Hitachi C10RA3 15 amp 10-inch Benchtop Table Saw with Stand

by Hitachi

Product Description

Amazon.com

Hitachi’s third-generation 10-inch jobsite table saw replaces their old C10RA2 model, and the changes made a great saw better.

After about a half-hour of assembly, you’ll notice first that there’s now more room to rip: The telescoping table extension gives you 24-1/2 inches of ripping capacity to the right and 10 inches to the left. And we can’t figure out how they made it lighter, but they did, and without sacrificing power. It draws 15 amps and produces a whopping 5,000 rpm, enough to slice through anything you feed it. It runs beautifully with virtually no vibration; it’s direct drive, of course.

Since you’re shopping for a jobsite saw, you know you’re not going to get a Biesemeyer-quality fence, but we have to say we really like the one on this machine. It’s sturdy, self-aligning, moves super smoothly along its rails and locks down easily and very securely with a beefy handle. Hitachi also gets points from us for predrilling holes for any auxiliary fence you might want to use. The blade height wheel is on the front, and the bevel handwheel is on the right-hand side. The scale and pointer, though, are up front, along with the bevel lock. Both wheels operate smoothly and without hiccups. Be aware, though, that when you tilt the blade to 45 degrees and you’re using the miter gauge, the gauge’s handle will bump into the blade guard. It doesn’t cause a problem, but users should just be forewarned.

We like the self-aligning metal rip fence for its stability, the quick-lock feature and how cleanly it slides. Should you need to realign, the process is fast and simple. The miter gauge is rock-solid and runs without play in the slots, and both pieces store neatly on the saw base along with the wrench, push-stick, power cord, dado insert and blade for transport and keeps them in easy reach for use. The stand is sturdy and we like the leveling foot on one leg to compensate for rugged ground at the jobsite or an uneven shop floor. To keep mess to a minimum, hook up your shop vacuum to the 2-1/2-inch port on the rear of the saw base. We think this is a great saw at a great price, and both the professional and the exacting do-it-yourselfer will be really pleased with it.--Kris Jensen-Van Heste

Amazon.com Product Description
Hitachi's C10RA3 10-inch Table Saw offer the complete package of power and portability. This saw features a powerful 15-amp motor with 5,000 rpm and enough power to rip through the toughest applications. The fence system is self aligning and the telescoping table extension gives 24-1/2 inches of ripping capacity. This saw also comes with a 10-inch, 36-tooth carbide blade and a dust port. The front mounted blade height and side mounted blade tilt adjustments are user friendly and the base has on board storage for the rip fence, miter gauge, wrench, power cord and blade storage. This saw comes with a sturdy folding stand for easy storage and portability.

Technical Details
Blade Size: 10 inches

Full-Load Current: 15 amps

No-Load Speed, 5,000 rpm

Capacity:
Table Size, 30-3/4 inches by 19-1/2 inches
Rip Capacity Right, 24-1/2 inches
Max Cut Depth at 90 degrees, 3 inches
Max Cut Depth at 45 degrees, 2-1/2 inches
Max Width of Dado, 1/2 inches

Tool Weight: 58.3 pounds

Product Description

10" Job-Site Table Saw 3.5HP

See all Product Description

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 25 x 23 x 37 inches
• Shipping Weight: 74 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000FKQE0U
• Item model number: C10RA3
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #154,270 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)
  • #65 in Home Improvement > Power & Hand Tools > Power Tools > Saws > Table Saws

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars great deal, lots of power awesome portability .... just buy a better blade, September 25, 2006

By 

Johnny on the Spot "Johnny on the Spot" (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hitachi C10RA3 15 amp 10-inch Benchtop Table Saw with Stand (Tools & Home Improvement)

While shopping for table saws the most important factors I considered were: value, portability, ease of use, and accuracy. After comparrison shopping I found this saw to be an incredible value at $279. As for portability this saw without stand weighs in around 53 pounds which makes it easy on the back. All the controls are upfront and easy to use and I had no problem setting this saw up right out of the box without the manual. The only draw back... accuracy. After attaching the factory blade and ripping a few boards I was fairly disappointed with my cuts, however realizing that the factory blade was rather cheap, I went down to the local hardware store and picked up a freud diablo blade and slapped it on and realligned everything. After that this saw cuts like a dream. In conclusion you get a lot of bang for your buck with this saw, I would just recommend upgrading the cheap factory blade for a better one.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good saw for limited applications, February 28, 2008

By 

Newbie Woodworker (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hitachi C10RA3 15 amp 10-inch Benchtop Table Saw with Stand (Tools & Home Improvement)

First of all there is a universal truism: A good carpenter never blames his tools.

The Pros:
I have been able to produce several pieces of furniture for use around the house with this saw. The saws greatest assets are its portability without having to purchase aftermarket lifts (I can fold it up and stow it away against a wall in under 2 minutes clearing the space for other operations), its small footprint (approx. 30" x 20" without extensions), dust collection bag (for those without dust collection systems), fairly accurate / easy to use fence, 1 - 1.5 hour assembly time, and its price. Everything was aligned right out of the box, and the directions were clear during assembly.

The Cons:
A large part of the saws portability is attributed to its weight. This attribute is an unfortunate double-edged sword. Because the saw is so light, it has a tendency to move back when ripping long (greater than 3 foot) boards. Should you run into some resistance when ripping a board (like going through a tough knot) the saw will tip up and away from you (the additional foot provided in the back of the saw will prevent the table from tipping over however). The miter gauge requires you to square it to the blade each time you use it. The anti kickback splitter requires a large amount of adjustment to get correctly aligned each time you place it back on the saw. All parts are metric, making replacement difficult to impossible unless you order directly from the company. Lastly, as I am now discovering, you cannot upgrade the saw with aftermarket parts (i.e. no zero clearance inserts, no riving knives, no splitters, no featherboards, no miter gauges, no jigs, not sure about aftermarket fences, but I am guessing no on that one). You either have to find a way to alter the parts (like featherboards because the miter slots are on the table saw are not standard) making them more expensive, or, you simply build them yourself.

Conclusion:
If you are looking for something simple, ultra portable, and you plan on using it for simple ripping operations or just plan on pulling it out occasionally: this is your saw. For beginning furniture makers, this saw will make your entrance into the hobby a little more difficult than other saws would, and you would be best advised to look elsewhere.

45 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars No more Hitachi for me, February 7, 2007

By 

MAY (Ca United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hitachi C10RA3 15 amp 10-inch Benchtop Table Saw with Stand (Tools & Home Improvement)

For the price the saw is not too bad but I was very unhappy with customer service at Hitachi. My saw came missing the two dome nuts for the hand wheels and a slightly bent mounting flange at the rear of the stand. When I called Hitachi customer service and explained the problem they suggested I send the saw back to Amazon for an exchange. I explained the saw would cost $99 each way to ship so it did not make sense to spend $198 in shipping over a few dollars of parts. The customer service rep said that was Hitachi's policy. I told her I would never buy another Hitachi product as I felt that was not fair to Amazon to which she replied "that's fine".

I have been a contractor for 35 years and buy tons of tools for my business. Stuff happens and I understand that but I guess Hitachi has more customers than they need. They now have one less customer.

Mark

Update: Because Hitachi would not take care of the problem Amazon sent out a new saw and told me to return my first saw after the second one arrived. With the new saw still in the box I set the two saws side by side and as I removed a part from the box I replaced it with a part from the old saw. After I was done assembling the second saw I realized it too had some flaws. Between the two saws I had enough parts to make a 95% saw so I shipped the extra saw back to Amazon and ordered a Bosch stand for my Hitachi saw. Now the Bosch stand is the best part of my Hitachi saw.