Like another reviewer, I had to go through 2 orders before getting a machine that wasn't broke. The first order, which comes by ground (free shipping route), delivered a saw that had a section of the base metal completely busted off from the rest of the frame. Specifically, a triangular section on the bottom which houses one of the angle stops. (Also, two of the tools were missing as well). After having to explain to Amazon that a "replacement part could not be ordered," they finally overnighted me a replacement. I did get a chance to use the first saw because I had wood to cut and I wasn't going to wait. And, I definitely was NOT impressed with the laser. I could hardly see it in broad daylight or in the shade. Nonetheless, I decided to give the replacement a benefit of the doubt--thinking that when the package got dropped, it did something to the laser as well.
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br /So, with a working saw now in my possession, I'm glad I stuck with it. Because the laser is bold, bright, straight and easily seen in the shade as well as broad daylight. My only complaint about the laser is there should be a vertical/angle adjustment of some sort available to the consumer. The only adjustment you can do to the laser (as per the instructions, anyway), refers to horizontal adjustment--left or right side of the blade. I would like the opportunity to adjust the laser from its position on its mount to the wood itself. I would find this very convenient.
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br /The miter digital readout is NOT accurate out of the box. It wasn't for my first saw or the second. It will have to be adjusted. However, other reviewers claim the opposite.
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br /The fences definitely need to be adjusted. They are not true to the blade. For 2X4's or smaller, you'll be fine right out of the box. That's the degree of adjustment we're talking about here. It's not much, but, it is noticeable for wider stock.
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br /Blade changing is a pain in the butt, to be candid. When it comes to saws, there are some things I don't want to spend time on. Changing blades is definitely one of them.
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br /Blade stop. Does it exist? If you're expecting a quick cease in blade rotation after your cut, this isn't the saw for you. Speaking of blade cessation, when you do release the trigger, the saw has an upward kick to it. I find this aggravating. But, I'm sure I'll become accustomed to this idiosyncracy after enough cuts.
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br /The digital readout for bevel cuts is actually the primary reason I bought this saw. And, as it stands, I'm definitely impressed with it. I also like the engineering on the power to the laser and digital meters--each is controlled by its own individual switch. What does this mean to you? You don't have to keep your laser on at all times.
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br /Base rotation and lock are quite smooth and dependable. No complaints whatsoever. The locking knob is plenty big--something I'm happy about.
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br /Conclusion. If you're getting this saw shipped to you, it's a 50/50 chance on whether or not the first one will come in one piece. That is how poor the packaging is. The worst I've seen with a tool--and I order many tools each year. The digital readouts for miter and bevel cuts are without a doubt a trend setter. They will definitely be mocked. {Now... it would be nice is someone invented a compound sliding 12" saw with the laser and the miter/bevel digi-readouts.} The laser is sharp and easily adjustable. The swing open extension fence is a bonus. Not supplying extension rods (from the saw's base) for the price we're paying, I think, is a non-impressive, cheap quality that most of these manufacturers emulate. Hitachi, for the most part, likes to be different. I was very surprised that it did not include the extensions with the saw.
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br /Hope this helps....
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br /Addendum #1. Just finished setting the new saw up. And guess what? The teeth on the blade are damaged! Make sure you check the entire blade over. On mine, I had one tooth missing and 3 that are ready to fall off--sounds like a dental problem. ;0 The fences were poorly aligned. That took about 15 minutes to remedy. How? There are two bolts securing each fence at the rear. Grab your wrench and turn each bolt ONE HALF TURN (is all that's needed). Take your straight edge and place it on the saw base--align both fences to this edge. Then lower your saw, lock it in place, pull up the guard and use a quick grip to lock that up and out of the way as well. Then, take your Square and align one side at a time. When placing the Square against the side of the blade, make certain it is only touch the face of the blade--NO TEETH. After squaring one side, repeat the procedure on the opposing side. Wrap it all up by making a wide cut--measure and validate.

I was excited about this saw. The features are ingenious and the reviews of Hitachi products are typically compelling. I seriously considered Delta's 12 Dual Laser, but the LCD readouts and the cool "geared" bevel adjustment won me over. The free 96 tooth blade was a nice incentive as well.
br /Now the "but"... Hitachi's packaging needs upgrading. The saw is restrained by a couple of flimsy pieces of cardboard. The saw will probably survive shipping if it is not tipped on its side, but when the UPS guy arrived, it was clear that was not the case and naive to think it possible. the D-Handle was broken off and dangling by the wires, no weakness of the saw. I waited a little over a week and now have to wait another two weeks for a replacement and the posibility of similar shipping damage issues is not all that comforting.
br /I never even got to run the saw, but I did plug it in and switched on the bevel indicator power (seperate switch along with a seperate laser switch which is not momnentary), it was very cool although I was unable to check the accuracy as I did not want to cut the packing tape. I do think this looks like a great tool and eventually I may even get to use it, UPS's rough handling and Hitachi's weak packaging notwithstanding!
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br /Update: I just received an email from Amazon notifying me that my problem has become their problem and they are over-nighting a new saw at no cost to me. I have been in service businesses all my life and these folks "get it"! it would be hard to not go to Amazon's site before even considering somewhere else. When someone treats me fairly, I am fiercely loyal. Thank you Amazon!
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br /Update: digital displays are great and fine adjustment on the bevel is quite helpful. The saw is accurate and well thought out. I like the laser and it's easy to adjust should you change to a different kerf thickness. I also like the laser being seperately switched eliminating running the saw to see the laser, much safer. I looked at a lot of saws and I am comfortable with my choice, both the saw and Amazon.

I have owned numerous Hitachi products in the past and have never had any that I was not 100% happy with... Only one other power tool manufacturer, Bosch, has instilled that sense of superior quality with me. The C12LCH saw is definately a tool that I can honestly say has lived up to the standards I expect of Hitachi.
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br /While I bought my saw from a local source (for the same price as Amazon), I wanted to give my feedback as I consider it the best of the 12" Compound miter saws, with the combination of the two best features in the laser and LCD readout.
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br /Upong first opening the package, I found no problems with the saw and all the parts were in perfect condition, but, as I said, it was picked up at a local store, and can easily see how things could shift aeound if the saw was not handled in an upright fashion and/thrown about by UPS personnel (Only an airport baggage handler could abuse packages more!). Upon removing the saw from the box and placing on my workbench, I immediately took out a combination square and checked the blade and laser for alignment... Spot on!
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br /However, the tilt LCD reading was off 22 degrees, but an insert in the manual showed how to adjust that correctly... Merely tilt the saw fully and then back to the 0 degree mark and press the tilt reset button and it's set. Couldn't be easier! The geared tilt mechanism coupled with the LCD display makes it a breeze to set the tilt angle perfectly, which can be quite iffy with most other compound miter saws.
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br /As for the laser, one other reviewer was concerned that there was no way to align it should it go out of alignment... Not so. In fact, on the side of the saw body is a label that clearly states the procedure for adjusting the laser should it go out of alignment. Perhaps his is missing this label though.
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br /As for the included blade. It appears to be of above average quality and I see no reason to replace it, which is what I tend to do with most included saw blades except those with Bosch tools. It cuts very smoothly and without any visible tear out.
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br /About the only thing I am a little disapointed with is the hold down clamp. I would have preferred one with a racheting motion rather than a screw mechanism, but that is a minor complaint.
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br /Overall, I can very highly recommend this saw though I too caution anyone considering purchasing it about the flimsy packaging. I gave it 5 stars as the product itself deserves such, and I do not let the packaging and abusive shipping company employeer affect my rating. If I could rate the packaging separately from the actual product, it would get it only 1 star.

I must admit I was concerned about the condition the saw would arrive in based on some of the reviews I read and the bad rating the packaging got but it did arrive in perfect condition in spite of the packaging. The saw cut perfectly right out of the box. I did have to adjust the laser which was very easy, in fact the hardest part was the binder for the tilt angle until I realized it was a left handed thread. The blade that was supplied is good for framing lumber but that's all. To cut trim the blade has to be replaced. If it had a good blade I would have given one more star. If you like gadgets like lasers and digital and don't mind spending a few extra dollars then this is the saw for you. It appears to be well built and accurate. As for the longevity only time will tell.

When I got the saw, the first thing I thought was that I had gotten a previously opened unit due to the parts being scattered about within the box. Fortunately, nothing was broken and everything was there. So, don't be surprised if yours arrives in less than pristine shape.
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br /O.K. Now for the real evaluation. The saw itself is great. It's very solid and makes great cuts. The digital readout for angle and bevel are dead-on! With the backlight on, the display is very clear in low light.
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br /The only issue I have with the saw is the alignment of the fence. It took me quite some time to get both of them square to the blade and the laser. Unfortunately, there was nothing in the manual to help with this (for someone not familiar with doing this).
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br /Movement of the laser left to right is easy so changing from having it on either side of the cut is easy. The only issue is if it gets out of alignment with the blade (i.e. if it gets skewed). If that happens, there doesn't appear to be a way to correct it.
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br /All-in-all, I love the saw and would recommend it, although if you don't need the digital readout, there are less expensive models.

This nice saw... not too heavy, seems well built. Worked fairly well right out of the box. I had to do a little adjustment. The only complaint and to some this is a big one... especially if you were counting on using the laser. The Laser is mounted at the bottom of the blade and behind it. Basically, if you are cutting trim or crown or anything else vertically, it will block the laser of it is over 3" or so. Which renders the laser useless. If you are going to lay everthing flat you are okay but I prefer to cut trim vertically.

I do quite a bit of cabinetry and use this saw extensively. I bought the C12LCH to replace the DeWalt 708 which was had a major quality issue. I am very pleased with the saws accuracy. I would extremely recommend buying a top quality blade. The blade that came with it is unsuitable for cabinetry but would be fine for rough work. The blade had quite a bit of deflection. When I put my forrest blade in the saw, deflection was not an issue. Love the laser, used to think of them as a gimicky thing, but it's not, it saves work and is actually more accurate then drawing a line and matching up with the tooth of the blade. Here's why. When you measure a board, make a mark and then use a square to draw a line accross the board, there is more potential for error. First, if your square isn't perfectly square, the line will be off to some degree. Secondly, when you make a mark, and then line up the sqaure, the line you draw may be off even slightly from the mark you made. These two things can compound the error, whereas with the laser, you make your mark and line it up with the laser and that's it. Two fewer steps to where error can occur.
br /On with the rest of the review. The fence system is easy to square up to the blade and the detents were true. Love the lcd readout aswell. The negatives are as follows: As was stated, you loose the laser line when cutting the wood, and it would have been nice to have two sides for the laser. There are a couple of other things i found annoying as well. The surface is somewhat slippery, and the motor creates a big vibration upon startup, making it difficult to keep the wood from sliding. Maybe this is general to all of these saws and i may just not have noticed it with the 708 because of no laser. Lastly, the plastic middle pieces on the saw bed are annoying, they are too large. It is difficult to cut smaller pieces of wood, because there is less steel to butt the wood up against, and you can't rely on the plastic inserts for a flat rliable surface. Other then this, I am very satisfied with the saw. One last note, due to all the complaints about shipping, i had mine next day delivered. It came in good condition

I just got a this 12" saw. The laser line did not agree with cut line. According to the manual and tech support from Hitachi there is not adjustment. After studying the set-up I realized that a small wedge of wood could be slid between the light and the housing. This changed the angle enough to get perfect blade alignment. Perhaps hot glue will be necessary to keep it in place.

I ordered this saw as a gift for my husband, He was really happy with the condition it arrived in and also the order was here in less than a week. He is really pleased with the laser on the saw and as of 3 months, he has no problems or complaints. He is a woodworker, and has made many of our own and our childrens furniture in our homes. One question, if some one could reply and let us know, We were to receive a free brad nailer with our purchase, and have not yet gotten it. It has been 12 weeks. Did any one else buy at this same time and also send for the free nailer? we sure would like to know the time line on the free gift. Thank you. Gloria Montgomery. Pennsylvania

I purchased this with the intent to use it in my wood shop and to do the house repairs. I was surprised how easy it was to setup and get going without any adustments. I think the dust collection is a little skimpy and caused some issues in connecting to my dust collection system. The blade needs to be changed to a finer cut (higher tooth count). The saw is powerful and has good capacity.

This is my first saw with a laser. In concept it is a great idea, but in practice it is a bit gimmicky. There is nothing like watching the saw blade cut your pencil mark in half.
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br /The digital readouts are nice, a definite improvement over a scale.
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br /My unit does not swivel easily. It is binding for some reason, and I havn't had a chance to fix it.
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br /I bought the saw with Hitachi's mitre box stand, which is a great companion to the saw. Well engineered and sturdy.
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br /The saw has an annoying kick when it starts. A soft start feature should have been standard fare.
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br /My unit did not come damaged. As for adjusting things, everything I buy gets adjusted anyways. The guys putting the machinery togther are not fine craftsmen, and if you want to be a fine craftsman you need to know how to fine tune your own machinery.

I have had this saw for over two years and it has worked out well. Really, no problems and out of the box it worked well enough, but I save my precise cuts for the table saw/cross cut sled. One thing that has to be said for this saw or almost any saw is the stock blade is inferior and you will not realize the value of the saw without a better blade. Of course dishing out +300 for a saw then having to add another $75 or so for a quality blade hurts! I am using a Freud Diablo blade and what a difference. Clean clean cuts, but a great blade may make any saw great.
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br /For me the digital read out is an okay feature, but I move the darn thing to the mechanical stops 90% of the time. More useful in the bevel than miter. Once in awhile I have used to dial in very precise angles (like 7.5%). The laser can be very useful, but you have to check it and adjust it. Cut a shallow kerf in a 2x4, then lower the blade into that kerf and clamp down the wood. Now raise the blade and adjust the laser to fall in that kerf. Sounds easy! Since the left/right adjustment is hard to get to and you can't see really it, you would think that somewhere in the manual they might do you a favor and tell you the size Allen wrench you need. How about metric vs. English at least?
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br /One word of advice. If you are thinking about a 10" sliding compound miter, but are hesitating about spending the extra 2 to 3 hundred $, I say bite the bullet and do it. Makita has a nice one and I have seen it for 500ish. You will find yourself wanting that extra bit of versatility and cross cut capacity (this saw is about 8 1/4" cross cut, 5 3/4 at 45 miter).
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br /I have a few tools that I love like family and others that do the job. This one is not something I fall asleep dreaming about or ever find myself looking at in a fond dreamy way, but it is a workhorse. Still, it is pricey because of the gizmos. If you need more capacity, get a sliding saw. If you are using it for rough cuts and want to save some money, get one without all the bells and whistles (laser, digital) and save the money. If you want something in between, I think this is a safe bet.

The Lasers and Digital readout are brilliant.
br /Need to buy a good blade though

Excellent saw. The digital readout is convenient and very accurate to the 1/2 degree. The Hitachi laser is better than any other out there in that it can be used WITHOUT the blade spinning. This allows you to safely line up your work before pulling the trigger. The bevel and angle adjustments are smooth and accurate. The quality of the materials are unmatched. And of course the most important part, the saw is powerful and true.
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br /I'm very pleased.