Reddit reviews Bosch Power Tools GCM12SD - 15 Amp 12 Inch Corded Dual-Bevel Sliding Glide Miter Saw with 60 Tooth Saw Blade

I'm a professional carpenter and general contractor, and from my personal experience and the anecdotal evidence from the guys I regularly see, Bosch is of the best you can get for cordless tools nowadays. DeWalt used to be the go-to, but their quality has dropped considerably over the last 5-10 years. They still have some decent products, but I know of a lot of people who have had major issues with their drill chucks being off center.

This said, you kind of need a grab bag to get the best of each tool.

Here's my current setup, which is the same as quite a few contractors I work with:

• Bosch 18V impact driver/drill set. I've dropped my driver with a 6" bit attached directly onto the bit from 10' up, on concrete, and the entire thing was unscathed. Batteries last forever and charge very quickly.
  
  
• Festool jigsaw. Festool makes AMAZING products, but it's probably way overkill for most, and this Bosch model is a great second option I've seen used by many guys with a ton of success.
  
  
• Skil Mag 77 circular saw. This is the be all end all saw. It has enough torque to change the rotation of the earth. It's heavy, though, so a decent sidewinder might be your best bet. I would never use anything else, personally, though.
  
  
• Bosch compound sliding miter saw. I love this thing. You can put it flat up against a wall and still use the slider, which is a feature unique to them.
  
  
• DeWalt table saw. The major plus of this saw is that the rip fence is on a track, so both sides move together. I still never trust their gauges, but to know that both the front and back are equidistant from the blade 100% of the time is worth its weight in gold.
  
  
• DeWalt thickness planer. Never thought I'd buy one, and now I wouldn't be without one. With the combination of the above 3, you can pretty much make anything out of anything. Have a 5/4 board at the house but you need a 1x? 2 passes through the planer and you're set.
  
  
• Bosch Rotary Hammer. The demo master. It can hammer drill massive holes in concrete, or switch to hammer only mode to remove tile or glued on drywall particles. These are bulletproof.
  
  
• DeWalt orbital sander. Nothing fancy, as I don't do a ton of heavy sanding. Something to look for in these is the variable speed; makes jobs much easier.
  
  
• Bosch oscillating tool. Most brands are similar, and depending on your uses a corded model may be better. I have a second tool that uses these batteries so I have lots of backups (and they charge very quickly), and I often use it in places that running a cord would be a pain in the ass. This is great for trimming things that are immovable and can't be sawed: think door frame bottoms for new floors, baseboard trim to accommodate a new vent, drywall patching, anything. Love this thing.
  
  
• RotoZip spiral saw. Great for drywall, and there's a masonry style bit that works good for cutting pieces of tile (like around a faucet or control).
  
  
• Bosch planer. Again, nothing fancy and I definitely don't use it daily...but when you need a planer, there's not much else you can use.
  
  
  So there you go. Those are the ones that have gone through the ringer on a construction crew and have survived heavy abuse and regular moving/dropping without any signs of letting go. Some may be overkill for your situation, but they're what I've found to be best. I'm probably missing a few loose ends so look out for edits.

Are you limited to that budget or can you go over? I got the Bosch GCM12SD a few months ago and it is awesome. Literally every worker who comes over and sees me using it is like "Damn that is a nice chop saw".

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004323NNC/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I dont have a shop so I keep it on this stand and wheel it in and out of my shed when I use it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VZNEM0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I got the laser for it as well but I never use it, just as easy to line things up manually.

They have electronics, tools an all sorts of other crap there now. Watch their fake original prices though.

I bought this saw
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004323NNC/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=1278548962&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0000223FA&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1F8B6ZEKABXFVP72XF41

(Somewhere else) and It has never been 1500 dollars anywhere. Expensive places might be getting close to 800.

I'd recommend buying tools based on what your project plans are. If you're going to do trim, build decks and fences or anything that involves less sheet goods, absolutely I'd recommend a miter saw.

If you plan to build sheet good stuff, desks, cabinets, anything that involves plywood, then you can reasonably by a table saw and fill the gaps with a circular saw.

What is your budget? I'll be able to make better recomendations for tools if I know how much you have to play with.

I would avoid the saw you linked for a few reasons:

1. Single Bevel - If you have any intentions of doing crown moulding or trim you will literally want to kill yourself after setting fire to that saw from rage. The saw only tips one direction, it rotatates horizontally either direction, but it only tips one direction, this will make some compound miters a fucking nightmare to figure out (if you can even do it with acceptable results) Even for a home owner, I'd suggest a 12" dual bevel saw. I own this: http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-GCM12SD-120-Volt-12-Inch-Glide/dp/B004323NNC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452305203&sr=8-1&keywords=bosch+sliding+miter+saw
   and I would not for ONE second hesitate to buy it again. Unlike most sliding saws, it does not use a rail system, so if you use it in a shop, you don't need 18-24" behind the saw to slide it. It's great for installing at a workbench. The price is also much more reasonable for you yankee folks since you dollar is getting much better now. It's a great saw, and if you look after it (as with any good tools) it will last a lifetime.
   
2. Sears tools are not what they used to be, I would not put them much above buying ryobi anymore, as they've outsourced so much of their production to the lowest bidder. I'd take Ridgid tools (great for homeowners, btw, because of lifetime service agreement for non-commerical users). Some of their (sears) stuff is ok, but there are better options now. My philosophy has always been buy the best quality you can afford, once. You're learning this lesson with your circular saw already.
   
   
3. 10" saws are ok, but a 12" saw gives you alot more cut capacity, both width of material, and depth.
   
   Some people might find the new yankee workshop boring (as you can likely tell, I'm a huge fan of Norm, and have been since I was a boy, I can attribute vast amounts of my woodworking knowledge to him directly) You'd do yourself a favor by watching some of his shows, and grabbing a book of his called "Measure twice, Cut once" they are absolutely worth the time investment.
   
   Here's a good place for you to start:
   
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUMif8_XQRE
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYqvwlbm6B0
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTp4v1PZmBY
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuKIBWqg5yI
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nGqsc0JF3I
   
   That should keep you busy for a couple hours. It might be a little dry in places, but everything he show he does for a reason. This guy is about as good as it gets IMHO.
   
   Let me know if you have any more questions, I'd be happy to help you.
   

Where are you located that a brand new Bosch miter saw is under $300? That saw is $600 at Home Depot and Amazon, right now.

Pricey but Wow

http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-GCM12SD-120-Volt-12-Inch-Glide/dp/B004323NNC $695

http://www.cpotools.com/bosch-gcm12sd-12-in-dual-bevel-glide-miter-saw/bshngcm12sd,default,pd.html?ref=pla&zmam=31282435&zmas=47&zmac=66&zmap=GCM12SD&gclid=COiWw4Hew7cCFZE-Mgod7X4AHw $769.99

BOSCH 12" ARM SAW:

http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&safe=off&sa=X&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS461US461&biw=1599&bih=809&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=VhOggZf9hETkKM:&imgrefurl=http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-GCM12SD-120-Volt-12-Inch-Glide/dp/B004323NNC&docid=SUBz96dGGZyFbM&imgurl=http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51o1ZQTMCqL._SL500_AA300_.jpg&w=300&h=300&ei=np17T5iRBarD2QXX59WnAw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=475&vpy=138&dur=536&hovh=225&hovw=225&tx=147&ty=132&sig=108206764076847164418&page=1&tbnh=142&tbnw=138&start=0&ndsp=32&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0

Squiggle wood is really cool, but what can it actually be used for aside from a demonstration of squiggle wood. The precision and accuracy of the jointmaker is probably it's best selling point, but that still doesn't come close to justifying the price. IMO.

Lets use specifically the kapex... it's really pricy

Vs the Bosch axial which is much more affordable and I do believe it to be an even better performer than the kapex.

You end up paying for the Festool name rather than quality of tool.

Aside from coming with a "coarser" blade, how would it be aimed at construction vs cabinetry? If the Dewalt isn't accurate it should just need adjustment. Personally, I lean towards the DeWalt (I want a 12" sliding double Bevel Compound Miter saw one day) because I can'y justify the extra money on the Bosch beast