If you are a contractor or a homeowner, a miter saw is one of the must-have tools. A miter saw just makes life easier. You can make straight cuts, you can miter, you can bevel, you can set up jigs and make repeated cuts easy. While it’s a cornerstone power tool, it’s not the cheapest tool. You have two options, you can go with a professional-grade miter saw and pay around $500, which gives you professional features and a high-quality built tool or you can get a homeowner’s miter saw for half the price. However, you also get fewer features and the build quality is far less than a professional saw. Skil set out to change this scenario by offering a high-quality saw for a great value for the homeowner. So let’s take a look at the Skil Miter Saw.
Skil Miter Saw Overview
If you are not familiar with Skil, Skil is owned by a company called Chervon. Chervon bought Skil not too long ago and one of their goals is to not only grow the Skil line but make quality power tools for the homeowner. They want to compete with the Ryobi’s and Craftsman’s of the world. While those two companies have a head start, Skil is looking to dominate the homeowner’s market and they plan on doing that with their quality and value. So let’s see if the Skil miter saw has a great build quality with a decent value.
Skil Miter Saw Features
The Skil miter saw (model MS6305-00) features as 15 amp motor that delivers 5,000 RPMs. The saw is a dual bevel, sliding miter saw. The saw can cut up to 2×12 at 90 degrees and 2×8 at 45 degrees.
Instead of the motor sitting on a horizontal level, the motor is pushed up, closer to a 45 degree which helps keep it out of the way.
The saw comes with a 10″ 40 tooth saw blade which is a great general purpose saw blade.
The tabletop is all metal and larger than the other homeowner tables we have seen which makes it much easier to work with.
The saw is easy to adjust and read the numbers for both miter and bevel cuts.
The saw features support arms that come out on the left and right of the saw. They will fold back into the saw if you don’t need them.
On the back of the saw is where you can adjust the bevel cuts. Just turn the large red dial, move to the correct bevel angle, and lock back down.
The miter saw glides on two stainless steel rails for smooth operation.
The saw comes with a dust bag, but as most miter saws, it only grabs some of the dust. You can hook this up to a dust collection system and get a much better collection rate.
To adjust the miter, just depress a button on the front, swivel the table and tighten the knob.
On top of the saw, Skil designed it with a sideways D-Handle. For me, I love these handles better than the up and down handles.
On top of the saw, there is also the on/off button for the shadow line.
Skil Miter Saw Performance
Sure the saw cuts through wood with ease. Sure, you can easily adjust the miter and bevel but two things I love about this saw is the quality and the line cut.
The quality of this saw reminds me of a professional brand where the miter, the bevel and the swing arm all feel smooth. No fighting anything which is a huge plus. The other item I love is the line cut. The saw uses a shadow line which means I can see exactly where I am cutting. With a laser line, you have to adjust it on the left or right side of the blade. Not to mention that it can get bumped and then it has to be reset. So I am excited that Skil went with a shadow line.
Overall, the saw operates great.
Skil Miter Saw Value
The retail price for the Skil miter saw is $250 and is sold on Amazon. So is this a good value? The saw is priced a little higher than the Ryobi counterpart which is about $180. What you get is a better-built saw, a better motor, better cut line, better clamp, and better capacity.
For me, I think it’s worth the extra cost primarily for the build quality. For some reason, I can’t stand using tools that seem or feel cheap. I don’t like messing around with a miter saw and trying to worry about fine tuning a miter cut or having to fight the downswing on the arm. I just want something smooth and easy to use, which I feel the Skil gives me. So yes, the upgraded price is worth the extras I get with a Skil.
Skil Miter Saw Final Thoughts
The bottom line, Skil did a great job with this saw. I love how smooth it operates, the power of the motor, and the capacity it offers. I think Skil did a great job sticking with their idea of producing a quality saw for a great value.
Eric; thanks for a great and honest review of this saw. Definitely helped me in making my decision between 4 other saws I was considering, some at twice the price. Keep up the good work. Vince.
Awesome, thanks. Did you go with the Skil or something else? Whichever it is, how do you like it so far?
Hi Eric,
Any particular comments on the accuracy of the cuts? I’ve seen some reviews saying there is 1/32″ play in the miter stops. I want a saw capable of detail work so accuracy is important, but finding it hard not to give this saw a go.
We didn’t have any more play than other miter saws we have tested. Solid saw but again ever saw is a little different.