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Post by arvid on Dec 4, 2017 8:29:26 GMT -5
Anyone have any real world experience with this metabo 18v scms? I’m very interested in it and looking for users opinions on it. I’ve seen a lot of YouTube videos on it and it looks great.
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Post by aas on Dec 4, 2017 15:13:20 GMT -5
I've got the non-sliding version - I doubt there's any difference between them quality wise. It wasn't perfectly set up out of the box, but enough adjustments to get it spot on. It's light weight, seems robust, accurate and powerful enough. I made an MDF zero clearance base and back fence for accurate work (finishing trim). I'd buy one again if it got nicked - my gauge on how much I like a tool!
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Post by chippiegary on Dec 4, 2017 15:16:52 GMT -5
Henrun has it and rates it ,I looked at it and may buy it again I think it’s a good machine but it will have its power limitations ,as a second fix /finish trim saw I think it could be excellant “I’ve only had a little go on one “ . Plus they are quite affordable body only here in the uk .
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Post by henrun on Dec 4, 2017 15:30:04 GMT -5
Yes, I have it. It is a great _little_saw and it does the job. I think it is good for trim and occasional stud cutting but for larger or repeat work with cutting large studs the light weight and power works a little against it.
I have cut 45x220 studs with it and for straight cuts it does well but for bevel cuts it does croak a little. I do have a larger Metabo which sails through those cuts so I tend to use the larger mitre saw (corded) for decking and such and the Metabo 18V (I have the sliding rail one) for pretty much everything else, trim etc.
I recommend it as a very good to excellent saw for portability and light to medium work - I think the price for a solo unit is fair. If I had liked and kept the KSS50 the pairing would have worked well for decking too.
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Post by huntsgemein on Dec 4, 2017 19:56:23 GMT -5
"Affordable" isn"t the word for it: nor "bargain". Even "value for money" doesn't really conjure up an appropriate mental picture. Try "ludicrously", "laughably" or even "insanely" inexpensive to get into a more meaningful headspace.
My saw cost me an almost unbelievable AU $270, delivered to my door, thanks to a serendipitous coincidence of extraordinarily aggressive discounting by the supplier, a temporarily strong local currency, an introductory discounted marketing push by Metabo's local branch & a fortuitous & timely 10% discount offer from Ebay. That was - at the time - the local currency equivalent of < US $300 or Euro 220!
Do you ever find yourself suspicious about an offer or deal that's superficially "too good to be true"? That was the KSE 18 to me: a deal so cheap that it immediately raised my suspicions. How could a cordless SCMS be that cheap but still be both useful & useable? Being skint @ the time (Architecture student), it was still an expense that was barely justifiable on economic grounds. But just so tempting too! In fact, even if it proved to be a dog - at the time, my history with Metabo's cordless offerings had been pretty hit or miss - it wouldn't be a disaster.
My original intended use was principally for precision Architectural modelling, where its compact size & lightweight portability would be a distinct advantage. It was also intended for precision furniture & cabinet making duties in locations where security issues disallowed overnight storage. Having lost most of my best tools in a burglary I'm paranoid about a repetition.
My considered opinion? Truly outstanding! Great tool, great blade, lightweight, accurate & reliable. The things I like the most: all switches, knobs, levers etc are intuitively placed & picked out in red. The light (triple LED) & laser (single) are still usefully visible in all but direct sunlight. The capacities give little away to bigger tools that I've used, despite its remarkably compact dimensions. More on this later. Remarkable blade, inexpensive to replace & seemingly ideally matched to the motor's limited power characteristics that despite its ultra-thin kerf generally provides little if any consequent deflection. Its compact footprint, light weight & usefully located handle combine to make it almost laughably portable.
Room for improvement? You bet! More power, more capacity, more versatility would always be useful, but realistically at the probable expense of its generally extremely well sorted nature. The material clamp is OK, but not as useful as Festool's Kapex version. The bed extensions are fairly small, & limited in their "expanse". It mitres to 47 each way: a 60 degree RH miter (like most bigger saws) would've been better. It bevels (to 47) to the right only. The controls are lightweight & a tad "plasticky", but no more than all much bigger, more capacious & "professional" mains models are these days. Nothing has broken yet.
Ultimate DOC limits its usefulness for vertical cuts to wide colonial skirtings, architraves etc: so one cuts horizontally instead! Power is OK, but feed rates must be necessarily carefully controlled in large, deep cutting especially in hardwoods. It stalls out with injudicious feed when hardwood cutting, but so will (much more powerful) mains Radial Arm Saws.
The dust extraction is poor. It's cordless, so dustbags are the norm, & as is a common characteristic with these accessories fitted to most cutting tools, they will take only limited dust from the machines' exhaust, fill rapidly & require frequent emptying. I personally prefer (where materials & circumstances allow) to go "naked" & allow the dust to spray unimpeded to the rear. With the presumably imminent advent of Metabo's new generation of vibration sensing cordless vacs I'd assume that dust extraction will soon become a viable proposition; still less effective than a 36mm hosed mains vac. equipped Kapex however.
Power from the battery is good, without being great. It obviously lacks the tireless stamina of AC mains power, but performs well on bigger capacity batteries. From my own experience, its peak current draw characteristics means it seems to prefer twin-row batteries (half the current draw/row) with larger storage capacity. In my low-medium intensity useage, I can generally get about half a day's cutting per charge (6.2 AH Li-HD), or less in intensive hardwood scantling.
As a "site saw", for constant heavy-duty use it'll probably disappoint. It's just doesn't have that "DeWalt, Makita, Hitachi Koki robustness" for all day, every day intensive use. I would imagine that the "next gen" of SCMS from Metabo & probably Makita will fulfil that brief: 2 x 18v 9.0 or even 10.0 AH Li-HD batteries, "2,400w" EC grinder motors (from Metabo's 9" cordless), 250 or 300mm blade, 75-100mm DOC, 350-400mm X-cut capacity, 20-25kg+ weight. In other words, a completely different "industrial" class of tool will become much more likely, if not all but ubiquitous on building sites within the next 5 years or so. Mere speculation here, but also grounded in the current direction that tool development & OH&S legislation is heading.
It is what it is: a compact 18v SCMS. If you realistically temper your expectations, then you'll be pleasantly surprised. Apart from my DeWalt Radial Arm, I've had a Kapex 120, which I actually despised as a ludicrously overpriced toy with excellent dust extraction, & a Bosch 305mm Glide Saw (still owned) which is big, powerful, capacious & (especially as it is fitted to its gravity rise stand) extremely awkwardly heavy & unwieldy for daily transport. Given these caveats, I approached the saw with some trepidation, & have been consistently, absolutely delighted. No disappointment here..... no buyer's remorse, no regrets whatsoever.
So delighted in fact, that the others are relegated to stationary duties in the workshop/s. The Radial Arm is still unequalled for precision tenoning, mitering, halving joints, window & door construction, & the Glide saw performs the occasional deep cut/s that are (only infrequently) required.
There you have it. I consider it my wisest tool purchase to date. It vies with an old variable speed Metabo sander/grinder as the most used & useful tool. Perhaps more importantly, it brings a smile to my face each & every time I have occasion to use it!
I give myself a rather smug, self-congratulatory metaphorical pat on the back for making such a wise purchase. In the subsequent 2 years or so since acquisition this opinion has if anything only been reinforced.
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Post by henrun on Dec 18, 2017 8:50:42 GMT -5
I have run this little baby on a project with a helluva lot of cuts, wall panels, skirtings and trim. Fitted a 7Ah battery and finished the entire two days of cutting with one bar left on the battery. Can't ask for more!
Precision is very good, original blade is alright. On MDF very smooth cuts and on thin plywood the offcut has some fray.
A zero clearance insert would help with some cuts as the saw trench/slit is quite wide which enables an accumulation of small debris, but I am nitpicking.
Power is good - with a slow/normal feed rate for larger stock. Laser is dead on and saw was true right out of the box in my case.
At the end of the project I was cutting up scraps and managed to stall the saw cutting a bundle - but no kickback! After that I cut down some larger studs and going slow was the ticket.
Laser auto shut off and and auto on is great. Just touch the saw and Laser is back on. One small complaint is the locking lever for bevel cuts which I guess I was too sloppy with tightening up properly. After paying more attention to it it was fine.
Dust Collection is decent with vac though I just run a Festool MIDI with 27mm nozzle so not the best. With bag it is ok, but not more.
Great saw. Very pleased with it!
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