Dewalt’s 20V Max cordless sliding miter saw is on sale now, for $249. It was on sale last December, for $274 after coupon. The $25 off coupon doesn’t apply to the miter saw this year, but the current price beats last year’s after-coupon price by another $25.
The DCS361 20V Max cordless 7-1/4″ miter saw is a good saw that’s compact, lightweight, and nicely portable. There are some larger cordless saws that I can barely move around with both hands, but this one can be carried around single-handled if you were so inclined.
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My only gripe with this saw (I have a test sample from Dewalt) is a minor one. I find that blade changes aren’t quite as quick as Milwaukee’s cordless miter saws. Most users rarely change blades, but I sometimes have to change blades several times in the same project. Not because I wear blades dull, but because I sometimes need different blades when I switch to different materials.
Overall, this is one of the best cordless miter saws I’ve had the pleasure of using. $249 is a great price for the bare-tool. Unfortunately, the kit version isn’t on sale at the moment.
It’s the same price at Acme.
Price: $249
Buy Now(Bare tool via Amazon)
Buy Now(via Acme Tool)
Update: It’s the same price at HD as well, thanks George!
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The saw is one of the highest-ranked ones on Amazon, with the bare tool and kit versions earning 88% and 84% 5-star rankings, as of the time of this posting.
The kit is $349 at Acme Tool, but eligible for $25 off savings, bringing the price down to $324 with free shipping. The coupon does NOT work on the bare tool.
Buy Now(Kit via Acme Tool – use coupon DEC2017)
Thank you to [sorry I forgot your name] for the tip about the deal! Sorry, you sent me an email or message about this deal, but I can’t find it in my inbox. If you can remind me, I’ll add your name here for a proper appreciation credit.
kman
I have had this saw about a year and a half or so. It is a great saw. Blade changes are terribly difficult (the worst on any saw of any kind I have ever done). However it is otherwise the best saw I have ever used. Plenty of power, accurate, shade site guide is good in low light levels. Batteries last a long time. As to portability I have to disagree with your assessment. I feel it is heavy, large and awkward to move. The only reason I mention this is because this is why I bought the saw. I thought being aluminum and only 7 1/4 it would be more portable than my corded delta 10″ cast iron saw. Both are not easy to move around. It did not solve the portability problem for me. It does have nice handles to carry and for most people the weight might not be as big of a problem. I do have a bad back. Overall I am very happy with the saw and very impressed with the power. I highly recommend the saw and the price is great. By the way, the 3 amp hour batteries work fine with this saw and are affordable. I guess if I want more portable I would consider the kobalt 7 1/4 corded. This saw is not very compact.
jtr165
I understand what you mean about the portability. I almost always just take this thing to the work simply because it folds and locks up so easily, but I agree it’s surprisingly ‘dense’ given the overall size. I personally would rather it have a bit extra mass rather than an ultra lightweight design or something. It’s pretty small overall, but very solid.
Totally agree with blade change. I don’t know if it’s just the bad wrench that came with it, placement of the screws, or that they thread locked them. It get’s easier after the first couple of times you do it, but still an annoying process.
They also…designed the dust bag upside down? Once it’s 1/3rd full, when you lower the saw head, the dust just pours out of it haha. I flipped it upside down for a bit, which prevents this, but then the bag binds up on the rails when the head is up.
Still, though, one of my favorite cordless tools I own.
alex
Plus I don’t know if I’m the only one but the torx machine screws that you need to remove on this saw in order to access the blade are super easy to strip. Really annoying. I think I will have to change them. The other thing I dislike is that the miter gauge stop at 45 and not 47 or 48 like on some other saws. This is practical when you doing trim and you have a corner a bit out of square. Other than that, it’s a terrific saw.
Stuart
Yep.
This is what I emailed Dewalt back in March:
They said:
The screws are easier to manage with a separate Torx tool, but it’s still a sore point. Most of the people I’ve spoken to very rarely change their miter saw blades, and so I’ve almost gotten over it.
I’m holding onto the saw to be able to a comparison with Milwaukee’s 7-1/4″ cordless saw. After that, I’ll likely give it away or donate it.
The Dewalt saw is very portable and great to use, but the blade change process is even slower once you see how fast Milwaukee’s is.
John Blair
Thread locker can easily be removed with heat. Have a heat gun, point it at the stuff and 10 seconds later, Bob’s your uncle.
fred
Stuart you said:
“Most of the people I’ve spoken to very rarely change their miter saw blades, and so I’ve almost gotten over it.”
I think that this is because most folks are cutting the same sort of material (like wood trim) for most of their work. They then make do with their carbide tipped wood-cutting blade for cutting the odd piece of aluminum or plastic. In our shop – we got past the issue by having several miter saw stations (plus a huge old RAS) set up to cut the different materials we often used. Space in a home shop might not allow this – but a cordless saw is probably not being marketed to be your stationary shop saw. Nonetheless, it sounds like Dewalt might want to rethink this when they are designing their next model.
Stuart
That’s what I’ve come to understand as well.
My needs and wants tend to be quite different from what most construction brands’ tools are designed for.
Adam
From what I recall, they are T27 screws. You probably are using the wrench that came with it, but in the off chance someone were to use a T25 (oh so close), that you would more likely end up stripping the screws.
Julian
Run a die over those threads and that will clean off some of the thread lock and it becomes easy to remove. Great saw, excellent blade, though it’s so thin, it’s easily damaged if you hit a knot or are cutting something odd like plastic threshold transitions. I’ve literally ruined a couple blades with teeth ripped off in both circumstances.
Great saw, beware the plastic handle, mine literally broke off on one side with no warning while carrying it. I fixed it, but it could’ve destroyed the floor I was walking on.
alex
I had the same problem. It broke right around the screw head so I think it was ovethightened at the factory. I had it replaced under the warranty.
George
Home Depot appears to have the same price on the saw (DCS361B) as well:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-20-Volt-Max-Lithium-Ion-Cordless-Miter-Saw-Tool-Only-DCS361B/206468113
Adam
Lowe’s is at $249 as well, and they state the ‘normal’ price is $269. Lot more likely to find a coupon for Lowes than the other places, at least for me.
Ironically I just found this saw, in the kit form, at HomeDepot on clearance for $200 just before Thanksgiving and picked it up for a friend. Doubt any are out there still at that price, but if you are killing time in HD…
Stuart
Thanks! Added a brief update.
Hmm. It could be that $269 is the new “regular” price, but if so that’s surprising. Milwaukee’s saw is quite a bit pricier, and so a price drop wouldn’t have been done to be competitive. Maybe there’s a Dewalt brushless model in the works? But if so, they would or could have waited to drop the price later on.
*shrug*
Things will clear up in a few weeks when special holiday season pricing is over.
Jim Premo
Not being dual bevel is not acceptable. I use the Ridgid 7 1/4 sliding miter. Love it. If Dewalt had made this dual bevel, I would have purchased one upon release.
Rman
I just got this saw from acme on a cyber Monday 20% off sale
I like the size and weight. Very happy it takes the 60 v max batteries. When did they stop putting a hex style screw to hold the blade?? So much easier and quicker to grab a wrench even adjustable to remove the bolt. Is there anyone who sells a left hand bolt to use on this saw?? I’ll keep an eye on the handle that others have mentioned cracked while carrying.
Stuart
The problematic Torx screws are the ones that hold the guard in place. They need to be loosened in order to raise the guard and swap blades.
The arbor screw itself is just fine.
Joe
No double bevel. I have it ,don’t like it….waiting for gen 2 or I’ll grap the Rigid…
DDI Enterprises
I very rarely change blades. I use the 60 tooth Diablo for most of my cutting. As far as I’m concerned they do an awesome job on most materials but I mostly do trim.
Julian
The Dewalt stock 60tooth 7.5” blade at about $20 retail is a great value.
I’ve never been a fan of Dewalt blades, except maybe the series 40 and series 60 blades that were made in the U.K. the basic yellowed rimmed Dewalt blades to me are pretty much junk. I’d rather spend $55-80 on a blade that lasts longer and is worth spending $0.25 / tooth to sharpen.
But this little Dewalt mitersaw blade cuts great in maple finish kitchen moldings and fast in 2x lumber.
You MUST keep a spare!!! I’ve ruined 2-3 of them: broken, bent teeth simply by hitting a knot or cutting something brittle. And not while slamming the blade down btw. They’re very delicate and thin, but have been super impressed with the cut quality.
I’m fully invested in Makita, but bought the Dewalt cordless miter because it was half the price of the Mak, and rubs at twice the rpm for better cuts.
I’ve rarely needed dual bevel, but then I cut crown against the fence, not on the flat.
I’ve made zero clearance inserts, extended tall fence faces and a crown molding stop sub-base for mine.
Great saw for the price.
Greg
For anyone that owns this saw I have one specific question. I’ve seen it on sale for various amounts and I’ve strongly thought of picking it up. The demo model at the local Home Depot was pretty light. I already have the Flexvolt 12″ sliding saw with the cord / battery kit I basically stole on clearance from the same store (Paid $399 for the kit on clearance when at any other Home Depot it retails still for $799 for the same package and also got the free rolling miter saw stand promotion at the time I bought it). I love the combination, it’s probably the best of the best, so easy to setup and take down. I’ve honestly used it way more than any corded miter saw I’ve owned. Need a simple cut, it’s almost more convenient than going through my tool storage cabs for the hand saws.
Anyways it still could be more portable and that’s where I’ve though the 20v max would fit, anywhere I don’t need the capacity of the flexvolt (which 90% of the time I don’t need 16″ cross cut).
My specific question is there any reason why the 3/6/9ah flexvolt batteries won’t physically fit in this unit? I picked up a few extras from Black Friday and I feel like they’d be a good fit for this tool only miter saw.