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Post by chippiegary on Oct 30, 2017 17:32:21 GMT -5
Well done henrun I’m gonna order that bag tomorrow used the kss50 a bit in the last week not heavy use and yep really like it , dust bag was/is bloody irritating problem solved . The metabo 18v mitresaw I’m definitely interested in getting myself ,seems to get good reviews .
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Post by rizzoa13 on Oct 30, 2017 18:25:08 GMT -5
Well done henrun I’m gonna order that bag tomorrow used the kss50 a bit in the last week not heavy use and yep really like it , dust bag was/is bloody irritating problem solved . The metabo 18v mitresaw I’m definitely interested in getting myself ,seems to get good reviews . My oartner has the Metabo 18v saw and honestly I’d only relegate it to use when a battery saw is convenient. I’ve got a kapex and I’m hella spoiled by it. I’m pretty outspoken about the motor issues since mine has blown up once BUT as a workhorse finish saw there’s nothing else in its league. So back to the Metabo, it’s nice, convenient and well thought out. But it’s kothing compared to the kapex.
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Post by jozsefkozma on Oct 30, 2017 20:22:33 GMT -5
Nice to have an easy solution Just wondering out loud Is Mafel going to compansate you guys for solving our and their problems
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Post by huntsgemein on Oct 31, 2017 3:53:41 GMT -5
Had a Kapex years ago & hated it. No motor problems (240v) apart from being a bit gutless. Excellent dust extraction if a 36mm hose is fitted, & it was as I recall pretty light too, making it easy to move. But it was I felt a bit too fragile for site work. Nothing actually broke, but I always felt that it just wasn't sufficiently robust. What really pissed me off was the nasty habit it had every 3rd or 4th cut of the saw guard hanging up. Nasty, dangerous habit that was especially scary as it tended to be intermittent. It certainly wasn't worth the AU$1500 I paid! Maybe it might be a better buy at about half that, which is what I'd consider to be a more realistic price for what you get.
It was nicked, along with most of the rest of my good gear. Frankly, I don't miss it one bit. It never really had that indefinable feeling of quality & reliability in adverse circumstances & hard going that the big DeWalt & Makita SCMS have. I replaced it with a Bosch Glide 300mm Saw with gravity rise table. Excellent saw with great capacities that unfortunately weighs a ton. Much more portable than a Radial Arm Saw, but a monster to wheel up stairs, especially given the gravity rise table's tyres habit of being flat at the most inopportune times.
Enter the battery Metabo. Cheap, cheap, cheap! AU$270 I paid including freight! About the same price as my naked 18v Metabo drill! Fantastic value @ the price, & the security of a 3 year warranty & local service facilities. Spot on accurate out of the box, & it has remained so. Pretty good (single) laser & effective LED lighting. Great for my fading eyesight in gloomy conditions. And a bit of a featherweight too. The only things I really miss are the double-tilt facility, 60 degree mitering, and maybe a bit of both bevelled & overall cutting depth. The Kapex has far superior dust collection abilities (connected to an extractor of course) & much more convenient material clamp.
As previously mentioned elsewhere, one should remember the Metabo's only an 18v saw. One should temper one's expectations accordingly. Go slow & steady in hardwood &/or approaching max capacity. Doing so, one will be rewarded with an extraordinarily good value saw that performs like a (pint-sized) champ. It's just so light & portable that it brings a smile to my face each & every time. As I'm approaching my 7th decade of life I'm nowhere near as strong or fit as I once was, but I can still easily swing this little gem up & out over the sides of my ute tray single handedly. Every other SCMS that I've handled has to be slowly & carefully handled, lifted with straight back & bent knees etc. But the baby Metabo can be swung around by its top handle with surprising ease. For me anyway, it's a delight, & my firm favourite.
For the princely sum of ONE SEVENTH the price of a new Kapex. In the words of Michael Caton (from "The Castle").... "tell 'em they're dreamin'...".
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Post by chippiegary on Oct 31, 2017 5:36:39 GMT -5
Very nicely put my friend I too have a kapex which pretty much stays in the workshop , i agree it's a delight to use but I feel it's not built for heavy site application ,mine is approx 7 or so years old now and it's been fine "so far" .frankly I'm too scared to work it too hard been lots of nightmare stories .if I had my time again definitely wouldn't buy . Anyway what I'm gonna use metabo for is small 2nd fix work "mouldings ,skirting boards etc just lightweight work really sounds perfect for it , we have a big "bloody heavy " makita for heavy site work ls1013 I think which is probably getting on for fifteen years old now it's never missed a beat still accurate and quite frankly bomb proof . Thanks for all your info regards Gary
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Post by rizzoa13 on Oct 31, 2017 6:48:06 GMT -5
Very nicely put my friend I too have a kapex which pretty much stays in the workshop , i agree it's a delight to use but I feel it's not built for heavy site application ,mine is approx 7 or so years old now and it's been fine "so far" .frankly I'm too scared to work it too hard been lots of nightmare stories .if I had my time again definitely wouldn't buy . Anyway what I'm gonna use metabo for is small 2nd fix work "mouldings ,skirting boards etc just lightweight work really sounds perfect for it , we have a big "bloody heavy " makita for heavy site work ls1013 I think which is probably getting on for fifteen years old now it's never missed a beat still accurate and quite frankly bomb proof . Thanks for all your info regards Gary I forgot to go into the real issue with the Metabo saw, the stand. While it’s OK it’s still nothing special. The UG cart on the other hand is insanely portable, convenient and well thought out. That kind of kicks the well priced part of the equation out the window though since the cart costs like $900... I will say though I’ll never have another site saw without the ug cart and wings no matter what make it is.
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Post by henrun on Oct 31, 2017 10:11:55 GMT -5
Very nicely put my friend I too have a kapex which pretty much stays in the workshop , i agree it's a delight to use but I feel it's not built for heavy site application ,mine is approx 7 or so years old now and it's been fine "so far" .frankly I'm too scared to work it too hard been lots of nightmare stories .if I had my time again definitely wouldn't buy . Anyway what I'm gonna use metabo for is small 2nd fix work "mouldings ,skirting boards etc just lightweight work really sounds perfect for it , we have a big "bloody heavy " makita for heavy site work ls1013 I think which is probably getting on for fifteen years old now it's never missed a beat still accurate and quite frankly bomb proof . Thanks for all your info regards Gary Gary: I use the Metabo 18V mitre saw for exactly what you mention. It does a really good job and is replacing a Makita LS0714 for those tasks. I love the Makita and it has served me well. The Metabo is nicer in use even though the LS0714 is a very nicely built machine - a classic. The Metabo does ok with studs and such but it is a light portable saw for medium duty. I have a larger Metabo (KGS305M) for outdoor and heavy use. I have the larger Metabo stand KSU401 on wheels - which makes for a heavy combo but when I am working larger material I really appreciate the long outrigger on both sides with 4m total length. On two lighter outdoor jobs I brought the 18V'er and it is such a pleasure to haul around and it is as easy to lug around as the Makita - and very nice to be cordless. It takes a little extra time to cut throuch thicker/wider material but so far the saw works a charm. I also owned a Kapex for about a year and a half. "Good" saw but I was never really fond of it. Ended up not using it that much, kept using the Makita so sold the Kapex and got me the Metabo KGS305 instead - most would consider it quite a trade down but for me it was the opposite: a "cheap" and capable work horse that turned out to be dead right out of the box with the angles. Should someone carry it off on site I wouldn't be as devastated as if someone had nicked the Kapex. I can afford replacing the KGS315 on a regular basis... ...and the KSU401 ensures nobody is _running off_ with it. The Metabo saws are a good pairing. The added bonus is that I have 18V multicutter, grinder and jigsaw from Metabo as well as some other stuff that goes well with the Mafell 18V outfit. I am considering the Metabo 18V planer - which is relatively cheap - but it seems kind of heavy. / Henrik
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Post by henrun on Oct 31, 2017 10:21:33 GMT -5
Well done henrun I’m gonna order that bag tomorrow used the kss50 a bit in the last week not heavy use and yep really like it , dust bag was/is bloody irritating problem solved . The metabo 18v mitresaw I’m definitely interested in getting myself ,seems to get good reviews . My oartner has the Metabo 18v saw and honestly I’d only relegate it to use when a battery saw is convenient. I’ve got a kapex and I’m hella spoiled by it. I’m pretty outspoken about the motor issues since mine has blown up once BUT as a workhorse finish saw there’s nothing else in its league. So back to the Metabo, it’s nice, convenient and well thought out. But it’s kothing compared to the kapex. Yes, I agree with the above statement. The Metabo is no Kapex. But - it has it's own merits. Last time I got a bonus I actually bought a Kapex KS60 - and didn't keep it. Blade wobble, price, weight and cut capacity were all things I was not happy with at that price - compared to Metabos very similar offering, the Metabo Xact 72, it has the Kapex KS60 beat on all parameters except maybe perceived build quality, and mitre range. For the same price as the Kapex KS60 you get the Metabo Xact 72 SYM which is like having the Kapex KS60 and SYM70 combined. If I was in the market for that size saw the Metabo SYM is the one I would get. I fondled it at a dealership and it felt like a pretty solid machine. I think blades are way cheaper too. But then again, in that class of machines there are several good contenders.
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Post by calidecks on Oct 31, 2017 14:08:27 GMT -5
The only thing that prevents me from selling my Kapex and going with another, is the kapex is extraordinarily light.
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Post by aas on Oct 31, 2017 14:17:18 GMT -5
I agree Henrun - the Xact Sym 72 is the one to go for - shame it's not available with the induction motor... or a 2x 18v would be nice too.
I'm happy with my Metabo 18v, serves a purpose, it can be dialed in to 100% accurate, super light, same batts as KSS40 - what more can I ask for.
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Post by kraftt on Oct 31, 2017 22:49:08 GMT -5
Still lugging an old Makita around, and really tired of it. I don't care if my tool bag weighs 500lbs, there's something really annoying about carrying a large miter saw. (don't laugh but mine is on removable wheels). I take it that the XACT is not offered in 110v ? I realize it's not light either but the versatility might make up for it. I keep looking for tiny miter saws for small trim work but the quality seems to drop off the smaller you go (?)
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Post by aas on Nov 1, 2017 1:05:04 GMT -5
Not sure what you mean by tiny mitre saws. I have the KS version of the 18v Metabo, so no sliding function (unlike the KGS) because I wanted small, light and compact. I'm not sure mainstream mitre saws get much smaller or lighter. The back fence has 4 bolts which can be used to adjust the alignment, so yes it is accurate. No major quality issues - it's made in China and it's not expensive. The trigger needs more of a squeeze than I would like. The clamp down is cheap. Plus points - it uses the same Li-hd batts as the KSS40!.. the dust bag fits the MT55!.. so it's Mafell compatible too :-) Just finished a balcony decking on the 4th floor with no lift, and being in a ski station no parking near the building - glad I had this lightweight to carry upstairs - 'just' cross cuts the approx 140mm boards.
I've always wanted a 'tiny' mitre saw, maybe 120mm blade with loads of tiny teeth for cutting tile trim etc. The closest I have to that is a nearly 20 year old Makita 18v mitre saw - modified with an LXT torch cut in half and bonded in place to take the LXT batts. (I fitted and LED with afterglow too!) The base and fence have been replaced with 20mm board so zero clearance all round. The standard blade is still 216mm, but I can go down to about 185mm with the base and fence in place. Motor spins at 1500rpm which is great for cutting aluminium profile, plastics, etc.
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Post by henrun on Nov 1, 2017 4:04:07 GMT -5
Still lugging an old Makita around, and really tired of it. I don't care if my tool bag weighs 500lbs, there's something really annoying about carrying a large miter saw. (don't laugh but mine is on removable wheels). I take it that the XACT is not offered in 110v ? I realize it's not light either but the versatility might make up for it. I keep looking for tiny miter saws for small trim work but the quality seems to drop off the smaller you go (?) Yes, the thing with them large mitre saws is not always the weight - it is the awkwardness in carrying one. The Kapex 120 is pretty light for its size, 21,5kg, but I still need both hands for it. My Metabo 305 is 19,6kg and still as awkward to carry. The Kapex felt roughly the same to carry despite being heavier. I got the Metabo KGS 18V Ltx, the sliding version, which is on par with my previous Makita for weight: 13,6kg vs 12,7 for the Makita. Any mitre saw punching above that weight I wouldn't mind wheels on myself. With the KSU401 unit I think the total weight is 45kg / 99 pounds... ...I have been wrangling it over a steep incline and glad it is on wheels but it is tippy in the terrain if you don't take your time to slide the saw to counterbalance. Lifting it in / out of the car is no pleasure.
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Post by kraftt on Nov 1, 2017 18:14:16 GMT -5
Maybe I should stop whining, after reading some of the bigger saws kg’s I weighed my old beast and it’s only 16.5kg. Hard not to choose a little Metabo with all the good reviews here and the added benefit in case I’m tempted by some future mafell cordless. I saw that P.C. released a 10” fold up miter saw that you carry like a briefcase (sorta) but I suspect it’s a p.o.s. aas wrote: “ modified with an LXT torch cut in half and bonded in place to take the LXT batts. (I fitted and LED with afterglow too!)” I love stuff like this I wanna see it. here was my quick low tech solution I cobbled together out of anger one day (lol) . You go out in the sunlight for a moment or into a bright room and come back to saw and can’t see for about 5 min. so I needed some high lumens to compensate.
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Post by henrun on Nov 1, 2017 18:25:39 GMT -5
You can always start wearing a patch over one eye so you can skip that 5 min eye adjustment between the cuts. You can always add a wooden leg, hand hook and a parrot later on to further the "going back to the roots" theme - from what I have heard Australia was colonized by scurvey pirate convicts and such. Now they just run the place. ...at least that is what they told me when I lived in NZ for a while.
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