Customer Reviews

Hitachi C8FSE 8-1/2-Inch Sliding Compound Miter Saw

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

 

 

I'll break it down simply put, the good and the bad. I was not sure if this saw would replace the older version and be as well built. It's not the same quality as the older one. Hitachi designers did a good job making this saw very light weight, but sacrificed some of the quality with plastic and a thin casted table. The saw was dead on with the cross cut set at 0 degrees. Miters came out fair when cutting large crown but were off by maybe a 1/32"-1/16" every time. Here is what I found out. I took a framing square and checked the relationship between the left and right fence. That was on the money. I then checked the table and realized that the miter center table sat below the left and right outside support tables a whole 1/16th. There is no adjustability to raise or lower the miter table and that's why my cuts are off slightly. That combined with the play of the head and rails having some slop and being able to freely clunk the head to the right and left a 16th. The best way I can describe it is it feels like the head doesn't ride on the right rail snuggly, and by the time you tighten the slide action so you don't have any play its very stiff to slide. Also the blade guard stays low when you bring the head down and doesn't allow you to start your cut with a back stroke and then to finish your cut with the forward stroke with ease. The kerf insert is also another big 1/32 below the already low miter table. That's 3/32nds out of level. The good is that it is very light, portable, decently accurate and it has a rebate as of right now for a Hitachi 2 1/4hp router. I work in very high end homes working with prefinished huge crown molding and paneling, etc and need the accuracy to be within a 1/32th. If you don't need this kind of precision then this saw is a decent unit. If the table wasn't out of level with the base I would have worked it out. But because you can't adjust this problem I am sending it back. It's also kind of cheesy to be blunt. As an alternative I bought the Hitachi 10" slider which is a Japanese made unit and is proven to be accurate from my experience. Hope this review helps some finish carpenters out there

I puchased this saw with the impression that this was an updated version of the classic Hitachi 8 1/2" saw. I fact, it is nothing more than a cheap knockoff of the original. Underpowered, poor cut quality with a brand new blade, and the added bonus of a propencity for throwing ouffcuts.

I sold it after a year of ownership in which I advoided using it as much as possible. I recieved $200 for the saw, a stand, and new 60 tooth blade, and could not wait to see it go- happy to be rid of it.

I just sent back the third C8FSE in a row. None of the three could cut a straight line... I ordered the Forrest bladeForrest CM08H606100 Chopmaster 8-1/2-Inch 60 Tooth ATB Miter Saw Blade with 5/8-Inch Arbor for as clean a cut as possible. I square the fence to the blade, and on small stock it looked great. But when I tried cutting wide stock (12" or more) for cabinets, the manufacturer defect showed up.

The arbor on the first saw was bent, making blade visibly wobble. I returned it for replacement.

The arbor was good on the second, but the entire head was cocked out of parallel alignment with the slides. With the factory blade installed, the maple veneer would slightly tear out on the left as the blade exited the ply. With the Forrest blade there was no tear out, but after completing the cut my co-worker and I could both see a belly that let in daylight between the cut and a straight-edge.

I had the same problem with the last replacement.

Having owned 6 Hitachi C8FB2 saws this new version does not compare. Very cheap. Save yourself the time and misery spend the extra hundred and buy the saw built for a lifetime. My shop cuts a million dollars of exotic hardwoods a year with the C8FB2.

Right out of the box the saw had two problems, one fixable, the other not. Easily fixed was the misalignment of the fences to the blade. Impossible to fix was the misalignment of the blade to the table. It was cocked to the left by an 1/8th of an inch. Also not fixable, as other reviewers have noted, was the difference in depth between the rotating table and the support tables. The owner's manual is so poorly written, or badly translated, it's hard to tell which, that it's useless. Hitachi is not alone in this. Why not hire American technical writers to write manuals for products sold here.

Since most carpenters buy a power miter saw for its accuracy, this saw is not worth buying.

Been cutting trim for a long time always wanted a hitachi 8-1/2 order this saw from amazon for $251.00 great price.the good, saw cuts better than any saw I ever had,crown is easy with pre-set slots [no brainer]the bad, the table is not even with the plastic insert, annoying as hell,saw dust collection just ok, nice and lite,slide is a little stiff. I would still by it again because of the great fits you can get.and really thats all that matters.

I've been using this saw for a week now to cut trim. Assembly was easy, and took about 10 minutes, I did have to consult the manual for the setup. The laser is dead on, and the light is bright and very nice. The cuts are absolutely clean, and it cuts fast. I am a bit concerned about finding a replacement blade, I didn't see this size in Lowe's or Home Depot. So far I'm very happy with the purchase, it's a great tool!

Just received shipment on new C8FSE. Right out of the box I knew the quality was considerably below the older model - so much so in fact that I actually found myself returning to the shipping box and investigating my order. The first thing I noticed was the made in China plastic. Lightweight and downgraded from 9.5 amp to 9.2, there was also considerable horizontal play in the slide even when locked in the 90 position, not something that can be adjusted. The moving table is not flush with the fixed table as noted in other reviews, in fact it was a full 1/16 lower which will surely result in a lot of wood being thrown around. I wont be bringing this to the job site, but it will suffice in chopping occasional junk in the garage. Do yourself a favor guys and skip this cheap plastic imitation.

This is a best tool in forty years of building . It is light weight. Does the job and was cheap. Doug

This was purchased as a company saw to replace the wear and tear on our personal hitachi's (every carpenter in our company owns an older model of this saw). Visual differences between this and previous model are more plastic parts and the base is more compact ( which will explain the 100.00 cheaper price tag ). I have not actually used this model yet, but if it works as well as it's predecessor you won't be disappointed. I love my saw and only decreased the star rating because of these two differences.