As a precision-oriented professional home-remodeler, I finally got fed-up with the DeWalt 364 I had been using for the past 14 years. It is a rugged saw, to be sure, but I could never get it aligned properly, so ripping with the fence has always been an adventure. I finally gave up and just started ripping everything free-hand. Also, the blade would deflect terribly when ripping along a bevel. ANYWAY, I bought this Makita 5007MG and LOVE the saw. It's lighter, very well-balanced for me, and cuts incredibly accurately. The rubber grips everywhere are appreciated. The bevel lever and pre-set stops are great. Even the depth-of-cut guide is quite accurate. The led lights are a great bonus and are very effective even in total darkness. Oddly, they are on whenever the saw is plugged in, though led's do have a very long life, so this may be of little concern. All in all this saw is a pleasure to use, particularly for me as a left-hander--very easy to see the line-of-cut. I'm not sure why the complaint from another lefty in another review.Where this package falls short is in the case, the rip guide, and the cord. The case is the same old generic case Makita has been using for all its sidewinders for years. The saw barely fits, and there's virtually no room for blade storage--2 blades max. I like to have beater blades, new blades, masonry blades, finish blades all in the case. As for the rip fence, it's pretty minimal. The arm is so short that its max rip is a measly 7 or 8 inches. Also, the most you can rip to the right of the blade is 3", and the least you can rip to the left is 3 5/8". The range in between is missing altogether. The hook which allows the fence to slide in under the saw's sole plate should be bent slightly longer to allow you to shove it all the way over, tighten the nut, and rip an accurate 3 1/2"--handy for plywood filler strips for 2x4 framing. Lastly, even though the saw is double-insulated and doesn't require a three-prong cord, it should have one. Even if the ground prong is a dummy prong, it sure helps any tool stay plugged into an extension cord. Hopefully, Makita will figure this stuff out. I should send these comments to the company. Buy the saw anyway. It's a great one.
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