You most likely possess a few saws, and if you just have to cut a board, you are better off with a handsaw. But if you have to cut many boards, there is no better saw than a miter saw. Unlike other saws, the miter saw can make very exact cuts all the time, and when ever you have to build a loggia or lay a wooden floor, the miter saw is almost indispensable. Put simply, there are numerous good reasons to get a miter saw, but the question is how to choose the best one?

There are different types of miter saws, but a double bevel sliding compound miter saw is the most versatile. Such a miter saw is equipped with a sliding rail(s) that allows the saw to cut wide work pieces. The double bevel feature implies that you can adjust simultaneously for miter and bevel cuts, since the blade can tilt to the right or left. This provides more flexibility for cutting complicated angles such as required for crown molding.

The diameter of the saw blade determines the size of a sliding compound miter saw. The 10-inch sliding compound miter saw is possibly the best option when comparing capacity to price, but cutting lots of moldings is easier done with the 12-inch sliding miter saw - even though it has a higher weight and price.

Regarding the price of the sliding miter saws - the competition amongst manufacturers today has made it possible to get a fairly advanced saw at an affordable price. At times you can get miter saws at very low prices, however typically the price reflects the quality.

How to choose the best sliding compound miter saw?

Obviously you should go for the saw that satisfies your needs. One way to determine this is reading through the product specifications of the miter saw, but this does not give you a feeling of how the miter saw functions in practice. Such info can however be uncovered in product reviews describing experiences that actual owners of the saw have made. So, when choosing the best sliding compound miter saw for your needs, a very good starting point is to rank the miter saws based on their ratings in user reviews.