Best Bosch Power Tools Cut-Off & Mitre Saws
Fantastic cut capacity – Bought this saw in Sept 2020 after spending weeks comparing specs and researching. To start with at 70 x 312 mm 0° it has as far as I'm aware the… Read more
best cut capacity for a 216mm saw including mitres and bevels, the Hikoki C8FSE(H1Z) is a close second and is the same price but is lacking a few things in comparison and every other 216mm saw I looked at didn't have enough capacity. This was a vital factor to me as I don't have a heap of room for tools so need the most compact unit I can get yet still have the capacity for everything I need to do with renovations and building a shed.
Compared to a bigger saw I was looking at like the Makita LS1018L which seems to have issues since they stopped making them in japan the Bosch is only 21mm less in cut height at 0° and only 5-10 mm less when you get into the mitres and bevels yet does slightly better width by up to 5mm.
Unfortunately the gcm 8 sde is made in china now but the quality control must be kept to very high standards, out of the box everything is completely flawless, bar some light saw dust from I'm assuming being tested though it had a new blade fitted. I went over every mm looking for some sort of issue as the courier used by total tools were a complete failure in delivering 19km from the store and every box in my order was severely crushed in some aspect not to mention causing property damage that they ignored me about (Melbourne stage 4 lockdown joys) this being the worst so I wasn't taking any chances, big props to Bosch for the box strength and structure as the saw would have been wrecked with anything less.
Everything is built rock solid and smooth to use, every lever knob etc is well though out, trigger safety designed for right or left hand, slide out supports are smooth and strong, metal degree indicators, even the simple aspect of having a tucked away left hand thread screw in position under the right hand support for the sde knob / normal blade bolt rather than being a loose accessory to lose is a plus.
Calibration out of the box for the blade using my bevel box showed 0.1mm and 0.2mm off in different positions which I think is pretty good from the factory and considering it could have been put out by the rough handling and was extremely easy to adjust.
The only negatives I have been able to come up with to date if I'm nitpicking are: It would have been nice if the flip up end stops were included on the slide out supports rather than as an accessory not that it's a big deal. The vacuum port isn't a standard size and only suites Bosch vacuums, as far as I could find out bosch don't make an adapter but I was able to find a 3d print file online and had an adapter printed for under $40.
Price at the time of buying was $759 which is quite expensive compared to the cheaper saws however as I was also buying a plunge saw and bosch had a deal on I received a $375 voucher which to me was just a $187.50 discount on each of them as I was also buying other things anyway that I used the voucher on so it made it more bearable.
Disappointing all round – I bought this saw for accurate mitres and longevity - the mechanism promised to be longer lasting in tough conditions because it should not corrode… Read more
like competitors slide mechanisms.
The saw would not cut an accurate mitre and I spent a weekend trying to tune it. I gave up and returned it to Bosch for tuning (the head was not aligned and the fence was not straight). They turned it around in about a week, but it came back within their "acceptable spec", which was a joke as it left significant gaps on any spans longer than 1 meter. On my table saw I have it tuned to 0.1mm per meter, which is acceptable.
I spent a further day making changes and got it down to 0.25mm per meter. But on hardwood the blade drifts in the cut and you get further randomness, especially on long cuts.
My other complaint is that the laser light is only visible in very dark environments and if you are onsite then you have to erect a shad structure to be able to use the laser light function. Hopeless. The laser light is also difficult to adjust.
This saw now only gets used for framing duties and sleepers, but you could spend $500 less and get something that does this job. This saw was the reason that I gave up on Bosch Professional equipment and have systematically changed all my tooling to other brands. Very disappointing.
The saw is very heavy, and it is difficult to lug around, so if you want something for site work, look elsewhere. The mechanism that attaches it to the stand (GTA 3800) is great, and the stand is adequate, but doe not have wheels so you need to lift the heavy saw off the stand to move it any distance. The overall build quality is good and it has now lasted a few years, but its lack of accuracy, repeatability, and tunability means it is not fit for purpose as a mitre saw for anything other than framing work.