The Dewalt is a tank. Well built and will last. I love makita but their mitre saws are not great. No built very durable

If your getting something for mostly trim carpentry I really recommend going smaller. An 8" or 10" blade will cut 95% of the material you'll typically work with. And waaay more convenient for set up, transportation, fitting on work site etc. And blades are even a little cheaper. I'm going to sell my 12 and downsize

Bosch. Amazing product. Have one that's about 10 years old, still going strong. A bit more expensive than others. Get the Bosch stand as well.

Can’t go wrong with the 12” Dewalt. Heavy af, but great value.

I would recommend looking for a lightly used on on market place.

When new, calibration/alignment before first use is an absolute must do, as most of us just assume a brand new saw cuts perfectly square - they often don't. This equalizes many of the best known miter saw brands. DeWalt and Bosch are my first choice

A year later, but what a comment. I've been waffling between whether or not I should drop $1600 on a miter saw and had ultimately decided against it. But here you are, reeling me back in.

Best? Best for what?

I think the DeWalt 780 is fantastic, unless you have to move it to a job site. The Festool is great, unless you have to pay for it.

You really need to lay out some parameters first - battery vs corded, on a bench vs mobile, budget, slider vs non-slider...

Personally think dewalt is a bit overrated but seems like that’s the standard.

I bought a metabo 12 inch non-sliding and it’s not great.

What about skil? Love their table saw.

I hate reviews, they are all pay to play.

I own the kapex 120. Honestly, I'm not particularly impressed by it. There seems to be a fair amount of deflection in the blades. It is good enough for really accurate cuts in hardwoods in my experience. It certainly doesn't seem to justify a the price premium.

I bought my Bosch Glide from someone who had purchased a Kapex. He told me if the Kapex could be returned, he would have and kept the Bosch. I like the Bosch, but it is heavy and wide, which makes it difficult to get through door frames. I have it set up as a stationary tool.

The Bosch dual bevel 12 inch miter saw is the only chop saw you’d ever need or want for almost any job

Dewalt been the best I've used 👍

can’t go wrong with a dewalt dw716. extremely accurate out of the box. easy to tune if you even need to adjust

I think a 10” slider dual bevel is a good investment.
You should always read the manual to learn how to set up your new tool. Always assume every package handler in the supply chain dropped it off the forklift several times. Any precision tool needs to be calibrated properly before use.

I recently bought the best miter saw I’ve ever used. The makita 12” 40V GSL04. It’s an absolute beast. Out performed my old Dewalt 60VX2 by a significant margin. Everything about it feels well made and the features are exactly what and where you want them. Dual dust collection points keep spaces clean and my 4.0ah batteries run it for almost a full long day and the 8.0ah batteries run it for ages. Truly feels like the saw i always wanted. It is… not cheap.

If you got the paper, festool is the best in those categories. That being said, dewalt 780 and 779 is the golden standard of miter saws.

“Pro Level” is very subjective depending on what you are using it for- framing, frame to finish, finish work and cabinetry for example. If you want an all around saw that will do everything, I would go for a Dewalt dual bevel 12” saw and stand. Doesn’t take up a crazy amount of space in a truck or van and is an absolute workhorse for whatever you need it for. I have had mine for 14 years and it is still rock solid.

If you are valuing portability over anything, I would highly recommend the Ridgid 18V brushless cordless 7 1/4” dual bevel sliding miter saw. Battery powered and you can lift it with two fingers. The cons would be the small blade is very inefficient for framing, but it is so easy to move around I almost always use it for finish work. You can take it on a roof if you are siding dormers, and I work in Boston with coffin corner brownstone stairways and I don’t miss lugging up a heavier saw, trying not to scrape the walls while questioning all my life choices.

Blades are cheap, and I already run ridgid tools so batteries are very convenient. I find you have to square it up more often than a larger saw, but the convenience easily offsets that. I have a small 2x2 folding work table I use with it and it is great for doing window and door trim in narrower rooms and hallways or kitchens filled with boxed up cabinets where space and maneuverability is a priority.

I work by myself and do smaller finish jobs so if you are solo I would recommend the ridgid for anything but framing. If you are running a crew and have more a production mindset on site for weeks, dewalt all the way. It is more robust and can do more things quickly. You can build an entire house with the dewalt, but banging out a kitchen or just trim, love the ridgid.

Finally, I love a Bosch miter saw in the shop, but find them VERY heavy lugging around in the field. You can get your hands on all of these at Home Depot and get a feel for weight and compactness before you buy. Good luck out there!

10” Metabo hpt cordless sliding miter saw. Also has an ac adapter to run corded.

Are you carrying it to the job site? I dont find any of them particularly difficult to get in and out of the van. The 10" Bosch is a good option.

Dewalt 12 inch compound sliding MS is the best miter saw, hands down.

Furniture maker here- Unless you’re building decks for a living, smaller is better and more accurate. I’ve been through a few miter saws and my favorite by far is the Dewalt 20v 7.25” sliding miter saw. I don’t need a damn cart to move it around, and it’s accurate enough that my starrett machinist square says it’s dead nuts on. I also enjoy laughing my ass off at clowns using a 12” slider to cut 3/4” shoe moulding.

Bosch Axial Glide is a great saw and fits your requirements.

I have 2 recommendations.

The one that will fit all your needs and do it well is the Bosch the other guy recommended (the one with the hinges in the back, not poles). The only thing is, it's above your budget. It's a great saw, accurate, and has a 10" blade. I think it's about $600-700, though.

That said, if you want to save a bit and get some added functionality, then look at the Ridgid 4222. I got mine a year ago, during black Friday, iirc. $400 with the saw AND a folding wheeled stand. The saw has a 12" blade, so it wouldnt be compatible with your table saw, but it's a hassle to change blades, and I, for one, don't do it unless it's absolutely necessary. The benefit you get is a much wider cut and deeper cut. The draw back is that you have a mobile stand to store (i fold it up with the saw on it and put it by the wall), and the sliding poles make it stick out from the wall about 18" farther than the Bosch would.

I got the Ridgid because I couldn't afford the Bosch. But if you can afford it, the Bosch fits all your needs.

I've been looking at similar specs, and I am strongly considering the Makita LS1019L. It's over your $500 budget at $730, but maybe with the right promotion it would get close.

Solid sliding mechanism, slim back profile, not too wide on the bench, adjustable fence, and double bevel.

Dewalt 780 is the best on the market. Buy once cry once. It will do everything a miter saw should and do it accurately. The light for cut line is the best and the saw is built to last.

If you’re doing furniture, I’d avoid a 12 inch. They sway a lot and it’s really hard to get them to stay accurate long term. I had the Bosch glide and loved the mechanism, but it was always off by 1 degree no matter what I did. If I fixed it, it would eventually stray again

Eventually I bit the bullet and bought a kapex, and although it was a lot of money, I can see why people like this saw. It’s really really good.

If price isn’t a factor Festool. But it’s worth thinking about what you intend to do with it. I would personally rather have a smaller, easier to transport saw with less deflection, so a smaller blade. But if you know you’re actually going to need to cut massive things maybe you should get one of the 12” ones.

I have the Bosch 10" and I would not buy it again. I use it in a fixed setup so the zero clearance is nice but if you ever have to adjust the miter stops you need to move the thing to get rear access.

I also think there is some deflection in extension mechanism.

It's a heavy saw so I would think not as good for jobsite use but maybe the stand negates that issue.

Previously had a Hitachi 10" and I liked that better.

A cross cut sled for a tablesaw will cut squarely. Miter saws, not so much. Even sliding miter saws easily get out of alignment.

I bought a refurbed Dewalt from Harbor Freight 20+ years ago (back when they did refurbished sales via their catalog). I have literally beat that saw to death and it still runs quite well. Recently put a new 100 tooth blade on it, squared it up and cut white oak 5x7 timbers with it to make legs for a Roubo. Worked flawlessly. Keep in mind I once put a metal cutting blade on it and cut a ton of c-channel with it. I replaced the dive belt just one time after all that abuse. Best tool I ever bought.

However my sister has a newish Hitachi miter saw and I have to say that thing is pretty sweet. Smooth like butter.

I have had the dewalt and traded it for the bosch when I built a miter station. Both are solid saws, but the Bosch glide system is awesome and saves a ton of space.

All three are good saws in their own rights. Personally, I'd take the Bosch or Makita over DeWalt though. DeWalt's bevel system of reaching around too loosen/tighten the lever while adjusting the angle is a garbage design they've never addressed. But if that's not an issue for you, it's a decent saw.

Bosch and Makita are proven work horses for quality and accuracy. Plus they have zero clearance saws that free up space in a shop.

No matter which you choose, take the time to set them up properly out of the box and they'll serve you well.

Also depends on what you need. I believe a good slider isn’t quite as accurate as a good non-slider. If doing high precision miters you might prefer a non-slider, but only if that is your specialty. If doing general cross-cutting with some miter work a slider all the way.

The Bosch with the hinged arm action is sturdy and brilliant. Can sit very close to a wall so it doesn't need a deep bench to be useful.

I bought the Bosch articulated saw (GCM12SD) about a year ago and I love it, except: 1) the motor is super loud for some reason and 2) the bevel lock sucks - either it’s too loose and doesn’t hold the angle well, or if you tighten the adjustment, it makes it very hard to unlock the bevel, haven’t found a sweet spot.

Otherwise the articulating arm is so, so much better than a sliding arm. This one replaced a Makita that was problematic (likely from previous sins that were committed on it), and Dewalts are ok.

Currently I think the Delta is the best. The 26-2251.

I have the Dewalt 780. It's fine. But it's huge, won't sit flush against the wall, and the shadow line by itself wasn't enough to justify such a big saw compared to others (which is why I originally went with the Dewalt).

The Delta came out after I bought and the Bosch was the only saw with the same "sliding" mechanism. But it had no laser or shadow line.

The new Ridgid is pretty much the same saw as the Delta

Stay away from the Kobalt saw. It has WAY too much flex to be accurate, and the angle stops are not repeatable.

I think Rockler is having a sale on the 10" Bosch glide model which has a nice compact profile and is generally highly rated.

I personally just upgrade from a 12" Ridgid to a 10" Makita LS1019 for the main reason of the more compact footprint (rails that come forward instead of rearward) which is beneficial when working in smaller spaces.

Like the shadow line of the Ridgid better than the laser in the Makita, but I might just add aftermarket shadow line to the Makita at some point. Otherwise I think the Makita is a little higher quality and the dust collection is superior to the Ridgid.

If it's in your budget, the bosch one is fantastic.

The best all-around, IMO, is the Bosch GCM12SD, though Ridgid has an extremely similar version that has a shadowline light (+) but a tiny amount of play at full extension (-), so it depends a little on what you’re gonna use it for.

Dewalt is always good. Festool is prime quality, but the Kapex isn’t worth the premium, like some other festool tools are.

I’ve had : 12” sliding Ryobi starting out (it was a great starter saw) I have a 10” Ryobi compound - it’s so lightweight I can carry it wherever I need it. 12” radial gliding Bosch. It was a beast and was great but I had a lot of issues with getting it square. The nuts were stripped and it would get out of alignment especially during gliding bevels. I ended up getting rid of it and buying a 12” Metabo sliding. I love it. All of the dewalts I looked at didn’t have a depth stop and I didn’t want to spend $800. I’d recommend the metabo if you can’t find a Bosch on marketplace or anything. Even pawn shops!

The metabo took a minute to make sure everything was square out of the box (there’s not a lot of videos online) and the instructions kind of suck in that regard)

I'm happy with my DeWalt. I think it is a DWS779 or some variant of it. Some aftermarket tweaks available for better dust collection and whatnot. Most major brands perform well, just don't go with discount stuff from harbor freight or whatever. A nice sharp blade is what to splurge on. If you are serious about the "BEST" part then look at Festool, it costs 2x as much but it is top tier.

What are you planning to use it for, how often do you plan to use it, and how much space do you have? Also, do you have a budget?

If you're doing small projects there's no reason to get a 12" slider. If it's just for occasional use there's no reason to break the bank. If you are having to get it out and move it a bunch I would want to get something lighter in weight. If you want a battery operated one and you have other tools that use batteries stick to the brand so you can use the same ones.

For basic stuff Lowe's Kobalt brand works just fine and is affordable. Metabo makes a terrific saw for the price. Premium brands like DeWalt, Bosch, and Makita will certainly give you more bells and whistles but if you don't need those why spend the money.

Good maintenance and appropriate blades for each job are going to be the most important things.

I’m a very novice DIYer, use it occasionally. I have a 10” Sliding Ryobi (got it on sale). I’m very happy with it. 10” means it’s not sooo big, but the slide gives me a bit more room for bigger cuts.

I like my Bosch. It was purchased for me as a gift and has really been great. Gotta get a good blade though. The blades these things come with leave a lot to be desired for finish work