Posted: 12/11/2024 1:13:07 AM EDT
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I need to get a sliding compound miter saw, and I've narrowed it down to these two. I've recently gotten the Festool disease and certainly see the appeal of the Kapex integrating with my dust extractor. I also have a lot of Makita tools, and 90% of my cordless are Makita (the rest Bosch). The main issue for me is cut capacity and accuracy. The Kapex tops out at a hair under 6-1/2" at a 45* miter, while the LS1219L can cut 10-1/2". Cuts at 90* are 12" and 15" respectively. Obviously the Makita wins here, it's a 12" saw vs the Kapex at 10.25". Accuracy of each compared to the other is the thing that's difficult for me to quantify since I can't read a fact sheet like I can with capacities. Of course Festool's longer warranty and the fact that I can just take it back to the store I bought it from and they deal with the shipping and all that is a huge plus if an issue arises. I can't say I've ever had an issue with my Makita tools. I am not a professional user who makes his living with these tools. I have a project that will need a miter where the Kapex will just barely, and I mean barely make it, on paper at least. I need accuracy too of course. Does anyone have real world experience with the Makita and the Festool in terms of accuracy/precision? Any help would be appreciated, I'll be buying before year's end. |
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How accurate do you need to be? I have a relatively shitty Ryobi sliding compound miter, and even that will be within 1/64" or better from where I mark my cut. I bring the blade down and see exactly where the teeth are going to cut before I actually make the cut. Of course, there is some lateral flex in the pivot because it's Ryobi and not ever going to be a precision tool, so I have to be semi-conscious about bringing the handle and blade down straight instead of putting any lateral pressure on it, but if I do my part, I can be as accurate as needed for any project imaginable. One thing I would pay attention to is how well the workpiece clamp(s) work. My Ryobi one is terrible. There is a knurled shaft that slides in to a cylinder, and the friction of the knurling against the inside of the cylinder is all that keeps the clamp down on the workpiece. I can't tell you how many times the thing slips as I'm tightening the clamp knob, so I have to back it off and repeat the process like 3-4 times before it actually bites and stays in place. Super frustrating and a big waste of time. The geometry/reach of the clamp has also been an issue at times. It's the only miter saw I've ever owned, so I don't have anything to compare it to, but that is definitely something I plan to look at carefully if/when I ever buy something better. Everything else about my saw is just fine, but the issues with the clamp are killing me. I'd be curious to get some feedback on how some of you deal with clamp situation on your saws. |
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I need it to be rather precise. Neighbor wants a walnut cap on his L shaped knee wall at the top of the stairwell and it'll have a skirt around it also. Miter will be 6.5" in the diagonal length, plus the skirt pieces will be mitered. This will be a paid job so it needs to be exact. I've gotten by without a good sliding compound miter saw by using a cheap miter saw and my Unisaw but this will require a good one. What I do for myself usually doesn't involve precision miter much. |
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Originally Posted By Gunnar960: I have the same question.. in the market for a good mitre saw.. I'm going between the Festool Kapex and the Milwuakee 10" mitre saw. Is the Kapex really worth the signifiant price difference? Kapex had its own issues with motors and rare cases of QC problems. That said, it probably is worth the difference especially if you already have Festool. Dust extraction on the Kapex is second to none. I'm personally ok with Makita, if the accuracy is there. Just wondering if there is first hand experience. Edit to fix typo. |
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Ahh gotcha. Look at that clamp mechanism either way! I'm tellin' ya... makes a huge difference in productivity if you have one that works vs. not so much. FWIW, I'm a Makita fan myself. All my cordless power tools have been Makita up until this year when I added some Milwaukee stuff in to the mix. No experience with Festool anything, so can't comment there. Good luck, and if it's not too much trouble, I wouldn't mind seeing a follow up post from you to let us know what you ended up buying and how it is to work with once you've had some time with it. My Ryobi saw is driving me nuts due to aforementioned clamp issue, and I wouldn't mind replacing it with something nicer when it's time to finish my basement... Cheers! |
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I have a used Kapex that I'll sell you for $100 plus shipping. Accuracy and my Kapex are mutually exclusive things. The base is uneven and the fence too. You can't get an accurate cut out of it to save to your life. I have tossed it in the basement and if I need something to rough cut a bunch of 2 x 4's then I might drag it out again. Until then I use my table saw and live quite happily without it. |