Dewalt DHS790AT2
Dewalt 12" Sliding Compound Miter Saw Review | |
 | Dewalt DHS790AT2 Review Highlights
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| For the Professional Contractor | 5 out of 5 |
| For the Do-It-Yourselfer & Weekend Warrior | 4 out of 5 |
| For the Hobbyist and Beginner Woodworker | 3 out of 5 |
| For the Serious Woodworker | 3 out of 5 |
 | Specifications
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The Dewalt DHS790AT2 – 12″ Sliding Cordless Miter Saw
If you like the massive capacity of the Dewalt DWS780, but you need your saw to be cordless, then you gotta see the Dewalt DHS790AT2.
This is a kit that includes the high-capacity 12″ sliding miter saw, plus a charger, 2 batteries, and a 110v adaptor.
The saw is made for construction sites. It’s got great power and can handle any kind of cut.
Yet the tool is completely cordless. This Dewalt miter saw uses their Flexvolt technology. This is basically a high capacity dual 60v battery setup. They run in series to produce 120 volts to power the saw.
According to many user reviews, you really won’t be able to tell a difference in this saw and a standard corded miter saw. The power is really that impressive.
Plus this saw has really high capacities for crosscutting and trim molding, making it a perfect compound miter saw for any construction site.
However, this is an expensive tool. You really must have a need for the cordless option to justify this particular saw. If you don’t necessarily need the cordless option, Dewalts DWS780 has the same cutting capacities, at a lower price.
But if you need cordless, the DHS790AT2 kit will not let you down.
The kit comes with the saw, a 12″ crosscutting blade, dual port fast charger, dust bag, 2 batteries, blade wrench, and a 120v adaptor so you can plug the saw in if the batteries are dead.
Related articles:
Dewalt DWS780 Review
Set up your miter saw for perfect cuts
Dewalt DHS790AT2 – What’s to like?
The Saw That’s Made For The Construction Site
The Dewalt DHS790AT2 is a complete kit that gives you everything you need for a well-rounded, high-capacity, incredibly versatile construction site miter saw.
It’s technically a hybrid, as you can either run it completely cordless, or you can plug it in and use standard 120 volts from any outlet.
Its Flexvolt technology means not only can you use your Dewalt 60v Max Flexvolt batteries to power the saw, you can even use the same batteries in the other Flexvolt line of tools, including drills and circular saws.
To read my review of the Flexvolt system click here.
Handles Cuts Most Other Miter Saws Can’t
Crosscutting with the large 12″ blade and the dual-rail slide system (with ball bearings for smoothness), this saw can cut up to a 16″ wide board in a single pass. That’s huge!
Even crosscutting at a 45-degree angle, it can go through an 8″ board. This is higher than most other saws on the market.
These 2 facts alone make this saw great for building decks, framing houses, and any kind of renovation.
Trim Molding
If you’re a trim carpenter, you’ll absolutely love this tool. You can get massive capacities with vertical baseboard cuts and nested crown molding cuts, without having to spring for the huge 14″ miter saws, that typically lack in features.
For baseboards, you can cut vertically against the fence, up to 6-3/4″ tall.
And for crown molding, nested against the fence, you can cut up to 7-1/2″ material.
Plus its dual bevel (aka double bevel), meaning you can tilt it both left and right. This adds to the versatility of the saw, making it better suited for job sites where many times you need to make uncommon cuts. Features like the dual bevel, plus the sliding fence, really help out in these situations.
It’s miter capacities are 50-degrees left and 60-degrees right. It’s bevel capacities are 49-degrees left and 49-degrees right.
With capacities like this, who needs anything else? Right? Well, that’s where you gotta decide if the price is really worth it.
You’re going to pay a premium for these features, all in a cordless saw. But hey for a lot of guys, this is still exactly what you need, and well-worth the price.
Exclusive Cutline (TM) Blade Positioning System
If you’ve never seen this before, get ready to be thoroughly impressed.
The Dewalt DHS790AT2 has LED lighting built-in to the saw. You turn on this lighting and both side of the blade light up. This makes it really easy to see your work area, and when it comes to making cuts, we can never have enough light.
But the cool part of this system is that these lights create a nice dark shadow line right where the blade drops.
That means you can slightly lower the saw, and the line comes into focus so you can see exactly where the blade will touch the board. See this picture, notice the shadow mark the light leaves on the material.
Personally, I like this feature better than the laser guide that comes with many saws today. Dewalt’s Cutline system never needs adjustment, and it also acts as a work light for the cut, so it’s extra handy.
Other Noteworthy Features
This model of Dewalt has 2 handy features with its fence. First, it’s got the sliding fence. This provides extra support for long pieces, especially handy when doing bevel cuts, or nested crown molding cuts.
The other nice part of this fence system is it’s unique ‘Back Fence’ feature. You can actually remove part of the fence to add capacity to the crosscut bed. That’s how this saw, like the DWS780, gets a massive 16″ crosscut.
Opinions Based On Real User Experiences
Positive Reviews
- Mostly 5-star reviews, users love the battery technology and how long they last
- Users that found this tool on sale with the stand made out like a bandit, and they love the saw
- People agree it’s just as powerful as a 120v corded compound miter saw
- Guys doing carpentry work for decades claim this is the best miter saw
Negative Reviews
- It’s noted that the Cutline shadow is just a hair thinner than the actual kerf made by the blade.
- Hard for some to justify the high price tag
Review Summary
Overall people love this saw. It’s not really a “Top Seller”, due to the price tag most likely.
But even still, it’s retained a high rating online and will likely continue to hold high ratings based on the reviews coming in so far.
Is This Cordless Compound Miter Saw Kit Worthy?
This saw is made for the construction site. If you want to spend the money for this all-inclusive kit, you’ll be happy with the performance of the tool.
Most people go with standard tools that have standard features, to save money up front.
Some people go all out and spend extra money for the more advanced features. And if that’s you, then it really comes down to – Do you think this saw is as good as it claims?
Well, I’m here to tell you it’s a great tool. Dewalt builds high-quality tools, and they typically last for many years. The warranty is 3 years, and the reviews already prove that it’s a worthy tool.
If you’re a DIYer that does a lot of renovations, it may be worth it to you as well.
However, I don’t think it’s going to find a home in a lot of woodworkers shops, simply because “cordless miter saw” doesn’t really speak our language. I mean, for us it’s a stationary tool, right next to a plugin…
But for on-location users; if you want to invest in a high-capacity, versatile tool built for the job site, the Dewalt DHS790AT2 is a good bet.
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