I picked up this model at Home Depot earlier this year because my old Craftsman quit working on me in the middle of a project. I’m steering clear of Craftsman since they moved to China, and they were out of the Ryobi one I had my mind set on. So in a pinch I hesitantly went with the less expensive WEN.
I’m very pleased with my purchase. It’s honestly the best sliding miter saw you can get for your money. Perfect for the hobbyist or a good backup for contractors. I’ve built several pieces of furniture with the saw and the value is unmatched. Sure it’s not a DeWalt, but it’s $500 less.
If you’re in the market, I wouldn’t pass it up at this price.
Agreed, pass on this one unless all you want is very vague angles from a cheap chop saw. The way it’s designed there’s just too much twisting as you pull the saw down. This makes for very inconsistent miter angles. It’s just sloppy design & construction.
I bought the WEN 70716 10 inch saw from Amazon to use in building a deck. That wasn’t exactly heavy or long duty, but I did not have any trouble. The adjustments held true and saw worked as advertised on 2-by lumber of various widths, 4-by-4’s and composite decking. Like I said, the project only ran about a month, so it’s hard to judge longevity, but overall, I thought the 10 inch was a good buy.
[QUOTE=eraten, post:2, topic:611325]
I’m steering clear of Craftsman since they moved to China, and they were out of the Ryobi one I had my mind set on. So in a pinch I hesitantly went with the less expensive WEN.
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So, to punish Craftsman for manufacturing in China, you purchased some goods made in China by someone else? That’ll show them!
(Almost all tools are made in Taiwan, China or Germany. Wen is “headquartered” in Elgin IL, but the fact that they don’t brag that they have a manufacturing plant there speaks loud volumes.)
That Youtube video is just too painful to watch. They guy doesn’t really know what he’s doing and frankly any new tool will need adjustment out of the box. The question of if the tool is quality is whether or not you can actually dial it in. I had a HF double bevel 12 sliding saw that had a bent fence and no way to correct it.
The part that seals it for the video review is when he brought the blade down the and hit the clamp which twisted the blade angle. He then tried again and naturally the blade didn’t hit the same precise spot again. That’s just pure user error.
That said, he did show that the preset notches are sloppy and I’d call that a bad sign. There may very well be adjustments for that, but that seems unlikely. The degree markings should be cast and not just stickers, lest it introduce a source for error. You can see how the bevel markings aren’t just offset, but angled as well so only one side of that scale will ever be accurate.
The saw looks like it otherwise has the potential to be tuned well, but I wouldn’t bet too heavily on it.
This looks surprisingly similar to the Harbor Freight model and if you know anything about HF power tools, you know to steer clear of them. You get what you pay for. If you live in a city I would suggest looking on Craigslist for a better model sold used. You could quite reasonably find a Dewalt or Bosch for close to this on CL if you are patient. Most of these cheap models have too much play in the slide mechanism, leading to inaccurate cuts. My two cents.
After watching the video, I was going to raise the same points. I don’t mind dialing in as tool, and for precise work, I use the notches for initial settings, then lock it on the gauge. (For most of my work, the notched setting are close enough).
Anyway, one of the close-up shots of the 12" model shows cast markings - not a sticker.
He also claimed in the description that the saw flexed too much to be accurate - but he did not show that on the video. Nor did he show any attempt to true up the cut. My concern is repeatability: will the blade cut true, even if the gauge is a hair off? That wasn’t answered.
I have the saw at close to 2 years now. 3 closets, 4 door frames, 1800sq feet of hardwood, 300sq of laminate and some Deck repair. I added a laser guide and have no issues other than breaking the safety cover for the blade. That was my fault. Would it last for professional use on a daily basis, Don’t know. My use its been great.
[QUOTE=mikegrook, post:14, topic:611325]
I have the saw at close to 2 years now. 3 closets, 4 door frames, 1800sq feet of hardwood, 300sq of laminate and some Deck repair. I added a laser guide and have no issues other than breaking the safety cover for the blade. That was my fault. Would it last for professional use on a daily basis, Don’t know. My use its been great.
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Thank you for this. Real experience is important with these reviews. I imagine you take good care of the machine as well.
I will likely snag one. 130 bucks sounds worth it, honestly.
Telling people to steer clear of every tool at Harbor freight is bad advice. If you do your research, you will find excellent tools at HF at a fraction of the cost of name brands. You need to steer clear of 90% of the stuff in there because it’s garbage, but the other 10% is great for the do-it-yourselfer. The HF 12" compound miter saw is one of those tools. Read the article on the saw on Family Handyman’s website. I believe that this saw that Woot is selling is the same saw, rebranded. It really is a good tool. Watch some youtube videos on how to make adjustments and buy a decent blade and you will have good saw that will last a long time with casual use.
[QUOTE=stonefry, post:16, topic:611325]
Telling people to steer clear of every tool at Harbor freight is bad advice. […] You need to steer clear of 90% of the stuff in there because it’s garbage, but the other 10% is great for the do-it-yourselfer.
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LOL. But honestly, as a rule, if 90% of products from a company are garbage, I’m going to stay away 100% of the time and recommend others do the same. I’d rather spend more for a better brand that I don’t have to spend so much time researching whether the particular product is crap, or if it used to be good and is now crap. People don’t usually think about their spare time monetarily, but it’s worth not having to hassle with crap brands.
[QUOTE=redcore, post:17, topic:611325]
LOL. But honestly, as a rule, if 90% of products from a company are garbage, I’m going to stay away 100% of the time and recommend others do the same. I’d rather spend more for a better brand that I don’t have to spend so much time researching whether the particular product is crap, or if it used to be good and is now crap. People don’t usually think about their spare time monetarily, but it’s worth not having to hassle with crap brands.
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Why not just research everything you buy? It’s not like it takes a lot of time. You don’t buy crap brands? This is woot!
I owned a HF sliding saw that was very similar to this unit. It is no longer available so no link, sorry.
Overall, I liked to the tool and I used it for home projects for six years. Due to relocation, I sold it still in good working condition. I would buy another should the need arise.
There are two design issues I had with mine that appear to be identical with this model. My favorite feature was the slide. I used it almost every time. It allowed me to line up my cuts. The first issue is with the lock screw on the top. The dust bag would rub against it on every pass, slowly tightening the lock screw just enough to jam up the slide mechanism. It’s easy enough to loosen the screw but it always seemed to lock up in the middle of a cut and caused more than one wasted piece of material. One option would be to remove it completely.
The second problem was with the slide design. Wood dust accumulated on the metals rails where it clogged up the rollers inside that support the slide. I could not find a way to access the mechanism to clean it. I just lubed the rails which would help but also trapped more dust in the fresh oil which added to the problem. I have never owned another slide saw for comparison so this may be a common issue.
Otherwise, it did work for my DIY projects and the slide feature is what would bring me back for another unit even with the above issues.
I’ve had the 10" version of the WEN saw for three years. If you’re a building contractor, this probably isn’t your saw. I use mine a couple of days a month for DIY stuff around the house. I’m happy with it.
I see people on here grousing about angles and precision. If you’re like me, your other choice is putting the 2x4’s across saw horses and going at them with your Black and Decker circular saw. Compared to that, this thing is Fine Craftsmanship.
