DeWalt vs. Bosch Sliding Compound Miter Saws

I get asked this almost every other day in an email; which Miter Saw do I like Better? The DeWalt I first had, or the Bosch that I have now. 

 I’d like to start by saying, that I am not now, nor have I ever been sponsored by any saw manufacturer. I bought both of them with my own money, and the review & comparison is completely honest. 

I have been a DeWalt fan since Stanley Black & Decker first bought the name from the DeWalt Radial Arm Saw company and made their first contractor grade yellow tools. It’s been probably close to 30 years now. 

I owned the first model of Miter Saw DeWalt ever made. And I have owned every iteration of it over the last 30 years. 

I’ve become very familiar with the fit & feel of the DeWalt. And I was little sad to transition to the Bosch. But I figured it was a well made tool, and I knew it had good reviews. And I really wanted to save the space. But, I’m not sad now. 

I gained 11” of wall space making the transition! If you didn’t know, the Bosch uses an articulating arm system instead of guide bars for the sliding head, and that saves quite a bit of depth. 

Now that I’ve used the Bosch for about a year & a half, (from April 2017 - present -Sept 2018) I can confirm that it’s a very good tool. And it’s made quite well. 

I think it’s accurate, but I don’t think it’s quite as accurate as the DeWalt. I think the bars that the DeWalt slides on make for less play than the articulating arm system in the Bosch. 

If you want to test this, open either saw up to full extension and press on the handle sideways. The Bosch has more play.  BUT NOT MUCH. 

And here’s the big thing! It doesn’t matter for a woodworker!  If you are cutting a wide board that you need to be very accurate to a fraction of a degree, you shouldn’t be using a chop Saw for that. You should use a Cross Cut Sled. 

Now, I DO use the Bosch for extremely accurate crosscuts for narrower boards. 5”-6” or less. 

So, while I’m being completely honest here with the review, and telling you that the Bosch is marginally less accurate on a very wide crosscut, I don’t think anyone should use that as a deciding reason to get another saw over it. Because it’s not a big deal. 

Now to my personal preference. I like the feel & ergonomics of the DeWalt better. So if space wasn’t an issue, I’d go back to DeWalt.  I’m not saying it is better. I’m saying that I personally like the feel better. This could be just because I’ve used one all my life. 

Maybe it’s the same reason some folks like one James Bond better than another. It just depends on who they grew up with. And for the record, Roger Moore was the best James Bond. 

Since space is still an issue in my shop, I’m happily staying with the Bosch.

If we move on to compare other features, I find them both very similar. Both are very easy to adjust the bevel & Miter angle. Both bevel & Miter cuts seem equally accurate. Both of them have the same quality of dust collection. Which I sadly report is somewhat poor.  (But with some cardboard & a piece of duct tape you can double the dust catching ability).

Finally, the one thing I get asked the most; “If I had to make the decision over again, would I do the same thing? “ The answer is yes. I feel like I definitely made the right decision a year & a half ago to save space and transition to the Bosch. And I don’t regret it. In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with either saw.  

p.s.

If I can say one final thing about Miter saws in general, the blades that come with them are not great quality. And in this tool, the blade REALLY makes the tool what it is. Upgrading to a high quality blade is unbelievable! Almost everything about these saws improves with a great blade. And in case you are curious: the number one blade in the world for these saws is made by Forrest. It’s the Forrest Chopmaster. I could write an extensive article on this alone.