From the second you wrap your hand around the Elastomer grip and beam the laser light of the Hitachi C10FCH onto your cutting surface, you’ll be hooked. The 15-amp motor powers you through 8/4 oak like butter. Cutting crown molding vertically is no chore here, with a large extended fence that goes up to 4 inches. Even the table surface is bigger on this saw. It’s not a perfect world, especially at the corners, but your miters can be perfect with 0 to 52-degree range both left and right to compensate. The detents at all the common angles are easy to manipulate, too. The gauges for both the miter and bevel cuts are clear and easy to read, something you don’t find on every saw. The swivel is smooth and the blade travel is beautiful.
Yet this Hitachi stands out from the others for two more great features: weight and laser-line accuracy.
You’ve hefted enough tools out of the back of the pickup to appreciate this: For all its power, it weighs only 27 pounds, an impressive accomplishment for Hitachi. But hands down, the coolest feature of all is the laser cutting line. It’s factory-set to the included blade, but it’s a cinch to recalibrate it to whatever blade you choose. We’ve yet to use a Hitachi tool that we didn’t love, but this one’s by far at the top of the heap.
Hitachi C10FCH 15 Amp 10-Inch Compound Miter Saw with Laser
