Hercules Miter Saw Review

Our review on the harbor freight hercules 12'' miter saw. let me know what you think

[McGehe]

Im about a year and a half in with the same saw. The fence is sadly bowing inwards? Its still square on the other portions of the fence but somehow both the left and right sides of the fence are curving inwards

[philippeterson]

For those who have this saw, Shop Nation has come out with an aftermarket dust collector that works pretty well. I just installed it last week. I also upgraded the blade to a CMT chrome, and it cuts like glass now.

[Forlornguild]

Loving this thing. Couldn't resist the price when I stepped up from the 10, to a 12 inch compound. It had good reviews. I'm sold now after using and abusing it for two years. I do all kinds of work on homes. Use this is cabinet making, to interior millwork, to exterior composite decks. It's smooth, and accurate. I slam the detents on the compound bevel to slice 1x 12 returns... detents are positive and fast to move, I don't even lock the back knob unless its an odd angle I set by hand to a bevel. Front detents just as accurate. I have beat it up, used it outdoors in rain and snow. It is heavy, so put it on the ridgid stand with the big wheels. It barely fits in the canopy of my truck. The canopy hatch is a little rounded, so have to line the head of the saw up right in the middle to fit it in... but I've slammed it to get it in, as well as slammed the front adjusting knob into the canopy clamps stuffing it in there.... and it remains accurate and solid.

[amauryft]

What a great review. Short and sweet! Direct to the point! Thank you

[Salmagundiii]

Thanks for the quick format review. There's a black friday sale on saw and inside-track discount on stand...so I just got both for $400!

[chuckbratcher]

I have had this saw for over a year now. I use it daily and have no complaints. I did make a zero tolerance plate for it to keep small cut offs from dropping down in there. The saw has been accurate, it has plenty of power and the Hurcules 80 tooth blade cuts very clean. I cut a lot of cedar and oak with it making different things and it has not failed me at all.

[pctatc]

Harbor Freight FTW! Most miter saw dust collection is poor. The real test is how well the saw locks back into 90 after using it for a miter.

[garylewis]

I bought one of these (with the stand) about 6 months ago and didn't get a chance to use it until recently due to a long-distance move. But I needed to build a 10' x 12' shed at the new house and this thing was stellar. Cuts like butter and is super accurate and square. One thing I don't like about it is the process of setting the stand up and taking it back down again. Seems like there should be a handle at each end instead of just one end. Kind of awkward with no handle at the heavy end. Having the ability to move it around is great though. I wheeled it out of the garage and right out to the job site in the backyard. One advantage of using it out there is not getting the garage full of sawdust, which was great. I bought it during one of Harbor Freight's many sales and got a great deal on it. Definitely a good buy.

[coytus]

I will respectfully say that you're wrong about the lifetime warranty. Only most of their handtools have a lifetime warranty. Everything else in the store only has a 90 day warranty unless you pay extra for the 1 or 2 year replacement plan, which will guarantee you another replacement after the 90 days. However, you can keep stacking new replacement plans onto the replacements, so the only thing you pay for is the plan when it comes time to turn the tool in. As of late though they are giving a lot of the brushless Hercules tools and batteries the same 5 and 3 year warranties as companies like Milwaukee and DeWalt, but again that's only for their brushless line.

[GageDrums]

You know you're watching someone in the trades when they use a chisel to open a box lol

[TheThreekeys]

I’d love to see a video on your DIY zero clearance cutting deck! Great video. Thx!

[DavidLee-wxdg]

I think the non wheel side roller is built backwards. You have it so the stop flips over to the away from the saw side, which makes sense, but if you look at it, the offset is to the back of the saw, not the front like the wheel side arm.

[jimfeaster]

Do you still like?
Do you still have it?

[thecordlesscarpenter]

Thanks for the review! Just picked up the saw and stand yesterday and am dying to unbox and check it out. I got lucky and caught it on the "in store" parking lot sale $299 for the saw and $149 for the stand. Can't beat $450 for a brand new setup like that with a lifetime warranty, especially if it performs well and lasts a long time. I've used all the big name brands and have something to compare it to so I'll let y'all know how it goes and what I think after I use it on the house I'm building now. Thanks again!

[kfletcher]

Not a lifetime warranty. You get 90 days unless you buy the 1yr or 2yr extended warranty. I bought that chop saw a couple months ago. Its a great saw, but warranty was extra 30-40 bucks for a year.

[terrmaso]

A few questions. How accurate are the detents and can they be easily adjusted when necessary?
How much deflection is there when the saw is at max cut capacity? I've encountered some that are almost useless due to that issue.
If you haven't already, a small shroud would do wonders for the dust collection.

[AlexanderRamsey]

I got a Bauer
It's been ok
Once I put a Diablo on it, it truly shined with hard woods

[harrydoherty]

live the saw. the better stand is the ridged rolling miter saw stand . large wheels and stores verticaly in seconds with the saw attached. much better than the mini her stand . great for home owner or job site use.

[PendeltonWhiskey]

Is this a clone of the DeWalt 12 inch saw?

[APEPV]

What saw would you recommend that performs and/or scores better than the Hercules??