In case you’re thinking what I would be thinking in your shoes, no, there is no new Milwaukee miter saw. Yet?
John wrote in, asking for ToolGuyd users’ take on Milwaukee’s 6955-20 12″ sliding miter saw. This model has been out for a while, and so there’s no shortage of user reviews on the web, but John was hoping for some fresh perspectives and opinions on the saw.
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According to the Amazon product listing, this Milwaukee miter saw has been on the market since at least 2004.
There have been more than a few new miter saws to hit the market since the Milwaukee 12″ sliding miter saw came out, including the Dewalt DWS780 – an excellent saw that I previously reviewed, and Bosch’s super awesome Axial Glide miter saws which are now available in 10″ and 12″ sizes.
There are some nice cordless models as well, such as the new Dewalt 20V Max sliding miter saw, and a Milwaukee M18 cordless sliding miter saw that sadly isn’t available in the USA.
John wrote:
What do people think of this saw? I’m interested in hearing from both contractors and DIYers.
It’s time for me to see about investing in a good quality miter saw that’s going to last a lifetime for me, since I’m just in the class of DIY. I love Milwaukee tools. I’ve already got a ton of them and love the quality and craftsmanship. Is this Miter Saw really worth the chunk of change?
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Milwaukee’s miter saw is priced at $649, which is indeed hard on the wallet. But with a quick glance, I can’t find any major complaints about it.
Price: $649 at Home Depot and other authorized dealers. Amazon’s price is way higher and only available through 3rd party sellers.
Buy Now(via Home Depot)
Buy Now(check the user reviews, via Amazon)
Compare(Dewalt DWS780 via Amazon)
I think that Dewalt’s DWS780 is going to be the most popular competition, and I really like that saw’s XPS cut “light” guidance system. But if the Milwaukee sliding action is better (I wasn’t 100% in love with Dewalt’s), then that might be the deciding factor. I don’t know which one I would pick between the two. Maybe I’d just stick with Bosch.
If you’ve used this saw, what do you think about it? Does it stand up to today’s competition? Do you have another 12″ sliding miter saw recommendation you’d like to give to John?
Matt
I’m sure it’s a fine saw, but what’s the appeal of a 12 year old saw that’s $650 when you could get the Bosch for the same price? I’m just hoping for another sub-$400 Dewalt (or similar) slider similar to the DWS782 last year.
Moxy
I agree… I looked at this saw before I purchased my Bosch. I love Milwaukee tools and thought this saw would be great, but the glide on the Bosch was fantastic. And don’t forget the space savings as well since it can sit flush against a wall. The only real issue to me is, do you bite the bullet, and shell out the cash to buy the gravity rise stand with the Bosh or not. (I did and I love it). I just couldn’t compare the Milwaukee to what I ended up with. That said, I was close to buying it and I’m sure it’s a great saw. Especially if it has been around 12 years and reviews are still positive.
fred
With the realization that the perfect miter saw good for everyone – has yet to be made – one can consider this Milwaukee against its competition. I’ve bought dozens of miter saws over the years – most recently Bosch GCM12SD’s on gravity rise stands for both a business and for my home shop. For the business – we were phasing out older Makita saws that were starting to show their age – some having become sloppy. We had a problem with one of the first GCM12SD’s – not being able to adjust the split fence and table into square alignment (may have been a shipping issue) – but after sending this one back – subsequent saws were perfect out of the box . While I like the GCM12SD – I would not recommend it if you need a lightweight – easily transportable saw. My personal saw – sits in a garage shop – and the ones we used for business were transported in custom up-fitted step vans – so they could be easily rolled off the back down the pull-out ramp.
Drew M
I picked up the Bosch 12″ axial glide saw about this time last year and feel it is a very good saw. I love the arm mechanism as it doesn’t waste a bunch of space while still being very smooth and accurate. The included blade is ok but nothing to get excited about.
Honestly, my biggest gripe is the hold down clamp. No ACME threads and no quick half nut quick release like the one on the old DW708.
Adam spiller
I don’t like it, it’s too big, I prefer 10 inch mitre saws, I don’t like the handle, I just think it’s badly designed, the only thing I like, is the fence.
Timothy Waldvogel
Do you not like the concept of it or have you owned\used one? its important to make that honest distinction when making negative comments, as negative comments tend to hold the most water with individuals.
John
You also have in a previous article:
https://toolguyd.com/milwaukee-tools-sneak-peek-2h2014/
about the about to be released cordless version the Milwaukee M18 Cordless Miter Saw so that looks like there is one “coming soon” at least I hope coming soon to the US as it looks like UK only for now.
Add to that the 9.0Ah M18 battery packs and this should be a pretty serious competitor to the corded version.
Stuart
I did mention that model in a post, perhaps not noticeably enough: “and a Milwaukee M18 cordless sliding miter saw that sadly isn’t available in the USA.”
I’ve given up on my hope in seeing that model released here. Maybe we’ll see the second generation model here?
John
Thats a real shame, I’d likely pick one up immediately if they did. Not because its “cordless” but because its much easier to transport than a full sized so batteries would be kinda secondary to my decision and just a bonus I guess. Im still holding out hope they’ll bring it to the US as similar cordless or even compact ones like the Makita and Craftsman compact miter saws are only 7.5 inch while that Milwaukee is 8.5. One can only hope it comes.
J., Homeowner
I can’t speak to this model. However, I have owned the Hitachi 12″ slider for a couple of years now. I put a Forrest blade on it. It’s been a great saw for me – plenty of power, smooth, and accurate right out of the box.
The only downside, and this will probably apply to the Milwaukee, is that it’s a beast! Its bulk and weight make it very awkward to transport. I’m sure a folding stand with wheels would alleviate this problem to a degree. You also need a fair bit of room to operate a 12″ slider due to the operation of the sliding mechanism.
I ended up buying a 7¼” slider to complement the big saw. It’s so much more manageable and portable than the 12″ that I’ve found I actually use it more than the big saw.
alex
I sold my beasty Hitachi. It was a good saw I just found it to heavy to carry onto and off site everyday. The 10 inch Hitachi compound mitre saw is meant to be a really good saw and more compact. Though it isn’t a workshop issue weight and portability is huge for a site tool
alex
I wouldn’t buy the Bosch axle for the same reason I once picked one up and they are just too heavy. But I its for a workshop they would be great
Matt E.
Did you go with the Kobalt slider for the 7″?
That’s the Miter saw I use and it’s way more versatile than such a small, cheap saw has any right to be! (although contemplating moving up to a Ryobi 10″ slider)
J., Homeowner
That’s the one.
I think I paid $69 for it last year as a Black Friday special. It gets mixed reviews online, but mine has been good so far. It’s extremely portable, and there’s a vast selection of blades in that size.
Anton
I like my 12″ sliding hitachi. I think its the best deal since its usually $399 at lowes. and the slider can be positioned either forward or back so it saves a little depth space on the workbench.
Simon
I have owned
The 12″
Hitachi c12cfs
Dewalt dws780
Bosch axial glide
Makita 1216l
And I have used the
12″ ridgid
12″ older Bosch
12″ Milwaukee
10″ Festool
Makita 1016 I think it was
10″ dewalt slider
I like different things about different saws for me currently the best saw for my application is the makita 1216l it’s not perfect and none of them are but the 1216l gives me the biggest capacity for finishing trims upright
As far as I’m concerned buying a good quality blade and checking periodically for squareness and most saws are fairly good. If your like me where I pack my saw into a job site everyday then size becomes a consideration my hitachi was always balls on accurate for me but weighed more than a tank I’ve seen a lot of guys switch from Milwaukee just because it was harder to get into places than others
cody
I have the Hitachi 12″ sliding miter saw and love it; very affordable. Ridgid also has a nice 12″ miter the is also reasonable priced
mnoswad
I don’t ever think of the milwaukee saw. I saw it once in person and it is huge. almost comical looking.
I picked dewalt because of the grip location in relation to the blade guard. I can have my hand on the grip and easily use my thumb to slide the plastic guard up out of the way enough to make a last visual check of the pencil line / blade / led light alignment before lowering it and making a cut.
oh, and the XPS light is awesome.
Hugh
I’ve used that milwaukee miter saw wasn’t really impressed with it.
I like the 12 inch Bosch currently on the market. It makes sharp miters which is what you would expect from a good miter saw. The nice thing about the Bosch is you can use it in small rooms/ against walls.
Nate
Milwaukee needs to make a whole new miter saw. It is overpriced and the performance does not compare to other simar priced saws. Go Bosch if your serious, dewalt and rigid are the more reasonable priced saws. Ryobi is cheap 179 for 10inch slider
Matt E.
Personally I’m really hoping Ryobi brings their Sliders from the UK over (maybe as Milwaukee or RIGID rebrands?)
http://uk.ryobitools.eu/power-tools/benchtop-tools-2/#!/2
I’m in the market for a slider that can be snugged up against a wall, which pretty much leaves me with just the affordable but massive Hitachi 12″, or the pricey Bosch 10″
fred
I’m not sure how much longer the Bosch patents on the GCM12SD glide design have yet to run – but I’m guessing that once the design is off-patent – you will see some clones. Whether they will be significantly less expensive is another issue (not sure how much more costly the glide mechanism is to make versus a set of slide rails.)
James Staggs
I had the Milwaukee 12″ sliding miter saw for about 4 years. The saw has a lot of power but that’s where the pros stop. The saw has a lot of slack left to right when holding the handle. The slow start is annoying especially if you let off the trigger for just a second and then press again. The saw is also incredibly heavy and the carrying handles are extremely uncomfortable. I’ve used every saw except for the Kapex and I would recommend buying a 12″ Dewalt.
kv
I’ve owned the Milwaukee 12″ sliding saw for about a year now. I’ve used it for everything from cutting studs to building shelving and 1xX for kids furniture. I usually don’t have a problem with precision with straight cuts – it’s easy enough to line up the blade with the cut. Bevels and miter cuts are a bit more difficult and I miss not having something like the XPS Light on the Dewalt 780. One thing that the Milwaukee has over the 780 is the smoothness of the slides. The 780 that I’ve used was one of the saws with the crunchy slide rails. It was a real pain to use. The Milwaukee however has always glided smoothly. I love the power of the saw and the soft start doesn’t jump around when you pull the trigger. The digital miter gauge is also nice for dialing in precise angles.
Anyone looking at this saw should probably try to get some hands on time with the Dewalt and the Bosch in addition to the Milwaukee. I’d say that the red saw is perfectly good for framing / PT and anything else where you need power and you don’t have to carry it around a lot. It’s quite heavy but has the power to do whatever I’ve asked of it.
Nick
I’m a finish carpenter and have owned this saw for a few months now (bought it used from 2005).
Play:Previous poster was right about it having a lot of left to right play, particularly when trying to cut on the compound angle. I tried cutting tall base laying flat on the bottom at a 45° compound angle and noticed the miter angle changed a full 1° out of square (when the compound angle was set upright, the miter angle was cutting square). While this was a pain, all sliding compound miter saws seem to have more drift that the 10″ counterparts due to physics (even the Bosch with the cool arm). I can’t vouch for sure that this saw had it worse than the others.
Size: It’s weight and mass didn’t bother me, I even find it preferable if you plan on keeping it in one spot for a while.
Light: I’ve used it in a darker environment and found it work light helpful but weaker than ideal.
Fence and changing angles: The fence is pretty solid but I can’t stand that only the left side can be removed vertically. It’s fine on a miter stand but a pain in the butt if you are wanting it in a permanent shop location with a miter gauge/fence and need to do a compound angle. Is it that hard to engineer a saw fence that can either be removed vertically or extended horizontally? Maybe it is… I like the digital micro adjuster the mechanics of it could be tighter though. Sometimes it moves a hair when I let go of the knob. The paddle lever in the back for changing compound angles was straightforward and much better than the ones I’ve used in the past that make you crank on a knob. The motor placement and design are good and don’t get in the way as much as other designs.
Dust Collection: Solid dust collection design if not using a vacuum. But you have to buy a 15-20$ accessory just to use it with a vacuum (or get really creative attaching a round hose to a rectangular port). It’s just one more thing to carry around if you don’t always use one or the other. Lame.
Slow start: irritating if you want to crank out fast cuts but in the end I like it because it seems safer than the jerking motion of other saw’s startup.
I’m a fan of Milwaukee tools and don’t really regret the purchase for the price I payed. If buying new in today’s market though I think I’d go for the higher end Dewalt.
Jeff
about the fence, I heard that there is a patent or something that prevent it from sliding on the right side.
but if you check attentively, they made it in purpose that you can use a cutweel and buff 2 little piece of metal and it will slide on both side
Nick
Good to know, I hadn’t considered that. Thanks for the reply.
John
Has the price dropped on this saw? I found this saw on Amazon for $499.00 Is this the same saw?
https://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-6955-20-12-Inch-Sliding-Digital/dp/B001BBTZY4/
Stuart
Looks to be the same saw.