Has any body purchased one of the new Hitachi table saws from Lowes yet? I am thinking of replacing my old craftsman saw and really like the closed stand of the Hitachi. Another plus I saw was the built in rollers that would make the saw real handy in my little shop. I am a little nervous about getting replacement throat plates should I need a zero clearance plate and the down time for replacement parts to arrive in case there is a break down. My one major concern was with the saws power rating of 3hp for $499. any thoughts would be appreciated.
Chris
Replies
Hi Chris - I've had a tough time warming up to this one from the get go....my first impression wasn't that good. Maybe it was the bogus 3HP claim for a 1-1/2HP motor, maybe it was the disappointment in a number of features that seemed like weak attempts or were very "me too"....I guess I expected more from Hitachi.
We live in a time when even the poorest examples of fences in this price range are pretty good....the trend is improving, but the Hitachi has what IMO is one of the poorest available on a newer model...it'll do fine, but it's not likely to win any awards. I prefer cast iron wings, but understand some consessions in this price range, but these steel wings seemed very weak relative to other steel wings. The legs seemed weak too, and even though the wheels are nice idea, the individual wheels for each leg require several user actions to move the saw....it's an outdated design from the 80's. For every feature that's a decent idea, there's a better example from a competitor. The mobile base on the Ridgid kick's the Hitachi's wheels across the shop. The internally mounted motors are available on three new Craftsman hybrids that offer cabinet mounted trunnions that are easier to align, and have a more elegant dust collection solution. Grizzly's fences and miter gauges are far superior IMO to the Hitachi's. I'm also leary of the unproven handwheel design.
In fairness I haven't used one... Im sure it'll cut fine, but the research stage is the time to be critical. If it were my $500, I'd be very hesitant....there's just nothing about it that struck me as having any significant advantages over another well proven machine....just my opinion based on impressions from store visits. I've read mixed comments from owners....about 50/50 from maybe 6 or 7 posts. Hope my opinion hasn't offended any owners out there...wasn't intended to.
Edited 12/7/2005 1:35 pm ET by scotty
KC, there have been at least 3 threads on this tablesaw in the last, what? 9 months or a year since it came out. The general concensus is "No, don't buy it." They totally over-state the HP of the motor. The fence is questionable.
You might try doing a search, I wasn't successful and have little time right now.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
I purchased one recently. I learned on bad equipment in a poorly equiped high school shop. I am a hobbyist but lean toward tables, hutchs and recently a chest of drawers. Earlier (years ago) I worked with a bench saw and cut 2" quarter sawn lumber with it (carefully). The Hitachi met several requirements besides price. It was from a local store (even if it was Lowes) so returns replacements etc would be easy (and have been in my experience. I do not like to order this type of equipment and was able to look at it and compare it with others. I have to make compromises. I would like to have a large Powermatic. I can't afford that. The set-up was not difficult. The saw is fairly quiet. It has a 15 amp motor @ 110v so I ignored the "3" HP claim. It can be converted to 220v. The table was flat. The sheetmetal wings compared favorably with the Delta. The table size is generous. I never rely on the markings in the set-up and always measure my cuts prior to cutting. The saw blade and miter slots were parallel upon set-up but if I have to adjust, it does not seem to be any worse than anything else. I liked the idea of both the height and bevel adjustment being on the front although the bevel did sound a little rough but worked smooth. I looked at it and I think that this is a "wear-in" situation (maybe some graphite). The blade stayed at the angle and height that I put it. The cuts I made accurately resembled the set-up and were square. The fence stayed where I put it (and it was straight). I don't like to wait on replacement parts either. If I was desparate, most of the components can either be purchased at various parts houses or duplicated by the local machine/parts house. I replaced the factory blade with a Freud 40 tooth combination blade. At this point, I am satisfied.
I would spring with a little more mula and buy something you will be happy with for years. I have a powermatic contractor saw, 8 years old and still love it. It was hard to spend the bucks but it was worth it.
Well gang it's been more than a few days since I posted this query so I guess I probably better offer an update. After doing a lot of comparision shopping locally and on line and ended up going with the Craftsman 22124. Why? 1) I was leary of the whole hp rating issue. 2) the rails did seem somewhat dicey (the display models fence rocked realy bad as one of its cast aluminum parts was broken which made me question overall durability). And 3) it appeared to me that getting to the motor could be a little bit of a chore. I picked up the 22124 today and was floored from the get go. I was expecting a box of a few hundred parts that would take days of assembly. The saw came bolted to its own tubular steel shipping platform with all the parts secured inside and wrapped in several yards of celophane wrap then placed inside cardboard boxes. I havent completly assembled the saw yet but so far everything seems to be straight forward. A cursory inspection shows that the table is properly aligned and that the bevel stops are all accurate as well. I was told by the sales man that I would need a forklift to unload it but that was a bit of a stretch. Once we unbolted the saw from the shipping base and removed all the parts containers we were able to lift it right out of the truck and carry it to the shop. I haven't had the time to install the extension wings or the fence but the instructions seem pretty straight forward so far.
Hi Chris - Thanks for the update...it's always nice to get followup, and congrats on the new saw. Iv'e got the same one and am really, really pleased with it, as is my friend who lives a few miles away. Using his was one of the reasons I jumped on the deal when I did.The assembly is pretty straight forward....about 4 hours including head scratching time and alignment. Getting the Biese extension table to fit flat was my biggest obstable...as it was for many, but I've heard Biese has changed it somewhat. My wings went on flat but some require shimming. It's easiest to do the wings with two other people holding them. I did the first one alone and it's a real PITA...they're 12" wings with 4 bolts and weight quite a bit. If you've got the space, you should have no trouble sliding your rails to the right 10" to 12"...which means you'd need a new tape scale. The alignment is really easy, and the stock blade is very good...excellent for a stock blade. Mine's wired for 220v, and aligned to ~ 0.001" and I can rip any hardwood I own to full blade height with a reasonably fast feedrate using a good 24T flat top TK rip blade (DeWalt or Leitz have given pretty much the same results). 8/4" stock goes through about as fast as I'm comfortable pushing it. One of the biggest (and pleasant) surprises is the stability of the saw...it has the feel of a cabinet saw. The stock splitter is ok, and is easy to remove. I didn't like the blade guard so I've been playing "tinker toys" with mine and built my own with a guard from another saw, and have since been given a prototype Shark Guard that works well. The stock miter gauge has some nice features, but is essentially about as accurate as most stock gauges. Let us know how it's going when you're up and running. There have been a few isolate problems here and there, but I've yet to here from anyone who's been really dissatisfied with the saw. Enjoy and Merry Christmas.Here's my epinions review if you're interested:
http://www.epinions.com/content_184778395268
Wow;
I got the saw assembled and am really pleased I cant believe that I didn't have to spend two days putting this thing together and that the saw was very well aligned right out of the box. The fence is awesome and the cuts are spectacular. I am really glad that I made this decision and really look forward to starting my next project.
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