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This is a GREAT saw. I recently demo'd out my carport, and had a huge pile of scrap lumber laying in my back yard. right out of the box, all I needed to do was make sure the blade was on tight, and away I went. Very smooth motor, low start-up kick, and quiet operation makes it a winner in my book. This saw took care of all my scrap and now it's all stacked neatly next to my fire pit ready for the next family camp fire. Granted, I'm not a professional carpenter, but I have used some of the other worm-drive saws, and I have to say that so far, this little beauty (especially with the price) has delivered better than expected.
The saw is great, but doesn't come with a rip fence or thumbscrew to secure the rip fence to the saw. DON'T order the rip fence recommended for it because it's not the proper fit, and as far as I know, Makita doesn't make a proper rip fence for this saw.The best I could do was to use a Skil adjustable rip fence #13896, and order the thumbscrew from Makita, because the thumbscrew that comes with the Skil rip fence doesn't fit the Makita saw.
The Hypoid saw is no exception. I have had the Makita for about 6 weeks now, and I am very impressed. I have always been a fan of Makita products, as they make a great tool. Very powerful and does not jerk like other saw's of its class. Well worth the money you pay for it.
This wormdrive saw is solid and heavy , perhaps too heavy. This Makita product is a powerful well designed hand saw. Much to my dismay, it is made in China. The blade that it comes with cuts fine but isn't one of the sharpest or best quality. For the price this saw is a great value and perfect for home use but I would not recommend it for a contractor, builder or other proffessional that would use it on a daily basis due to it's weight.
We're a small crew and there are several other saws available: a Skil Mag 77, a Bosch Wormdrive and mine. Makita wouldn't repair it, but my local hardware store owner bought me a new housing ($20) and I fixed it myself. In the meantime, I'm happy to have my workhorse back.***END***I've been using this saw for the past 6 months on several jobsites. And as far as I'm concerned, these are all fine, capable saws. It's fairly large. Ive' used several different blades on this from steel, concrete and traditional lumber, including pressure treated, it's got plenty of power to cut through what you need it to. And it's blue, which is cool. Trying to give DeWalt a run for the money.
I'm a bit peeved. ***UPDATE***The nylon housing broke. The numbers are easy to read because the indents for each number/tickmark fill up with dust, showing contrast against the black painted shoe.Things one needs to get used to: the handle size. It does get bent from time to time, you know, cause it's a jobsite and all, but it's easy to true it back up in 5 minutes with a pair of visegrips, a combination square and a hammer. Steel is great because it bends.).
Couple of things I like: First, the power and the fact that it gets up to speed quickly. The other guys on the site comment on it. I know it won't crack when I drop it. Where ever we are on the jobsite, we reach for the saw at hand, so I guess I make my review based on those comparisons. Up until its breaking, it was the favorite saw on the jobsite, with even Mag77 guys reaching for it, praising its smooth power.
I finally had enough and ordered a hook for another saw and fiddled with the thing and found a way to make it work. I'm used to it and don't notice it any more.Things I modded: I added a rafter hook so I could keep this thing off the friggin' ground/floor. It's got a thicker hand grip than the Skil or Bosch. No question.It's got better kerf sight lines than the Skil and about the same as the Bosch.Since it's a hypoid, I don't ever have to fuss with changing the oil like in a Skil.I like the nylon housing. Try that with an aluminum or magnesium foot. 'Gotta have a hook.(I give it 4 stars because of that and the weight issue)I run it with a Freud Diablo blade which seems to work pretty well.
It wasn't even dropped. I went through too many blades setting the thing down carelessly on a cement floor. I don't think Makita is selling a hypoid without one anymore so that shouldn't be an issue. Overall, it handles nicely, but it does have some startup torque.
You know, I'll never wear this thing out. but if they fail, both fail catastrophically, which means they snap. If it breaks again, I'll really change my tune about this saw. It's heavy at 15 pounds, although Makita's new 5377MG is lighter by 2 lbs.
I like the steel foot. (I know, I know, they're tougher to start out with.which is probably true. If you're used to handling worm-drives/hypoids, you won't even notice it. Just get one and learn to use it well.
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