A miter saw is one of those power tools that will make your life much easier. In fact, I am pretty sure it’s in the top 10 for most used power tools on a job site. A miter saw is great for jobs like rough framing all the way to trim work. One awesome feature we are starting to see with miter saws is the ability to lose the cord. With battery technology advancing, we can start to depend upon high demand tools and their batteries. So how do these stack up compared to their big brother that relies on an outlet? Let’s jump in and take a look at the Milwaukee M18 Miter Saw review.
Milwaukee M18 Miter Saw Review Overview
When it comes to miter saws, let’s just say that Milwaukee isn’t one of the most talked about miter saws. Usually, you hear Dewalt, Bosch, and Hitachi as some of the favorite saws on the market. However, when someone does bring up a Milwaukee miter saw, they are proud to tell you how much they love the 6955 which I believe is a sleeping giant. While I have never used that saw, I have heard great things about it.
Then came the time for Milwaukee to go cordless with model 2734, which is powered by an 18V battery. While I liked the saw, I was still sold on the Dewalt Flexvolt 12″ miter saw. But now, with the release of the 7-1/4″ cordless miter saw, I think it gives the Dewalt DCS361 a run for its money. I am not saying this saw is for everyone, but I love this saw and it is one of the best all around saws on the market. Sure it won’t compete with a 12″ saw, but for a daily job site saw where you need portability, quality and accurate, this is the saw to have.
Milwaukee M18 Miter Saw Review Features
The Milwaukee 2733 is built around a brushless motor that delivers a no-load speed of 5,000 rpm’s. The saw has a vertical capacity of 3-1/2″ (Against the fence), a 2″ x 8″ horizontal capacity laying flat and a 2-5/8 nested crown capacity. The saw also comes with a 5-year warranty. Best of all, this saw only weights 28 lbs.
You can buy this saw in a bare kit (2733-20) or with an M18 5 Ah battery (2733-21). With the 5 Ah battery, Milwaukee states you will get over 600 cuts per charge. Now I am not sure what type of wood or what dimensions this is for, but either way that’s a ton of cutting before a recharge.
The saw uses a D-Handle top operate. There is a rubber over mold grip which is similar to their drill handles.
As with all saws, this has a safety switch. Located on the trigger, there is a small lever you flip over which will allow you to depress and turn on the saw. While some safety switches are a pain to engage, this one isn’t too bad and after using it a couple of times, it becomes a natural action when using the saw.
The saw features a nice LED light which a user can turn on or off. The switch is conveniently located on the D-Handle where it’s easy to access with your finger.
The light does a great job of showing where your cut will be, which reminds me of the Dewalt. As with other lasers and light lines, it disappears when you’re outside in the sun.
The saw uses two stainless steel rails to allow you to move the saw back and forth. The rails can be locked to make this a chop saw.
This has all the common detents with positive stops. This can all be accessed on the front of the saw and even has an override feature.
The 2733 is a dual bevel saw with positive stops at 45° and 48°. The saw can bevel 48° either left or right.
A user is able to set up the saw free standing on a bench, on a stand or even secure it to a table top.
Besides the power and ease of use, I love how easy it is to carry around. There is a handle located on top of the saw along with side handles to lift it up and down.
While I feel the 10″ miter saw didn’t do the best job collecting dust, the 2733 does a much better job at this task. While it didn’t collect everything, it did an acceptable job. If you require better dust collection, you have the option to hook this up to a dust extractor to achieve better results.
To lock the saw down for transporting or storage, the push pin is located right under the guard bar which is a little harder to access. Now I am not saying it’s a big deal to access, but just something to note.
Milwaukee M18 Miter Saw Review Performance
I am a believer in this cordless saw. A couple of years ago I wouldn’t think it would be possible to have a cordless saw compete with a corded version, but Milwaukee did a great job. The saw is smooth and powerful. Yes, we were cutting with a new blade but any time you are using a saw, you should always have a sharp blade.
We mostly cut pine such as 2×4, 2×6 and 2×8. With pine, the saw performs like a corded saw. We also cut some Oak trim and again had no issues. We are doing a house remodel, so this will be getting used on all the trim which will be a variety of hardwoods. so I will keep you updated on that project.
The miter and bevel features are all very smooth to set and make cuts.
I understand it doesn’t have the capacity to cut a 4×4 but for testing purposes, we wanted to try and bog it down. Now we don’t suggest doing this with a saw but we were curious how the motor would hold up for power and it would kick it off. To our surprise, the saw went through smooth and didn’t have any issues.
As you can see, you will get a little dust as the bag won’t catch everything.
Milwaukee M18 Miter Saw Review Value
The Milwaukee 2733-20 retails for about $400 on The Home Depot. This is for the tool only and does not include any batteries. If you are not invested in the Milwaukee line of tools, you will need to buy the kit which is 2733-21 which includes a 5Ah battery and a charger.
Value wise, this saw is pricey compared to the Dewalt DCS361 which is priced at $350 with a battery and charger. So you are paying a $150 premium over the Dewalt. Is this a nicer saw? I think so, but not everyone will agree with me. The Dewalt DCS361 is still a saw I love and if that was my only cordless saw, I would be extremely happy.
I do understand that Milwaukee asks for a bit more of a premium for their tools. However, a 42% premium over a Dewalt miter saw might be asking a lot.
Milwaukee M18 Miter Saw Review Final Thoughts
The bottom line, I love this saw. If the price wasn’t an issue, I would go with the Milwaukee hands down. I love the ability for portability, run time and the quality of the saw. Everything on the saw moves freely and very smooth. I love the power. In fact, the only thing I can complain about is the price. This is my new go-to miter saw.
Maybe part of the price difference is because the Milwaukee warranty is two years longer? Just a thought. That’s what I like about my Milwaukee cordless tools even when they’re older than some other manufacturer’s 3 year warranty, they’re still covered for defects.
Very good point. Yes, it’s very nice to have that warranty run two years longer.
I am surprised no one has mentioned the slack in the rail, and as a result when you are cutting a mitre it doesn’t cut square because the arm has too much movement.
Also the electric break is the loudest I have heard on any tool.
The rail problem is a deal breaker as you want the saw to cut at 90° when your cutting a mitre.
I just was asking a rep at berlands house of tools about this model and he was saying the same thing. I was about to go buy one today from someone and I’m having second thoughts now, the slack thay comes from the slidersounds like it will be a problem that won’t be fixable.
The 254mm battery is dog shit, brand new I hope to get my money back and the cuts aren’t perfect and burns the timber, to much moved plastic shit, I would give it away bin or money back
The smaller 1 is great but