I have just recently purchased the new DW718 double-bevel sliding compound power miter saw with the high hope of a getting something really nice. Boy was I wrong! I really had high hopes since the older DW708 was a nice saw!
Firstly, the table is smaller than the dw708, the rails are 1 inch in diameter (rather than the common 1 3/16") this smaller rail system causes major power head deflection!!!! Accuracy is severely compromised by too much head flex - even worse is how over 14 inches of travel, the cut is out by about 16th of an inch, too much play in my opinion! Since the saw is made in MEXICO, I really feel that there are quality issues. As the older model was made is the States (hurray), this new model has a bad finish! There are aluminum slag deposits everywhere! I had to get out my grinder and start grinding off the extra aluminum that appears to be everywhere! The newly redesigned cam-lock handle is flimsy and harder to use than the previous cam-lock system. One thing that I really don't like is that they got rid of the miter-verneer scale for the miter scale. One could easily adjust (on the DW708) to 1/4 or even 1/2 degrees - you still can now, but it is way harder. They now use a wimpy piece of "flexible red plastic" single arrow; very unimpressive; it is hard to read! Also, the bevel lock is hard to use and get at. DeWalt placed it very close to the motor. So you have to pull the power head completely forward in order to get a complete grip on the bevel lock handle if you want to lock into a certain bevel angle, very bad design! They have redesigned the dust collection system. It works by having a black plastic pipe run for about 12 inches before the dust bag is attached. Barely any dust is caught. Even with my 6.5 peak Horse Power vacuum I cannot collect any dust. At least other miter saws have "some sort" of dust collection, this one fails miserably! The bevel lever (this is what allows one to set the bevel into preset detents) is sometimes hard to operate - it can stick and get jammed, so look out for this! THE SLIDE ACTION (FRONT TO BACK) IS VERY JERKY (NOT SMOOTH)! EVEN AFTER LUBRICATION, IT STILL DOES NOT SLIDE EVEN CLOSE TO WHAT IT SHOULD FOR THAT PRICE. ALSO, WHEN THE SAW IS BEVELED EITHER LEFT OR RIGHT (PAST 15 DEGREES), THE SLIDE ACTION GETS WORSE--AS THE WHOLE MOTOR ASSEMBLY PUTS ADDED STRESS ON THE RAILS. WOW-WEE!?#...
There are some positives though: the unit is lighter and smaller, it does cut 14 inches with the regular fence (and when you use the auxiliary fence with a 1 1/4 inch auxiliary wood table built-up, you can cut up to 16 inches, NICE!). The positive bevel stops: crown molding miter-bevel 33.85 degrees Left / Right, 90 degree, 45 Left / Right and right are on the money and very sturdy, They are also easily calibratable if needed. The laser feature is nice, but not needed in my opinion! The laser is sold separately!!!... The left and right fence assemblies are very sturdy and accurate (they too can be adjusted if need be)! They have reversed the 60 degree and 50 degree positions on the miter table. The dw708 went 60 to the right, 50 left. Now the DW718 goes 50 right, 60 left no real bigy here! They have redesigned the saw base for better stability - the saw does NOT tip like the older dw708 did. It does cut really high molding; both nested and flat. I tried 6 5/8 nested crown, and it did it no problems here! It will cut 6 1/2 baseboard vertically, very nice!
I am going to return this saw and buy the MAKITA LS1013, now there's a saw! If you really want to buy a DeWalt slider though, then get the DW708! It is proven. My opinion, buy the MAKITA LS1013 - still made in the good old U.S.A., where quality still remains! DeWalt has seriously dropped the ball on this one!!!...
I have now purchased the makita ls1013, wow what a machine! The dw708 does have more cutting capacity etc, but for the quality that makita offers, you just cannot beat it. I also, give high praise to the hitachi c10fsb (no laser)!
** I do NOT work for makita or any other tool company! I am just giving technical information not given by anyone else on amazon.com; to allow decent people to make informed decisions. ** TAKE CARE!!!... DEWALT DW718 12-Inch Double-Bevel Slide Compound Miter Saw
Jay has it right on. I also own a dw706,I am not trying to bash DeWalt,I have many yellow tools and the 706 is a good saw for base and crown capacity upright. This dw718 is something like you would expect from Harbor Freight Tools Brands,the castings alone are very crude. $720 with laser,and a cheap series 20 60th blade is way too much. It went back.
I bought a ls1013L, what a difference,great saw,super build/finish. The laser is preinstalled,can move line without tools to eitherside of kerf quickly and the vertical does not change as on the 718 if you move the laser kerf position you need an allen wrench and have to play with the guard. I would have bought the 12" if I did not have the DW706. The Makita is Made in USA even,except for the blade.
I understand the capacity is good but the accuracy,etc. is crude, even the holdown shaft "D" shaped end looks like someone rubbed it on rough concrete,not even flat.
Checked another display at Lowes and the same thing.esp. rough slider action too.
I purchased the new DeWalt DW718 shortly after receiving an introductory DVD of the new 12" miter saws sent to me by DeWalt. I was impressed by the presentation on the DVD which exhibited the improvements, compact size, larger capacity, ease of miter and bevel adjustment and the new laser alignment system. I've had a 10" Makita compound slider saw for years and have used it extensively. The limited capacity and lack of a laser alignment sight were serious drawbacks. I've held off buying a new saw until now because none of the newer saws had that much of an improvement to justify replacing my old Makita. After seeing the DVD and personally examining and playing with the saw in a "Big Box Store," I decided the improvements justified the purchase. Another deciding factor was the smaller footprint and table height. My old Makita was mounted to a roll- around workstation with folding wings to support long material. I hated to give up the old workstation and build a new one. To my surprise the new DW718 easily fit my existing workstation, and the table height was exactly the same. All I had to do was remove the Makita, align the fence of the DW718 to the fence on the extension wings of the workstation and bolt it down. I was back in business in no time. I installed the laser alignment sight and took great pains to set the three adjustment Allen screws correctly to insure maximum accuracy.
When this was done my evaluation started. First, the quality of the saw, detents, table and overall build quality was excellent. Another reviewer complained of several flaws on his saw. I found none of these problems with mine. I did have to make small adjustments to the red angle indicator arrows and the miter detent bar. The adjustments took 5 minutes and were easy to do. The laser system is a real winner, and its illumination of the entire cut range of the saw, both vertically and horizontal, is excellent. The laser will be a real time saver as well as improving the accuracy of my cuts, especially with cutting miters and bevels. If you buy the saw, get the laser system. It works off the saw's power system and will work even when the saw isn't triggered. This is a good safety feature. I didn't find any problem with blade or head deflection mentioned by another reviewer. The slide works very smoothly and the large horizontal handle is a nice feature. The miter and bevel adjustments are easy to make and the detents snap into place firmly. The DW718 is noticeably quieter than my older direct drive Makita. The saw brake stops the blade quickly and the blade guard returns rapidly. Both are important safety features that work as they should. The standard carbide blade cut smoothly and was much better than I expected for an OEM blade. I have replaced the blade with a Freud LU91R012 but will use the OEM blade when cutting potentially damaging material. The only negative thing I've found about the saw is the dust collection system. Most miter saws, due to their ability to be set at many angles, do a poor job of collecting saw dust. My older Makita was one of the better ones, but the new DW718 does a very poor job of collecting saw dust. Other than that drawback, the saw is a definite improvement and will nicely fit into my shop. I can highly recommend the DW718 to anyone requiring a high quality large capacity compound sliding miter saw. - Miter Saw - Dewalt - Dewalt Dw718 - Compound Miter Saw'
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