Side by Side Comparison of: Makita vs Hobart

Excellent saw. very handy

Makita is the best cut off saw I have ever used.

I ordered this saw when the armature burned out on my 20 year + old one. When I realized the parts to fix were going to approach the price of this one, I just ordered it. I received it in short time and it seems as good as the older model. Chop saw is a must for the farm and I would recommend Makita because their blades cut better than any I have used. Thanks to all involved.

The only reason I needed this was to replace the identical model that had been in hard industrial shop use for 19 years.Since we mount ours directly to a long fenced bench (we remove the base), I can't speak for the base and vise quality.The rest of it sure performs like a trooper though!

When the company I worked for wanted to get a chop saw they chose me do to the looking. After spending time in the Navy as a BT and later as an outside machinist in the local shipyard I figured i could handle it. The 2 things I was looking for was something that didn't way a ton and was well built. When I found this Makita I knew it was just what we needed. We cut a lot of 4x4 1/8 tubing, mostly hot rolled and some 1/4x4 flat bar cold roll and this saw handled it with no problem. When it came to cutting aluminum I put on a carbide toothed blade and it ate through that aluminum like it was hot butter. I liked it so much I bought one for my home workshop and after 12 years it's still going strong. And if you ever get a chance to watch that old Monster Garage or OCC tv shows, guess what ? Yea they use the same saw.If you can not afford a $600 cold saw and / or a $900 horizontal band saw, this is one that deserves your attention.

Nice clamp. Portable. Enough HP to cut everything I needed to cut. I recommend looking for that diamond blade Makita has. I haven't found it locally yet, I may have to order it. I worked this machine hard and eventually broke the blade it came with. I bought some (not Makita) blades I found locally. Those blades burn more than cut, bogging down the motor. Also, the original Makita blade was better balanced, it didn't vibrate near as much as the non-Makita replacement.

bought it for my son-in-law for Christmas , he seems to really like it cuts great

Haven't had any issues with mine. Cuts good and still going strong after a few years.

Tends to drift to the right while making a cut. However, I just started doing metal work so maybe that's normal. Fourteen inches is pretty tall so it may very well be flex in the blade that came with it. I'm still using that blade so have nothing to compare it to.

This is a decent quality Makita tool and it performs fine within the limits of abrasive cutting. Stick with quarter inch bar and angle stock, half inch square and round and you will be happy. Larger stock will have you watching sparks for a long time. If you have to make a lot of angle changes on the vice and backing plate you will be cursing the design that requires two bolts to be loosened and the poorly marked angle marks - a tooless design would be a vast improvement. This is a good tool if you only cut small stuff or if you aren't making a lot of cuts. If I had it to do again I would spend the $400 for a cold saw.

multiple cuts through 2"x6" rectangular tube with no problems. Plenty of power, my only regret is not having a D handle which would make it easier to use.

Good quality and power. Holds the angles well even out to 45 degrees.

Not very powerful so it is slow when cutting thicker items. But the price is OK

It's actually not a bad saw but due to the nature of abrasive discs it's really hard to cut things square, especially when cutting angles. I had heard they flexed a bit but I had no idea it would be this bad. I guess it's my fault for getting this when I should have gotten a metal bladed saw. If you're on the fence about getting one of these and getting a dry-cut chop saw I'd say spend the extra money and get the dry-cut (metal blade) saw. I got one of these: Makita LC1230 12-Inch Metal Cutting Saw and it's %100 better.

On straight cuts it works great. Angle cuts are a challenge. First cut I tried at 45 degrees on 1/16" thick square channel the blade deflected so much it cut into the base and left a huge gouge in the base.

Poor bench. Stamped steel and is weak.

cheaply made. Pressed steel base is flimsy and really thin. The whole unit feels pitiful. Cut a 1/8 thick 1 inch angle stock and the thing slowed down... DO NOT RECCOMEND

The information said it was made in US but the one I got is made in CHINA so it should last 6 months

it really is cheaply built it is not better than a black and decker for half the price. the spring is weak and the motor is weak also the clamp does not go to the floor of the base so hard to get things to hold do yourself a favor do not buy get the dewalt you well be happier .

If you like pea hearted tools buy this saw. My old Makita chop saw stood by me for 20 years. It was a great tool. This rascal was gutless from the get go and went down hill from there. With smoke billowing out of it the other day and throwing the 20 amp breaker I gave it an unceremonious burial in my trash can. At best it was just slightly better than a hacksaw. It lasted a little over a year . I have plenty of Makita tools which I like but this was a total disappointment. I am hoping for better luck with the DeWalt.

I'm a fan of Makita tools. I have more than a dozen Makita tools, from cordless weed wacker to circular saw. So, when it came time to replace my Dewalt cutoff saw, I didn't hesitate to order a Makita. This ended up being a disappointment in design, construction and performance. I'm comparing this saw side-by-side with a Dewalt D28715, same price in stores as this Makita. I'm also comparing it to what I can remember of my lower priced Ridgid, which got stolen. The only pro is that the Makita weighs less the others, but that's not all good because that weight savings is due to poor construction.Design: The blade is allowed to go down so far it hits the floor or cuts into your work bench. There is an adjustable stop bar at the rear left, but it's useless. The plastic wing nut doesn't hold the bar tight enough to stop the arm. The Dewalt and Ridgid both use a bolt that creates a solid stop. There is slop in the arm mechanism, which allows the blade to move about 1/8" side-to-side. Furthermore, there is slop in the motor's bearing, adding another 1/16" drift in the blade. The Dewalt has absolutely no play. I don't recall the Ridgid having this kind of slop neither. The mechanism to lock the arm down is a stupid chain that hooks to the bottom of the handle. Most other saws use the same chain lock. But the Dewalt, has a well thought out pin you simply push to lock, pull to unlock. Adjust the Makita's fence requires a tool. Dewalt and Ridgid are tool-less. Makita has no tool holder to retain the fence and blade tool. Although Dewalt and Ridgid require a tool to replace the blade, they have places to secure the tool so it doesn't get lost. The Makita's base is narrower than Dewalt and Ridgid. A wider base makes it easier to stabilize stock.Construction: The base is made of a thinner steel. It's so thin the stop lever has already dented the base during shipping. There is so much plastic I almost feel like this could have come from Harbor Freight. Although Dewalt and Ridgid also use plastic, theirs feels more solid, thicker, and there's less use of it. The guard, again thinner and flimsier than others. The deflector, again, thin and flimsy. Already bent in the box. Makita has a plastic safety button. I don't see why a safety button is even necessary. The button a lot of play and I can see this thing breaking soon.Performance: I immediately noticed the motor takes longer to spin to full speed than other saws. It takes almost twice as long as my Dewalt. When cutting, it's obvious the Dewalt has more power, despite both motors being rated at 15A, 3800 RPM.

Recently purchased the 2414NB Cut-Off Saw and bought it based on the reviewer from Upland CA (1999) stating it was made in America. I also went to the Makita web site and felt confident the saw was made in America. It is made in China. Was very disappointed. It is now my understanding there isn't a cut-off saw made in America today so will give this saw a fair try. Hopefully the Makita name will keep it together. Will provide an update in a couple months. Respectfully, Larry Butterfield.