DeWalt DWS779/DWS780 vs Makita LS1219L double bevel 12' sliding miter saw

Comparison of the DeWalt DWS779/DWS780 vs Makita LS1219L double bevel 12" sliding miter saw. I'll show you how the controls on each of these saws work and compare them to each other. When you are looking for a saw for your miter saw station price is not the only factor to consider.
Both are excellent saws but only one of them is a good choice for a small home woodworking workshop.

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[michaelnichols]

I have both saws and I would say value for money the Dewalt wins. The Makita is better for its space saving, but it costs more and has more downfalls. The main being the detent plate is aluminum so wears out fast with use. This a bigger deal to some more than others. you can buy an aftermarket for about $90 but the saw is currently almost $900 vs the Dewalt at $650 (got mine on sale for $499). I have calibrated my makita several times and it seems to come out of calibration a lot easier than the Dewalt. Makita wins on dust collection, not perfect but a great deal better than the Dewalt.

The bevel function on the Makita seems better, being up front, but upon use its really annoying. I’m a trim carpenter, so cutting 1x8 baseboard all day when you have miters bigger than 45 on the Makita you have to unlock the bevel knob tip the saw, disengage the 45 detent, lock it in make the cut the to bevel right, unlock disengage the 90 bevel lock tip the saw, disengage the 45 detent find your angle and lock it. Whereas the Dewalt you just pull the 90 pin move the 45 and you can flip back and forth all day locking in on your desired angle. Dewalt is a great deal lighter which for me is nice but not a deal breaker. Accuracy is more important to me and I have found I spend a lot of time recalibrating the Makita which is wasted time on a Jobsite. The Dewalt seems To hold up to Jobsite abuse better than the Makita. The miter cam lock on the Dewalt is more convenient than the twist lock on the Makita. Shadow line is better than the laser but personally only use them to line up off angle cuts, I turn them off to cut to my pencil line.

That said, if you have the budget for the Makita and the space is more valuable to you it’s a decent option so long as you know and accept its pitfalls. If it’s not moved daily it would probably stay truer than knocking around in the back of a van on commutes. That’s my 2 cents anyways.

[davep.]

After researching both saws one of the criticisms I saw with the Makita was that the vertical rails would not stay in alignment causing inaccurate cuts. The Dewalt has been known to stay calibrated much better with its horizontal rails. Lasers like on the Makita are not known to be as accurate as the shadow line feature on the Dewalt. I did like the better clearance on the Makita. But accurate cuts were more important to me.

[alextube]

If you are buying based on the price, dewalt is a clear winner. But we all going to keep our tools for many years to come, and makita will put the smile on your face every time you use it. So 10 years later, extra $200 is not that much.
I was looking at the dewalt and ended up with makita for all the same reasons.
Love it.

[cdan-dan]

I got so much more out of this video than the instruction booklet can ever give me. Thank you sir!

[WalnutWorks]

21 years experience as a trim carpenter. Ive used DeWalt miter saws a majority of that time. All worked flawlessly. I tried a Makita slider and I liked it at first but it simply did not last. After only a short time I had to raise the blade guard to get it to go down as it had become worn or bent. The Makita never had the ability to hold a miter or any kind of angle. it was Always sloping. You can read several reviews stating the same thing. Fruststrated with it I finally picked up the makita and tossed it as far as I could repeatedly on the concrete driveway of the house I was trimming and then put it in the dumpster where it belongs. Dewalt really got this right!! The laser on the makita does absolutely jack. It gets covered in dust and is only on one side of the blade so your cuts will still need to be adjusted

[agentagent]

You made a good choice, I got the 40v 12" cordless version and it's a beast cuts any hardwood with ease and it's very accurate out of the box, had milwaukee which is the worst because I went trough 2 of them, dewalt is a good saw but the head had deflection even without sliding it out, of course every sliding mitre saw has that issue but I found the Makita is way less because of the design ( they kind a went festool kapex route) it's a heavy saw and the best stand for it if you are planning to take it to the field is the bosch gravity rice mitre saw stand, I also like the shadow cast line on mine, got it with 2 40v 4ah batteries and a rapid charger, on average the battery lasts about 4 -5 hours on moderate use but the battery can charge very fast so all you need is 2 batteries and will last you all day, I am very satisfied with the saw and I went through many mitre saws

[SquireJethro]

I got the same model Makita a month or so ago and I've been putting it to good use. I love the soft start, and even the laser is useful for cutting framing material. I'd still manually align the blade for cabinet components. I did change the configuration of the dust ports by 3D printing a new lower adapter to allow for me to hook up a standard ShopVac hose and printed a plug for the top dust port. The top port still is connected to the lower one, it just evacuates from the lower one now instead of the top. The dust collection is a LOT better now.

[xbrik]

Muy buen video, gracias. Estuve a punto de comprar la Dewalt 780 en una tienda de Holanda, pero incrementaron el precio 300 Euros en el envío y la descarte. Buscando descubrí la mákita y sinceramente me fijé en 3 detalles: el primero es que la Makita tiene unas barras de deslizamiento en vertical.
Lo segundo es más pesada que la Dewalt y creo que ha mayor peso más robusta.
Y la tercera me fijé en que su plato central está rectificado. La cuestión es que llame a una tienda de Madrid y me hicieron un buen precio y esta tarde de viernes 19 de Abril la he comprado sin mirar muchos detalles más que algún vídeo cortando vigas de madera grandes, después de ver tu vídeo no me cabe la menor duda que es mejor máquina que la Dewalt y que he acertado al comprarla, tengo un proyecto para arreglar todo el techo de mi nave y hay mucho trabajo con madera.
Te mando un saludo desde Valencia España.

[GregStewart-hj]

It’s the last 3 min I appreciate. Nice job with the cabinet.

[Reallytallsocks]

I almost came to the comments to say that's a dumb reason to change saws, but if I'm being honest I've completely hated tools for even smaller reasons. From that point of view your decision is totally reasonable.

[seanrowe]

I’ve used my DW708 steadily since 95’. Its a workhorse and easy to calibrate, but I’m ready to replace it with the Makita. Footprint and dust collection make it suit my needs better than a new Dewalt, and it’s price and depth of cut make it superior to the Kapex.

[mrk]

I still would get the DeWalt, I’ll just stick it in the middle of the room on an island. 😂

[ChevyBoy]

I like the hide away saw table. That’s “genius”. Thank you for the review

[waspmeat]

Yo, your finished table saw station at the end is a serious flex!! 💪😂 Genius, all of it!

[InnisfailMensShed]

I have that Dewalt and I love it. It will become my jobsite saw. I will buy a 10 inch Makita for my shop for the same reason a lot of others do, it takes less space and space is critical to me.

[michaelhovland]

You got to do a video on that flip up miter bench. That’s one of the best ideas I’ve seen in a long time.

[nole]

I have a DWS779 as well and have the same issues. The main reason why I bought the DWS779 was it had a good sliding distance which was important for me when I was repairing the outside wood trim on my house such as fascia boards and what some call “bird boxes” where the corners of your roof meet at a slope. Those require challenging long beveled and angled cuts and the DWS779 slide was long enough to make those cuts. The long slide of the DWS779 also came in handy for making long triangular cuts for the sloped platform for tool holders such as for jigsaws, oscillating saws, reciprocating saws, etc.
My question about this Makita miter saw is this. Does it slide as far as the DWS779? If so I’m getting it. If not then I will continue to look for a miter saw with the same features as this Makita miter saw, but slides as long as the Dewalt.

[allsurf]

Just got the Dewalt. I had a 20 year old PC that had 2 laser lines that showed exactly where cut would be. I miss that. Not crazy about the jerky start of the dewalt but will adapt. Sounds like dewalt is better if you need to go past 45 degrees for tight miters. Mine is on a roller stand so depth not an issue but that would be a factor for most people. I was also considering the Bosch but no laser or shadow line which I didn’t like.

[daifeichu]

I have the DWS782. That's the non-light/laser version. Thing takes up a lot of real-estate. The thing that pissed me off with it is dust collection. When I finally found the correct adapter in the plumbing section and hooked up my shop vac, the front dust boot collapsed making the shop vac pointless. I ended up building an enclosure for it making the miter station huge.

[JamesBakerOhio]

Very nice review of both saws, IMHO if you dislike something about your tool, whatever that is, and you can find a tool that makes you happier, its equivalent to making the "money jobs" less stressful and the "hobby jobs" more enjoyable. Being happy with your tools, car, home and wife (not necessarily in THAT order) goes a looong way to keeping you sane and productive.👍