Hitachi C10FSH 10-Inch Sliding Compound Miter Saw with Laser

There is not one flimsey piece on this tool. While not overly heavy, it is very solid. The only drawback to this saw that I can see is the relatively small table area. If however weight and portability is important to you, this could be seen as an advantage. The standard blade is acceptable but the 72 tooth blade that comes as a "bonus" is excellent. Some people have complained about the dust collection. I found it to be adequate but not great. In all fairness, I have never had a tool with a system that was much better. I have heard that the rear rubber blade guard (to aid dust collection) has problems when using a powerful vac. for the collector but I have not tried that yet. If you are looking for a slide compound miter saw with a laser, this is the only one as of now. Compared to other quality 10" sliders, the Hitachi C10-FSH is priced towards the high end of the scale at between $499 and $530 but based on my initial impressions, worth every penny.


C10FSH: A cut-above the rest!!!...   June 3, 2003
brian (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
164 out of 173 found this review helpful

I recently purchased this saw, and boy am I impressed! I do tool testing for a large Orange Home Improvement company! I have tested dewalt, bosch, makita, and other hitachi mitre saws. This time Hitachi is a cut-above the rest! They made some worth mentioning improvements over the C10FS. Most notably, they have increased the left / right fence's aluminum thickness; the older version has a problem with fence cracking! The dust collection (how much dust actually goes into the dust bag) of this new saw is nearly double (if not more) than the C10FS.

The dust collection is large and can accomidate a wide range of vacuum systems. Worth mentioning, the vacuum mount (where you attach you vacuum hose) is aluminum, not plastic as in the case of most saws! The rubber thinggy behind the blade does its job well. The flip fence is nice and sturdy; while easy to move out of the way if not needed! Mine did not come with the dust sleeve for the rails (as many have wrote in their reviews here as well).

The only downfall is the laser position! It is accurate and it lets the operator know precisely where the blade will cut, the fine adjustment laser knob works great for tweaking the laser if needed! However, I have noticed that as soon as one starts to cut, the black rubber dust guide (right behind the blade) gets in the way of the laser beam! Meaning that one is able to see the line before you start cutting, but once you start, the line disappears behind the black rubber! I have also noticed that the bevel stops were removed! The C10FS had like 5 bevel stops, now it only has three (90, 45 left / right)!

The saw has incredible smoothness and a nice slide action. The recoil has been reduced immensely; thanks in part the poly v-beld driven motor! One other thing worth noting, like the C10fs and other hitachi's, the left and right fence's are independent of each other! This has always been a hitachi marvel! This little detail allows one to recalibrate the fence easier, rather than the half moon piece of aluminum that usually joins both left / right fences! I have heard cases where (makita, dewalt, and bosch) fences have warped due to the fact that they are one piece!

If anyone is in the market for the most accurate and most consistent saw period, look no further than the C10FSH!!!...


Awesome!   March 22, 2005
S. Giffin (US, Bay Area)
42 out of 42 found this review helpful

After reading reviews here I was concerned about purchasing this saw. I took the plunge today and went and grabbed it from a local store.

My main concern was the accuracy. When adjusted correctly, the saw should cut so that the kerf ends where the laser mark lands. It does exactly that. I used a Starret combo square to mark a 90 cut and lined it up with the laser and sure enough, this thing is dead on. I also used this same sqare the check run out of the laser since some of the reviewers here mentioned it was off 1/64th and the end of the cut. No its not. I set the square on the fence and checked the laser at 2 feet and its less then a 64th at that range.

BTW, I own a DeWalt 708 (12 inch slider). This saw is better in every way with exception to slightly less cutting capacity.


Great Saw!   June 2, 2003
50 out of 52 found this review helpful

After looking around for a couple of weeks and reading all the reviews on the miter saws, I narrowed the list down to the Makita 10" slider and the Hitachi 10" slider. I went with the Hitachi and have not regretted it. The laser feature is great!! Definetly speeds up the cutting, I just lay my tape measure on the stock, line up the laser and lock it down. The cut is dead on! No need to break out the pencil and square or to visually align the blade to the mark. I also read reviews about the dust collector with miter saws and how they were basically worthless, so I did not hold much hope that this would be any better. I couldn't have been more wrong! The dust collector, while not perfect, is very effective! I would estimate it collected 80-85% of the dust from the saw. I emptied the bag three times while cutting a load of 2x6 for my front deck. If I had attached a vacuum, I'm sure it would have been near 90-95% effective. The slide is solid and very smooth. Adjustments are as easy as any other saw. I also thought the saw was very quiet as well. The table is a little small but I wanted a compact setup due to limited space in my garage. I did not use any equipment to verify accuracy but the cuts were right on and fit well. All in all, I'm very pleased with my purchase. I'm sure you will too.


C10FSH The Best There Is   February 26, 2005
C. L. Moore (Houston, TX United States)
35 out of 35 found this review helpful

There is no better miter saw out there, period. I have owned all of them, and this is by far the best. Mine is almost 2 years old and is still perfect, as it was right out of the box. I bought a Forrest chop master blade for it that cuts without chipping, and I think this combination is the best possible. The laser is just for lining up your cut, once you begin you should not move your part so no need to see the line. If you have it adjusted correctly it will cut where the line was. I find that I can split a pencil line or cut to either edge of the pencil line if I want to simply by lining it up first. It is really great when cutting an angle that is undetermined, just mark it and line it up with the laser line, then cut. If you need the line on the other side of the blade just make a cut in a piece of scrap while holding it still and adjust the laser line to the cut.
After almost 2 years of constant use, this saw is still right on the money. I will buy it again if I need another.