March 2005 -
br /I've owned two Milwaukee 6176-20 chop saws, both purchased from Home Depot. Both had problem after problem - two switches, a broken arm, broken handles and finally a burned out motor. So when I decided to replace the dead unit, I looked at some reviews and my first choice, a DeWalt unit, was not highly recommended. So I checked, reluctantly, into what Milwaukee has to offer. On Milwaukee's website, they listed a new unit, the 6180-20 so I went ahead and purchased the unit.
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br /I'll jump right into it - this is without a doubt a much better chop-saw. Some of the highlight are:
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br /* A higher and heavier base - That keeps it from running the wheel into the floor when you use it on the ground and you have a new wheel. It also seems more stable since it's a overall slightly larger saw.
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br /* The pivot point of the arm is raised up - This keeps the centerline of the wheel even when it comes down at it's lowest point.
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br /* The arm (I broke one on my last saw) seems much sturdier.
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br /* The handle is now "D" shaped and allows easier down-pressure on the arm than the typical pistol style grip.
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br /* The lock to keep the arm down when transporting it isn't a chain now, it's an actual pin that is easier to set and un-set. It seems to me to be questionable since the pin rests up against the arm without much backing, though I'm sure someone tested this.
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br /* The motor seems to be more powerful, I noticed it pop-ed a 15amp breaker that the old saw could not. It also cut quite a bit faster (though not nearly as fast as a dry cut saw).
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br /* It's completely tool less. The backing plate slides up and down to allow for larger stock just by pushing down on a spring loaded pin (though it is a bit hard to do with gloves on). The angle is also tool less, though it could have been designed with a bit more thought, though it does work. Don't expect precise setting of the angles, you will still need a protractor or framing square to get it right 100% of the time.
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br /* The quick release is also improved, it's now just a simple lever that turns 180 degrees to allow quick adjustment of the clamp. The clamp release/screw is even better - it isn't just a L shaped section of rod that you struggle to open when it's tighten down, it's now a nice flatten section of metal and the overall size is bigger, allowing it to me more easily opened.
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br /* The warranty is now 5 years... though it does say at Milwaukee's discretion, you mileage may vary. It is still better than the old 1 year warranty.
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br /Overall I am very happy the unit so far, though time will tell if it holds up.
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br /Dec 2006 - Update....
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br /I've had this chop saw for over a year now. I would guess that I have run 15 or more blades through it in that period of time. I've done some pretty thick material - 2" solid square stock, stainless and small items. I've cut extremely tight cuts (32"nds) in square tube and through it all this saw has been a performer. Other than the weight of the saw - this thing is a real performer. I've only had one problem with the unit during this time - I tried to use pliers to tighten the "tool-less" arbor nut and it broke. I can now see that you shouldn't use pliers on it. They did have them in stock for $25 at the dealer though. Still I highly recommend this saw to anyone looking for a metal chop saw that is better than just a "once a year" tool. I've also noticed that if you perfer a "dry cut" saw with teeth instead of an abrasive cutoff wheel, they sell the unit 6190-20 also. The advantage (other than ongoing costs) is they don't leave that "layer" of abrasive black dust all over your shop and cut area. I personally find them a little more dangerious.

If you're only doing 90° cuts the 6176-20 is okay, but I needed 45° on square stock. The cuts were badly oblique because the stamped steel vise was not square vertically. I returned the 6176-20 and got 6180-20. It has a machined vise which is much better than the stamped steel one on the 6176-20. The motor has more has more power and the handle is a better orientation as well.

Out of the box Milwaukee quality is a joy to work with. Soft start motor is great. Adjustable fence is a great feature, though I use it very little. Miter adjustment is the best design I've seen. 2 x 2 x 1/4" walled tubing will put a strain on any cutoff saw and the Milwaukee motor did smoke up on the tail end of the cut. Motor must be given time to cool and cuts have to be done slowly. These saw are not replacements for horizontal band saws. The spark catcher is well designed. Vise has to be fully closed for saw to locked closed for transport. Generous sized based makes for easey positioning. Cutoff saws in general wear down the wheel diameter and limit the cut capacity adding expense to production work.

Time for a new cut off saw.My Mikita saw gave me twenty good years.Needed a new saw that didn't bog down or kick out circuit braker.This unit had five horsepower.All the other brands had only three horsepower.Best price I could find was from Northern tool catalog for $220.Amazon as always, had the lowest price at $195....and another $25 off for sale over $150.So I spent over $300 to take advantage of sale (spend $300 or more and get off $50) bought a new Wilton bench vice and Wilton bench grinder.This saw cuts like butter and I like all the features that I read in all the customers reviews.

I ordered this saw from Amazon about Christmas time and actually received it after the holidays. Prompt delivery. Saw cuts well and is built very tough. So tough that moving it by hand is a bit of a work-out. It weighs a bunch.
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br /If you are looking for an alternative to a bandsaw for average use; but need accuracy -this saw is it. A real Milwaukee....

Previously had a cheap chopsaw and it worked great but the motor was going bad, so I decided to spend the bucks on a Milwaukee.
br /Had a problem from the start after recieving chop saw. Blade was already installed with the "FIX-Tec" nut, and I checked to make sure it was tight by hand.
br /I put in a piece of 1/2" round stock and started to cut. I got about 1/4" into it and the blade started flopping all over the place. I checked the FIX-Tec nut and it was a little loose so I removed it and saw that the metal band in the center of the wheel had come out and was distorted. Bad wheel or FIX-Tec nut?
br /Luckily they also put a bag in the box with a spanner wrench and nut to use in place of the FIX-Tec nut so I went to town and got another wheel.
br /The saw works ok but still bogs down as bad as a cheap chopsaw.
br /I emailed Customer Service and they were great about sending all the parts that got screwed up (new wheel, FIX-Tec nut, wheel flanges).

When I buy a Milwaukee power tool I expect the best that money can buy, and I am more than happy to pay for it. Unfortunately, this tool is not worthy of the Milwaukee name. I bought the unit six months ago for a light-gauge steel construction project. Here are my observations:
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br /+ Heavy. I agree with other reviewers - it has a nice, solid base and rigid vise.
br /+ Ergonomic. The D-handle and power switch are great.
br /- Excessive vibration. Roughest running chop saw I have ever used.
br /- Mediocre power. All other Milwaukee tools, and other brand chop saws I have used, have plenty of power. This one is lacking.
br /- Bearing chatter. Major cause for concern given that the saw has only been in service 6 months - and 6 easy months at that. It is getting so bad that sometimes the saw just bogs down and refuses to cut.
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br /I checked the box and sure enough, it has a little sticker bearing the words, "MADE IN TAIWAN." If I had wanted some cheap piece of junk from Asia, I could have gotten it from Harbor Freight for half the price. Milwaukee, what have you done?

Let's get to it quickly with the pros and cons:
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br /Pros:
br / - powerful motor - my breaker will trip before the motor shows any sign of bogging down
br / - hefty machine, no vibration
br / - Vise clamps down well on piece
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br /Cons:
br / - Vise only lets you go up to a 45 degree cut, lot of others let you go to 30 degrees. This is kind of important if you're doing saddle cuts on pipe
br / - straight cuts happen with a new blade, but you start getting skewed cuts as the blade wears
br / - the tool less blade change was tightened so hard from the factory that I had to users pliers to twist it loose. Have to use pliers most of the time now to yank the twist nut loose
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br /Conclusion: I think this machine can use an upgraded vise that allows the piece to be held at 30 degrees. I mostly use a cold cut saw these days, but the abrasive saw still has its place, and you can't go wrong with any of the major brands.

Well improved design. I used to have the older model but the "D" handle and cast plate are much better to work with. The clamp is also a good improvement. I put it a notch above the De Walt.

Saw if very powerful and does the jobs I have very well. It is as advertised.
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Tried a few other saws and this one is by far the best. Super solid and worth every penny. Cuts 2.5 x 2.5 x 1/4 steel perfectly. Buy it and you won't be disappointed!

I received my saw in excellent condition. It replaced my Makita 12 inch which is about 20+ years old. It has the power to do the cutting job. I especially like the "D" handle. It is easy to operate on a higher surface. This is a quality machine that I can highly recommend.

I have used it to cut Schedule 80 and 40 water carrying conduit and electrical conduit (1/2" to 4" including 1-1/2" schedule 80. The unit had no problems cutting 4" PVC drainpipe. It was also used to cut Number 3 rebar and I experienced no problems what-so-ever. The shavings will collect at the back of the unit forming a conical structure. When cooled, just tap with something and it falls right off.
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br /In my opinion, the 6180-20 was definitely worth the money in the amount of time it saved me to do my backyard project. Hand-cutting rebar or using a PVC-Hand-Cutter doesn't even compare to it. I plan to use it to cut steel studs etc.
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br /The quick release vise is great. I have not used the vise for precise cuts. It does seem like it could make a good accurate angled cut if needed and is a very sturdy vise unit. However, as the name implies it is a "Cut-off" saw.
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br /My reason for purchase was due to Rigid's Miter Saw (previous purchase) specifically states that their unit cannot be used as an abrasive cut-off saw. So I now have two very good machines. Rigid's compound Miter Saw and Milwaukee's 6180-20.
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br /If you have the money to make the purchase, you will like it too. Justify to your spouse or significant other based on how much time could be saved and spent with them.

Great machine, lots of power, I would say best in its class. I use this machine to cut 1/2" plates and 4" sch80 pipe and it cuts right through with no problem. Would recomend this product highly to serious metal worker

This have performed very well. Seems to be well built and solid. A full swing of angles on the clamp to the right and left both would be nice. The quick release is great.
br /This saw has done everything we've wanted it too for the most part. Been used on pipe, various sizes of tubing, channel angle iron plus re-rod.
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This is a very brawny, well made tool. Much better than the competition (the only one I've seen that is even close is the DeWalt, but it is no competition.) A typical Milwaukee tool--excellent!

This is the best chop saw I've ever used. I sent many years in a repair shop, and cut lots of iron. It would have been a better saw than I ever had to use. The quick angle change feature is really nice. I would recommend this to anyone.

I just got my new chop saw. I was cutting angle, flatbar, and square tubing. It cut through everything with ease, even 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 x 1/4 squre tubing. That impressed me.

I had an old Black and Decker Industrial saw which was obsolete .Having purchased several Milwaukee tools over the years I thought I couldn't go wrong by purchasing another tool from them.Boy was I wrong.
br /The first short coming was with the quich change blade nut .By hand I could not get the nut tight enough to prevent the blade from tearing out the blades mandrel.Lucky for me the old fashioned nut was included so using the enclosed wrench I was able to get it tight enough so the saw would work.
br /Since I had alot of Rebar to cut I tightened the quick change vise in it perpenticular position.In the course of my work I found the position kept chaging and I had to keep resettin it and tightening the quick change handle.The only way I could keep it in place was by pounding with a hammer to tighten it sufficiently.I'll probably change it out to a bolt and nut which would work much better.
br /I also found that while cutting the many lengths of 3/4" rebar that the saw would slow down and I would have to let up on the pressure so the saw could speed back up.This was annoying to me since I didn't have to do this with my old BD saw .I would cut all of the way thru without slowing down.
br /The final problem was the quick release on the vise handle which for me I could never get it to release and I ended up breaking ot off and now have to crank the vise in and out for changes in stock thickness.
br /All in all I would look else where in the future for my chop saw needs .
br /This one is not it.
br /To make matters worse Milwaukee now makes this saw in Taiwan instead of the USA ,but looks like price doesn't reflect this.

This tool was top of the line from all the selections as far as I'm concerned. It is solidly built without being to heavy to move. The spark guard is a nice feature. Adjustments are intuitive simple to make. Handle is ergonomic has a smooth solid motion.

I have used other abrasive cutoff saws that can't match the efficient quality of this saw. It's extremely powerfull and cuts through metal with speed and ease.
br / Bryan P.

built a rotisserie for my 1969 Porsche 911 with it. Excellent quality all the way around. Get this one vs. the DeWalt.

I live quite remote and had not been able to fine a quality, heavy-duty metal chop saw. This machine does the job on our sheep farm and then some.

Purchased this saw based on some other reviews. I found the saw to function as well or better than anticipated. The clamping system works very effectively. The saw has plenty of power for the jobs it is designed to handle. Of course chop saws have a little trouble cutting straight lines in thick material but if you take your time it does a good job. Have not had it long enough to see how it wears and how it will hold up. To date it feels good and is running strong. I would recommend the saw for your use.

I was tempted to get the 6190-20 but elected to get this one mostly because I know it will cut anything. I questioned the dry cut blade's ability to do the same. One problem I had with it was I was tripping a 20 amp breaker. I called Milwaukee and the guy told me I was using a Square D system and they are more sensitive to the amperage spikes on startup. I put a 10' cord between the saw and recep and fixed the problem.