We get press releases all the time here at the Toolmonger office about this tool or that. At first glance there’s nothing special at all about this sliding/compund miter saw. Then we got a look at what’s missing — a cord. Yep, this is Makita’s 18v Li-Ion, 7 1/4” entry into the world of miter saws. We’ll give them this — whoever’s driving over at Makita R&D isn’t asleep at the wheel.
So the whole rig is just shy of 28 lbs. and clocks in with a 2,200 rpm motor that will slice up a 2×12 @ 90 degrees, or a 2×8 @ 45 degrees. That puts it squarely in the trim saw department and has the makings to push around saws twice its weight and size. The detents are located at 0, 12, 22.5, 30 and 45 degrees and there are rail extensions for a bit of extra support for long stock.
It all looks pretty slick. After all, Makita boasts there are over 40 tools in the LXT line, and this presumably will run off any of the charged up Li-ions you’ve got in the truck should you be a Makita person.
Our only question is: Will this be any good at the end of the day when you’ve blown through all your batteries using the other tools on the site, need more cutting before you pack in for the evening, and the miter saw (which runs down batteries a little faster than a drill or worklight) is feeling hungry?
Then comes the surprise — just a whisker over $700 is what the LXSL01 will set you back. Go ahead and pick up your jaw, its cool, I’ll wait… and now you understand that all that lightweight and Li-Ion will cost you as much as a proper contractor saw – in some cases more. We suppose only time will tell if this gets traction in the market, but still — it looks like a great idea.
LXSL01 18v Cordless Li-Ion Miter Saw [Makita]
Street Pricing [Google Products]