The 10 Best Miter Saws
Updated by · How we research
Sliding, fixed and cordless miter saws compared on accuracy, cutting width and warranty. The DeWalt DWS780 leads for its precise, powerful double-bevel slide. When users buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
The blade size on a miter saw tells you less than whether it slides. A fixed 10-inch saw crosses a board about six inches wide, while a sliding one of the same size handles roughly twice that, enough for shelving and stair treads. That matters more than motor power for most buyers, from a homeowner cutting baseboard to a carpenter replacing a jobsite saw.
Editor's Notes
October 23, 2026, by Ezvid Wiki Admin:
The DeWalt DWS780 moves to the top. In side-by-side cuts by an outlet that buys its saws at retail, it scored best for both accuracy and power, and it slides wider than anything else here. Its rear guard was recalled in 2022, but new stock carries the fix.
The Bosch Glide that led this list is no longer sold, and the Skilsaw SPT88-01, Milwaukee Dual-Bevel and Delta Power Tools S26-262L are gone too. We dropped the Makita XSL06PT, down to a single unit at a steep price, and moved the dealer-only Festool Kapex to a special honor. The DeWalt DW715R and Metabo HPT C10FCGS gave way to their successors, the DeWalt DWS715 and Metabo HPT C10FCG2. The Makita LS1019L stays for anyone working against a wall.
New picks fill gaps readers search for: a budget slider in the SKIL MS6305, cordless saws from Milwaukee and DeWalt, and a small trim saw in the Makita LS1040. Accuracy evidence came from two outlets that ran dozens of cuts through retail saws, including a 100-cut dust test; capacity figures came from the makers' spec tables, and every brand was run through the CPSC recall file.
November 24, 2020:
We removed the Craftsman Mach 2 due to availability issues, and replaced it with the DeWalt DW715R. This new model has a really nice balance of power and size, and its 12-inch blade would be a valuable addition to a workshop or job site that needs to cut deep and wide cuts, like 2 x 6 lumber, or 7.5-inch cross cuts. Keep in mind that this is a refurbished model, a fact that the listing doesn’t exactly make very clear. Refurbished tools aren’t inherently inferior to brand new ones, but there is always a small risk that you might get one with a flaw or issue. The DeWalt DW715R has a 1-year warranty from the DeWalt store itself, so that should give you some peace of mind.
Whichever miter saw you choose, it’s extremely important to closely read the safety and operation manual before you even plug it in. These are extremely dangerous machines and can cause serious injury or death in a fraction of a second. Since the risk of flying debris is high, you should always wear proper eye protection when using your miter saw. Proper footwear is also very important. One of the easiest ways to slip and injure yourself is if you lose your footing and throw yourself off balance. Keeping control of your body and your balance is incredibly important when operating a miter saw. Keeping your work area clean and clear of clutter and sawdust can also help prevent slips and falls.
If you frequently find yourself at isolated job sites without a convenient power supply, you might want to consider a cordless miter saw. These models allow you to be much more mobile while working, and their lack of power cords reduces tripping hazards. However, battery-powered saws tend to lack the power of corded models, and you’ll need to have a stock of backup batteries if you plan on all-day projects.
You may find yourself unimpressed with the stock blade that comes with your miter saw, so you may want to purchase a dedicated miter saw blade. These options are sure to last longer and cut cleaner than the factory blade that comes out of the box.
December 13, 2019:
This round of updates saw considerable evolution for the category. We removed the Craftsman Compact and DeWalt 713 due to availability issues, and also eliminated the Ryobi 14-Amp due to quality concerns. The Delta Homecraft was replaced with the more-current Delta Power Tools S26-262L, and the Hitachi C10FCH2 was replaced with the Metabo HPT C10FCGS – a product of Hitachi’s new merger with German tool manufacturer Metabo (the HPT in Metabo HPT stands for Hitachi Power Tool).
We also added the Makita LS1019L – a 10-inch offering from a company with an excellent reputation for making good miter saws, the Skilsaw SPT88-01 – a highly capable model from another iconic company in the rotary saw space, and the Makita XSL06PT – a portable offering that closely resembles the LS1019L, but runs on lithium ion batteries.
A few issues to cut through before making your final purchase decision in this category:
Flexibility A miter saw’s defining talent is its ability to make angled cuts, which can be achieved two ways. The first way is adjusting a saw’s miter angle, which spins the saw in such a way that it allows you to make a diagonal cut across the length of a board – for example, a 45-degree cut to build edging for a picture frame. The second way is to adjust a saw’s bevel angle, which allows you to make diagonal cuts across the depth (thickness) of your material – for example, trimming up two pieces of MDF baseboard to come around a corner.
When it comes to these abilities, not all saws were created equal, and you can expect their miter and bevel ranges to vary considerably. So, while the Metabo HPT C10FCGS can only cut bevels of 45 degrees or less, and only to the left – at that, the Makita LS1019L is a dual-bevel offering that can cut up to 48 degrees in either direction, for a total bevel range of 96 degrees. That being said, you can definitely save some money by settling for a saw with a narrow range, and unless you’re a serious carpenter or contractor, it’s unlikely you'll need the feature.
Accuracy: Unfortunately, as is often the case with power tools, this is a situation where you’ll likely get what you pay for – so you’ll need to decide what to spend based on your personal needs. If you’re just an average homeowner looking to hack down some 2x4’s so you can build a deck and a shed next summer, some of our lower-ranking selections for this category are budget-friendly offerings that might serve you well for years.
But, if somewhere down the road your ambitions begin to extend to more complex projects, requiring finesse, it won’t take you long to notice that the Metabo HPT C10FCGS rarely makes a perfect 90-degree cut, or that the denoted stops (which allow you to easily “click-in” to common, nominal angles) on the Delta Power Tools S26-262L don’t work so well. If you want precision and accuracy, you’re going to need to double down and invest some cash in one of our top-end picks, like the Bosch Glide or the Skilsaw SPT88-01. The Milwaukee Dual-Bevel even has a digital readout, so you can keep your angles dialed in to within a tenth of a degree.
Extras: It wouldn’t be a power-tool category without frivolous (or, sometimes ingenious and incredibly useful) bells and whistles to push these machines over the top. Many offerings, including the Craftsman Mach 2, include laser alignment guides, which can be great – but keep an eye out for the ones that aren’t battery-powered, for the convenience’s sake. Vertical vices, like the ones on the Makita LS1019L, are fantastic for securely holding material in place, and vacuum ports, like the one on the Skilsaw SPT88-01, are a far superior option to some of the feeble dust collection bags offered in this category – so long as you have access to a decent shop vacuum. These tools can generate a LOT of dust.
Now that you’ve got your saw all figured, you just need to wrangle a matching miter stand and it’s time to get to work!
Special Honors
Festool Kapex The Festool Kapex is a dealer-sold sliding saw with a reputation among furniture makers and finish carpenters for precise, repeatable cuts and strong dust extraction. It costs several times as much as most saws here, which is why it sits outside the main list. festoolusa.com
Sliding Or Fixed, 10-Inch Or 12-Inch
If you rarely cut anything wider than a 2x6, a fixed saw such as the DeWalt DWS715 does the job for half the price of a big slider.
How wide a board you can cut matters more than blade size. A fixed, non-sliding saw swings down in one arc, so a 10-inch model crosses a board about 6 inches wide and a 12-inch model about 8 (Obsessed Woodworking). A sliding saw pulls the blade through the cut on rails and roughly doubles that: the DeWalt DWS780 crosscuts a 2x14 at 90 degrees, and the 10-inch Makita LS1019L crosses 12 inches.
Rails cost space. A standard slider needs a foot or more of clear room behind it when the blade is pulled forward. Makita's forward-sliding rails and Bosch's hinged glide arm avoid that, which is why both sit closer to a wall. Bob Vila's top pick, the Bosch GCM12SD, needed no rear clearance at all (Bob Vila).
Pick 10 inches if you mostly cut trim and want a lighter saw and cheaper blades. Pick 12 inches for framing lumber, tall baseboard and deck work, where the extra inch or two of depth and width saves flipping the board. If you rarely cut anything wider than a 2x6, a fixed saw such as the DeWalt DWS715 does the job for half the price of a big slider.
Bevels, Batteries And Accuracy
A single-bevel saw tilts one way. That's fine for framing, but crown molding and matching left and right cuts mean flipping long pieces end for end. A dual-bevel saw tilts both ways, so the board stays put. Detents, the click stops at common angles, speed up repeat cuts, and a stainless detent plate holds its shape longer than cast aluminum.
Battery saws have closed most of the accuracy gap but not the power gap. In TechGearLab's cut tests, the best battery saws matched corded ones on precision and scored well below them on power. The Milwaukee 2734-21HD kit comes with a large battery, which costs more up front but runs longer between charges. Buy cordless if you already own the batteries or work where there's no outlet.
Even a good saw needs a check out of the box. Cut a scrap, flip one piece, and hold the two against a straightedge; any gap shows double the error. Budget saws often need their fence and detents squared before fine trim. The stock blade is the cheapest upgrade: a 60- to 80-tooth blade cuts cleaner trim than the coarse blade most saws ship with.
Safe Use, Dust And The DeWalt Recall
Keep hands well clear of the blade's path, clamp short pieces instead of holding them, and let the blade stop before you lift the arm. Unplug the saw or pull the battery before changing a blade, and never reach across the cut line (Benchmark Abrasives). Wear eye and hearing protection. In workplaces, OSHA requires guards on woodworking machinery (OSHA 1910.213).
In 2022, DeWalt recalled nearly 1.4 million DWS779, DWS780 and DHS790 sliding miter saws because the rear guard could break or come loose (CPSC). Affected saws have date codes from April 2019 through April 2022 and no green dot on the nameplate or black dot on the arm. DeWalt sends a free repair kit (DeWalt). We found no current miter saw recalls for Makita, Milwaukee, Metabo HPT or SKIL's current saws.
No miter saw's dust bag does much. TechGearLab's 100-cut test still left about 0.7 to 2.7 ounces of dust on and around each saw. Connect a shop vacuum to the dust port, and cut outdoors or with a mask when you can.
How we researched this
We compared 19 current miter saws, read the makers' spec pages and capacity tables for the 10 finalists, weighed the cut and dust tests published by TechGearLab and Bob Vila, analyzed owner feedback for patterns, and checked every brand against the CPSC recall database.
Sources (10)
- TechGearLab: best miter saws
- Bob Vila: best miter saws
- DeWalt: DWS780 product page
- Makita: LS1019L product page
- Milwaukee: 2734-21HD kit page
- CPSC: DeWalt miter saw recall (2022)
- DeWalt: miter saw recall notice
- Obsessed Woodworking: what size miter saw
- Benchmark Abrasives: how to use a miter saw
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.213
Frequently asked questions
Should I buy a 10-inch or a 12-inch miter saw?
A 10-inch saw is lighter, cheaper to run and fine for trim. A 12-inch saw cuts about two inches wider and deeper, which helps with framing lumber, tall baseboard and decking.
Is a miter saw the same as a mitre saw?
Yes. Miter is the American spelling and mitre the British one. Both name a saw on a pivoting arm that makes square and angled crosscuts.
What is the difference between single and dual bevel?
A single-bevel saw tilts the blade one way, so some cuts require flipping the board. A dual-bevel saw tilts both ways, which speeds up crown molding and matched pairs.
Can a miter saw cut metal?
Only with the right blade. A non-ferrous blade handles aluminum, and steel needs a saw built for it, such as a dry-cut metal saw. Never use a wood blade on metal.
Is my DeWalt miter saw recalled?
DWS779, DWS780 and DHS790 saws with date codes from April 2019 to April 2022 are covered unless they carry a green dot on the nameplate or a black dot on the arm. DeWalt sends a free repair kit.
Are cordless miter saws as good as corded ones?
They can be as accurate, but they have less power in thick hardwood. They make sense if you already own the batteries or work without an outlet.
