Customer Reviews

Hitachi C10FCH2 10-Inch Miter Saw with Laser

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

While I am not new to power tools (I am an avid DIY'r, and HVAC tech). This was my first purchase of a powered compound miter saw. I had no problems with the manual that came with it, besides who really reads those? The unit for the most part is self explanitory. I had it mounted to my bench downstairs in about 20 mins, plus 15 mins to go to the hardware store for some lag bolts. Operation and adjustments were easy. Cuts like a dream. The only thing i can say bad about it, isnt really bad. I would have liked to be able to cut 8" baseboard with it but it doesnt have the capacity. I should have done more research prior. But for all my other uses, crown moulding, quarter-round, trimming out a window, I had fun and they look great. I would recomend this saw for those who arent looking to spend an arm and a leg. Plus as an added bonus, it's super light for mobility.

I got this saw a couple of weeks ago and couldn't be happier, I only gave it 4 stars because I haven't had it long enough to wring it out the way I usually do. I especially like its light weight, around 30lbs. I have limited space in my shop so I can store it in corner somewhere and when I need it I just stick it on my workbench and clamp it down with a couple of C-clamps. I was especially impressed by the smoothness for such a light saw. When I first got it I was expecting a lot of vibration but that was not the case. Laser, blade, mitre and bevel are right on. It really wants to have the extension tables though, I didn't get them with this saw but expect I will add them later. Hold down clamp is a little awkward but usable, I will likely change that with some sort of cam lock later.
Some reviewers had trouble with the instruction manual but I thought they were fine. Considering that more and more stuff is made elsewhere and the poor snooks writing instruction manuals are likely not writting in their native language, you kinda need to read through syntax and sentence structure errors to grasp the concepts. Throw in a few typo errors from the printer and it is easy for some to write off the manuals as worthless.
All in all, I think Hitachi is a highly underrated product. This is the first I have owned but I have borrowed and rented other products and they are definatley a products that deserve serious consideration. They are generally lower priced and you can find some real bargains in the remanufactured market.
This is a follow-up - I did find one thing I wasn't to happy about. I was making some picture frames and found that the laser isn't that helpful on mitre cuts. I have it adjusted to where the left side of the blade hits the mark for 90 degree crosscuts but on a 45 will be off nearly a 1/4". I haven't determined yet if it is just my saw or whether it is inherent to the design. I have found no adjustment for paralax. May end up installing an aftermarket spindle mounted laser.

Normally I'm a dewalt loyalist, but to be honest what drew me to the hitachi saw was the folding frame style fence and sub frame/fence on the right side (optional) that extend its flexibility to hold onto longer pieces of wood and provide support over a longe distance. That combined with the clamp system hitachi designed for left or right hand feed lets you setup your workpiece firmly in the fence, turn on the laser, and make the cut with your hands nowhere near the wood becuase it is so well clamped down. I've had miter saws kick off pieces when I square up the end of a feed piece and this system doesnt have that tendency due to the clamps provided (you get a hand tightened t-nut in the base, a 3/8" rod, and then another vertical clamp to that rod that drops down to your workpiece with a 1.5" disc which you can twist down to hold the work in place securely. No hands required during the cut. Avoiding any kickback is a nice feature during operation of the saw.

I make picture frames using an electric brad nailer and this miter saw. There is some truth to the negative review - the bolt to unset the 45 degree detent is torqued down more than need be. I used a dewalt metric impact wrench to loosen that bolt, then found that the table had detents at all the normal angles you would want to cut. Once in the detent, finger tightning was all that was required to keep it in place.

I bought the model with the laser which I found to be exceptionally accurate indicating where the finished edge would be and where the kerf would be. The laser is turned on with a covered on/off switch and can stay on forever since it draws power from the AC line while you are stacking your wood and clamping it down with the built in clamp. I've decided that for future frames I will cut 2 pieces of stock on top of each other to make exact length coppies of the top and side frames.

Considering that a laser compound miter saw would have sold for $500 years ago, the sub 150 price today is a bargain.

One really minor nitpick is that the saw draws 15 amps , which while I have a electrically started vacuum system, the vacuum motor and the tool must both share the same power line. That is impossible with the 15A saw and 12 A vacuum (27A on a 20A outlet) so I have had to operate the vacuum on a separate circuit and manually turn it on prior to cutting, then leave it running the whole time - but an advantage is there is NO DUST when I'm done! I prefer this active vacuum collection to the hitachi "bag" dust catcher since it has so much airflow with 12A it pulls nearly 100% of the dust out of the saw, the fence, table, floor, you name it.

There is some assembly required upon delivery but calibration has been done at the factory. A swing out fence must be put in place by the owner, as would be the dust collector if used. Even using a single piece of stock I was able to transfer a mark and cut them exactly to size. From there assembly went smooth except for an electric staple gun which could not penetrate soft pine. I returned it and plan to purchase a pneumatic stapler instead since I can dial up the force much easier.

As I mentioned, the fence includes a vice which can be swung close to the blade or opposing the blade. The kerf is narrow and the included blade has carbide tipped teeth making exceptionally smooth cuts that are perfectly flat when glued up.

Having the right tool for the job makes a world of difference - in this case it made a simple matter to construct a frame for an artist's canvas. The 3 dollar increase for the laser is well worth the price over the non-laser model. If your wood is marked prior to inserion, the process is simple. Dial up the angle using the detent and bolt just to hand tight. Line up the laser with the cut line noting where the kerf will be, put the clamp in place, then activate the dust management and make the cut(s). I am very pleased overall with the value and quality in this power tool.

My wife and I recently bought a new home, and I needed a compound miter saw for several miscellaneous jobs around the house. I really didn't need anything fancy, just something to make miter cuts, but I wanted something that would last. Consumer reports rated the Hitachi C10FCH2 really well, so I checked it out at our local Lowes. I found it on Amazon cheaper so that is ultimately where I bought it from.

I have had other Hitachi power tools and they have always served me well, so I felt confident this saw would to. I have had the miter saw for a few months now, and I was right. This saw is a work horse. It cuts precise, clean cuts. The knob to adjust the cutting angle "clicks" in at certain angles to you can feel confident that your cut will be dead on.

The blade it comes with works fine for ruff cuts, but you will definitely want to purchase a better blade if you plan to use the saw a lot or need cleaner cuts. When I was looking for a miter saw I didn't think I cared too much about the laser. Now that I have it, I never want to go back! It makes cutting jobs so much quicker and more precise. The only downfall to this saw (and it is true of all laser tools) the laser is useless outdoors in the sun. You don't have to use the laser if you don't want to, as there is an on/off switch for it.

The saw is not super light at almost 40lbs, so don't expect to use this as a portable saw to carry around a lot. All-in-all this saw has been fantastic. It is built extremely well, is simple to use, and makes great compound miter cuts. Would definitely buy it again, and recommend it to anyone looking to purchase a saw.

It's a pretty good saw for the price. It has a few shoddy parts like the mounting for the sub fence and the hold down clamp. Not sure what that sub fence does, but the instructions are wrong and tell you to mount it on the wrong side. It goes on the left and does not mount flush. I think I will remove it. The assembly instructions are poor. You have to puzzle through them and infer what they are getting at. The motor is a goer and seems to have plenty of power. The laser line was off about 1 degree with the fence; had to adjust it and the 0 degree position.
Due its size and the way the saw works, it will only cut a board 5-6 inches wide in one pass. Not really a replacement for my table saw, but good for quick cuts on molding and picture frames.
If you want a better saw, you will have to pay up to $3-500 for the little details. But this one is fine for the casual home user.

This is a decent miter saw for the money, I've seen it here for as low as $107 or so, so it might be worth your while to wait for a good deal.
That being said, at $150 things change and the saw is much less of a good deal.

Pros:
1) Reasonably well built, sturdy
2) Good powerful motor- saw can handle most framing materials, hardwoods, and lumber with ease- up to the width of a 2x6 in one pass.
3) Lots of goodies included- laser, material clamp, extension bars. In this respect this is a good package that is all inclusive. If you shop around you'll see that some of the higher end saws lack these essentials.
4) Stock 24T Hitachi blade is surprising good for general use. Though it might not be as fine as you like for cutting hardwoods, for MDF, framing lumber this works just fine. You'll want to get a higher tooth count blade to avoid chipping out and for smoother cuts on hardwood and plywood.
5) Light, and portable- a big plus if you are a contractor hauling it from jobsite to jobsite. Non-issue if set up for permanent bench top use.
6) Miter stops are generally good and give positive feedback. Locking down for overriding the miter stops is easy and secure.
7) Warranty is unparalleled- five years. Hitachi will stand by this for the years to come.

Cons:
1) Laser is not very accurate out of the box- you will need to align your laser to either blade left or right- pick one, and stick to it for all your cuts. I've seen saws come from the factory with the laser center aligned- no good and you'll have to guess each time. I don't like lasers for miter saws in general, but it comes with it, so you might as well learn to use it properly.
2) Blade guard lock (a metal bar you have to unlock between blade changes) screws come over-torqued out of the box. Be careful as you will easily strip out the screw by forcing too hard to undo it.
3) Blade changes while holding the blade guard open with one hand and holding down the blade lock, and unscrewing the arbor bolt with your other hand is awkward.
4) Table area is small compared to other brands, and also fence space is limited due to the motor design- this is a workaround if you need to make jigs and or holders for your work pieces.
5) Dust evacuation is a joke. I would venture to say that the bag picks up about 30% of actual dust generated during cutting. Even with attached shop vac, doesn't help much.
6) Availability of accessories is questionable- if you use this to cut crown, you will want to have the crown stops. It's difficult to make your own jig to hold the crown to the fence and upside down, and unless you can cut your crown using the compound method (which will work great if all your walls and corners are perfect 90 degrees), you will want some accuracy. The fence is barely tall enough for 4.25 inch crown, especially the right fence. Ycan buy crown stops for this- but they are harder to find, and they are very expensive compared to the $25 you'd spend on Dewalt crown stops.

In short, great saw for under $140- above $140, not that good of a deal anymore, but still a good, complete starter package with the safety devices you will want for safe operation. You can easily trim out a house with this saw- base moulding, door/window casings, panel mouldings, chair rails, etc. However, if you plan on cutting crown, which is probably more of an advanced/intermediate use- may I suggest the Dewalt DW713 or DW715 with DW7084 crown stops- easy to find accessories for those saws, and the LED work light system is a blast to use. The DW713 is my workhorse and go to saw for crown moulding. That being said, I'm sure the Hitachi is defintely usable if you can get the crown holders, if you can find them- or if you can construct a proper functioning jig to hold it- difficult to work around the motor size/shape though.
Either way you go, I would make sure you get crown holders/stops such that your crown cuts will be more accurate and repeatable.

This is an awesome saw! My first use for it was when I was installing real hardwood flooring in my house. It cuts like a hot knife through butter! Very sturdy and easy to use right out of the box. I love that you can hook up a shop vac to help control the saw dust mess. I'd recommend this product to any one.

Shopped around quite a bit and found the best price here. The laser takes a bit of getting used to and is ineffective in daylight. Love the saw. Well built.

I bought my saw at home improvement store for a weekend of woodcutting. I can see now I should have purchased it here. Between tax and price difference, Amazon.com is $70 less than the hardware store.

Here's a few notes after a weekend of woodcutting.

Accuracy can't be beat. The laser is dead nuts on the cut line.

I did not use the dust bag, but rather hooked this up to my oversize shop vac Alto (WAPSQ17AS/PE2) ALTO Two Man Dustless Vacuum System. There was a small problem getting the hose to fit because the dust exhaust port is meant for their bag system which have never proven great ways to capture dust when compared to active suction. Once I turned on the vacuum, the hose snugged itself into the port from pure air power and stayed put until I turned off the vacuum. I'd estimate I got 99% of the dust with just a few chips of wood laying on the worksurface after cutting. The vacuum is meant to service 2 people at the same time, so when stuffed into this saw it really cleaned up.

I personally think that the angle setting bolt was shipped over tight simply as part of packing. The saw comes in pieces in the factory box, and is locked at a 45 degree cut to save space in the box. I found the bolt did not need to be soo tight in normal use because of a press down lever detent system on common angles.


This is a very effective tool and when I saw it on amazon for seventy less than what I paid locally I was shocked. Oh well, I had the weekend to finish the job buying it at the store.

Robert

DIY looking for a solid miter saw at a decent price. I was very satisfied with my purchase overall. The manual was not helpful in assembling the product, but really didn't need it as most of the parts and pieces are self explanatory. Only real disappoint was with the laser guide. It is hard to see in sunlight and the adjustment for the laser line is anything but precise. If I had to do it all over again, I would have purchased the same saw with out the laser guide, saving the difference in price.

Overall, a solid miter saw except for the laser guide.