Hello everyone,
I am looking in to buying a drop saw for home use. I have done googling and all the good brand names cost a little high for my liking. I am not keen on spending more than $200. I am currently looking at this from Bunnings which is $149
My question is does anyone have this particular machine or know how good the brand is? Are there better alternatives for my price range?
Like I said its only for occasional home use.
Thank you!
So good brand to get you reckon?
A better blade is likely to cost at least $30.
Do you need to cut large planks? Perhaps you can get away with just a compound mitre saw, which would drop the price to $79. https://www.bunnings.com.au/ozito-1600w-210mm-8-compound-mit…
I probably won't, however I like the fact that it is sliding saw. I am not really an expert in wood work or power tool machines but I have used a sliding mitre saw at a friend's place and which I thought was a pretty good feature.
Ok, is this like the removeable battery feature on phones? People think it is a good feature, but never really use it.
Not really, more like when you're at the movies and buy the medium popcorn instead of the large.
As your initial post says, if you rarely cut wide stuff then a standard mitre saw, plus a circular saw would work better.
Sliding saws are also heavier and take up more space which may make a difference. They also need to be better built, so a cheap mitre saw may cut better.
You need to consider what you're not getting if you're paying a lower price. The motor might be less powerful or of a lower quality design, the chassis might be lighter and/or less rugged, the slides might be less accurate, the blade might be lower quality, and so on. Only you can decide what is suitable for your purposes.
The Ozito saw you linked to has a three year replacement warranty. I doubt you'll get anything better in your price range.
A cheaper drop saw is likely to be less acurate in its cut. It will likely not cut the same angle repeatedly. But… once it has a good blade and is set up and looked after it should be good for most tasks - just not making super accurate cuts like you might want in a photo frame etc.
You cheat at photo frames by making a jig to hold the pieces at right angles. The saw may not cut at 45 degrees but as the angle on the cut pieces adds up to 90 it will still be square.
With tools you get what you pay for. Personally I'd buy a circular saw ( makita/ dewalt/ Bosch blue) a good 40teeth blade and a combination square over a cheap drop saw
I've got that one. It's great. Even the blade that came with it is pretty good. I've been using it to repair my hardwood floor. Can't fault it so far.
I bought my drop saw from Clint's crazy bargains in Albury nearly 10 years ago for $50. I use it every 6-12 months. Most rugged use was when i Used it to build a cubby house 5 years ago. Used it last week end to cut some hard wood to make legs for a bunk bed. Still pretty sharp.
Have a look on eBay for second hand. It's mostly about the blade (it still needs to be true, etc). But a saw is defined by its blade
What brand did you get?
random shop brand. rebadged something.it's heavy, it has lasted a few jobs and doesn't look like giving up anytime soon. I bought a spare blade at the same time and it's still in it's packaging hanging on a nail on the wall of the shed.
Just replace the blade with something better and you're good to go.