Customer Reviews

Hitachi C10FCE2 10-Inch Compound Miter Saw

5 star:		(88)
4 star:		(43)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I bought this same saw about a year ago at Lowes, I paid something like $150 for it. It's a great saw, really smooth and comfortable to use. Works great for cutting trim boards, but I've also used it as a chop saw to cut 2x6's, it doesn't bog down one bit when cutting larger stock. It's a little heavy, but to me that just means it's built better. It's also quiet compared to other miter saws I've used. This is definitely a great deal! I'm almost tempted to buy a second as a backup!

Received the Hitachi C10FCE2 yesterday after a longer wait than usual from Amazon. But still within the window they specify.

Assembled the saw accessories in about 5 minutes (flip over fence, rear stabilizer bar, and hold down) and took it out to my shop. First up was a standard pine 2x4. Plugged in the saw and gave the trigger a pull. The first thing I noticed as a nice soft start mechanism, very nice. The blade started spinning and had little to no vibration. I love the horizontal anti vibe handle. Pulled the saw down and cut through the 2x4 like a hot knife through butter. I was impressed at this price point. Next up were some miter cuts. 52 degrees left and right, no problem. The indicator is very thin which makes for more exacting measurements, again very nice. Next up, bevel. Went to 45 degrees, gave the handle a tug and i had a clean 45 degree bevel. Checked the angles and they were spot on, right from the factory. I cut 2x6's, stacked 2 2x4's, and stacked 2 2x6's and it cut them without any problems or bogging down. This saw will cut 4x4 posts no problem at 90 degrees.

With the 5 year warrantee and a saw that performs like this you can't go wrong at $99.00 with free shipping.

I received this saw as a Christmas present in 2007. I've used it nearly every other weekend since, and the only complaint I have is with the manual. This was my first miter saw so I wanted to be sure that it was put together correctly, but the instructions were nearly incomprehensible. But, since I'm a guy and am used to not reading directions (j/k) I figured it out eventually.

This saw is very powerful relative to other models in this price range. I had looked at the Dewalt saws, but didn't really think the quality of construction was the same since Black & Decker bought them out a few years back. I've used this to cut 4x4" treated posts and it slices through them like a hot knife through butter, with no motor lag at all. The sawdust catch-bag is a nice feature, but doesn't catch it all. I wasn't expecting it to, and having ANY of it get caught is a plus, and simply less clean up for me once the project is finished.

After receiving this saw, I did some research and found out that all Hitachi power tools have a 5 year limited warrantee. I've blown through 3 drills - 1 Skil, 2 Black & Deckers (guess I didn't learn) - on my trip to the Hitachi brand, and will never buy anything but Hitachi tools from here on out. I would recommend this tool to anyone that is looking for a professional quality tool at a decent price.

I purchased this miter saw to replace its predecessor, Hitachi model C10FC2, which experienced a terminal encounter with my garage floor...

First Impressions:
This model is both smaller and lighter than I was expecting. Hitachi has apparently redesigned this product to minimize shipping costs from China. The bed of this saw is about 3 inches shorter than the C10FC2. It is also noticeably lighter. With these modifications, the saw can be packaged in a smaller (and flimsier) box. The saw pivots smoothly and has solid stops at common angles. The "D" style handle offers good control and is an improvement on the earlier pistol grip. I also like the fact that they have enlarged the throat of the dust collection bag; not nearly as much blockage. Finally, the Hitachi 5 year warranty makes this a reassuring choice.

The first thing I did after unpacking the saw was to align the fence(s)and blade. Next I upgraded the saw with a quality 80 tooth blade and an Irwin Miter Saw Laser Guide. Finally, I bolted the saw down to a larger plywood base to minimize tipping.

This saw delivers good basic accuracy at a reasonable price. As noted, the bed is kind of short. I suspect that commercial users will want to add extensions or build a cutting bed to handle longer pieces. The manufacturers have added a "flip fence" feature to the left fence to address some of these issues. Folded up, it provides support for taller material. Unfolded it pivots out horizontally and provides backing for longer materials. I was a little skeptical of the pivot, but it seems to work as intended. The only drawback is that you can't make bevel cuts with the flip fence retracted.

One disappointment is the redesigned material clamp/vise. They've downgraded this feature by using lighter materials and resizing the hand knob to the size of a small dial. The screw down clamp is mounted on a post which slides into a receiving vertical hole in the left or right fence. A second hole is lined up in the bed of the saw. So why couldn't they make these items the same size? The post slops around in the fence hole, but doesn't even fit into the receiving hole in the bed. If I used this feature more I'd be more concerned. It works, but its not pretty.

Overall, I am happy with the saw. Cuts were very accurate and repeatable. A reasonable tool for the hobbyist or home shop. Commercial users will probably need to make some of the noted upgrades. Too early to address durablility issues. I doubt this will be as robust as the earlier saw, but it will probably hold up if not abused (or dropped).

This saw was bought as a replacement for a contractor grade Craftsman compound miter saw and boy... I should have upgraded sooner!

The Craftsman saw weighs in at 55 lbs which makes it a pain to move and setup, however with this Hitachi weighing in at half the weight (just 26 lbs) not only makes it easier to move and setup it feels as well constructed as the Craftsman, if not better constructed. Also the built in carrying handle on top of this saw means no more having to carry it awkwardly or smashing my fingers!

The motor is nice and powerful and can easily cut through pressure treated 4x4 posts, 2x4s, you name it it cuts through it with ease. And the saw itself adjusts to pretty much any angle and beveling degree you can possibly need. The large fence allows you to cut some of the largest pieces of wood (like crown molding, window trim, etc.) without having to figure out a weird and dangerous way to hold the piece of wood while you make the cut. I can't remember how many times I've had to hold a piece awkwardly while making a cut because the fence is too short.

The added vise assembly is a HUGE plus, something that some of the more expensive saws don't even include.

Now you're thinking why did I give it only 4 stars? The dust bag only does a mediocre job at collecting dust and it's made in China... thats right a Japanese company making stuff in China. I really would have preferred to see it made in Japan or the US. It is covered by a five year warranty and made to the high standards of Hitachi... so it is a trade off.

Overall I would highly recommend this saw to anyone.

Pros:
Powerful.
Light-weight but very well constructed.
Fairly quiet, even for a miter saw.
Built in handle on the top of the unit makes transportation and setup much easier.
Comfortable handle.

Cons:
Made in China.
Dust bag doesn't collect a whole lot of dust... better then nothing though.

Picked this up for 99 bucks (price fluctuates often so just throw it into your shopping cart and wait for that deal to come up). Bought an Irwin laser guide for about 20 bucks and I'm ready for my job. This one is made in China (not Japan) but my expectations are for the occasional homeowner use, not for contractor duty and I am very pleased. Sure beats the plastic Ryobis sold at HD for the same price. Cheap Craftsman miter with the wrongly aligned stick on angle guage (are you kidding me) don't compare too. Best comparison is the entry level Dewalt but that one comes in at at 200 so this is half price for about the same performance. Great for cutting 2x4 and wood laminate panels (though you have to flip the board for the final cut) without motor bogging down. That's where the laser guide helps with perfect cuts. 40 tooth blade trims true, great for being free. My 80 tooth laminate blade is almost the cost of the saw. Yes.. the dust bag is pretty much useless, it catches just the ultrafine particles, all the rest of the debris is around you.

Want to cut a 2x4 at a 45 degree angle? Buy another saw. This one won't make it all the way through. Want to cut 4 inch base boards at a 45 degree angle? Buy another saw. This one won't make it all the way through.

If you want to make straight 90 degree cuts on 2x4s or base boards less than 4 inches then buy this saw OR... you can use the circular saw you already own and save yourself $140. Why bother with a miter saw if you can't make angled cuts? Don't be deceived by 10 inches of blade. You don't get to use the 4.5+ inch radius because the gutter is WAY too shallow. This saw is ONLY useful if you plan on doing very narrow trim work. From what I hear the Hitachi has an unusually shallow gutter and most other 10 inch miters WILL make angled cuts on 4 inch wide boards, so maybe another brand would work. However, If you're working on anything outside of 3" trim work (who doesn't cut 2x4s?!?), I would spend the extra $30 - $40 on a 12" Miter Saw just to be sure.

This saw is unusually well made, sturdy, powerful, accurate. I am a retired building contractor and this is one of the best values I've seen.

I purchased this saw from a local Lowe's on sale for $109-- A great price for a 15 amp, 10" saw as capable as this saw.

For comparison, my first miter saw was a DeWalt DW706, a 12" non-sliding double bevel saw also rated at 15 amps. This was a great saw capable of glass-smooth crosscuts with the included blade. After selling this great saw to a relative, I eventually went looking for a miter saw replacement on a smaller budget, as the DeWalt is a $350 saw.

As my main purpose will be crosscutting dimensional lumber, power matters more to me than precision. It just happens that this little Hitachi had both gobs of power and good precision. The non-sliding design makes for a far more rigid saw, and the smaller 10" size means even less deflection. The Hitachi is smaller and lighter than my DeWalt was, much more portable, and just as suitable for my main use of it. I don't miss the capacity of the 12" saw, as with non-sliders, the difference in capacity is slight. By contrast, a slider can have a LOT more capacity than their non-sliding brethren, so consider your needs before you buy. If you don't truly NEED a slider, you *will* give up portability, precision, and stability (not to mention a couple c-notes) for that unnecessary (for you) sliding feature.

This saw is a single-bevel design, meaning that the saw head will only tilt one direction (to the left) for bevel cuts. For mitering, you can move the table both left and right, so you have options. The table shifts left and right without too much effort, and has no play-- it feels rather precisely made. The base itself appears to be die-cast aluminum-- which is good, as die casting tends to be much more precise than sand casting (another common casting technique).

The saw is pretty loud, but not louder than any other saw of this kind that I have used. I recommend ear protection with all power tools-- this one is no exception.

Some newer models of competing miter saws have a "soft start" feature where the motor doesn't instantly receive full power when turned on. This is intended to prevent a "jump" from the instantaneous application of motor power. This Hitachi saw does NOT have a soft-start feature, and because it is so powerful, the handgrip/sawhead will kick up rather aggressively when you turn it on. It is perfectly manageable, but it is something worth mentioning as not everyone will tolerate this equally. One option to address this is to leave the saw all the way up when you turn it on, then bring it down to cut. I prefer to keep the blade closer to the work, so I live with the kickback.

The included blade is completely inappropriate for crosscutting with any kind of finish. It is a 24 tooth design, akin to a rough framing blade. If you want a finer finish on the cuts, plan on upgrading the blade to a 60 tooth or so intended for crosscutting. I bought a Bosch blade (decent, but not as good as a Freud, and not in the league with Forrest or Ridge Carbide) and I think it performs pretty well overall.

All in all, the this saw is unbeatable in this price range. It's either the cheapest decent saw or the best cheap saw you will ever find of its kind. I'm very pleased with it (and pleased that I saved hundreds of bucks a fancier saw that wouldn't benefit my usage that much).

Bought this on Amazon for a simple apartment baseboard project. It did a fine job of cutting 90/45-degree angles. This is my first saw, and at the price I paid, it is cheaper to own than to rent a miter saw from a place like Home Depot. I am definitely not as skilled with wood-working as others out there but I had no trouble working with this saw. I didn't even use all the attachments that it came with. At some point, I will read the instruction booklet and figure out how to use those. There are a some notable drawbacks of this model, however. First, the dust bag is pretty much useless. During my several hours of cutting, the bag collected almost nothing. Second, there is no laser guide, so there is some guesswork involved at least initially. I don't understand why a tool-maker like Hitachi can't put an imprint by the cutting edge which clearly indicates exactly where the saw will make the cut. I also noted that tiny slivers of the plastic piece (which is part of the saw) upon which you place the wood got sliced off during cutting. Thought that was odd since this indicates some kind of misalignment in the cutting assembly. Luckily, this does not interfere with cutting accuracy. All in all, this is an okay tool and I look forward to using it in future projects. For those advanced folks out there, be careful since this saw may not be your first choice.