Good saw. Might be very good, have not used it long enough to be that enthusiastic.
For the money, it's a GREAT saw.
Pics show the saw as it arrived in the box. My dog, Darcy, approved.
Unpacking was super easy. I opened this from the top. You could open from the bottom but there's no point.
Several pieces of folded, custom-cut cardboard held the saw safely in place. Zero damage. Just lift them out. No unnecessary plastic or tape. Then just lift the whole saw out and secure it to a bench or stand.
The blade was already mounted, and tightly secured.
Just one item of assembly. The tag with the green ribbon was hanging from a hex head bolt on the front. The bolt was snug so I used the blade wrench to unscrew it--thoughtful, having the bolt match the blade wrench. With the bolt removed I screwed in the locking handle, which took all of five seconds. That was it for assembly.
The directions were good. I've seem many that were not this good.
With factory settings right out of the box, the saw was square and true enough to go straight to work for any kind of framing. It was perfectly square vertically (table to blade) and horizontally (fence to blade). The blade tracked perfectly during vertical descent--which is actually normal but I had a saw a few years back that tracked 0.05 degrees left as it descended, which was fine for 2x4s but was NOT fine for crown molding. This Metabo saw passed that test.
Miters and bevels all kissed a tri-square head exactly right at 45* left or right.
The tall part of the fence swiveled out of the way very easily for bevel cuts. Felt solid.
The laser was bright enough in filtered sunlight, under an oak tree. It was a hair off, not even 1/64th to the left, and good enough for today. Adjustable, if I feel the need.
Using the included dust bag, I was not impressed with dust collection. The exit hole for dust collection is larger than other miter saws such as my DeWalt. For the Metabo, dust exit hole diameter is 50 mm ID, 60 mm OD. I found a Wood River stepped fitting that fit the OD, then cut it down to receive the 35 mm end of a Festool hose. With a Festool MIDI the dust recovery was MUCH improved over the plain old dust bag. Still, as with almost all miter saws, if you want really good dust recovery you must do more than just hook up a vac to the extraction port.
I have at least ten Hitachi tools that have all given me great service. Seems odd to have a new name on the tool but it's the same green and black, and the quality has not changed.
Just three things I'd suggest for improvement so far.
1. The thumb button on the trigger handle is too small and it's clearly for right handed use only. The horizontal hand position is excellent, the trigger is a good size, but if using in cold weather with gloves, that thumb button is too small.
2. The blade wrench is nice. With the angled end you can snug the blade, or check for snug, without going through a whole blade change procedure. But it's a black wrench that looks like all sorts of other tools in a toolbox. At least paint the wrench GREEN so you know it goes with this saw. Much easier to find in a toolbox.
3. But why put the wrench in a toolbox? My DeWalt miter saw, at about the same price point, has onboard storage for the blade wrench. Surely that could be done with the next version of this Metabo saw? Too late for this one, but not enough to deduct a star.
The saw comes with a 4 mm hex wrench. Mine was lost in the bottom of the box but I went looking for it when I saw it listed in the directions. Keep an eye out for yours.
Good saw.
| Manufacturer | Koki Holdings America, Ltd |
|---|---|
| Part Number | C12FDHSM |
| Item Weight | 59.7 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 26.9 x 22.2 x 21.3 inches |
| Item model number | C12FDHS |
| Style | Miter Saw Only |
| Power Source | Corded Electric |
| Voltage | 120 Volts |
| Item Package Quantity | 1 |
| Included Components | C12FDHS miter saw, 12" 32T TCT Saw Blade, Dust Bag, Vice Assembly, Box Wrench, Hex Bar Wrench |
| Batteries Required? | No |
| Warranty Description | 5 Year |
