Customer Reviews

DEWALT DWS7085 Miter-Saw LED Work Light System

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The DeWalt DWS7085 LED worklight system is fantastic. I was able to install it in about 10 minutes and it works great. It not only shows the blade shadow for precise cuts, it also lights up the work surface. The light could be a little brighter as I sometimes use the saw outdoors in better than shop lighting. I prefer it to a laser as it shows both sides of the cut and does not need any adjustment to be precise. Great addition to a great saw.

Installation: Easy on my DW718. Kit comes with a small torx tool to remove the necessary cover plates for the switch/power assembly and worklight assembly. You have to raise the blade guard to get to one of the mounting screws for the LED worklight. No adjustments needed.

Function: Bright, ambient LED worklight certainly improves safety and awareness of immediate area surrounding the blade. Independent On/Off switch for LED light is another nice feature...if you leave the light on, it indicates that the saw is "live" or "hot" and your crazy buddy won't have the urge to pull the trigger to see if the saw is still plugged in.

The resolution of the shadow that is created by the LED downlight on the saw blade is quite remarkable. You can actually see the kerf of each tooth...lasers can't do that. The shadow accurately tracks at all angles and bevels (why wouldn't it...it's a shadow.)

Things to think about:
- Performs as promised in a workshop/ garage. If you are working in the sunny outdoors, forget about seeing any shadow.
- Shadow resolution is clearest when blade is close to workpiece. All of the simulated product photos show the shadow line when the saw blade is pulled down to raise the blade guard out of the way.
- If your blade is not true or has runout problems, the projected shadow may not be accurate...if this is the case, you have bigger problems than a crooked shadow.

Overall, I would recommend this product.

I wasn't quite sure if this was going to be a wise investment or not but after the first time of using it I was SOLD! When you turn the light on as the saw approaches the material you get an exact shadow of what is going to be removed. This takes a lot of the guessing and repositioning out of my day now and I couldn't imagine not having it now.

Here are the high points...
Super easy installation - the saw is prewired to accept the light and power supply.
No batteries or adapters - the unit is powered directly from the saw.
There's no adjustment needed - the shadow line is dead on (it can't help but be).
It doesn't matter if I'm using my regular or thin kerf blades; everything in the shadow gets cut. Nothing more, nothing less.

Here are a few other things to note - not bad things, just had to get used to them...
Need to lower the blade to the workpiece to get a decent shadow.
Took a little bit to get used to the lumpy looking shadow line, since each individual carbide tooth casts a shadow.

Here are the low points...
I waited six months before deciding to by this thing - STUPID!
I would buy the LED work light again in a heartbeat!

My overall reaction to the Dewalt LED work light miter saw accessory after a week's use is consistent with the earlier reviews - 5 Stars! It took less than 10 minutes to install on a new Dewalt DW717, needs no adjustment in operation and the shadow line shows exactly where the blade is going to cut when the blade is lowered close to the workpiece. I expect it will be a big help in reducing my miter cut rework and setup time. DEWALT DWS7085 Miter Saw LED Work Light System I found that I could improve the shadow line visibility outdoors by using my Fastcap saw hood - used only indoors for dust contaiment before.

This light works well. It does not need adjustment like the laser did, and is always accurate. It would be nice if it put out a bit more ambient light for the surrounding area, but you can't be too picky! It does its job, and does it well.

Like the majority of other opinions written here, DeWalt's LED worklight solution is a great alternative to finicky lasers. I've extensively used two laser units, LaserKerf's add-on unit on a DeWalt 708 (quite nice) and Makita's joke of a laser on their LS1016L 10" miter.

Anyhow... as has been already pointed out, the LED needs no adjustment and projects a shadow the width of the kerf. My cuts are dead on.

Detractors? A few.

The shadow isn't crisp and clear until the blade is lowered at least half-way to the workpiece. This is a minor inconvenience because I've taken to casting my lasers (and now shadows) directly onto a tape measure held against the work piece, eliminating the need to pencil-mark the wood. If I had three hands, this wouldn't be an issue. As I only have two, I have to set the tape measure, lower the blade, adjust my piece without jiggling the tape out of place, then remove the tape without jostling the workpiece out of place.

Installation is a little cramped. The small connectors that others have noted weren't really a problem, and they're actually quite big when they have to sit just so in the tiny compartment on the saw, nested in amongst the various wires. On my DW717, it took a couple of tries of repositioning the connectors and wires to be able to get the LED unit to set flush on the saw.

The switch is tiny AND covered with a loose rubber cover, so it's a bit of an inconvenience to turn the LED on and off if using the saw intermittently. It'd be great if it was a pushbutton instead of a rocker switch, and even better if it had a time-out function of some sort after, say, 15 or 30 minutes of inactivity on the saw.

Lastly, for some strange reason, this LED causes a bunch of static interference on my radio whenever it's powered on.

All-in-all, a great device that removes ALL of the guess work out of my cuts.

After discovering my $210 Dewalt Miter saw did not have a laser line like every other Miter-saw on the market I went shopping. I soon discovered that the add on laser system made for my saw ($80) apparently didn't work well. Was never true and required constant fiddling. The only other option is this "work light" which also casts a shadow line on the wood your cutting. I personally think the engineers were surprised to see the shadow line and decided to advertise it as a feature. The first thing you should know is the shadow appears as you press the saw closer to the board. When the blade is fully up, the shadow is blurred by the teeth on the blade. You can sort of, kinda tell where it is on you project wood with the blade fully up. Push the blade downward and the shadow line becomes sharper. Its not laser line sharp but still clear enough to make a precision cut. (I had a Craftsman with laser and can tell you they can be way off. I had to compensate by placing the blade behind the line.) The work light is bright and useful as well. Installation consists of removing the top of the handle and installing the switch into two existing wire connections. You have to pay attention to which side the clip on the plugs are to get them oriented correctly. You then have to maneuver the top piece on while pressing the connectors to one side to get a flush fit. The second piece installs on the blade housing. Pretty much a no brainer.

Bottom line: if you have a Dewalt Miter-saw and plan on keeping it you need this work light. It should of been on the saw when you bought it, but thats Dewalt. You will suffer laser envy when your friends break out their Mitre saws...but unfortunately the Dewalt add on laser is a disaster. So welcome to the shadows...(oh,yes you can see it in the daylight too but the saw has to be pretty far down).

I bought the DEWALT 12" Sliding miter saw DW718, then went looking for the laser guide. I saw the LED on clearance so I thought I would give it a try.Installation took about 10 minutes - no set upor calibration required. Much to my surprise - with all the hype on lasers -this solution works GREAT - the shadow line it creates is clearly visible and accurate on both sides of the blade!!!Works without the saw being on (but plugged in)- a big bonus.

I bought this for my DW716 and I'm very impressed. This doesn't seem to have the downfall of the laser that everyone always complains about (when they're arbor mounted). Instead, this uses the shadow of the blade (including kerf from teeth) and so far it seems pretty accurate. Not only does it help confirm cut at a glance, it also provides ample work light in an area that often has most of the light blocked out (standing over the saw and workpiece with lighting above you etc). Also, I appreciated the fact that this mounts above the blade so it doesn't take away from workspace and blade clearance, and it also draws power from the saw's plug instead of requiring batteries. The saw was designed with the attachments in mind rather than retrofitting and I appreciate that. It wasn't as quick/simple as I expected it to be, but it wasn't difficult at all. Very pleased with this purchase and highly recommend over a laser attachment.