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10 Best Miter Saws of 2024 (Compound, Sliding) – Reviews & Top Picks

a miter saw

a mitre saw

If you’ve ever attempted to create mitered corner cuts using a miter box and a handsaw, you know just how much time, effort, and frustration a miter saw can save you. No more burning forearms and slightly-off angles.

A quality miter saw can make short work of complicated angled cuts, and it will do them smoothly and efficiently. But there are some drastic differences between miter saw models that you need to be aware of before you pull the trigger and cut the competition down to a single saw to add to your collection.

Miter saw blades range in size from 7¼ inches to 12 inches. Saws can be just over 20 pounds or as heavy as 60+ pounds. There are many variables to consider, and it’s important to ensure that the saw you choose can perform the tasks that you need it to. While shopping around for our next miter saw, we did extensive testing to see which models are the absolute best, and the following 10 reviews will compare some of our favorites.


A Comparison of our Favorite Picks in 2024:

Rating Image Product Details
Best Overall
Winner
DEWALT DWS779 12″ Sliding Compound Miter Saw DEWALT DWS779 12″ Sliding Compound Miter Saw
  • Cuts lumber up to 2X16 ,3-year warranty ,Powerful 15-amp motor
  • Best Value
    Second place
    Metabo HTP C10FCGS 10″ Compound Miter Saw Metabo HTP C10FCGS 10″ Compound Miter Saw
  • Powerful 15-amp motor ,Lightweight and portable ,5-year warranty
  • Premium Choice
    Third place
    Bosch GCM12SD 12″ Sliding Compound Miter Saw Bosch GCM12SD 12″ Sliding Compound Miter Saw
  • Excellent dust collection ,Extremely sturdy and well-built ,14-inch cutting capacity
  • Metabo 12″ C12FDHS Compound Miter Saw Metabo 12″ C12FDHS Compound Miter Saw
  • Plenty of cutting power ,Bevels to both sides ,5-year warranty
  • DEWALT 12″ DWS715 Miter Saw DEWALT 12″ DWS715 Miter Saw
  • Tall sliding fences,More portable,Very sturdily built
  • The 10 Best Miter Saws:

    1. DEWALT DWS779 12″ Sliding Compound Miter Saw – Best Overall

     

    DEWALT DWS779 12-Inch Sliding Compound Miter Saw

    There’s a reason why you’ll find DEWALT tools in the hands of many professionals. Truthfully, there are several reasons, and the DWS779 12-inch sliding compound miter saw displays all of them. This is a beast of a saw capable of everything you can imagine and quite a few things you’ve never thought of. For instance, it can cut through lumber up to 6.75 inches thick. Just as impressive, it can cut through a 16-inch wide piece of lumber thanks to the sliding rails and large 12-inch blade. Add the powerful 15-amp motor into the equation, and it’s easy to see why this saw tops our list.

    Most miter saws these days can bevel to at least one side. The DWS779 can bevel to both sides beyond 45 degrees. The fence will even slide out of the way to allow the blade plenty of room. While most saws feature a dust containment system, the DEWALT version prevented us from having sawdust in our faces or much mess to clean up. The catch is that this is a heavy and expensive saw, but we think it’s well worth the tradeoff. All in all, we rate this as the best overall miter saw on the market right now

    Pros
    • Cuts lumber up to 2X16
    • 3-year warranty
    • Powerful 15-amp motor
    • Double 45-degree bevel
    • Dust collection system that actually works
    Cons
    • Pretty hefty
    • Not cheap

    2. Metabo HTP C10FCGS 10″ Compound Miter Saw – Best Value

    Metabo HPT C10FCGS 10-Inch Compound Miter Saw

    Power tools can get expensive, and miter saws are on the larger, higher-priced end of the spectrum. But with the Metabo HTP C10FCGS, you can get an excellent miter saw at a very affordable price. It has a smaller 10-inch blade that can’t cut through larger lumber, but for anything 2×6 and smaller, it’s a great choice. Equipped with a powerful 15-amp motor, it has plenty of power to cut through anything that the blade will reach. It’s even great for cutting through metals if you switch the blade out.

    One problem we noticed with many of the premium 12-inch miter saws was that they were extremely heavy and bulky. You wouldn’t want to move them around often. That’s fine for a saw that will spend its life in a workshop, but if you ever move outside of your workspace for a project, the smaller size and lighter weight of the Metabo C10FCGS will be a blessing you’ll appreciate. Even though it’s smaller and cheaper than most of the competition, the 5-year warranty should provide peace of mind. For us, it all adds up to the best miter saw for the money.

    Pros
    • Affordably priced, even for hobbyists
    • Powerful 15-amp motor
    • Lightweight and portable
    • Five-year warranty
    Cons
    • 10-inch blade can’t cut larger lumber

    3. Bosch GCM12SD 12″ Sliding Compound Miter Saw – Premium Choice

    Bosch Power Tools GCM12SD 12-Inch Miter Saw

    Tools are one thing that many of us can justify spending top dollar on to get a premium device that will safely perform for many years without issue. For those individuals, the GCM12SD 12-inch miter saw from Bosch Power Tools is the Rolls-Royce of miter saws. It’s packed with every feature and extra you can imagine, but it comes with a premium price tag. This saw is also a heavyweight beast, tipping the scales at 88 pounds. But it’s got the punch of a heavyweight, with a 3-horsepower, 15-amp motor sending nearly-unlimited power to the blade.

    While this is a powerful monster of a miter saw, that’s not all you’re paying for. You also get great extra features that add up to a top-notch machine. On the back of the saw is a port where you can attach a vacuum to clean up the dust as you cut, eliminating any mess. The table is large to provide support, but it goes a step further with extendable support arms to give you 40 total inches of support. That sounds nice, but this is a well-built and sturdy machine you need to use to appreciate.

    Pros
    • Excellent dust collection
    • Extremely sturdy and well-built
    • 14-inch cutting capacity
    • Vacuum adapter
    • Built-in sliding supports
    Cons
    • Very heavy
    • Quite pricey

    4. Metabo 12″ C12FDHS Compound Miter Saw

    Metabo HPT C12FDHS 12-Inch Compound Miter Saw

    Metabo HPT is the new name for the well-known tool brand Hitachi. They’ve been making quality tools for a long time, and their new name and lineup have brought the high performance to a more affordable price point. The C12FDHS is a 12-inch saw packed with all the standard features for a reasonable price. It has a 15-amp motor that packs 1,950 watts of power to spin the blade. It doesn’t slide, but you can still cut through anything 2×8 and smaller. For trim work and finer carpentry, the blade bevels to both sides. The inside pieces of the fence flip out of the way to allow room, so the blade doesn’t hit them when it’s beveled.

    Like many saws, the C12FDHS has a laser guide system to help you see where the blade will cut. But like many saws, the laser was inaccurate, dim, and useless overall. Coming in under 60 pounds, this saw was much easier to move than some of the other 12-inch miter saws we were comparing it against. However, the shorter reach means it can’t cut the same size lumber, so this saw missed our top three.

    Pros
    • More affordable than other 12-inch saws
    • The 15-amp motor makes plenty of cutting power
    • Bevels to both sides
    • Five-year warranty
    Cons
    • Can only cut up to 2×8 lumber
    • Laser is inaccurate and low-powered

    5. DEWALT 12″ DWS715 Miter Saw

    DEWALT DWS715 12-Inch Miter Saw

    Being one of the kings in the power tool world, it’s unsurprising that DEWALT has ended up with two offerings on our list. The DWS715 is a stout 15-amp miter saw with a 12-inch blade capable of sinking its teeth into anything 5 inches thick and 8 inches wide or smaller. Overall, it’s a very capable saw, but it’s more expensive than some of its closest competitors without offering as many notable features. That said, DEWALT is known for producing sturdy tools with a very high build quality, and this saw certainly lives up to that reputation.

    With the DWS715, you get a tall fence for cutting larger material. The fence even slides out of the way for beveled cuts, but the blade only bevels to the left, unlike the Metabo saw in the position ahead of this DEWALT. This saw also doesn’t have a laser light for lining up your cut. However, the DEWALT is slightly lighter at just over 40 pounds. DEWALT covers their tools with a 3-year warranty, which isn’t the best in the industry, but it’s far better than nothing.

    Pros
    • Tall sliding fences for large material and bevel cuts
    • More portable than sliding miter saws
    • Very sturdily built
    Cons
    • Only bevels to the left
    • More expensive than similar competitors

    6. Ryobi 10″ Compound Mitre Saw

    Ryobi 10 in. Compound Miter Saw

    Most of the miter saws we tested for this list had 12-inch blades because they can work with much larger lumber, making them altogether more useful in our eyes. But this Ryobi miter saw has a 10-inch blade and is still a useful tool. One of our favorite things about it was the smaller size and low weight. It’s just 26 pounds, so it’s easy to pick up and carry from one job to another or another area of your workshop. It also has some useful features, like the electric blade stop, which stops the blade seconds after you release the trigger, so it doesn’t keep spinning and risk grabbing onto your piece.

    Though there was plenty we liked about this saw, several notable flaws were holding it back. For instance, a saw this size is great for trim work, except it only bevels one way! If it were to bevel in both directions, it would be an excellent option for cutting trim and would probably have earned a much higher position on our list. The dust containment also didn’t work, and we ended up with faces full of sawdust whenever we used this saw.

    Pros
    • Compact and lightweight
    • Portable
    • Electric brake stops blade quickly
    Cons
    • Only bevels one direction
    • Dust containment doesn’t work well

    7. TACKLIFE 12″ Sliding Compound Miter Saw

    TACKLIFE Sliding Compound Miter Saw

    TACKLIFE is a less-known tool manufacturer that doesn’t share the same clout and reputation as DEWALT or Ryobi. For what you pay, this sliding compound miter saw offers great functionality, but it also has some hard-to-miss flaws. The platform is pretty large to start, which we liked, and extends on each side for even more support. A dust containment bag is included but doesn’t work well on its own. That said, you can attach a vacuum instead, and we experienced very little mess with it attached. This saw bevels both ways and has a 13-inch cut length thanks to the 12-inch blade and sliding rails.

    Though it has some excellent features, the build quality of the TACKLIFE saw isn’t up to the standard set by some of the other saws we tested. It’s not as solid and doesn’t feel like it would survive too many trips in the back of your work truck. It also has a very low fence that doesn’t provide support when cutting taller trim. When cutting miters, there aren’t as many miter stops as we expected, and the back rail is marked in centimeters instead of inches.

    Pros
    • Lower-priced than similar products
    • Double-bevel
    • Large cutting capacity
    • Vacuum attachment port
    • Extendable platform
    Cons
    • The fence is very short
    • Lower RPMs than competitors
    • Few miter stops
    • Centimeter marks instead of inches

    8. Kobalt 7-¼” Sliding Compound Mitre Saw

    Kobalt 7-¼-in Sliding Compound Miter Saw

    Strewn amongst the 10-inch and 12-inch saws, we also tested several 7¼-inch saws, and the Kobalt compound miter saw is the only one that made our list. Despite the smaller blade, this saw can cut through lumber up to 8 inches wide thanks to the sliding rails that give the blade extra reach. Even though it can cut through wood that generally requires a 12-inch miter saw, the Kobalt is still compact and lightweight, coming in under 30 pounds. This means it’s much more portable than those larger saws. However, we noticed that when pulling the saw back, there’s a small gap at the very back of your wood piece that doesn’t get cut because the blade doesn’t retract quite far enough

    This saw features a dust catcher that does pretty much nothing. However, you can hook a vacuum up to the port, which is somewhat effective. You also get a laser guide with this saw, but ours was inaccurate, and we didn’t use it. Our biggest complaint was the uneven cutting deck. Ours had an ⅛-inch difference between the parts of the table, making it very difficult to cut smaller pieces like trim evenly.

    Pros
    • Can cut lumber up to 2×8
    • Vacuum attachment port
    • Lightweight and portable
    Cons
    • Inaccurate laser guide
    • Ineffective dust catcher system
    • The blade doesn’t cut through the back of boards
    • Uneven cutting deck

    9. Delta S26-262L Miter Saw

    Delta Power Equipment S26-262L Shop Master

    We always love affordable tools, and the Delta S26-262L is one of the lowest-priced tools on our list. Unfortunately, its performance matched the low price, which is why it’s ranked so poorly. Aside from the affordable price, our favorite things about this saw were the lightweight and smaller size which made it more portable than larger saws. This one has a 10-inch blade, so it has a limited cutting capacity. It can cut through lumber up to 6 inches wide but don’t ask it to cut a 2×8.

    Like many lower-priced saws we tested, this one only bevels to the left. It a laser for sighting up your cut before making it, but the laser is battery-powered so you’ll need extra batteries for it, and if you leave it on, it will be dead the next time you need it. Aside from the laser, this saw is devoid of any other helpful extras. Its barebones feature set helps it stay in the low end of the price range, but we prefer the Metabo HTP C10FCGS that earned our best value pick that’s cheaper and offers better functionality.

    Pros
    • Very affordable
    • Lightweight and portable
    Cons
    • Can only cut up to 2X6 lumber
    • Only bevels to the left
    • Laser is battery-powered
    • No helpful extras

    10. SKIL 12″ Compound Miter Saws

    SKIL 3821-01 Quick Mount Compound Miter Saw

    It wasn’t one of our favorites, but the Skilsaw 3821-01 compound miter saw is a solid product. Like most miter saws at this price point, this one is powered by a 15-amp motor. It has a 12-inch blade that can cut through 2×6 lumber with ease but, rather disappointingly, wouldn’t quite reach through a 2×8. Nine positive stops are built-in to make it easy and quick to set your miter angles. You also get a laser light to sight up your cut, and to our surprise, this one is pretty accurate and even somewhat visible. But our favorite feature was the slide-out table extensions that give you more support when you’re cutting long pieces.

    Despite all the features we enjoyed on this saw, there were still plenty of complaints from our testers. The short cut length was our first complaint since it wouldn’t reach through a 2×8. It can only cut pieces with a maximum height of 3.5 inches, so it’s not great for trim work. The blade only bevels to the left, but some other saws in the price range bevel to both sides. It’s acceptable for basic woodwork, but we don’t recommend it.

    Pros
    • Table extensions for stability with longer pieces
    • Accurate laser light
    Cons
    • Not completely square from the factory
    • Only bevels to the left
    • Only cuts 2×6 and smaller lumber
    • Not great for trim work

    Buyer’s Guide: How to Select the Best Miter Saw

    There were so many great miter saws to choose from that we had a tough time narrowing it down to just ten. Each has a different set of features, varying blade sizes, and drastically different price tags. But how can you decide which saw is the best one for you? If you’re stuck trying to pick between them, this short buyer’s guide will help you cut through the advertising to determine which features and functionality you need.

    Blade Size

    One of the most noticeable differences that separate some of these saws is the blade size. The smallest blade on this list is 7¼ inches, while the largest is 12 inches. In between these two sizes are saws with a 10-inch blade. But a 12-inch blade doesn’t mean a saw can cut a 12-inch wide piece of lumber. Most 12-inch saws will cut through a 2×8, but some are limited to 2x6s. Smaller blades naturally have a shorter reach, so a 10-inch blade will generally only be able to cut through a 2×6 unless the saw features sliding rails.

    collection of saw blades

    A bigger blade can also cut thicker material, depending on how high the blade lifts. Each saw has a maximum standing height that it can cut through. This is important for trim work, particularly where you may have to stand up a piece of baseboard vertically to cut your mitered end. Some saws have a meager maximum cut height of just over 3 inches. Others can cut pieces over 6 inches thick, so if you’re going to be cutting thick pieces of wood or large trim, you’ll want to get a saw with a tall maximum cut depth.

    Sliding Rails

    Blade size affects the size of lumber you can cut, but it’s not the only factor. Some saws feature a rail system that allows the blade to slide forward and backward, increasing the width of lumber that it can cut. Some of the best 12-inch miter saws with sliding rails can achieve a 16-inch long cut, so you can cut very wide pieces with your miter saw. Even a small blade, like a 7¼-inch, can cut through 2x8s with a sliding rail system. So why would you choose a sliding 7¼-inch saw over a 12-inch saw with the same cut length? One set of reasons is size, weight, and portability.

    close up photo of miter saw

    Size, Weight, and Portability

    Some people bolt their miter saw down to their shop table, and it never moves again. If your saw lives such a life, you may not care how bulky or heavy it is. On the other hand, some saws see near-constant traveling, being transported from job to job or around the workshop to wherever is most convenient. A smaller, lighter saw could be a serious advantage in these cases. Some of the 12-inch saws we tested weighed nearly 90 pounds. But some of the smaller saws weighed less than 30 pounds. They are much more reasonable for transportation, so if you know you’ll be moving your saw around a lot, we suggest looking for a lighter, more compact miter saw.

    Extra Features

    We’ve already discussed a lot of the most important considerations for picking a miter saw, but extra features can add a level of convenience. For instance, laser lights can make it easier to see where the blade will fall when you cut.

    Dust containment systems attempt to keep the sawdust out of your lungs and eyes and collect it into a small bag, making it easy to keep the mess contained. While these often don’t work as well as we’d hope, some saws feature a vacuum attachment port that works wonders when a vacuum is hooked up.

    delta miter saw

    But one of our favorite features is sliding supports on the table. If you’ve ever done “carpenter’s yoga” while attempting to make a cut, you’ll know firsthand just how useful the extra support length can be.

    Warranty

    Power tools live a difficult life, especially under our supervision. For that reason, we always look for a good warranty that will keep our investment protected. Most of the major tool manufacturers cover their tools for several years. For instance, DEWALT covers its tools for 3 years. Metabo HTP warranties their tools for an impressive 5 years. Whichever route you take, make sure that you check on the warranty period from the manufacturer, so you know how long your tool will be covered in case of accidental damage.

    divider 5 Conclusion

    These saws can cut through pretty much anything you need, creating miters, bevels, and speedy straight cuts. Nothing can replace a good miter saw, so when we set out to find the best miter saws available to replace ours, we wrote up short reviews comparing each of our favorites so that you can get the benefits of all that testing without spending so much money. Ultimately, our favorite overall was the DEWALT DWS779 12-inch sliding compound miter saw. This monster can cut wood up to 16 inches wide, has a dust collection system that works, bevels to both sides, and is protected by the DEWALT 3-year warranty.

    On the cheaper side of the spectrum, the Metabo HTP C10FCGS was our pick for the best value. It’s dirt-cheap, lightweight, and easy to transport, and is covered by one of the best warranties in the business. But when you don’t mind breaking the bank for the best of the best miter saw, the Bosch GCM12SD is king. This 12-inch sliding miter saw is built like a tank and features a 14-inch cutting capacity, slide-out supports, and a vacuum attachment to help keep the sawdust to a minimum.

    Note: we also have a miter saw stand buying guide found here. This may be of interest since a stand is crucial if you want to take your miter saw to the next level. You could also check out our top 5 jigsaw picks or learn how to make a miter saw dust bag.

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