Thread: Which SCMS: Makita LS1013 or Bosch GCM10SD

I just bought a drop saw from Just Tools in South Melb, and although it wasnt either of the models you are looking at, they beat everybody else i looked at on price, quite comfortably. Bet that doesnt help much in deciding which one though!

I have the Makita and am very happy with it. I've seen some pretty good reviews of it in FWW and popular woodworking. I've had it for about 5 years and it hasn't failed me yet.

Peter

Get yourself a Hitachi FSB10 SCMS. A lovely machine around 800 bucks. Soft start, belt drive, quiet, dead accurate and no (and I mean no) slump when mortising. The Bosch has an inherent fault that won't appear to the the user until after regular use over about 6 to 12 months. The pressed metal bail arm that lifts the blade guard gets worn by the cam/bearing so that as you pull the saw down you have to use extra pressure to engage the timber because the bearing gets "stuck" in the groove which wears in over time. Not good if you are doing fine work. Its the only weakness on an other wise lovely saw. If you send it back under warranty they will replace it with the same pressed metal item which will eventually wear again. My SIL has a lot of experience with Makita and reckons they are a good machine but way overpriced with suss bearings.
All this convinced me to get the Hitachi.

Mak LS1214. beaut unit.

Hi

I bought my LS1013 a few years ago.

It is interesting to note that it is still around in the same design as it was then. That just shows you how good a design it was originally. Look at how many newcomers there are and some of the weird designs!

The LS 1013 is truely worthy of ALL of the good reviews it has received. If I needed to buy a SCMS today I would buy and do recommend the LS1013.

It's light, simple to use AND ACCURATE!

Thanks Sheddy as i was looking at the bosch as well. I reckon that i may look at my options now after reading your post. Also a bit cheaper than the Bosch as well. Mate of mine has loaned me his LS 1040 for the next couple of years till he and his wife return from perth. I am going to have to look at buying a saw eventually and I hadn't considered the hitachi until reading this post.

I have recently purchased a Bosch 300mm SCMS. I looked at the Makita equivalent. The Makita 10 and 12 inch saws are identical except they put a larger motor & blade on the 12" model. The trench stop setup on the Makita was a bit sloppy, and the gears do get noisier as time goes by. The Bosch cost me around $960 at Justtools. The Bosch did have a few more "features" than the Makita in terms of the indexing and the handle setup.

It was a difficult choice.

Cheers

Donald

I had my last Makita SCMS for 11 years of constant trade use and never noticed an increase in the gearbox noise. The current one is about 5 year old and has had a fair bit of use (don't do as much onsite work now) and there's no noticeable increase in gearbox noise. I'd suggest that any hobbyist would have a hard time wearing out a Makita SCMS.

Mick

Thanks for the feedback guys. Sheddy, you sort of steered me away from the Bosch.

I think I'm sort of leaning towards the MAK 1214 now.