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This saw took care of all my scrap and now it's all stacked neatly next to my fire pit ready for the next family camp fire. right out of the box, all I needed to do was make sure the blade was on tight, and away I went. This is a GREAT saw. Very smooth motor, low start-up kick, and quiet operation makes it a winner in my book. Granted, I'm not a professional carpenter, but I have used some of the other worm-drive saws, and I have to say that so far, this little beauty (especially with the price) has delivered better than expected. I recently demo'd out my carport, and had a huge pile of scrap lumber laying in my back yard.
The saw is great, but doesn't come with a rip fence or thumbscrew to secure the rip fence to the saw. DON'T order the rip fence recommended for it because it's not the proper fit, and as far as I know, Makita doesn't make a proper rip fence for this saw.The best I could do was to use a Skil adjustable rip fence #13896, and order the thumbscrew from Makita, because the thumbscrew that comes with the Skil rip fence doesn't fit the Makita saw.
Very powerful and does not jerk like other saw's of its class. I have had the Makita for about 6 weeks now, and I am very impressed. I have always been a fan of Makita products, as they make a great tool. Well worth the money you pay for it. The Hypoid saw is no exception.
The blade that it comes with cuts fine but isn't one of the sharpest or best quality. This Makita product is a powerful well designed hand saw. Much to my dismay, it is made in China. For the price this saw is a great value and perfect for home use but I would not recommend it for a contractor, builder or other proffessional that would use it on a daily basis due to it's weight. This wormdrive saw is solid and heavy , perhaps too heavy.
I'm used to it and don't notice it any more.Things I modded: I added a rafter hook so I could keep this thing off the friggin' ground/floor. ***END*** MY GUESS IS THAT THEY'LL OFFER ME A DISCOUNTED REPAIR, BUT FRANKLY, I'M FINISHED WITH THIS SAW. No question.It's got better kerf sight lines than the Skil and about the same as the Bosch.Since it's a hypoid, I don't ever have to fuss with changing the oil like in a Skil.I like the nylon housing. The other guys on the site comment on it. Up until its breaking, it was the favorite saw on the jobsite, with even Mag77 guys reaching for it, praising its smooth power.
(I know, I know, they're tougher to start out with.which is probably true. I like the steel foot. It's fairly large. Trying to give DeWalt a run for the money. It does get bent from time to time, you know, cause it's a jobsite and all, but it's easy to true it back up in 5 minutes with a pair of visegrips, a combination square and a hammer.
'Gotta have a hook.(I give it 4 stars because of that and the weight issue)I run it with a Freud Diablo blade which seems to work pretty well. I ENJOYED USING THIS SAW WHILE IT WORKED, BUT HAVING THE NYLON HOUSING BREAK ON ME A SECOND TIME IN THE SAME PLACE, WITHOUT EVER DROPPING IT IS JUST TOO MUCH. It's got a thicker hand grip than the Skil or Bosch. Steel is great because it bends.). Makita wouldn't repair it, but my local hardware store owner bought me a new housing ($20) and I fixed it myself. Couple of things I like: First, the power and the fact that it gets up to speed quickly. Ive' used several different blades on this from steel, concrete and traditional lumber, including pressure treated, it's got plenty of power to cut through what you need it to. You know, I'll never wear this thing out.
I don't think Makita is selling a hypoid without one anymore so that shouldn't be an issue. YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY. If it breaks again, I'll really change my tune about this saw. but if they fail, both fail catastrophically, which means they snap. In the meantime, I'm happy to have my workhorse back.***END******2nd UPDATE ***(ALL CAPS) THE HOUSING BROKE AGAIN IN THE SAME PLACE (where the depth adjustment lever/bolt enters the housing), WITHIN A MONTH OF SERVICE FROM THE TIME I REPLACED THE HOUSING THE FIRST TIME. It wasn't even dropped.
THIS TIME I CALLED THE MAKITA PEOPLE DIRECTLY AND THEY'LL HAVE A LOOK AT IT. (Shipping at my expense of course). If you're used to handling worm-drives/hypoids, you won't even notice it. And as far as I'm concerned, these are all fine, capable saws. Just get one and learn to use it well.***UPDATE***The nylon housing broke.
Where ever we are on the jobsite, we reach for the saw at hand, so I guess I make my review based on those comparisons. We're a small crew and there are several other saws available: a Skil Mag 77, a Bosch Wormdrive and mine. Try that with an aluminum or magnesium foot. I've been using this saw for the past 6 months on several jobsites. The numbers are easy to read because the indents for each number/tickmark fill up with dust, showing contrast against the black painted shoe.Things one needs to get used to: the handle size. I finally had enough and ordered a hook for another saw and fiddled with the thing and found a way to make it work. I know it won't crack when I drop it. I'm a bit peeved.
And it's blue, which is cool. I went through too many blades setting the thing down carelessly on a cement floor. It's heavy at 15 pounds, although Makita's new 5377MG is lighter by 2 lbs. Overall, it handles nicely, but it does have some startup torque.
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