Customer Reviews

Ridgid MS1290LZA Saw, 12-Inch Compound Sliding Miter with Laser

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I do several jobs from framing to trimming and everything in between. I bought this saw from home depot for $549.00 and got a free Ridgid miter stand a ($179 value). I have used many other brands of saws, Makita is ranked comparible to the ridgid. I would recommend this saw if it is mainly used in a stationary spot where you don't mind getting saw dust everywhere. The thing ways a ton and when on the stand it barely fits through a 32" doorway. The dust bag is useless unless you use a vacuum. Going to rig a switch to my vacuum that turns on when my saw does that way I can do finish work without making a big mess. Other than that it cuts good and straight, degree marks are easy to read, and very comfortable to use.

Ridgid MS1290LZA 28523 Saw, 12-Inch Compound Sliding Miter with Laser

I bought one of these saws when it was first introduced and have used it in my shop for over a year, on dozens of jobs. It sits on a home-made stand.

Pros:

- The 1 3/16" diameter [sliding] rails are strong and stiff, so there is minimal blade deflection. See for yourself: compare this saw with comparable saws at Home Depot. Pull the handle all the way forward and down on any slider and move the handle repeatedly from left to right. You'll notice the blade barely moves from side to side on the Ridgid. Try this on sliders with 1" rails, (such as the DeWalt DW718) and the blade deflects side to side by as much as 1/4"; which would seriously compromise cutting accuracy. This test convinced me to only consider saws with 1 3/6" rails.

- Highly accurate cuts are the norm. E.g., it can shave 1/100" off a board or adjust in parts of a degree. The bevel and miter scale were adjusted perfectly to zero from the factory.

- The largest table of all sliders; excellent support for the piece you're cutting.

- 61 degree miter left or right, and 50 degree bevel left or right, is the best in the industry. Large handle on the miter gage is easy to set or move; stainless steel miter degree indicator has large numbers and ˝ degree lines. Bevel angle is easy to adjust and lock in place.

- The included clamp is easy to tighten down on a board, or loosen, and fits on either side of the blade. Great safety feature when cutting small pieces, as it keeps your fingers away from the blade. Clamps are available as a "part", if you want a second one.

- All controls are accessible from the front of the saw, which helps makes it a great shop saw. Handle is designed for a right-handed person; you have to depress a safety button with your thumb, before the large on/off bar switch can be pulled in.

- Tool-free depth gage is easy to set; stays set until you release it and it works well.

- Very high fence (5.5") provides support for high crown or base molding, or other pieces. The fence top sections on both sides are adjustable from side to side, or they can be removed altogether.

- Powerful (15-amp) motor doesn't bog down.

- Includes a laser blade guide that mounts on the arbor. (Although a built-in adjustable laser would have been better.) Blade stops almost instantly when the on/off bar switch is released.

- 3.5" depth of cut with 13.5" crosscut capacity means you can cut a 4x4 or 2x12 in one pass.

- Polycarbonate blade guard works flawlessly and never gets in the way. Easy to hold the blade guard up with your right thumb, while gripping the handle, to pinpoint blade positioning.

- Warranty is the best in the industry.

Cons:

- Heavy at 68 lbs., and bulky; might need two people to lift into the bed of a truck. However, this isn't an issue if it's used as a shop saw and it's on a stand.

- Dust pickup is awful. I keep a 2.5" vacuum hose connected to the where the dust bag usually connects, and use two other dust pickup hoses near the table. Even though it's connected to a 3 HP dust collector, I doubt if half the dust is caught. After a big project, there is a lot of cleaning up to do, and while using the saw, I turn on an exhaust fan and wear a respirator.

Other:

- The early models of this saw came with a very thin kerf carbide blade that had a tendency to oscillate so badly it needed a blade stabilizer. Reviews of later editions of this saw don't mention that issue, so Ridgid must include a better blade now.

Summary:

Fine Woodworking's 2010 Tool Guide proclaims this model a best value and "ideal for use in a shop". Having used it in my shop for over a year now, I'd have to agree.

If this saw had decent dust pickup, I would have rated it at 5 stars.

Not sure what the first guy is talking about. I use this saw almost every day, how can a fence on a $600 miter saw be crooked?
Read some proffesional reviews, they say the fit and finish are second to none. You probably need to have the blade aligned.
The dust collection is weak but they always are, my partners dewalt is the same way.
The only drawback to this saw is the weight. It is about 10 lbs heavier than the dewalt.

I purchased this saw and its companion stand on black Friday 2008 at my local Home Depot. I've used it quite a bit since that time and it's a joy to use in every way. The collapsing stand is super heavy duty (and heavy). It pops into place in seconds and you're ready to go. Accuracy and repeatability are excellent. The 12" blade combined with the sliding feature makes this far more versatile than most miter saws. It's like having both a miter saw and a portable radial arm saw.

I do agree with the other reviewers that the dust collection is weak, but I'm not convinced another brand would be better. It's also heavy and bulky so some may prefer a more portable saw for jobsite work, but it's easy to roll about on the stand and for my purposes it's perfect. One small complaint - the laser is an add-on piece that could probably be added to any miter saw. It's Ok, but I'd have preferred something more integrated.

At its regular price this saw will hold it's own with any on the market and when it goes on sale it's an unbeatable value. You'll probably want the stand also.

Update 4/2/2011: I'm still loving this saw. I've used it often since my initial review, most recently to remodel two rooms where I used it for everything from oak flooring to fine millwork. Cuts smooth and true every time.

I have owned this compound miter saw (MS1290LZA) for two years after purchasing it during Black Friday sales from Home Depot.

I am dissapointed with the alignment of the tracking when sliding. It impossible to keep the blade square to the fence during this type of operation. It tends to track to the right (looking from the front) 1/16 to 1/8th of an inch. I have made numerous efforts over the past two years to correct any misalignment in the blade and fence. Nothing works! This is because the misalignment is in the slide mechanism itself and is unable to be altered - short of replacing the whole slide unit itself.

After reviewing the Ridgid discussion forums regarding this issue, I have found that my saw is not unique in this defect. See threads below.

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If you lock the slide and align the fence to the blade it will cut squarely. I would not purchase this saw again. I will attmept to fix this problem with my local service center and edit this review if this situation changes.

I recently bought this saw, and I have used it for a couple of jobs. I find the saw to be on the quiet side while cutting,and it cuts thru wood like butter. I got the Ridgid Table at the same time for free because of the promotion going on. Was not going to get this much saw but couldn't pass up the deal.
The saw is light enough off the table so that I can pick it up and load in the truck.
I don't believe you can get a better deal, and the Lifetime Warranty is icing on the cake

I would buy this a million times over. I thought the detent adjustment was a little strange, but once you use it you will love it. This is just a really good heavy duty saw.

Wow, great Miter Saw! I originally had a 10in Miter Saw, and I was limited to 45 degree cut. I was amazed when I saw the Rigid and compare it to the other similar saws. The Rigid 12in Sliding Miter Saw is the only one I saw that can make cuts to 65 degrees. Perfect cuts, so easy to use, makes me want to do more projects around the house just so I can use this great tool. Highly recommended.

Milwaukee, Ridgid, Hitachi. CHOOSE ANY ONE! VERY good quality and the best warrantees. Very good prices, between 400-450 dollars. Excellent customer reviews. You can tell alot about quality just by looking at how long the manufacturer is willing to back their product. Get this saw at home depot for $400 after Christmas 2011.
ps. The slide rails on this saw are a massive 1 and 3/16 inch. Dewalts are only 1 inch. The motor windings on dewalts motor are paper thin. The motors on the 3 saws I listed are the best in the Industry at a great price. Why pay 200-300 more???

Even though I purchased this saw at an excellent price I wish I had kept my 10" Malita sliding saw. The dust bad on the Rigid is useless, even with a dust collector on it it still isn't that great. I can square the saw for normal work but on a 45 deg bevel in 2x8 material the cut runs wild even with a new blade. I have yet to be able to adjust it out. I would look at other saws before this one.