Makita LS1216LX 12-Inch Dual Slide Compound Miter Saw with Laser and Stand Review

If you are working on a house, such as doing a remodeling job, then you might have a need for a good miter saw. The Makita LS1216LX 12-Inch Dual Slide Compound Miter Saw with Laser and Stand is an excellent choice, especially if you are trying to decide between in and a Dewalt or Bosch saw. While designed for woodworking tasks, a variety of professionals can benefit from this saw including carpenters, cabinet installers, flooring professionals, siding installers and general contractors.

At around 75 pounds, the Makita LS1216LX dual slide compound miter saw is a bit more heavy than other models. The good thing about this is that the saw feels quite durable in your hands. The bad thing about it is that lugging it around a job site can fatigue you. Sure, you can use the wheels on the stand, but not if you are going up and down stairs.

For this class of miter saw, the Makita LS1216LX offers the largest crown cutting and cross cutting capacity out of all its competitors. You can use it to cut 8-inch crown molding and baseboard that measures 6.5-inches. It will even crosscut boards up to 15-inches in width at a 90 degree angle. And it does all of this without you need to do any tweaking or customizations to the out of the box setup.

Cuts with the Makita LS1216LX are precise thanks to the 6 linear ball bearings and 4-steel rail sliding system. You get less deflection and more accurate maintenance-free cuts with this system. As you use the Makita LS1216LX saw, you will notice that an advantage it has over other saws is that its horizontal movement is light and smooth.

A unique feature of the Makita LS1216LX is the 5.5-inch tall sliding fence system. Its four sliding fences can give you super precise bevel and miter cuts because there are lower and upper adjustments. This offers you versatility in cutting applications. This compound miter saw even has a built-in laser for cutting precision, which is pretty impressive. The downside of the laser is that you have to use a left/right switch to change which side it is on. It would be beneficial for there to be a permanent one on each side.

One of the benefits of the Makita LS1216LX compound miter saw is that is comes with a stand. This is perfect for taking the saw to a job site. The stand can be adjusted to one of five positions and setup is quick and easy. It is even equipped with wheels so that you can move it around the job site easily.

The direct drive motor, which boasts a powerful 15 amps, is also beneficial. It actually requires less maintenance and upkeep that the standard belt driven miter saws. This is important because it saves you time. Plus, it has a soft start, which means you don’t have to deal with any torque jerking. It is also not as noisy as most miter saws. Even though you do not get much torque jerk with this saw, it would have been nice if it came with more than one vertical clamp. The lock mechanism is easy to use and conveniently placed on the tool.