Makita DLS714Z

Powerful, Lightweight, Almost Perfect – I do not have a workshop so I need a sliding compound mitre saw that is easy to move and not too heavy (compared to my previous large, heavy 240V one). I own quite a few Makita cordless tools so I thought the Makita DLS714 saw would be perfect as it is lightweight (compared to the DLS111 or DLS2111 which are much heavier but provide additional features - laser, depth of cut, larger bevel). The cut is accurate and the motor is powerful enough to cut through 45mm dressed hardwood. I experienced kickback (for the first time in my woodworking life) that was so severe that 2 saw blade teeth were damaged and the back fence was gouged and pushed off line/center by a huge splinter/chip so the saw blade had to be replaced and the back fence sanded and re-aligned. Due to its size (190mm), the bevel angle is limited, there is no laser to align the cut location (I bought a small laser and embedded it near the rubber chip/sawdust extraction port) and the depth of cut is limited, especially for bevel cuts. I am not sure if I would buy this particular model again due to its limited depth of cut - the reason for giving it 4 stars. If you want to add a cutting guide using a light shadow, buy a bendable flexible USB LED light, a USB male female switch cable and a small USB external battery on eBay (total approx cost = $25) and use a hot glue gun to glue the USB LED light in front of the blade, on top of the blade housing but under the blade guide and then position the USB external battery near the carry handle (I used double sided tape, otherwise use velcro).