This question has been coming up a lot lately – is Dewalt coming out with a cordless miter saw? Specifically, a lot of folks have been asking about the potential for a Dewalt 20V cordless miter saw.
Given the recent high volume of chatter, I reached out to Dewalt and here’s what they said:
Glad to hear there’s excitement from your readers about what they hope will join DEWALT’s 20V line!
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Unfortunately at this time I don’t have any information about a 20V miter saw, but I will be sure to keep you updated!
You might be thinking of course that’s what they would say, and you’re right. But if a cordless miter saw was coming down the pipeline very soon, Dewalt’s reps would have said “we can’t share information right now, please don’t say anything until we can get you more details.”
I interpret the response to mean no, there’s nothing firm in the works right now.
There already are a couple of cordless miter saws on the market (Makita’s comes to mind, and there is also one by Ryobi and an older Bosch), so it is possible. It doesn’t seem that there are any technical hurdles that are blocking Dewalt from coming out with a 20V Max Li-ion cordless miter saw.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Dewalt had one or even several new working prototypes. But that doesn’t mean this is a product they’re planning to release. Just because such a tool is possible doesn’t mean it’s practical.
I should point out that Dewalt used to make a 24V cordless miter saw for European customers (DW017).
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If you ask me, I think we’re more likely to see a new Dewalt brushless cordless circular saw much sooner than a cordless miter saw. And no, that’s not said with a wink.
What do you think? Is a Dewalt cordless miter saw – or any brand’s cordless miter saw – something you would seriously consider buying?
Garrick
I certainly did consider the Makita 18 volt Mitre Saw, as I already have lots of the batteries.
When possible, I always avoid extension cords, as they take time to set up and take down, and can get in the way, and 110 volts is sometimes hard to get.
But given that I already have two mitre saws, it was not a necessity, and with the price being so high for such a small saw, it was not worthwhile.
I also have a nice manual powered mitre saw that I use rarely when 110 is not available.
TJ
Still have an old 18v pod style majors miter saw. Thing is worth it’s weight in gold, it’s the only reason we keep the old chargers and batteries around, have an old blue ryobi one too, that ones okay, both could probably use an upgrade but they still work.
mikeh
I have a relatively older, very reliable dewalt 12″ sliding compound miter saw that I use a lot – I would buy a dewalt 20V miter saw in a heartbeat…
Jerry
Unless the price was way higher than the corded version, I would actually prefer a cordless one. A guy I know, uses ONLY cordless saws anymore. Says the safety aspect of ot running a cord is worth any inconvenience, plus no one ever got electrocuted by 18 volts in a rain. I would bet he’d buy one in a heartbeat, although the rest of us might have to quit calling him ‘sparky’. The guy doesn’t seem that accident prone, but he has cut more extension cords, than I care to mention.
mnoswad1
I will buy one, but it needs a larger blade.
Javier
I think it’s a great idea but it has to be done right. A miter saw is a stationary item and a 20v miter saw is going to need excellent run times in order to be taken seriously. If you have to swap batteries every 30-60 minutes what’s the point? Either that or they can make one that is corded and takes 20v batteries for cordless use. This way the attached cord would compliment the low run time on dc power.
fred
We didn’t do any work on cabins in the woods – mostly concentrating on Urban and Suburban areas – but I can see the appeal of cordless tools – maybe more for hand tools than for stationary or bench-top tools. Running a gasoline generator , to power up tools was not something we did very often – although we once in a while hauled out an engine powered hotdog compressor – and sometimes ran a grinder off of the AC outlet on an engine-driven welder. Even on newly established sites – the electricians would typically bring in temporary power before we started. If you do a lot of street work – then the whole equation might change – but I’m not sure I’d be using a miter saw to cut shoring lumber. Some things to think about if the jobsite doesn’t have mains power available: are you stuck charging the batteries off of a generator our inverter on the truck; or do you need to carry spare batteries; or is the job time short enough that one battery is enough?
One a side note – I recall seeing a Miter Saw being powered by a chainsaw engine (I think I saw it on another tool blog.)
Javier
Wasn’t that the Amish miter saw? I think i seen it too
fred
Could be – but I didn’t know the Amish used engines.
Chris Pyfer
The Amish Chainsaw massacre?
matt
At one point I did do a lot of cabinet and molding work in the woods. It was RV/camper road call work. Power at camp grounds sucks at best not to mention you really dont need a 12″ saw for any of the work in a camper.
With that said I owned 2 cordless miter saws and they were very handy for those small tasks.. But I have a feeling what people would expect from a miter saw is not what the current crop is capable of. It is very much a specialty niche tool and to be honest makita has the market more then covered..
Matthew Fant
As being heavily invested in the dewalt 20v line as I am (for better or worse), I’m always excited about the potential release, of new dewalt cordless tools. But lets think about cordless miter saws for a minute. Ryobi, for the most part, got it right. Cheap, no frills, and to the point. Then there was Makita Cordless miter saw. Sliding, full of features, all the bells and whistles, and a price tag to match. Anyone know what they were charging for that thing? An arm or a leg, or both.
So, my point is as follows, I’m optimistic about a cordless miter saw, and I do believe there’s one in the works. But I hope it doesn’t follow the same formula as Makita when it comes to price. I also think dewalt has a lot catching up to do with Milwaukee in the cordless department, And i’d like to see them close that gap first.
Chris
I heard rumblings about it as well, Best thing for Dewalt to do would make it a 10″ saw running on dual 4.0ah batteries so you got a saw that can do a little more then most cordless saws and have pretty decent runtime with 2 of the 4.0 batteries
Stuart
Not there’s a good idea!
I haven’t heard of anyone following Makita’s lead in going the 2x 18V battery route, but I’m betting it’s something competitors are at least thinking about.
Matthew Fant
I agree, dual 20v would make it a monster!
Ross
I have a general question with the dual-battery configuration. Will there be harm to the batteries if they are not the same age, condition, charge, etc? I ask because I was wondering if it is similar to how automotive batteries work. Most diesel trucks have two batteries and one mistake that people often make is replacing one of them at a time. In this case the older battery will draw off the new one and ruin the new battery. Do you think this would be an issue for these types of tools?
Jason
It’s nice for the guy that does really small projects like handyman/ guy doing small remodeling projects. Dragging cords and air hose around takes time and could cause damage from brushing against trim, and the other weird things that can happen. The other thing is for big companies this is great for the guy that might be sent out to do punch list items that need to be taken care of and setting up a big miter station isn’t possible anymore. This is a tool you really don’t want to buy as kit but as a bare tool unless you really need a cordless miter because with batteries and the saw its going to be expensive.
Phil
I’d say the best chance for a decent-sized (10 inch) cordless miter saw would come from DeWalt kicking the crust off of their 36 volt platform and showing it some 4.0AH (or better) love, it’s really the only practical form of enough power density to make the idea work, aside from doubling up battery packs a la Makita. I have some DW 36 volt gear, and the stuff is still king in terms of power and capability, even compared to newest stuff like my 18V Milwaukee Fuel hammerdrill. The 36V platform was and is still a “modern” platform built as LiIon from the start. The main disadvantage of the system is the packs themselves, which actually contain the power controller for the tool in addition to the cell protection and charge control circuitry. It makes for expensive batteries. Most modern LiIon tool systems place the power control and cell protection inside the tool itself. The simplest packs in the 18V space seem to be Bosch, the pack only contains the cells, a thermistor to monitor cell temp that’s used by the tool and the charger, and a set of taps that the tool and charger use to monitor sections of the series connected cells for cell protection and for the charger to identify if the pack is 18 or 14.4V. Later packs with a charge level indicator have this little circuit added on, it’s not much more than a voltmeter, and is similar to the same gauge used in other battery packs equipped with them. Milwaukee has the most complicated, there’s a circuit inside each pack the monitors individual cell voltage, temperature of the pack, a pack ID (slim or fat pack, used by the Fuel tools to determine the max output of the motor), the power remaining gauge voltmeter, and, the Big Brother types hate this, a circuit that tallies the amount of charge cycles, overload occurrences and a running number of days since the pack was first put in service. The latter is used by Milky for warranty purposes, but you can use it to gauge the age and use the pack has been through.
I’ve been firmly bitten by the cordless tool fever, and modern tools offer so much power and run time in a compact package I can use anywhere without a cord in the way. If I buy a power tool with a cord these days it’s because it needs more power than a battery pack can easily provide.
Jason
The only companies that seem to be doing anything with their 36Volt tools are Bosch and Makita. The Dewalt 36v and Milwaukee M28 lines have been pretty much forgotten about. Like you mentioned what me might see is the pairing of packs to offer more power, but the writing on the wall seems to be that Dewalt isn’t really interested in their 12v or 36v lines they haven’t been touched for except for a reciprocating saw on the 12v. The Dewat 12v will have Dewalt’s test and diagnostic tools and what tools they have already released.
Stuart
From what I hear, the 12V tools aren’t selling very strongly. The higher voltage tools seem to be specialty tool these days. They’re just not as popular or in widespread use as 18V/20V Max tools.
Toolfreak
“I don’t have any information about a 20V miter saw” doesn’t mean that “there are no plans at this time for a 20V miter saw”. You may as well be asking a politician about their past indiscretions or a criminal about whether they’re planning a crime.
The people who run the tool companies haven’t yet figured out it’d be better to spill the beans way way way in advance and let their customers plan their purchase, rather than act all secretive, as if their product plans are a matter of national security, or that competitors will somehow use the information to miraculously do all the R&D in a few weeks/months and release a copycat product ahead of theirs.
As for a cordless miter saw, sure. A 20V and a 36V would be good. It’d also be nice if they made special ultra-thin blades for it. Maybe they could even make the 36V model a 12″ instead of a 10″.
Personally, I’d like to see a Bosch model that uses the 18V batteries, or even a Skil model that uses their 18V line. Even if it was smaller, say a 7-1/4″ sliding saw, that’d be fantasic for most home jobs. Make it so the side supports detatch and clip on somehow, so it becomes a compact carryable size and you have a winner.
RKA
For me, I don’t think I’d ever consider a cordless miter saw. I use mine for almost anything I can and usually have a dust extractor in tow, which requires the outlet. Even if that weren’t the case, I’m cutting in the basement, garage or outside the garage in the back yard using a 25 ft extension cord. I’d rather have the 10-12″ capacity vs. cordless. Further, as a homeowner and budding hobbiest woodworker, that saw will last a very long time for me. The cordless tools will only last as long as the battery system (5-10 yrs) is supported by the manufacturer.
Joe
I honestly can see zero use for one and wouldnt even consider buying one. Why would i want to sacrifice power? For portability? When does a miter saw need to be portable. Itd be like trying to make a cordless table saw. Wats the point
joe
I recently had to put a lot of trim when renovating some homes. This would be perfect for that application.
Now imagine it with a perfect balance of brushless motor design and the right amphour battery…does not sound bad at all.
Don’t let the battery technology fool you…if i’m not mistaken, there is an electric car that is pretty fast that gives the fastest street cars in the world a good challenge.
I just see the technology evolving.
Perry
I’ve used a makita 18v compound slider for years (the older nimh model). It weighs 23 pounds, is a slider and single compound. It’s great for trim jobs or closet systems where you are in and out of a house in a day, so that you don’t lose time with setting up cords and dragging them through the house.
Plus, If you’re working in an occupied house, the clients like that it is quieter than a corded saw.
that said, makita does not price their 18v tools competitively like DeWalt does, nor are they available in as many places. If DeWalt made a cordless compound miter that worked well and was accurate, I would change over.
Mark
I have dewalt 12V, 18V & am heavily evolved in the 20V tools now. The 18’s were great for years…..the 12’s are good for small light torque work, but it love the 20’s. I find myself doing punch work, most times long distances from power for only a small amount of work to be done, more time running cords than the work needed, the thought of a good cordless miter saw is exciting. I almost bought a Bosch one several years ago. It seemed to me the Bosch batteries were too expensive to replace, Dewalt has sales!!
Perry
I did the same thing for years, which is why I stuck with Makita, just because of the miter saw. It is very accurate, and worked very well for me. It was hard to justify the price, but paid for itself in a short time.
rob
My 18 volt stuff batteries had to get warm…seems 20 volts work ok cold.
Werker
Certainly. With a summer residence without electricity, a cordless mitre saw would be gold worth. I repent that I chose Dewalt as brand collection.
Bernie Czarniecki
We use Makita 24v 7 1/4 sliding chop saws for our daily operations we are interior trim crew, best investment we ever made.
rob
I would buy this ..also agree with two battery idea. I do on site repairs and remodels for PA convenience store giant. hard to find electric outlets available. almost every tool is cordless i use exception routers and sanders. also would consider a 2 battery small version table saw .I just bought (haven’t got to try) the ryobi 18 volt chop saw looks ok need it for small backsplash, frp, trims etc. would much rather have a dewalt.
Joe
I saw one @ our Home Hardware show (spring 2015). It is a 7 1/4″ sliding saw