Getting myself a new miter saw for Christmas...some last minute questions

[KingwoodFan1989]

Well, it's finally time...I'm buying a new miter saw next week after I get paid. I've basically settled on the DeWalt 709 model...it's a 12" slider with shorter rails. I don't see myself ever cutting single boards much wider than between 8" and 9" (this one does 9.5" standard), and if I ever do, there is an auxiliary function which allows for up to an 11.5" wide cut. It doesn't have a lot of extra gizmos (laser, depth stop, positive bevel stops), but I don't need those first two, and with bevel cuts, which I rarely make, I'll just get a digital bevel gauge and use that. Plus, the price has been lowered quite a bit for the holidays, and the vast majority of reviews are positive for it. Most negative reviews are simply complaints about the lack of certain features (like I listed earlier in parentheses), so those don't discourage me in the least.

However, I've noticed another saw in the past few days...the DeWalt 779. It's been discontinued, but here's the thing...it's actually priced LOWER than the 709 but has greater capacity! I don't have the need for more than 8-10" of crosscut most of the time, but again, it's cheaper (likely a closeout price of some sort). Has anyone used this saw before? I read a couple reviews that said the blade would touch the bottom of the channel it plunges into, so that's a bit concerning for me, and in addition, the saw is about 12 pounds heavier than the 709. That plus the bigger footprint would make the saw more cumbersome to move, although moving it wouldn't be a frequent event at all. 

As you can tell, I've got a big dilemma here. I'm concerned about the possibility of getting a defective model of the 779 where the blade goes too low. I also remember someone telling me on here that bigger sliders can pose a greater threat for accuracy issues, so those two things make me lean more towards the 709. Plus, it's only a $10 difference, which is basically spare change when buying anything over $200. The 709, however, has a knob to lock the miter table in place rather than a cam lock like the 779. I read one review on the 709 that talked about how they wished it had a cam lock because the knob "moves" while turning it. I'm not sure if he meant it was just inconvenient to turn it a bunch of times (rather than locking a simple switch down) or if he meant the tightening of the knob makes the table rotate a tiny fraction of a degree in one direction. Most reviews I have seen praise the accuracy, but after my experience with my Ridgid 10" (mostly a piece of junk) where the tightening of the knob shifts the angle of the table by a bit, I'm a bit hesitant now. Granted, the Ridgid's positive stops ceased working properly LONG ago, so could I trust in the DeWalt 709 to not have its table move while tightening the knob as long as the positive stops are still fully functional? What about the odd angles? I'm sure I'll barely ever use those, but does anybody else have a miter saw with a knob tightening their table who is satisfied with how that works across all the angles?

If the knob isn't an accuracy killer, I'll just go with the smaller 709 since my shop is really small right now and I ultimately don't need any more capacity than that one offers. Either way I'm ecstatic I won't have to ever use my cruddy Ridgid saw ever again once the new saw arrives! To be honest, I'm just gonna take the blade off that one and take the saw to E-waste. 

[Tapper]

Well, it's finally time...I'm buying a new miter saw next week after I get paid. I've basically settled on the DeWalt 709 model...it's a 12" slider with shorter rails. I don't see myself ever cutting single boards much wider than between 8" and 9" (this one does 9.5" standard), and if I ever do, there is an auxiliary function which allows for up to an 11.5" wide cut. It doesn't have a lot of extra gizmos (laser, depth stop, positive bevel stops), but I don't need those first two, and with bevel cuts, which I rarely make, I'll just get a digital bevel gauge and use that. Plus, the price has been lowered quite a bit for the holidays, and the vast majority of reviews are positive for it. Most negative reviews are simply complaints about the lack of certain features (like I listed earlier in parentheses), so those don't discourage me in the least.

However, I've noticed another saw in the past few days...the DeWalt 779. It's been discontinued, but here's the thing...it's actually priced LOWER than the 709 but has greater capacity! I don't have the need for more than 8-10" of crosscut most of the time, but again, it's cheaper (likely a closeout price of some sort). Has anyone used this saw before? I read a couple reviews that said the blade would touch the bottom of the channel it plunges into, so that's a bit concerning for me, and in addition, the saw is about 12 pounds heavier than the 709. That plus the bigger footprint would make the saw more cumbersome to move, although moving it wouldn't be a frequent event at all. 

As you can tell, I've got a big dilemma here. I'm concerned about the possibility of getting a defective model of the 779 where the blade goes too low. I also remember someone telling me on here that bigger sliders can pose a greater threat for accuracy issues, so those two things make me lean more towards the 709. Plus, it's only a $10 difference, which is basically spare change when buying anything over $200. The 709, however, has a knob to lock the miter table in place rather than a cam lock like the 779. I read one review on the 709 that talked about how they wished it had a cam lock because the knob "moves" while turning it. I'm not sure if he meant it was just inconvenient to turn it a bunch of times (rather than locking a simple switch down) or if he meant the tightening of the knob makes the table rotate a tiny fraction of a degree in one direction. Most reviews I have seen praise the accuracy, but after my experience with my Ridgid 10" (mostly a piece of junk) where the tightening of the knob shifts the angle of the table by a bit, I'm a bit hesitant now. Granted, the Ridgid's positive stops ceased working properly LONG ago, so could I trust in the DeWalt 709 to not have its table move while tightening the knob as long as the positive stops are still fully functional? What about the odd angles? I'm sure I'll barely ever use those, but does anybody else have a miter saw with a knob tightening their table who is satisfied with how that works across all the angles?

If the knob isn't an accuracy killer, I'll just go with the smaller 709 since my shop is really small right now and I ultimately don't need any more capacity than that one offers. Either way I'm ecstatic I won't have to ever use my cruddy Ridgid saw ever again once the new saw arrives! To be honest, I'm just gonna take the blade off that one and take it to E-waste. 

I have one of the older 12" Dewalt CMS, single bevel and not a slider. Bought it 15+ years ago and still use it occasionally. It has been a very good saw. 

However, several years ago I had a need for a SCMS for a home improvement project and began doing the research on the different makes and models. I noticed that a subcontractor that was doing some siding work on my house was having trouble getting his Dewalt slider to hold the bevel angle. The mechanism just wasn't precise or strong enough to hold the setting. The longer I looked the more one saw seemed to jump out at me. After reading the reviews and watching some reviews of it online, I bought this Milwaukee. Actually caught it on a sale at Home Depot.

Milwaukee SCMS Video

After many hours of usage, I would easily buy it again. It has many very useful features (some outlined in the video) and has performed flawlessly for several years now. I can highly recommend it. Like most Milwaukee tools, top quality.

Good luck,

Doug

[KingwoodFan1989]

I have one of the older 12" Dewalt CMS, single bevel and not a slider. Bought it 15+ years ago and still use it occasionally. It has been a very good saw. 

However, several years ago I had a need for a SCMS for a home improvement project and began doing the research on the different makes and models. I noticed that a subcontractor that was doing some siding work on my house was having trouble getting his Dewalt slider to hold the bevel angle. The mechanism just wasn't precise or strong enough to hold the setting. The longer I looked the more one saw seemed to jump out at me. After reading the reviews and watching some reviews of it online, I bought this Milwaukee. Actually caught it on a sale at Home Depot.

Milwaukee SCMS Video

After many hours of usage, I would easily buy it again. It has many very useful features (some outlined in the video) and has performed flawlessly for several years now. I can highly recommend it. Like most Milwaukee tools, top quality.

Good luck,

Doug

That Milwaukee was another one of the ones I had in mind, but it looks like it's about $499 right now...call me cheap, but that's above what I'm willing to spend on a miter saw as a hobbyist. I did see a used Milwaukee on craigslist a few months ago, but it was a decent drive away and I'd like to try out something that's used before I buy it.

Which DeWalt slider did that builder have? I haven't read any negative reviews of the 709 (and I've read A LOT of them) that involved the bevel. Heck, the only negative reviews that weren't just people complaining about certain features being absent on that saw seemed to be because certain units were just defective (which tends to happen with most production items). Not sure about the 779, though. Either way, is my concern about the knob lock for the miter table a concern I should have? Again, my Ridgid's table action has been terrible for probably 10-11 of the 12 years I've had it, and the locking knob tends to make the table move just a tiny fraction of a degree, so even though it's a different saw, I'm a bit wary of the locking knob feature of the 709. Should I be? Have you experienced anything bad with locking knobs making the table pivot at all?

[Stwood_]

I've got the older model saws.
DW705, has the locking table knob for the odd angles. I've never had any moving issues, let alone *any* issues with the saw.
DW708 slider (2), again, never had any issues with the saws. One of them I've used it enough, that I had a motor brg squeal, so I replaced the brgs and brushes.

My son has a 779 slider. He's had no issues with the saw. He is a contractor, using his heavily.

[KingwoodFan1989]

I've got the older model saws.
DW705, has the locking table knob for the odd angles. I've never had any moving issues, let alone *any* issues with the saw.
DW708 slider (2), again, never had any issues with the saws. One of them I've used it enough, that I had a motor brg squeal, so I replaced the brgs and brushes.

My son has a 779 slider. He's had no issues with the saw. He is a contractor, using his heavily.

Here's a link to the 709 with pictures. Does the table knob look like a similar design to the one on that 705 model? https://smile.amazon.com/DEWALT-DWS709-S...dewalt+709

About the 779 your son has...how has the accuracy been for him? Not sure if the tolerances for a general contractor's work are as fussy as those used in furniture making, that's all. 

Either way, if the knob looks similar to the one on your old saw and if others can confirm they haven't had issues with knobs on their saws, I'll probably just go with the 709 since it's more suited to my shop size and has plenty of capacity for my needs.

[Tapper]

That Milwaukee was another one of the ones I had in mind, but it looks like it's about $499 right now...call me cheap, but that's above what I'm willing to spend on a miter saw as a hobbyist. I did see a used Milwaukee on craigslist a few months ago, but it was a decent drive away and I'd like to try out something that's used before I buy it.

Which DeWalt slider did that builder have? I haven't read any negative reviews of the 709 (and I've read A LOT of them) that involved the bevel. Heck, the only negative reviews that weren't just people complaining about certain features being absent on that saw seemed to be because certain units were just defective (which tends to happen with most production items). Not sure about the 779, though. Either way, is my concern about the knob lock for the miter table a concern I should have? Again, my Ridgid's table action has been terrible for probably 10-11 of the 12 years I've had it, and the locking knob tends to make the table move just a tiny fraction of a degree, so even though it's a different saw, I'm a bit wary of the locking knob feature of the 709. Should I be? Have you experienced anything bad with locking knobs making the table pivot at all?

Sorry, but I don't remember the model #. It's been several years ago and I'm certain the models have been upgraded since then. Possibly the problems I outlined have been rectified. I have other Dewalt tools that I like a lot. The 705 CMS I have has served me well. 

While the Milwaukee is a little pricey I feel like it's worth it (only feel the pain one time!). Having said that, the Dewalt slider will probably do a nice job for you.

Good luck,

Doug

[KingwoodFan1989]

Sorry, but I don't remember the model #. It's been several years ago and I'm certain the models have been upgraded since then. Possibly the problems I outlined have been rectified. I have other Dewalt tools that I like a lot. The 705 CMS I have has served me well. 

While the Milwaukee is a little pricey I feel like it's worth it (only feel the pain one time!). Having said that, the Dewalt slider will probably do a nice job for you.

Good luck,

Doug

Oh, wow, Stwood said he has a 705, too, and it has a knob rather than a cam lock for the table. How has the knob worked for you? Does it look similar to the one on the 709 model I'm looking at probably getting? Here's a link to that one so you can see what it looks like: https://smile.amazon.com/DEWALT-DWS709-S...dewalt+709

[Stwood_]

Same type of knob, just a different design on the 709.

I used his slider and trimmed out a house earlier this year. It's accurate.

[KingwoodFan1989]

Same type of knob, just a different design on the 709.

I know some changes were made between, say, the 708 and 718 (especially the orientation of the slide rails), but that seems more like an aesthetic thing than a change to how well the sliding function works. Would it be a safe assumption to think this newer knob would work as well as the one on your saw? How long ago was the 705 in production?

[Stwood_]

Probably at least 10 years ago on the DW705.
I'd say about the same on the DW708's I have. I remember buying the second one on clearance about that time, for half price. It sat in the box unopened, until about 5 years ago.