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.
DeWalt vs. Bosch Sliding Compound Miter Saws
Comments (15)
Great review. Confirms what I had thought – Bigggest substantive issue is saving space vs the little added play in the arm. By the way, you are wrong – Sean Connery was the best Bond!!!
I’m looking for the best I think Milwaukee has a really nice one compound Slide what do you think they have a pretty nice one or not get back to with your answer
Thank you for this great review and being to the point. I am considering the new Makita 12 inch slider since it’s got the glide bars up front and seems to be good with dust collection. One thing that bothers me is over time how worn out could the Bosch get? Since you have more moving parts and if frequent use of this mechanism will decrease performance. I am also not liking my 12inch slider DeWalt because that SOB is so damn loud. I wonder how does that Bosch compare in regards to sound? I know I should wear hearing protection but who has the time to do that every time! Thank you
This is an amazing review and very informative post.
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Great comparison between bosch and dewalt brands..
Really, both brands are great and full featured, but in this article very well described the feature of both that which thing its makes separates from each other.
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Thanks for all the great info here and on YouTube. Have to disagree, the Best, 1st and original James Bond 007 was Sean Connery. Watched a video on YouTube as to why the owners of the Bond Franchise selected Connery. It was because of his confidence, strong masculine presence and animal magnetism. He looked, walked and acted like he owned the whole dang place and didn’t give a darn what anyone else thought. And that’s exactly what they wanted the Bond character to be. #2 Daniel Craig, #3 Pierce Brosnan, #4 Roger Moore, #5 Timothy Dalton, #6 George Lazenby. 007 was an Assassin for the British Government, he was a trouble shooter, a fixer if you will. Connery and Craig are Broadswords. Brosnan, Moore and Dalton are Rapier’s. Lazenby was a joke. JMO.
Great site!
I have a 10 inch sliding Makita and have the same space issue. I have read some favorable reviews on the new Makita with the slides in the front and the dust collection system getting high marks. Any info / opinion would be appreciated. I am looking at the 12 inch Makita or 10 inch Bosch in the near future.\
Thanks
Mike
On the topic of Chopsaw’s, I saw in one of your latest video’s you were using a Festool sliding miter saw. How does it compare to the Dewalt and Bosch for accuracy, vibration, comfort, and ease of use, ( adjusting miters and compounds)? I have bee eyeing the Bosch for some time but have heard great things about the Festool. My biggest concern is the cost of the Festool, is it worth the extra money?
Hi, cool video to watch for everyone https://bit.ly/31yui30
Thank you for the honest review. I have a Kobalt sliding miter and the only thing I don’t like about it, is that is is not accurate on long cuts. I agree that a sled is a better idea, but many times I am long cross cutting a long piece, so the miter saw is better, least for me. I have a long miter saw stand, so easy to throw up a long piece. But, I’ve been researching the Bosch and you are the first to confirm it is not accurate for long cuts. I had a feeling, but no where did any one say that. Or they never tested it. So thank you. Seems the Dewalt is still at the top of the list. Some times I wish I did not get rid of my radial arm saw. Appreciate the review!
And oh ya, Roger Moore is the ONLY real bond. The others are fakers.
I have used the same DeWalt sliding double compound chop saw for the past 20+ years. It has moved with me from Dallas to San Francisco to North Carolina. The upgrade to the Chop Master saw blade was a decision I made 15 years ago. I have Forrest blades on all my saws, including my Porter Cable corded trim saw that I use to cut down my plywood panels. Anyways – I look at other models all the time, but it is impossible to justify the cost of a new saw when the DeWalt works so well.
I am looking to buy a table saw. Can you help me decide which one to buy, between the saw stop and the bosch smart saw. I understand that we can not purchase the bosch in the US. I really need your help on that.
James, What are your opinions regarding glue type to use with woodworking. I have researched fairly in-depth, but still have a few questions:
(1). While some woodworkers speak of the benefits and prefer polyurethane type glues (Original Gorilla glue), I have found through my experiences and have read mutiple articles speaking of the benefits and better efficacy of the Polyvinyl Acetate or PVA glues (Titebond, Elmer’s wood glue or the yellow glues.)
(2) So, it appears the Titebond brand name glue appears to have a large majority of the wood gluing market. Is there a true benefit derived from experiments (or wood glue clinical trials) of the Titebond brand over the other PVA glues like Elmer’s Carpenters Wood glue, Wellbond, ect?
(3). Is there a good time to use liquid nail? In what situation or circumstances?
(4) I know there is another type of adhesive that comes in tubes similar to caulk that is used, but I can’t currently remember…
(5). Any other adhesive related items that I’m missing?
I thought you did a review on adhesives, but I must have been think of the finishes (oil, lacquers, ect. Or I overlooked it.
Any assistance would be appropriates.
Best Regards,
Ken
I have the Bosch 12" miter saw like yours and hate the dust collection on it but otherwise it’s a super saw. Is your Bosch miter saw hooked up to a dust collection system? I see that you enlarged the dust port just above where the board would sit. How’s it working for you?
Thanks,
Gary
I was in the market for a miter saw. I watched hundreds of youtube videos and read reviews from all sorts of brands from the ones that Harbor Freight sells, to the usual suspects like DeWalt, Bosch, Ryobi, and Hitachi.
The main selling factor into my decision was space. I don’t have a dedicated shop; so I have to make do with my 2 car garage that I share with a car already. With that said, space is a premium and I can’t take up the entire garage with my tools.
I also want to make sure that I am getting the correct tool that will last and not break down on me due to shotty craftsmanship.
After doing loads of research and reading reviews; I pulled the trigger and got the Bosch 10" with the articulating arm. I just didn’t like the idea of wasting those 11" that the sliding bars would take up. I am also not going to shell out the money for the Festool miter saw; as those bars are in front of the saw instead of sticking out the back. Again, the Festool was very very expensive and while the Bosch comes in around $600; I was comfortable with my decision and considered it a good trade off between cost, quality, and ease of use.
I’m sure that if space wasn’t an issue, I may have purchased the DeWalt. If money wasn’t an issue; I would probably have purchased the Festool. It all just depends on your budget and what kind of shop situation you have and basically; what feels right for you.
I’m happy with my purchase and I am especially happy with the way my shop is coming along.
p.s. Big fan of your channel and the videos you put out! The torsion box is my goal, but I still need to get a decent jointer and planer before I can really tackle a project like that. I can honestly say that you and your family/team inspired me to not be chinsy with screws or glue or using pocket holes (where did the hate from pocket holes come from?! are there woodworking hipsters/gatekeepers now?). Love the non-build videos with the education about wood types, glue and the tools you use.