After about 20 years, DIY hardwood floors in our home, lots of birdhouses and everything else in-between, my 20-ish year old 10" base model Craftsman Miter Saw finally had enough. New bearings were long out of production, time for a new saw.

Aside from the floors, most of what I do is smaller, finish/precision work. I was originally looking at 10" saws to keep using my WoodWorker I & II blades, but quickly found that the market has really moved to the 12" saws. I own a table saw, I didn't feel like the added price, size and weight of a sliding saw was a necessary.

I was initially looking at the single bevel model (DWS715) do save a few bucks, but after comparing that model vs this one (DWS716) it was very clear that the single vs. double bevel was not the only difference. While I am sure it is a fine saw, the parts quality on the DWS715 were just a few steps below the quality of the DWS716. Everything on the DWS716 had a nicer finish, they opted for metal components instead of plastic in many places, and it also looks to have a lot more options for angle stops, etc. (Not 100% sure on that one, I learned about a lot of them after mine arrived)

Expect to take an hour or so to tune/align the saw before use. If you are rough cutting 4x4's all day or framing, it may not matter. If you want to make sure that your angles and angle stops are all on point, it is well worth it. I used a small machinist's square to set the blade square to the table, and some 30°/60° and 45° drafting triangles to set the angles.

I use my saw in a basement shop, dust collection is important. While I think that most miter saws a challenge to collect from, this one is much better than the old Craftsman. Photos show the reducer coupler I used to go from shop vac to saw. You can see it still fires some dust around, but this is much better than the little bag included.

Very pleased with the saw, happy that I spent a little more to get the DWS716 over the cheaper 12" or the 10" models.

Like the saw

I actually bought a DeWalt DW716 saw some years ago and liked it so much I gave another to a family member as a gift because she was borrowing a friend's to do her woodworking. I have always liked its accuracy: 90 degrees and 45 degrees are exactly what you get, and the quick change to another miter angle is very simple. As for safety you can cut yourself on any tool but you have to work at it to hurt yourself with this product: the blade cover slips up just before the cut and down after. The 2021 version I just bought is a DWS716. Great saw.

Got this to do the whole house trim. Like that its more compact than the 12" slider and has a carry handle. Easier to store away when not in use as it's more of a project tool than an every day thing. Also got the folding stand which makes it way more convenient when working on a more than a few cuts. Seems well built, expect it to last a long time. Did do a little adjusting on the fence but cutting square.

Price was great. Fast delivery and easy to use