Best Budget Miter Saws 2023

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Few woodworking machines match the versatility, portability, or cost effectiveness of today’s 10-inch compound miter saw.

The miter saw is the best tool for fast, accurate, and safe crosscutting. This one tool can help facilitate anything from carpentry projects and remodeling (such as building a shed or deck) to building your first furniture to installing wood trim around doors and windows. Under adult supervision, even a kid can safely use one of these saws; the blade is enclosed in a plastic guard that retracts as the saw blade moves through the wood.

And these saws are perfect for crosscutting laminate flooring. You do need a slightly tougher blade, though to handle laminate flooring. The good news is that after the flooring job is finished, these blades will also cut copper tubing (for plumbing work), aluminum, and brass. That’s a lot of versatility in a single blade.

You don’t need to pay a fortune for one of these saws. Generally, entry-level miter saws vary in price from $150 to the high $200, with the sweet spot falling somewhere in an average of about $165. Given everything that one of these saws will do, that’s not a lot of money, especially when you factor in the ease, speed, safety, and accuracy that it will lend a DIY project.

Below, you’ll find the four best miter saws from our testing, in which we cut hardwood, softwood, construction lumber, and wood trim. All the saws did well, with some quirks that emerged in the course of our use. Still, we were pleasantly surprised, and each has some capability to offer you in terms of your next home-improvement project or if you want to get started in woodworking.

This Craftsman’s fold-flat design is attractive both for storage and transport. You can carry it with one hand as you move up stairs or through a doorway. You don’t even need tools to fold it up. Also, a separate plastic storage base keeps the CMXEMAR120 standing up in its packed-down state, taking up far less space on a shelf than other saws. As for cutting, its motor shape and location provide enough clearance that you can buzz through three sizes of crown molding standing against its fence.

If we have one small complaint with the saw, it’s that its handle geometry isn’t particularly comfortable. Our hands were fatigued after repeat cuts.

The S26-262L is dead-on accurate right out of the box, no fussing or adjustment required. It also has the largest base (15 inches deep), the smoothest and biggest turntable, and the tallest and best fence of the saws here. What’s more, there’s a distinct—and much appreciated—lack of vibration during cutting.

This isn’t to say that this is the perfect saw (there’s no such thing). The bag missed a lot of dust and shavings, and the two die-cast supporting ribs in the center of the dust chute contribute to clogging.

With a 5,500-rpm motor and a coarse 24-tooth blade, the TS1346L flies through lumber. If you’re buying a saw because you want to cut 2 x 4 material, where you need reasonable accuracy but what you really want is speed, then this saw is a good choice. We also liked the fact that its blade guard provided the most coverage of the saws we tested.

Every saw in this test had screws that were overtightened at the factory. On this one, though, two screws were so tight they stripped when we tried to loosen them. Will you experience this on your saw? We can’t say. But it’s wise to carefully examine any saw and its adjustments first thing before cutting a stick of lumber—and while it’s still under warranty.

This is a basic miter saw that cuts with power and has only a little more vibration than the Delta. Although a blade isn’t included, the 61973 does have two spare carbon motor brushes. So plan on putting a decent blade on it; that will add anywhere from $30 to $50 to its price.

Also, to be candid about this saw, there’s no free lunch. Yes, it’s inexpensive, but adjusting its accuracy took more work than the other machines. Fortunately, once we finished the fine-tuning, it was locked in and cut accurately.

Roy Berendsohn has worked for more than 25 years at Popular Mechanics, where he has written on carpentry, masonry, painting, plumbing, electrical, woodworking, blacksmithing, welding, lawn care, chainsaw use, and outdoor power equipment. When he’s not working on his own house, he volunteers with Sovereign Grace Church doing home repair for families in rural, suburban and urban locations throughout central and southern New Jersey.

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