Makita LS1219L 12" Dual-Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw with Laser

I am a full-time builder of 20 years and have owned and used a variety of miter saws over the years. I've personably always owned DeWalt miter saws and have used other contractors' Makita saws and always liked them, but wasn't sure how they would hold up for my particular work. I, like many others, was interested in this saw because I liked the small footprint in my garage workspace compared to my DeWalt, knowing also that I would be transporting the Makita to/from the job site at least half the month. My decision after extensive research came down to this saw or the Bosch axial glide.You should know I was extremely hesitant to purchase this saw -- from Amazon, for sure, based on some of the reviews and unboxing/shipping mishaps photos on here; but also, based on reviews elsewhere online, which indicated this saw might have a manufacturing problem with regards to zeroing it out and getting accurate cuts when the saw is fully extended (having to do with the slide bars not being coplanar to one another, it seemed). I decided to order the Makita anyway (the Bosch looks nice and is less expensive as of this writing, but I just felt the Makita might be the better bet over time based on my knowledge of Makita's heritage). Amazon's return policy helped make that decision. And I couldn't be happier that I ordered it.Maybe I was just lucky, but my saw arrived in an undamaged box with an undamaged saw within. The packaging was robust and they had styrofoam and padding where it should have been to protect it from rough shipping and handling. Maybe they changed this packaging system since those negative reviews? I don't know. I just know mine came totally intact.Putting the saw together took all of five minutes, and then checking/adjusting all the tolerances took another hour or so, with only minor adjustments needed to get it perfect. The saw fences were perfectly aligned and plumb out of the box, as was the the head's/blade's squareness to the fences -- all the way out to 15". That's amazing! The zero-degree bevel was a half degree off, but the adjustment for this was painless and quick (the instructions tell you exactly how to adjust this, and it requires the same Allen key that changing the blade requires -- handily stored in the tool itself). Once the zero-degree bevel was adjusted, each 45-degree bevel were perfect as well. The table was about perfectly flat as well, and I could only barely slide a sliver of very thin paper under my straightedge in a few spots on the right side of the table. Use feeler gauges if you're keen. I didn't bother. I'm a carpenter and woodworker, not a machinist, so for me, the paper method worked fine.I tested it outside of the usual squares and straightedges, too, using actual 2x and 4x material and checking the material after a cut. Perfect and accurate cuts once adjusted!What can I say other than I am thrilled with the saw and also with how it arrived.Per negative reviews: Yes, the tall fences cannot be slid out (only removed) for large bevel angles. That's not an issue for my work: I don't cut large crown. My work involves wide pieces of trim, wide fascia and wide pieces of hardwood, so the tall fences come off for large bevel angles and that still leaves plenty of fence for 2x material. Needing tall fences for 4x material in my line of work may indicate the need for me to have a more precise miter station and/or to joint and plane the material better. Your common material usage will determine if the fences are an issue or not. They are not for me.Also common in negative reviews was some play in the saw head when extended all the way out. Well, I figured there would be at least some play in this Makita (all my older DeWalt sliders had some small degree of play as well). But I have zero play in the blade and saw head when the saw extends. Zero. It's surprisingly stiff through its range of motion. Maybe this will loosen in time? I don't know. Couple these tolerances with good sawing techniques on my part, and proper transporting practices, and I expect this saw to deliver excellent cuts for years.And yes, as other have noted, the detent plate is a concern of mine (it's aluminium). I'll have to wait and see how this holds up. I think NOT being aggressive with adjusting the base's angle should help considerably. Time will tell. At least Makita will send a new one if it looses accuracy. And then it takes all of ten minutes to install the new one and square it up. No big deal for me, personally.And yes, this saw is heavy and will be a mild burden to move to/from the job. It's a 12" sliding compound-miter saw: they are ALL heavy. If weight And transport are concerns and hefting 65 pounds is a burdeos, I would say look for a smaller saw and don't knock a 12" slider saw for what it is.What else is there to say? Despite the several online criticisms of this saw and its packaging and shipping, I ended up with what I had hoped for and what Makita has built its name around: a quality tool that should last years before it needs any repairs. It's a great saw!Things I needed to see and use to really appreciate and which set this saw apart: I really love the detent override switch at the thumb, and the bevel adjustment knob is a fantastic solution to not having to reach behind the saw to make adjustments. And of course, the footprint is incredibly small in my garage. It easily fits on a 24" miter station. Angling the saw over to 60 degrees when not in use, and it doesn't protrude past the station at all. Nicely done, Makita! And Amazon, for the fulfilment and shipping!

Update 8/2022So after having used the mitre saw for about 20 projects I’ve not had any issues with it. As for the angle indicator plate if you are gentle with it and actually hold the tab until it’s in the correct position and gently let the latch lock you’ll never have to worry about ruining the edge and causing off angled cuts.Aside from that one caveat the mitre saw is flawless. Also my model was a Chinese model, butthe quality of both the tool and packing were top notch and the laser is still working perfectly.I’ll follow up later after more usage.——I’ve always used Makita products when I would help at a carpentry shop many years ago, but they were old and from the 80’s and 90’s so I was very nervous about purchasing this Makita mitre saw from an online source especially with all the reviews here about damage in shipping or quality issues. Thankfully, mine shipped from the next state over and was in great shape when it arrived minus the UPS driver placing it on its side for delivery.Unboxing was quite a chore, so perhaps the packaging has improved. My model had the chrome pistons and the billet aluminium supports on the sides. I don’t know if this was a pre China model though.It cuts perfectly, no issues so far with the power of the motor or adjusting the cut angles. The laser is very helpful to speed up with lining up the cuts and it cuts perfectly accurate cuts each time.The vacuum system seems to works very well and the dust bag works, but fills up quickly. I’ll have mine connected to a dust collection system though.I still need a table for it because it’s very heavy and I do have some trouble lifting over 150lbs unassisted, but once the material is level and lined it will give true cuts consistently. In terms of construction and function, it’s a great workhorse which I hope will last many years.Overall I’m really happy with the quality and have already used it several time for a few projects.I’ll update as I use it, but so far it’s perfect

I just love this saw. The soft start is really nice. You don’t realize this is a big powerful saw when using it. It glides smoothly on the rails. There is minimal deflection of the blade, unlike some saws. The laser is very accurate, and works well enough for most tasks. You can swap the laser to either side of the blade with minimal effort, really nice touch. You need to spend some time dialing in the miter and bevel stops. Get a digital level and an accurate square, and that will help. The rails on my saw were also out of alignment, which created curved cuts. You need to loosen one of the set screws on a rail and twist them into alignment… this adjustment isn’t in the manual, but it’s necessary for some of these saws. A dial indicator comes in handy for making this adjustment. There are a couple videos on YouTube on how to align the rails. Overall an amazing beast of a saw, highly recommend getting one and putting some time into calibrating it. It’s worth the effort, as it cuts smoothly and accurately once tuned up.

I had a low end miter saw that was 10+ years old. It had some issues and I really wanted to not have it require so much space from the wall to the saw for the slide. I researched many different saws and narrowed it down to this unit and the bosch gcm12sd. I was able to play with the bosch and was leaning towards it until I read and watched several reviews on the two machines. I must admit that I never got to use the bosch, and it might be a very good saw, but this saw has exceeded my expectations in every way I've used it. Some of the features I've enjoyed:- The soft start makes this feel so much smoother than my old saw- The laser guide is very accurate- Dust collection is amazing- I gained about a foot of space because the saw is able to sit much closer to the wall than my old saw was.