Hitachi C12FDH Review
Hitachi 12" Dual-Bevel Compound Miter Saw Review | |
 | Hitachi C12FDH Highlights
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| For the Professional Contractor | 5 out of 5 |
| For the Do-It-Yourselfer & Weekend Warrior | 5 out of 5 |
| For the Hobbyist and Beginner Woodworker | 4 out of 5 |
| For the Serious Woodworker | 3 out of 5 |
 | Tool Specifications
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The Hitachi 12″ Compound Miter Saw Review Summary
Do you need a standard compound miter saw that’s dual bevel and has decent capacity? If so, check out this Hitachi C12FDH review.
12 inch miter saws have improved capacity compared to their 10-inch counterparts. You get extra inches of cut capacity in board width when upgrading to a 12″ saw, without having to go to a sliding model.
Sliding miter saws have a lot more capacity, but they are heavier, more expensive, and some users believe they simply aren’t as sturdy as the non-sliding saws. So what that means is there will always be a place for 12″ non-sliding miter saws, like the Hitachi C12FDH.
This particular model is dual bevel and lightweight, which are 2 really nice features for a professional grade miter saw. You may not need these features as much if you’re a woodworker. But framers and finish carpenters, and anyone big into DIY projects, will appreciate these, plus other features I’ll list below. Hitachi really stands out for a few reasons, when it comes to their line of compound miter saws.
First, Hitachi offers an industry-leading warranty of 5 years. In addition to this warranty, they do offer a few nice features I’ll detail below.
Out of the box, this miter saw comes with a blade change wrench, box wrench, dust bag, crosscutting carbide tipped blade, and a hold down clamp.
These have similar capacities:
Dewalt 12″ non-slider
Craftsman 10″ Slider
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Hitachi C12FDH Review – Why Choose This Saw?
Where It Stands Out
The Hitachi C12FDH, 12″ compound miter saw, non-sliding, is a great tool with a great warranty. Hitachi offers a 5-year warranty and that beats out almost all competitors. I would say it’s the very best, but there may be a warranty out there I’m unaware of so I can’t make that claim.
This model is a dual bevel, with an adjustable fence, and above-average miter and bevel capacities. All of this while keeping the price fairly low makes for a great deal.
They also have a nice laser blade alignment system, that is easy to adjust. This makes the laser very practical and useful for not only lining up the blade but also for adjusting the miter gauge to make the blade match the angle of the line. This is handy if you have the cut line, but aren’t sure what the angle in degrees is.
Cutting capabilities
It’s got all the power you need to cut hardwood, plywoods, dimensional lumber, and finish molding with ease.
The 15 amp motor and 4,000 rpm blade speed makes really clean and smooth cuts, handy for any kind of finish work.
It’s pretty standard when it comes to cut capacities for a 12″ non-sliding saw.
You’ll get an 8″ cut with 90-degree crosscutting. A miter cut at 45 degrees will go through a 5-1/2″ board. And the fence is 5-1/8″ tall, which will support some decent sized vertical cut base molding.
Even the motor is mounted at the back, as its a belt-driven saw. This means there’s more clearance for vertical and thick board cutting.
Trim Molding Jobs
This saw isn’t designed to handle huge baseboard and crown molding. But standard size material it handles just fine.
It comes with the dual-bevel feature, so you can cut crown molding compound cuts easier and with less chance of board-orientation mistakes.
A great feature Hitachi uses with their bevel adjustment is the micro-adjust. After you’ve set the bevel angle, you can micro adjust to fine tune the cut. This way you don’t have to unlock the bevel and freehand the fine-tuning part. This feature alone makes for a really great trim-carpenter’s saw.
The large diameter blade and the tall fence allows for vertical baseboard cutting, so your corner cuts can be made with miters instead of bevels. This is overall and easier method of doing baseboard, and this saw is definitely equipped to handle it.
The bevel angles go beyond 45, so you can easily take care of those specialty cuts. If you know anything about trim molding, you probably know that you often need to go beyond a 45-degree bevel. This tool goes up to 48 degrees, both left and right.
The miter angles go beyond 45. You can cut up to 52-degree miters in both directions with this saw. That’s another versatility bonus making this saw capable of many specialty cuts.
Versatility
The Hitachi C12FDH has enough capabilities and enough capacity to handle a wide range of jobs and projects.
The extended range of bevel and miter angles makes for customized cutting to handle many different angles.
The common-angle miter detents make for quick adjustments and more accurate and repeatable cuts. This helps all around, but especially on large jobs, and also when time equals money, like on the construction site.
Opinions Based On Real User Experiences
Positive Reviews
- Great priced tool that handles deck projects flawlessly
- Favorite miter saw of many users, cuts perfect right out of the box
- If you’ve got a flooring or trim molding project to do, this saw handles it without a problem, and with impressive accuracy
- Users, for the most part, love this saw and recommend to others
Negative Reviews
- You may have issues with making the vise clamp work properly
- Some users are having issues with build-quality, some parts are malfunctioning
Review Summary
By and large, the reviews are positive. There are some negatives online, but as with many saws in this price range, you won’t please everyone. The overwhelming majority use and like this tool. I would say that assuming you like the features it offers, the saw itself will perform well and is worth the money.
Is This 12″ Compound Miter Saw Worthy?
I would consider this a mid-range priced miter saw that has features for many different users. Professionals and DIYers will get the most benefit.
The accuracy and features of this saw really do make it great for many types of projects and jobs. But carpenters, trim carpenters, and DIYers will find the most benefit, as it handles most framing and finishing projects really well.
Woodworkers may get some decent use from it, but as a woodworker myself, I believe building furniture benefits more from the larger sliding saw capacities.
To sum up my Hitachi C12FDH review, I would say that considering the price, and the warranty, it’s a decent buy for anyone. If you like the features, then you’ll probably be well-pleased with the performance of the saw.
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