Awesome… thanks very much 😁 every little bit helps. Thanks for the kind words and all the best with your new saw… haven’t used mine in a while but it’s about time I get back into some fabrication.
Wish I had came across this video before I purchased the makita abrasive saw. 100% correct about the thin pressed base. When I clamp material into place, the base plate warps and lifts up one side of the material I am cutting higher. It’s going back tomorrow.
Hi Mitch, thanks for the comment. I’m still happy with my LC1230… base is still holding up well. Good to hear you can still send it back and swap it out for the cold cut version. Let us know what you think once the new saw arrives and you’ve used it. Keep well.
Also, my old Makita chop saw has been used as an abrasive metal saw as well as a wood cutter. It's simply so darn heavy that it's now mounted in my shop and permanently transformed into an abrasive saw. And those base plates are beasts! I'd say they are responsible for 75% of the weight and they are very heavy machines.
I can agree... It's not something you just going to throw in your backpack and go hiking with... it's damn heavy, but I like the solid build (and no flex in the base). Currently mine is also mounted on a pedestal on the grinding / cutting room but it would be nice to have wheels on it so the setup can easily be rolled outside for cutting larger pieces of stock.
Hi Justin, thanks… hopefully it helps many people. Also hopefully we able to get our hands on a blade for cutting stainless steel… keen to see how well it cuts and long it lasts.
Makita is fantastic when it comes to longevity...I've had a Makita chop saw, circular saw, and reciprocating saw for roughly 30 years. Only issue I've ever had was replacing the switches and the occasional tear down, clean, and re grease. That being said they don't out perform a DeWalt...the only thing that I've seen that comes close is Milwaukee.
Hi Lignum, thanks for the feedback. I think you can't go wrong with Makita, Dewalt and Milwaukee, they are all good brands (although every now and again, there is a tool that is released that isn't up to spec). What are your thoughts on why they don't outperform a DeWalt?
Thanks very much. I’m still waiting for a blade for cutting stainless steel…. Makita and Strand Hardware have seen the video and have show interest and are supposedly going to donate that blade to me for testing… haven’t received anything yet but as soon as I do, I’ll be sure to make a test video about that. Let’s hope they follow through. Not sure if this is something you are interested in seeing?
Thinking about buying one:) I got a HBM choo saw now, payed 300,- for it. But it broke 2x in a couple years. In 8 months the bearing wear down. Garantee was 6 months. So I fixed it my self.. nog funny. Now a couple years later having it 3,5 years it just stopped working yesterday day. Smoke came out… I only changed saw disc 1x. So I don’t do much work on it. Time to buy Quality
Hello, agreed, probably time to buy quality... having a bearing fail in under a year is not great. So far I'm still happy with the LC1230. I also only use it occasionally and so far its held up really well. Let us know what you eventually end up getting.
Hi Romel, thanks for the comment. It's been working pretty well for the time I've used it. Also keep in mind that it very much depends on what you are going to be cutting... If it's more general cutting like tubing, pipes, small angles, etc. you'll be cutting then it should work pretty well. If it's larger solid sections of steel, a slow turning cold cut saw is a better choice (turns at 15 - 60rpm - very slow compared to the chop saws). These are more commercial / industrial orientated saws that use HSS blades. Abrasive chop saws also still have their place though, they cut a wide range of materials, shapes, sizes, etc. albeit not very accurately. It also depends on the operator... the 'cold cut' saws with carbide blades need to be treated somewhat carefully... one can't just jam the blade into the material or the teeth will chip very quickly.
@@GrantBurton thanks for the additional tips. I am intending to use it for some small projects like chicken coop and benches at my little farm and for some DIY's at home. Since I am a newbie, it seems like it is more practical for me to get an abrasive chop saw for my intended use. The price of the Makita LC1230 is also more than double the price of the Makita LW1401.
@@monterogls Makes sense. Also abrasive disks are relatively cheap to replace. The abrasive saw will also suite the farm type fo work better. If you were planning on buying through Amazon, here is a link for the saw. amzn.to/2Zc5EqX It's an affiliate link... doesn't cost you anymore and I'll get a small commission. Absolutely no pressure though, just putting it out there. Let us know your thoughts once you have bought and used if a few times... always nice to get feedback from the youtube community.
@@GrantBurton Yes, it's true that abrasive disks are much cheaper than carbide-tip blades. Thanks for the link. I will definitely share my experience once I got and tried my unit. Thanks again.
DeWalt makes great stuff if you swap out the bearings. I'm a tool mechanic. Failure point is almost ALWAYS the armature bearings. Just read the four digit numbers on the seal on the outside of the bearings. If there are only three numbers, put a zero in front, and order Japanese, Indonesian, or taiwanese ones.
@@GrantBurton for the armature you'll need a 6001 bearing and a 6000 series. Get a double walled 6001 usually marked llbc3.. the 6000 can just use a rubber sealed unit.
@@danielescobar7618 Brilliant... thanks for the info. What do you mean by 'double walled 6001'? Do you mean the bearing has two steel seals (2Z or ZZ bearing)? The C3 on a bearing means it has greater than normal internal clearance which allows for expansion due to high speeds and temperature (i.e. a bearing with a higher than normal speed rating).
@@danielescobar7618 After a quick search... llb (LLB) is a non-contact, rubber seal. Didn't know that... but now I do. Found this nice bearing reference by NTN - I'll post a picture of it on my community section posts.
@@GrantBurton aw shucks my dude I completely forgot about this. ZZ Bearings are junk, but I see you have found the correct adequate upgrade. LLB are the best you can throw in there. Taiwan/Singapore/Japan NTN are the only ones you should trust. The Chinese mfg ones just don't hold up if you're a commercial or industrial user.
Hi, thanks for this thorough review ! I'm seriously considering this saw for it's apparent build quality and sturdiness (especially the vise), compared to the Bosch Professionnal GCD 12 JL (although the latter is more expensive !). Also, the quality of the blade which comes with the machine seems better on the Makita (I've seen videos with the Bosch with a lot more sparks and heating, I don't know if they did something wrong or if the blade is simply not good enough...) Would you think this is due to the quality of the blade itself, or that it has something to do with rpm ? (1700 rpm on the Makita, 1500 on the Bosch... (although this doesn't seem to make sense (the faster should heat more, right ?))) Anyway, the cutting, "out of the box", seems better with the Makita. The downside is the cost of the blades (very expensive, at least here in Europe : 260 € for the Stainless Steel 100 teeth blade (half of the machine price !) I probably won't be cutting stainless steel on a regular basis, but it happens that the first project I will do with this saw will be requiring it ! :-) (nb: there is a 76 teeth stainless steel blade that is a bit cheaper (200 €) but it doesn't seem compatible since its maximum speed is 1500 rpm and the saw is 1700 rpm... (the 100 teeth blade is 2000 rpm max.)) Bosch blades are way cheaper (about 130 € for a stainless steel 90 theeth blade). This makes me think twice... Then of course maybe the Makita blades are actually way better. Does anyone have insight about this ? Do you know if only Makita blades can/should be used on this machine, or if there are other blade brands that would be compatible and have a better value for money ? Another question : don't you need any accessory on the vise to properly maintain round tubes ?
Hi Christophe, thanks for the comment. My personal choice is Makita over Bosch... I think Makita is a more of a Prosumer product(s), better build quality, etc. although I've got a whole lot of Bosch home appliances and they are great, but that's a different ball park. As these 'cold cut' saw blades get dull, they spark more and cause more heat (but no where near an abrasive saw). That said, a lot also comes down to tooth design, kerf angle, top bevel, number of teeth, design of the carbide tooth, etc. So unless the blades are identical, it's difficult to draw an exact comparison. I would think the slower rpm should product less sparks and less heat, which leads me to think the Makita blade is a better designed / quality blade (but also very expensive - you get what you pay for). Sparks and heat will also depend on the material being cut... maybe the Bosch was cutting a different metal to what I was cutting. When it comes to speed, 1500 vs 1700rpm isn't much different, although I guess the general thing with cold cut saws is the slower the better. I've seen a few videos where tests were done between two brands of blades for cutting stainless steel and the cheaper one dulled far quicker than the more expensive one. I cant remember what the cheaper brand was but I do remember that the Diablo Steel Demon came out on top for cutting stainless. Most blades will be interchangeable, having a common 1 inch arbor hole (25.4mm). I have seen some saws come with an additional 'sideways V' style of adapter / clamp that slips over the moving jaw and that firmly holds round tube in place (pity the Makita didn't come with that, although it's fairly east to make).
Hey! Can you tell me aprox. How much cuts your disk did? I’m near to buy one of these but it’s too expensive and I need to do a lot of cuts, so I need to know if it’s the perfect tool for me
Hi Terito, I've done around 300 cuts now (might actually be closer to 350) through different sections of steel. A little over 200 cuts through solid 12x12mm mild steel, around 50 cuts through 20 x 5mm mild steel flat bar, around 50 cuts through 12 x 6mm solid mild steel and a few cuts through other random sections of mild steel. No cuts through stainless steel yet (Don't have a suitable blade... it doesn't seem like Makita or Strand Hardware are interested in providing a blade for test cutting Stainless Steel). Blade still looks like it's in good condition after all that cutting... no chipped teeth. Keep in mind it depends what material you will be cutting and how carefully the saw is used... thrusting the blade into the cut is going to result in teeth wearing fast and chipping... that could work out to be very expensive per cut. If you are cutting very thick sections of solid steel on a large scale, it may be better to get an industrial cold cut saw (those are saws that turn very slowly, around 15 - 60 rpm, have many smaller cutting teeth on the blade and use a flooded coolant system). An alternative, if this saw is to expensive, would be this amzn.to/2Zc5EqX or amzn.to/2Z3KKdH Hope this helps.
Hi ahmed osighir, that is a great question and I would also like to know. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to get a stainless steel cutting blade yet. Hopefully others will share their experience with using various blades. I do remember hearing that the Diablo Steel Demon does a pretty good job but don’t have any first hand experience with this blade. Makita also make a blade for cutting stainless but it’s expensive. What grade of stainless are you wanting to cut?
@@GrantBurton Thank u for your time 304 mostly tubes and square and rectangels betwen 40mm to 100mm ( small abrasive wheel is ok for 30mm or less) I use the small grinder tool with sbrasive disk but it takes time and the cute is not good at all , its always need more grinding with grind wheel If i have some tool that can cut that fast and clean in your video i will do my work much faster , but with good prices and long age as much possible cause i will pay 30% of its price for tax and not cheap shippment also cause i live in morocco My english is not very good i hope you get the idea
Hi Thomas, 100x100mm does fit into the machine and the blade guard does open clear of the material as the handle is pulled down... so short of actually cutting a piece of 100x100... I would say YES (Don't have a piece of 100x100 to actually try it out).
Great review! Just purchased the LC1230 using your Amazon link in order to help out the channel... Keep up the great work!
Awesome… thanks very much 😁 every little bit helps. Thanks for the kind words and all the best with your new saw… haven’t used mine in a while but it’s about time I get back into some fabrication.
wow! this is exactly the video I wanted to find, and I found it!
Awesome... glad it is what you were looking for 😁
Wish I had came across this video before I purchased the makita abrasive saw.
100% correct about the thin pressed base. When I clamp material into place, the base plate warps and lifts up one side of the material I am cutting higher. It’s going back tomorrow.
Hi Mitch, thanks for the comment. I’m still happy with my LC1230… base is still holding up well. Good to hear you can still send it back and swap it out for the cold cut version. Let us know what you think once the new saw arrives and you’ve used it. Keep well.
Also, my old Makita chop saw has been used as an abrasive metal saw as well as a wood cutter. It's simply so darn heavy that it's now mounted in my shop and permanently transformed into an abrasive saw. And those base plates are beasts! I'd say they are responsible for 75% of the weight and they are very heavy machines.
I can agree... It's not something you just going to throw in your backpack and go hiking with... it's damn heavy, but I like the solid build (and no flex in the base). Currently mine is also mounted on a pedestal on the grinding / cutting room but it would be nice to have wheels on it so the setup can easily be rolled outside for cutting larger pieces of stock.
This is a propper review! Awesome stuff! Going to have to start saving...
Hi Justin, thanks… hopefully it helps many people. Also hopefully we able to get our hands on a blade for cutting stainless steel… keen to see how well it cuts and long it lasts.
Makita is fantastic when it comes to longevity...I've had a Makita chop saw, circular saw, and reciprocating saw for roughly 30 years. Only issue I've ever had was replacing the switches and the occasional tear down, clean, and re grease. That being said they don't out perform a DeWalt...the only thing that I've seen that comes close is Milwaukee.
Hi Lignum, thanks for the feedback. I think you can't go wrong with Makita, Dewalt and Milwaukee, they are all good brands (although every now and again, there is a tool that is released that isn't up to spec).
What are your thoughts on why they don't outperform a DeWalt?
Very professional review. Well done
Hi Chris, thanks very much.
An excellent review, comprehensive and concise. Thanks
Thanks very much. I’m still waiting for a blade for cutting stainless steel…. Makita and Strand Hardware have seen the video and have show interest and are supposedly going to donate that blade to me for testing… haven’t received anything yet but as soon as I do, I’ll be sure to make a test video about that. Let’s hope they follow through.
Not sure if this is something you are interested in seeing?
The sound of your machine is so nice:) my HBM sounds wrecking terror. Specially when turned off.
Guessing your bearings are bad again, or maybe the Makita has a better gear tooth design which makes it run more quietly and smooth.
Thinking about buying one:)
I got a HBM choo saw now, payed 300,- for it. But it broke 2x in a couple years.
In 8 months the bearing wear down. Garantee was 6 months.
So I fixed it my self.. nog funny.
Now a couple years later having it 3,5 years it just stopped working yesterday day.
Smoke came out…
I only changed saw disc 1x. So I don’t do much work on it.
Time to buy Quality
Hello, agreed, probably time to buy quality... having a bearing fail in under a year is not great. So far I'm still happy with the LC1230. I also only use it occasionally and so far its held up really well.
Let us know what you eventually end up getting.
Very informative and convincing review especially for a newbie like me.
Hi Romel, thanks for the comment. It's been working pretty well for the time I've used it. Also keep in mind that it very much depends on what you are going to be cutting... If it's more general cutting like tubing, pipes, small angles, etc. you'll be cutting then it should work pretty well. If it's larger solid sections of steel, a slow turning cold cut saw is a better choice (turns at 15 - 60rpm - very slow compared to the chop saws). These are more commercial / industrial orientated saws that use HSS blades.
Abrasive chop saws also still have their place though, they cut a wide range of materials, shapes, sizes, etc. albeit not very accurately. It also depends on the operator... the 'cold cut' saws with carbide blades need to be treated somewhat carefully... one can't just jam the blade into the material or the teeth will chip very quickly.
@@GrantBurton thanks for the additional tips. I am intending to use it for some small projects like chicken coop and benches at my little farm and for some DIY's at home. Since I am a newbie, it seems like it is more practical for me to get an abrasive chop saw for my intended use. The price of the Makita LC1230 is also more than double the price of the Makita LW1401.
@@monterogls Makes sense. Also abrasive disks are relatively cheap to replace. The abrasive saw will also suite the farm type fo work better. If you were planning on buying through Amazon, here is a link for the saw. amzn.to/2Zc5EqX It's an affiliate link... doesn't cost you anymore and I'll get a small commission. Absolutely no pressure though, just putting it out there.
Let us know your thoughts once you have bought and used if a few times... always nice to get feedback from the youtube community.
@@GrantBurton Yes, it's true that abrasive disks are much cheaper than carbide-tip blades. Thanks for the link. I will definitely share my experience once I got and tried my unit. Thanks again.
DeWalt makes great stuff if you swap out the bearings. I'm a tool mechanic. Failure point is almost ALWAYS the armature bearings. Just read the four digit numbers on the seal on the outside of the bearings. If there are only three numbers, put a zero in front, and order Japanese, Indonesian, or taiwanese ones.
Hi Daniel, thanks very much for the comment. Great to get feedback from others with repair experience. Thanks.
@@GrantBurton for the armature you'll need a 6001 bearing and a 6000 series. Get a double walled 6001 usually marked llbc3.. the 6000 can just use a rubber sealed unit.
@@danielescobar7618 Brilliant... thanks for the info. What do you mean by 'double walled 6001'? Do you mean the bearing has two steel seals (2Z or ZZ bearing)? The C3 on a bearing means it has greater than normal internal clearance which allows for expansion due to high speeds and temperature (i.e. a bearing with a higher than normal speed rating).
@@danielescobar7618 After a quick search... llb (LLB) is a non-contact, rubber seal. Didn't know that... but now I do. Found this nice bearing reference by NTN - I'll post a picture of it on my community section posts.
@@GrantBurton aw shucks my dude I completely forgot about this. ZZ Bearings are junk, but I see you have found the correct adequate upgrade. LLB are the best you can throw in there. Taiwan/Singapore/Japan NTN are the only ones you should trust. The Chinese mfg ones just don't hold up if you're a commercial or industrial user.
Sir Grant what about BOSCH GCD 12 JL vs Makita LC1230?
Hi Ronel, I'll have to look into that and see if I can get my hands on the Bosch to review / compare.
Nice 1000000 likes 💥🌟👌👍💚✌️🤗
Thanks very much 😁
Hi, thanks for this thorough review !
I'm seriously considering this saw for it's apparent build quality and sturdiness (especially the vise), compared to the Bosch Professionnal GCD 12 JL (although the latter is more expensive !).
Also, the quality of the blade which comes with the machine seems better on the Makita (I've seen videos with the Bosch with a lot more sparks and heating, I don't know if they did something wrong or if the blade is simply not good enough...) Would you think this is due to the quality of the blade itself, or that it has something to do with rpm ? (1700 rpm on the Makita, 1500 on the Bosch... (although this doesn't seem to make sense (the faster should heat more, right ?))) Anyway, the cutting, "out of the box", seems better with the Makita.
The downside is the cost of the blades (very expensive, at least here in Europe : 260 € for the Stainless Steel 100 teeth blade (half of the machine price !)
I probably won't be cutting stainless steel on a regular basis, but it happens that the first project I will do with this saw will be requiring it ! :-)
(nb: there is a 76 teeth stainless steel blade that is a bit cheaper (200 €) but it doesn't seem compatible since its maximum speed is 1500 rpm and the saw is 1700 rpm... (the 100 teeth blade is 2000 rpm max.))
Bosch blades are way cheaper (about 130 € for a stainless steel 90 theeth blade). This makes me think twice...
Then of course maybe the Makita blades are actually way better.
Does anyone have insight about this ?
Do you know if only Makita blades can/should be used on this machine, or if there are other blade brands that would be compatible and have a better value for money ?
Another question : don't you need any accessory on the vise to properly maintain round tubes ?
Hi Christophe, thanks for the comment. My personal choice is Makita over Bosch... I think Makita is a more of a Prosumer product(s), better build quality, etc. although I've got a whole lot of Bosch home appliances and they are great, but that's a different ball park.
As these 'cold cut' saw blades get dull, they spark more and cause more heat (but no where near an abrasive saw). That said, a lot also comes down to tooth design, kerf angle, top bevel, number of teeth, design of the carbide tooth, etc. So unless the blades are identical, it's difficult to draw an exact comparison. I would think the slower rpm should product less sparks and less heat, which leads me to think the Makita blade is a better designed / quality blade (but also very expensive - you get what you pay for). Sparks and heat will also depend on the material being cut... maybe the Bosch was cutting a different metal to what I was cutting.
When it comes to speed, 1500 vs 1700rpm isn't much different, although I guess the general thing with cold cut saws is the slower the better.
I've seen a few videos where tests were done between two brands of blades for cutting stainless steel and the cheaper one dulled far quicker than the more expensive one. I cant remember what the cheaper brand was but I do remember that the Diablo Steel Demon came out on top for cutting stainless.
Most blades will be interchangeable, having a common 1 inch arbor hole (25.4mm).
I have seen some saws come with an additional 'sideways V' style of adapter / clamp that slips over the moving jaw and that firmly holds round tube in place (pity the Makita didn't come with that, although it's fairly east to make).
Good day sir. I have a makita miter saw, will it be possible if ill change the blade into that saw so that I can now cut metal using my miter saw? :)
Hello, no it won't work, the blade spins way to fast for cutting metal.
Hey! Can you tell me aprox. How much cuts your disk did? I’m near to buy one of these but it’s too expensive and I need to do a lot of cuts, so I need to know if it’s the perfect tool for me
Hi Terito, I've done around 300 cuts now (might actually be closer to 350) through different sections of steel. A little over 200 cuts through solid 12x12mm mild steel, around 50 cuts through 20 x 5mm mild steel flat bar, around 50 cuts through 12 x 6mm solid mild steel and a few cuts through other random sections of mild steel. No cuts through stainless steel yet (Don't have a suitable blade... it doesn't seem like Makita or Strand Hardware are interested in providing a blade for test cutting Stainless Steel).
Blade still looks like it's in good condition after all that cutting... no chipped teeth.
Keep in mind it depends what material you will be cutting and how carefully the saw is used... thrusting the blade into the cut is going to result in teeth wearing fast and chipping... that could work out to be very expensive per cut. If you are cutting very thick sections of solid steel on a large scale, it may be better to get an industrial cold cut saw (those are saws that turn very slowly, around 15 - 60 rpm, have many smaller cutting teeth on the blade and use a flooded coolant system).
An alternative, if this saw is to expensive, would be this amzn.to/2Zc5EqX or amzn.to/2Z3KKdH
Hope this helps.
Hi
Wich blade is the best choice for stainless steel if you have any idea
Hi ahmed osighir, that is a great question and I would also like to know. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to get a stainless steel cutting blade yet. Hopefully others will share their experience with using various blades. I do remember hearing that the Diablo Steel Demon does a pretty good job but don’t have any first hand experience with this blade. Makita also make a blade for cutting stainless but it’s expensive.
What grade of stainless are you wanting to cut?
@@GrantBurton
Thank u for your time
304 mostly
tubes and square and rectangels betwen 40mm to 100mm ( small abrasive wheel is ok for 30mm or less)
I use the small grinder tool with sbrasive disk but it takes time and the cute is not good at all , its always need more grinding with grind wheel
If i have some tool that can cut that fast and clean in your video i will do my work much faster , but with good prices and long age as much possible cause i will pay 30% of its price for tax and not cheap shippment also cause i live in morocco
My english is not very good i hope you get the idea
A much better review once the heavy metal music soundtrack faded out. There really is no need for muzak with an otherwise very well made video.
Hi, thanks very much.
Will this cut 100mm by 100mm box section?
Hi Thomas, 100x100mm does fit into the machine and the blade guard does open clear of the material as the handle is pulled down... so short of actually cutting a piece of 100x100... I would say YES (Don't have a piece of 100x100 to actually try it out).
I do cut huge tubes of metal, so... sorry Makita, I am going for Dwalt , you had to make a 14" cutter Makita
I suppose you have to buy a machine that will suite your needs... doesn't help buying something that won't fit the material you normally work with.