw came within 5 days. After I opened the box I noticed this saw was cracked in the exact same place! Even though the saw does perform quite well and is extremely portable I have to give it a pretty low rating since the plastic construction around the handle is not very well manufactured. I since went with the Bosch 10" sliding miter saw. Very good saw and extremely durable. For the few extra bucks its worth it.. I hope delta re-engineers this saw to be compatible in quality with the rest of their products..

I bought this saw because I was putting up a hip roof and my little 8" chop saw couldn't go through 2x8's. I've been planning to buy a sliding miter saw for a while. After some hands on testing, I thought the Dewalt felt very flimsy (lots of side to side movement on the blade), the Hitachi was great but too expensive, and the Delta just didn't seem to have the "finesse" needed for cabinetry grade cutting so I decided to buy and the Bosch. When I finally got around to buying, the price of the Delta and the included work stand made me change my mind. I was not disappointed. This saw is a fantastic piece of equipment. I'll spare you the tech specs, you can find them anywhere. Its the feel of the saw that impressed me....the positive stops are rock solid, the horizontal grip fits the hand like a glove, and with the horizontal pole mounts (instead of over and under like the dewalt) there is no side to side movement in the blade. Needless to say, my fears about lack of finesse were quickly put to rest. The stand is a god-sent. After taking less than a minute to collapse the legs, this saw is jobsite ready. It also comes with a second set of feet when you're ready to hardmount it in the shop. My only complaint is the dust bag. Its worthless. But, then again, I never met a dust bag I didn't hate.......

I am a homeowner who hasn't owned a sliding miter saw. This summer, I began building a deck on my home. My neighbor offered to lend me his Sidekick. I was very imprested with this saw. The combination of saw and stand was a great marketing decision. However, when I began researching this and other comparable sliding miter saws to purchuse (bosch,dewalt, hitachi) I read a consumer review concerning the cracks in the handle. After reading this I inspected my neighbors sidekick for cracks. Sure enough they were present; 4 separate cracks. My neighbor had not used his sidekick very much. If I was going to pay around $... for a sliding saw, I wanted better quality. If the handles were designed better, Delta would of had a sure sale.

I owned one of the original "sidekick", a 6" sliding saw with almost a 15" reach. Fantastic for framing (2x stock was a piece of cake) as well as finish carpentry, it was accurate, stayed true and square. Almost never needed to reset it at all. Anyways, after 8 years of use, I almost gave it away to my sis, thinking that I would trade up. After trying the newer "sidekick", I was sorely disappointed and have wound up purchasing the Hitachi c10fs. The Hitachi was the only one out there that I believe can handle heavy work as well as cabinetry and still hold true and accurate. The Hitachi is a little bit more than this, but it well worth it.

Note- if I was only going to use it for framing and decks, this would be an excellent choice, especially with the stand included. But you would be sad when you saw what it does to oak casing...

What an advantage a sliding miter is over my old fixed miter saw. I bought this saw from amazon a couple of months ago to build a deck. I knew I would like it because earlier in the summer I had helped my in-laws with some house framing and they had one. If not for that experience, I probably would have shied away due to some previous reviews with warnings about cracked handles. My saw did not and does not have a cracked handle. I think it might be easy to break the handle if you picked the entire saw up by it- which the instructions clearly tell you not to do.

My deck is now 99% finished, and I cut nearly every board on some type of bevel or miter with this saw - 26,000 pounds of lumber according to the delivery sheet. I cut hundreds of 2x8 beams and joists, 4x4 posts and 5/4x6 Trex decking. It has lots of power, cuts smoothly and cleanly - no problems. I say the saw is a good value because it is cheaper than most of the competition, and has the added value of the stand - which costs about $100-150 more for every other saw I looked at. My only complaints are minor. first, the miter stops are not quite as easy to feel as I would like - you can't set it without looking. Second, sawdust tends to blow right on the miter markings, causing you to dust them off every time you need to reset(the dust bag has about as much value as every other one I own, which is zero - why do they bother putting them on?).

With a little research I found this saw to be a great deal with the included stand and stock clamp. (Every other saw you have to pay extra for every attachment.) I do everything from little projects around the house to large framing projects and this saw can keep up. It is kind of nice not to have to lug a bulky 12" saw around and a separate stand to each job. In short, I have had it quite awhile now and have never had any problems. So long you don't need to cut a piece of stock any wider than 11.5", I would recommend this saw to anyone, professional or not. I also found the dust bag to actually work, this was bonus. Give the table time you will get used to how it locks into position. Put a 60 or 80 tooth blade on it and it's great for finish work. Happy woodworking...