Had this saw for 5 years or so. Stays square, shadow line is great, stock blade is pretty good, easy to use and more. Never regretted the purchase. Made a zero clearance throat plate and got the shop nation dust chute thing and its been a fantastic saw.
I have had this saw for a couple of years and am 100% satisfied. $299 0n sale and then I bought the stand when it went on sale. Recently knocked it over ( with my truck), set it back up, still cutting square.
You confirmed my suspicion that the Hercules can stand toe-to-toe with the other brands - at least for initial quality. I'm gonna add this to my wish list. Thanks!
Glad the vid helped Jeff. This one is seriously good but I'd judge Hercules as a whole on a tool by tool basis. Especially after reviewing the table saw. Im looking forward to checking out the cordless stuff. Thanks for watching and have a great holiday man!
It’s a great saw no matter how you shake it. If you need better dust control get a hold of Travis at Shop Nation. He makes improved color correct dust collection adapters.
Anything would be better than the dust collection on this saw. Not mentioned in the vid because all miter saws are pretty bad but this one’s nonexistent. Thanks for watching!
I think you said it all at the end of the video. It does the job , it cuts nice and for money you can't beat it. I can't afford yellow right now lol so this is looking good for my shop. Thanks for the review
I think I paid about the same for mine last year during their black friday sale...I think about $250 is what I ended up paying but still a great deal for a 12" miter saw.
I ve had this saw for 2 or 3 years, and it has been a real work horse. I have one HUGE beef with it. Dust control. If you put a vacuum on the back, those rubber lips will suck together and no dust will get past them. If you don't put the vacuum to it, the dust collection port seems to fill up in no time and no dust will get through it. I wrote to the company and the only reply was, "We'll get back to you." That was 2 years ago. The shadow light is much better than an LED.
@@georgedavall9449 I said 2 OR 3 years. It was an estimate! I bought it as soon as it came out. Why is this so important to you that you had to nit-pick?
I bought this saw about 2 or more years ago and have been using it heavily. I made a hickory zero clearance throat plate. I was using a Bosch where I was working, retired now, and the only thing about the Bosch over this one was the way the slide would allow it to be closer to the wall. It came out of the box perfectly square both miter and bevel. I am still using the blade that came with it and the cut is still impressively clean, even in hardwoods. It came with a 3 year warranty at no extra cost, which I think is better than Bosch. I assume they still offer the 3 year warranty. With all that and the $250 price after discounts, it is definitly a no brainer. I would buy it again in a heart beat.
Just purchased it to replace my 22-year old DeWalt DW735 chop saw, so a nice step up in features. Paid $299 with a 25% off coupon. I also added the Shop Nation dust port and will make a sacrificial fence and zero clearance throat plate over the holidays. Looking forward to putting this through its paces.
I've had great luck with HF's 6 inch jointer and 12 1/2 inch planer. With the "I haven't seen you in awhile" 35% off coupons, it's an amazing value. Thanks Mike, great review as always. You rock! 👍 💯
Can you get a sense of how rigid it is side to side, especially during sliding cuts? I know a little bit of play is to be expected on all miter saws, hence why we'd try to avoid using em at my old shop, but I'd really be interested in how much the slides can potentially rack. Love the channel bud!
I got the non sliding version of the 12” saw for $90 last year on a clearance sale, and love it. Wish it was the sliding for that bit of extra cutting depth but I’ll live for a third of the price haha
I think I asked for this review on another video of yours so Thank you for this. I would absolutely buy it if I had the money and at some point I might get it. I am a DeWalt fan but this one is clean and nice looking and I would be happy with it. I am currently moving to a house where it has a 2 car garage that my wife is letting me turn into my first shop. I also want to start a TH-cam channel and I will be real soon. At some point I might get this saw unless I find a better deal on a DeWalt. Again thank you for the review and stay safe 💯😁 Merry Christmas 🎄🎁😁
this has to be the first honest review of this. I've been looking at them, and the Dewalt, and my needs aren't that heavy, but I'm a professional in another trade and wholeheartedly believe good tools pay for themselves. Most reviews simply glow with love for this thing. Now, I'm not so sure. I have a 10" Dewalt table saw that I absolutely love. I'm leaning to another Dewalt, maybe the 780.
There's nothing wrong with the Hercules 12" dual bevel sliding compound miter saw...it works great, I've had mine for a little over a year, its well built, and heavy like a good tool should be, not nearly as much plastic as many other brands, and I wouldn't waste the money on a Dewalt. Catch the Hercules saw when its on sale for $300 and its an even better deal. I've been cutting a lot of pressure treated 4x4's for the floor in my shop and the saw don't have any trouble cutting through them, and they're still wet. Lots of 2x material cutting as well. The saw has a ton of power.
I haven't seen a single negative comment from users of this saw and I am part of several woodworking groups across the web. Whenever the discussion between the Hercules or the DeWalt comes up the Hercules gets glowing reviews. The DeWalt also gets great reviews but beings it's more expensive it losses out because it doesn't seem to be better than the Hercules in anyway, to be fair the Hercules only seems to be better in pricing but that's a big one for two identical saws. I've had my Hercules for a few years now and I haven't had a single issue with it it's my best tool. Good luck on your choice.
I reviewed the DeWalt 780 a couple years ago and it's excellent. Check the channel for that vid. Ive always been a, buy once, cry once guy but these cheap tools are getting better every day. Good luck with the decision and thanks for watching!
I bought the admiral and wish I would’ve gotten this one. I’m new to woodworking tools and didn’t know to check for adjustable detents and the admiral’s detents are off by about half a degree which means every miter has to be set manually. That alone is worth the extra $100 or so for the Hercules.
Same exact story here. The Admiral is great for framing, but for finish work, or anything else requiring really accurate angles, it is a constant headache.
Is the Admiral not adjustable?? I guess Ive never looked at one at HF. We may jump into some of the cheaper HF stuff next year and I'll have to check it out. Thanks for watching!
@ most of the saw is adjustable with screws and jam nuts. However, the detents for the miters are fixed. The 0 degree and 45 degree detents are not 45 degrees apart though. Once I squared up my fence and bevel to cut square on both axes, I then tested the 45 degree detent and it was off, you have to manually override the detent for a true 45. The degrees scale is just a sticker with a screw to adjust the arrow pointing to the angle
I have the discontinued Bauer version of this saw, and it's awesome. I got it on clearance with a stacked coupon for $188 out the door including tax. I have no idea why they discontinued the 12" Bauer, since they still have the 10" version. I also have a Metabo HPT 10" zero rear clearance slider, and other than the rear clearance the Bauer is a huge upgrade. The cuts on 4x4 PT lumber are dead nuts square both vertically and horizontally. The shadow cut line crushes a laser for accuracy. I'm ecstatic to have the Bauer, and if in the unlikely event I ever need to replace it the Hercules will be the one I get. It would be great if HF released a zero rear clearance saw at the quality level of the Herc.
I haven't seen the Bauer version of this but this Herc is seriously impressive for the cash. I always thought is was amusing that laser guides are the standard for cheap low quality tools and simple light casting a shadow is the sign of a good pro quality tool. Traditional sliders are still the norm but I'll bet there's some patents holding back the budget tool makers from mass producing zero clearance saws. Thanks for watching, hope you have a great holiday!
I have had one for nearly 3 years. It is as good as they get, with a quick-action clamp that is the equal of Festool's. I recommend it over anything but Festool. Oddly, Skil's 12" version doesn't come with the quick clamp.
I own the 10'' sliding Skil. Great saw for the 200 I paid a couple years back. Dust collection isn't anything to write home about, but nearly all miter saws struggle there. Was slightly out of square out of the box, but five mins of adjustment took care of it. Love the shadow line. Good power. Nice fit and finish. Glad I didn't spend double on the Dewalt I was eyeing.
@@RYwoodview Thanks. I currently have all Dewalt tools but I just do not use them enough to justify the cost when I need something new (miter saw). So Skil and Hercules are the two I've been debating. Skil does seem to be punching above their weight class. Do you have other Skil products?
@@Conan_Obrien Mine was square, but I had to realign the LED for the shadow line. i have needed to square it again since, easy. Dust collection can be improved on any miter saw by forming a chute out of flexible material fit right up to the saw blade. Lots of YT examples, though nothing just for SKIL.
Thanks for the video. Can you please do a review on the cordless 20v Hercules 10 inch sliding miter saw. Have been eyeing it for time now but have not decided to pull the trigger. I might if you can convince me... Have a great Christmas and New Year!!
Mikey, I'm a craftsman who wouldn't say no to a new tool. We didn't have this platform in our day; instead, we'd have to rent time on local access TV channels, it would only cost one money with no return on the investment. My wife always broke my back about doing it, but I was too cheap. Meanwhile, nice review, as always. Listen, my DeWalt 780 only has a two pronged plug also, always wondered why. Man, the on-board wrench even looks like the DeWalt tool. This looks like a good knock around saw. I'd bring it into the field for sure. For framing, it seems solid to me. Merry Christmas, to you and yours for all of us here. 🎄
Yeah, I wonder why its not a 3 wire cord too. My Skil Worm Drive saw is 3 wire, as is the Skil Worm Drive table saw I have. Probably cost savings would be my guess, wire isn't cheap....so every penny they save cuts the cost of production and end cost of the product.
This one really does feel like a copy of the DeWALT! I guess if you're going to copy something might as well copy one of the best. We've got a brand new compact Skil Table Saw to check out next week and Im pretty excited, filming today. Shop is heating up as we speak! Merry Christmas to you too Meat. All you regular guys have made this channel what it is!
3 years and running. Absolute workhorse. Accurate cuts when I take the time to dial in. Dust collection is avg for a miter, been 3d printing different hoods and connectors. The stand is not worth it, a Wen stand on amazon is cheaper and better built.
I use mine a lot. Very well worth the $250 I paid for it last year. Huge upgrade from the Chicago Electric version I used to have. Sure if you don't do anything that requires a miter saw you wouldn't buy one, but if you need one its a great saw.
@@chrisp308 Until you need to cut something large enough to need that capacity, then you'll wish you had it....If you have limited space and need a miter saw buy the largest one and be done with it and never wish you had it later on down the road. I had a 10" but found the extra capacity of the 12" to be very useful often enough to buy the 12" model. Many people in their home DIY garage never need it for sure, but for me I use the capacity enough to justify buying the larger saw.
Had this saw for 5 years or so. Stays square, shadow line is great, stock blade is pretty good, easy to use and more. Never regretted the purchase. Made a zero clearance throat plate and got the shop nation dust chute thing and its been a fantastic saw.
Got one as a Christmas present from my wife. It's replacing my old 10 inch DeWalt. Life is Good.
It regularly goes on sale for $300. Keep up the great work.
This one is crazy good for the money Patrick! Thanks for watching!
I have had this saw for a couple of years and am 100% satisfied. $299 0n sale and then I bought the stand when it went on sale. Recently knocked it over ( with my truck), set it back up, still cutting square.
I have this saw..I was hesitant to buy it, but I'v been nothing but impressed!!
You confirmed my suspicion that the Hercules can stand toe-to-toe with the other brands - at least for initial quality. I'm gonna add this to my wish list. Thanks!
Glad the vid helped Jeff. This one is seriously good but I'd judge Hercules as a whole on a tool by tool basis. Especially after reviewing the table saw. Im looking forward to checking out the cordless stuff. Thanks for watching and have a great holiday man!
It’s a great saw no matter how you shake it. If you need better dust control get a hold of Travis at Shop Nation. He makes improved color correct dust collection adapters.
Anything would be better than the dust collection on this saw. Not mentioned in the vid because all miter saws are pretty bad but this one’s nonexistent. Thanks for watching!
I think you said it all at the end of the video. It does the job , it cuts nice and for money you can't beat it. I can't afford yellow right now lol so this is looking good for my shop. Thanks for the review
Im really impressed with this Hercules. We'll have to check out the cordless version soon. Thanks for watching Buffy!
It’s a great saw. I got it on sale for 299 and I got a 20% discount on top of it. So I walked out the door for 239. Great price.
I think I paid about the same for mine last year during their black friday sale...I think about $250 is what I ended up paying but still a great deal for a 12" miter saw.
I paid about $315 on sale with no additional coupons and Id say it's worth every penny. $250 would have been better though!! Thanks for watching!
As others have said, an amazing value! If I need one this would be high on my list.
Always love when the cheap stuff is actually good. Thanks for watching Disney and have a great holiday!
I ve had this saw for 2 or 3 years, and it has been a real work horse. I have one HUGE beef with it. Dust control. If you put a vacuum on the back, those rubber lips will suck together and no dust will get past them. If you don't put the vacuum to it, the dust collection port seems to fill up in no time and no dust will get through it. I wrote to the company and the only reply was, "We'll get back to you." That was 2 years ago. The shadow light is much better than an LED.
No you haven’t; it has only been out for about 2 - 21/2 years
@@georgedavall9449 I said 2 OR 3 years. It was an estimate! I bought it as soon as it came out. Why is this so important to you that you had to nit-pick?
I agree. Dust collection is always bad with miter saws but this one is more or less nonexistent. Thanks for watching!
I added duct tape to my dust shroud and it doesn't collapse with the vacuum any more.
@@dskeigley Cool idea! I wish I had thought of that!
It’s perfect for what it’s designed to do and you’re right about the table saw
I always love when we find budget tools that are actually good! Thanks for watching!
I bought this saw about 2 or more years ago and have been using it heavily. I made a hickory zero clearance throat plate. I was using a Bosch where I was working, retired now, and the only thing about the Bosch over this one was the way the slide would allow it to be closer to the wall. It came out of the box perfectly square both miter and bevel. I am still using the blade that came with it and the cut is still impressively clean, even in hardwoods. It came with a 3 year warranty at no extra cost, which I think is better than Bosch. I assume they still offer the 3 year warranty. With all that and the $250 price after discounts, it is definitly a no brainer. I would buy it again in a heart beat.
Just purchased it to replace my 22-year old DeWalt DW735 chop saw, so a nice step up in features. Paid $299 with a 25% off coupon. I also added the Shop Nation dust port and will make a sacrificial fence and zero clearance throat plate over the holidays. Looking forward to putting this through its paces.
I think it's a great saw. I would definitely buy one, and the cut quality is spot on.
I've had great luck with HF's 6 inch jointer and 12 1/2 inch planer.
With the "I haven't seen you in awhile" 35% off coupons, it's an amazing value.
Thanks Mike, great review as always. You rock! 👍 💯
Been meaning to jump into jointers for about 2 years. The HF might be the first. Thanks for watching Skippy, hope you have a great holiday!
Can you get a sense of how rigid it is side to side, especially during sliding cuts? I know a little bit of play is to be expected on all miter saws, hence why we'd try to avoid using em at my old shop, but I'd really be interested in how much the slides can potentially rack. Love the channel bud!
You should review the Metabo HPT miter and table saws
My New Years Resolution is to do some to the brands we haven't looked at yet. Metabo and Makita being two good examples. Thanks for watching David!
I have this saw. The two improvements I made upon it were buying a better quality blade, and getting the dust collection adapter from shop nation.
I got the non sliding version of the 12” saw for $90 last year on a clearance sale, and love it. Wish it was the sliding for that bit of extra cutting depth but I’ll live for a third of the price haha
I think I asked for this review on another video of yours so Thank you for this. I would absolutely buy it if I had the money and at some point I might get it. I am a DeWalt fan but this one is clean and nice looking and I would be happy with it. I am currently moving to a house where it has a 2 car garage that my wife is letting me turn into my first shop. I also want to start a TH-cam channel and I will be real soon. At some point I might get this saw unless I find a better deal on a DeWalt. Again thank you for the review and stay safe 💯😁 Merry Christmas 🎄🎁😁
I have this saw. It is great!
this has to be the first honest review of this. I've been looking at them, and the Dewalt, and my needs aren't that heavy, but I'm a professional in another trade and wholeheartedly believe good tools pay for themselves. Most reviews simply glow with love for this thing. Now, I'm not so sure. I have a 10" Dewalt table saw that I absolutely love. I'm leaning to another Dewalt, maybe the 780.
There's nothing wrong with the Hercules 12" dual bevel sliding compound miter saw...it works great, I've had mine for a little over a year, its well built, and heavy like a good tool should be, not nearly as much plastic as many other brands, and I wouldn't waste the money on a Dewalt. Catch the Hercules saw when its on sale for $300 and its an even better deal.
I've been cutting a lot of pressure treated 4x4's for the floor in my shop and the saw don't have any trouble cutting through them, and they're still wet. Lots of 2x material cutting as well. The saw has a ton of power.
I haven't seen a single negative comment from users of this saw and I am part of several woodworking groups across the web. Whenever the discussion between the Hercules or the DeWalt comes up the Hercules gets glowing reviews. The DeWalt also gets great reviews but beings it's more expensive it losses out because it doesn't seem to be better than the Hercules in anyway, to be fair the Hercules only seems to be better in pricing but that's a big one for two identical saws. I've had my Hercules for a few years now and I haven't had a single issue with it it's my best tool. Good luck on your choice.
I reviewed the DeWalt 780 a couple years ago and it's excellent. Check the channel for that vid. Ive always been a, buy once, cry once guy but these cheap tools are getting better every day. Good luck with the decision and thanks for watching!
I bought the admiral and wish I would’ve gotten this one. I’m new to woodworking tools and didn’t know to check for adjustable detents and the admiral’s detents are off by about half a degree which means every miter has to be set manually. That alone is worth the extra $100 or so for the Hercules.
Same exact story here.
The Admiral is great for framing, but for finish work, or anything else requiring really accurate angles, it is a constant headache.
@ exactly. I got it dialed it solid, the normal 90 deg cuts and 45 deg bevels, but the 45 miters are a pain.
Is the Admiral not adjustable?? I guess Ive never looked at one at HF. We may jump into some of the cheaper HF stuff next year and I'll have to check it out. Thanks for watching!
@ most of the saw is adjustable with screws and jam nuts. However, the detents for the miters are fixed. The 0 degree and 45 degree detents are not 45 degrees apart though. Once I squared up my fence and bevel to cut square on both axes, I then tested the 45 degree detent and it was off, you have to manually override the detent for a true 45. The degrees scale is just a sticker with a screw to adjust the arrow pointing to the angle
@ Calibration tutorials usually say once your 0 degree cut is set all other angles and detents should be good but not in this case.
Seems to be well built saw! I love my Dewalt, but it wasn’t cheap!
I have the discontinued Bauer version of this saw, and it's awesome. I got it on clearance with a stacked coupon for $188 out the door including tax. I have no idea why they discontinued the 12" Bauer, since they still have the 10" version.
I also have a Metabo HPT 10" zero rear clearance slider, and other than the rear clearance the Bauer is a huge upgrade. The cuts on 4x4 PT lumber are dead nuts square both vertically and horizontally. The shadow cut line crushes a laser for accuracy.
I'm ecstatic to have the Bauer, and if in the unlikely event I ever need to replace it the Hercules will be the one I get.
It would be great if HF released a zero rear clearance saw at the quality level of the Herc.
I haven't seen the Bauer version of this but this Herc is seriously impressive for the cash. I always thought is was amusing that laser guides are the standard for cheap low quality tools and simple light casting a shadow is the sign of a good pro quality tool. Traditional sliders are still the norm but I'll bet there's some patents holding back the budget tool makers from mass producing zero clearance saws. Thanks for watching, hope you have a great holiday!
Thanks man 👍🏻
Thanks for watching Stormpooper!
Have you used the 10” Skil miter saw? I’ve even wondering which is a better budget brand, Skil or Hercules? Thanks.
I have had one for nearly 3 years. It is as good as they get, with a quick-action clamp that is the equal of Festool's. I recommend it over anything but Festool. Oddly, Skil's 12" version doesn't come with the quick clamp.
I own the 10'' sliding Skil. Great saw for the 200 I paid a couple years back. Dust collection isn't anything to write home about, but nearly all miter saws struggle there. Was slightly out of square out of the box, but five mins of adjustment took care of it. Love the shadow line. Good power. Nice fit and finish. Glad I didn't spend double on the Dewalt I was eyeing.
@@RYwoodview Thanks. I currently have all Dewalt tools but I just do not use them enough to justify the cost when I need something new (miter saw). So Skil and Hercules are the two I've been debating. Skil does seem to be punching above their weight class. Do you have other Skil products?
@@rehutto1 No. I have a mix of many brands, whichever I liked best for the particular tool. Do not have Hercules, BTW.
@@Conan_Obrien Mine was square, but I had to realign the LED for the shadow line. i have needed to square it again since, easy. Dust collection can be improved on any miter saw by forming a chute out of flexible material fit right up to the saw blade. Lots of YT examples, though nothing just for SKIL.
Noice find, we need more diamonds in the rough reviews like this.
Only thing I would really like on it is a stop for feeding material and getting repeatable length cuts.
Thanks
Suggestion for review, Masterforce Track Saw unless you already did one
Thanks for the video. Can you please do a review on the cordless 20v Hercules 10 inch sliding miter saw. Have been eyeing it for time now but have not decided to pull the trigger. I might if you can convince me... Have a great Christmas and New Year!!
I have never seen bad miter saw, or at least it is not good enough to do the job
love your content keep it up. review the craftsman cordless miter saw
We're going to dip into the Craftsman stuff soon! Thanks for watching!!
Mikey, I'm a craftsman who wouldn't say no to a new tool. We didn't have this platform in our day; instead, we'd have to rent time on local access TV channels, it would only cost one money with no return on the investment. My wife always broke my back about doing it, but I was too cheap. Meanwhile, nice review, as always. Listen, my DeWalt
780 only has a two pronged plug also, always wondered why. Man, the on-board wrench even looks like the DeWalt tool. This looks like a good knock around saw. I'd bring it into the field for sure. For framing, it seems solid to me.
Merry Christmas, to you and yours for all of us here.
🎄
Yeah, I wonder why its not a 3 wire cord too. My Skil Worm Drive saw is 3 wire, as is the Skil Worm Drive table saw I have. Probably cost savings would be my guess, wire isn't cheap....so every penny they save cuts the cost of production and end cost of the product.
This one really does feel like a copy of the DeWALT! I guess if you're going to copy something might as well copy one of the best. We've got a brand new compact Skil Table Saw to check out next week and Im pretty excited, filming today. Shop is heating up as we speak! Merry Christmas to you too Meat. All you regular guys have made this channel what it is!
@@wildbill23c It's all about the green, brother. Have a great Christmas. My best to the family and Ben, the orange cat.
This saw absolutely screams DW780.
100% Thanks for watching!
3 years and running. Absolute workhorse. Accurate cuts when I take the time to dial in. Dust collection is avg for a miter, been 3d printing different hoods and connectors. The stand is not worth it, a Wen stand on amazon is cheaper and better built.
This saw is more than most people need too much money for things that most people won't use...
I use mine a lot. Very well worth the $250 I paid for it last year. Huge upgrade from the Chicago Electric version I used to have.
Sure if you don't do anything that requires a miter saw you wouldn't buy one, but if you need one its a great saw.
@wildbill23c no I wasn't saying the miter saw wasn't useful I was trying to say a 12" miter saw is unnecessary.
It's probably true most folks don't need this much saw but at the price why not go overboard. Thanks for watching Chris!
@@chrisp308 Until you need to cut something large enough to need that capacity, then you'll wish you had it....If you have limited space and need a miter saw buy the largest one and be done with it and never wish you had it later on down the road. I had a 10" but found the extra capacity of the 12" to be very useful often enough to buy the 12" model.
Many people in their home DIY garage never need it for sure, but for me I use the capacity enough to justify buying the larger saw.
@wildbill23c if I ever need to cut something that big I will just use my chainsaw.