Quick FAQ: 1. The DeWALT is the DWE7480. 2. TheDW on sale for $280 is a different model. It has 25% less power and a reduced rip capacity of only 20". 3. The Herc is not out yet, but should be out in the next couple of weeks. 4. The Herc is in the sale flyer for next month with a coupon of $299 5. Neither of these saws can run a Dado (Get a router, it works better) 6. The depth of cut is 3.5" (standard for all 10" table saws) 7. No, I will not send you the one I'm not keeping. 8.
Routers can be problematic for dados. The bit has a powerful tendency to wander, especially if you're using a miter gauge. The cutting force is all directed sideways-not an issue with a fence, but keeping the wood from slipping with miter gauge is very tough.
I run a jig like a track saw for them. The real drawback is doing multiple passes for depth. But considering how often I do dados it's not really an issue.
Da Bear - I would like to start my question with a little praise, after all Bears like a bit of honey, right? I started watching your videos a short time ago, maybe a couple of months. At first I thought, what is it with this joker, he's using this animated bear to do his presentation? What's going on here? After awhile, I saw the knowledge & honesty in your video reviews, even the humor. I'm enjoying all of it. So, here's the question, there's no wrong answer, but I just don't have enough experience with these compact 10 inch portable saws to know which is good and which is only so-so. What do you think of these two choices? SKILSAW SPT70WT-01 Portable Worm Drive Table Saw priced at $341.10 Bosch GTS1031 10-Inch Portable Jobsite Table Saw $349.00 Both have free shipping. They have some history and they're ~ $50.00 more than the Hercules. Features of these are all somewhat different, but do you see a clear cut winner or loser here? (yes, I like puns)
Funny you should bring up the Bosch, the top of that saw is almost identical to the Herc. Same style of fence, same slots all of it. In fact, I was joking that the Herc seems like the illegitimate love child of the DW and the Bosch. That said the Bosch only offers a rip capacity of 18 inches. That is very limiting, making this a saw that is almost dedicated to ripping long thin stock. Both the Skilsaw and the Herc have much wider rip capacities. And you don't need to do full sheets of plywood for that to be an issue. I was to rip a 25" x 23" board down today. Too big to do in a single pass on the mitre saw and you couldn't do it on the Bosch. The skill saw is a great saw but not fantastic. It has a slightly lower depth of cut at 3 1/4" This means you can't rip a 4x4 in one pass like you can on the Herc. I'd say the Skilsaw and the Herc are about equal and the Bosch would be a step down. I really like the next model up Skilsaw but it also sells for over $500. Oh well.
You do have to spend some time setting the saw up... blade, fence, etc. But once done, the saw is great. Fairly compact which is Nice ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxXh-4_3-ZT1fFWP91ZV7iVqzElr0lEb-a I did get an Incra Miter Gauge which takes some setup as well. The stock miter gauge can be adjusted in the miter slot with a little painter's tape... this tightens up the side to side play a lot.
After I saw this vid, I went out and purchased the Hercules table saw almost 8 months ago & let me say, I’m really impressed with it. Regarding the miter gauge, I found the best way to solve the sticking issue was to use my dremel and polish the edges on the gauge & inside the track. Now it works flawlessly. Thanks for such a good source of info.
The fence adjustment is going to be used more than any other feature I'd go with the DeWalt personally. The Hercules is no slouch though. Once again HF is putting out some quality tools.
I like the bigger surface on the Hercules and the ease of changing blades and riving knife adjustment. Hercules wins this one for me and it's less expensive. Thanks for the video!
Love the Bear. 1) Said make HF manager your friend. Did that. 2) Said HF Hercules jobsite saw was better than OK. Considered that. 3) Talked about changes to jobsite saw for OSHA requirements, said old model was better in some ways. 4) Watched 'old' display model in closeout drop from $330 to $300 to $272 to $263 and finally told manager we had a deal but wanted 90 day warranty thrown in. 5) Manager said can't do but can cut price to $150. I said 'deal'. 6) On the way to the cash register the Manager, unsolicited, further cut the price to $125! 7) Walked out the door happy, set up new saw, cut like budda, very nice blade. Bear and HF rate high on my happiness scale! ;-)
Jeez, bear. It drives me absolutely nuts when I see people who don't use the effing guards and kickback arresters that come with the saw! At the minimum, the guard should have been addressed as a point of comparison to the guard on the DeWalt. At that point, anybody who wants to put their fingers at risk, risk getting smacked by a kickback-propelled piece of wood can still do it. As for me, I've been doing this stuff for 58 years and still have all of my fingers, eyes and unscarred skin. Even then, I don't count on the guard to protect me; I always take one last look to make sure my fingers are going to be on a safe path. Work safe!
Looks like another winner, Harbor Freight is really stepping up their game... of course you can still buy the cheap line, but their upper end is definitely getting better. I personally have the ridgid jobsite table saw that I bought several years ago and still works well. A few dings and dents but still accurate. However I did buy the Hercules miter saw, and have been suitably impressed. Makes a great jobsite miter saw, and unbeatable warranty, walk in and grab a new one off the shelf....
I purchased this saw this past November and I have used it on a number of projects. I got it on sale for just a few dollars over 250. I am EXTENSIVELY impressed with the saw. With one exception and that is the miter gauge, that is indeed scrap. The blade was spot on true to the miter slots and the rip fence has been spot on square to the blade. I checked it for over an month with a machinists square for squareness and it was spot on every time. The saw has more than ample power. My advice to anyone thinking of getting this saw , go for it!
My dad's livelihood was carpentry and so was his dad. I picked up on the trade, and I am 63 yrs old. I have seen table saws come and go from home to portable. As you described on your video everybody's likes are different, 'Different Strokes for Different Folks". I myself like like this Hercules Table saw, the stow away compartments for the claw and other attachments. It feels strong and built strong!!! It does what it's suppose to do and more, yea you can say this is better or that is better. I do extra remolding work on the side and this machine is perfect for what I do, like garage attachments, home additions, decks, hanging and floating shelves, kitchen cabinets, etc...Bottom line it does just as good as the high dollar table saws. I am not disappointed at all!!!!
Totally agree on dado cutting. Stacks are great for stationary saws. Job site saws are not cabinet saws. I get your position on T-slots, but I prefer them. I wax them too -- bar and track.
When ripping the 2x4 around 8:50 it is easier to rip half way down and then flip the board around and cut from the other side. This helps a lot if you don't have an outfeed table.
That is a pain in the ass if you have kickback pawls, you need to turn off the saw, lift the pawls and pull the work piece from the blade, that might not be a big deal for some, especially when you are working on your own time but on a job and you have multiple rips to make it is just too time consuming. Its a lot easier to just set up a roller stand or let the work fall on the floor.
This saw and the new 12 inch miter saw from them are without a doubt contractor grade. I would put either one up against the best and most expensive saws out. Also the new Diamondback tile saw from harbor freight is amazing as well. That’s another saw I would put up against the top brands. I will be owning all three soon. Harbor freight is clearly trying to ups their game in quality. Great job. I wouldn’t really get any of their other power tools but those three saws are simply amazing for the Price. By far the best bang for the buck.
I did not see what DeWalt you were comparing, so I compared it to my DW7491RS, and there is no comparison. The DeWalt runs circles around that Hercules. It's not even close.
The Hercules was not in stock at my local HF, so I went online and ordered mine. I'm a novice, but locally I cannot find a good carpenter. The one carpenter that did show up quoted me $15,000.00 to build a deck onto my house. I have done projects in the past, but I am a trucker and only home on the weekends. I am going to take time off the road and build my own damn deck. The hell if I will pay that kind of loot. 😄👍🏼
@@denoftools Well. Depends. You live in a highly restrictive area? Or out in the boonies? You want to do it legal like? Or is the contractor "trusting" that youve done permits? Idk. 10k os still insanity for some shit you and a buddy could put up in a weekend. Edit: my point here was if he was talking about pulling permits and whatnot...just the survey work, unless you had it done very recently, is probly gonna cost ya a grand. At least. Permits, etc. Idk. I could see 5k. If its very nice wood, a little more if ya wanted a roof. Im sure you could find someone to do it for 1-2k, though. You may be irritated for the life of your deck with how they did it though. (Materials especially) 🤣
@@firghteningtruth7173depends, you add supports, railings, stairs, etc. And pay the carpenter a decent wage (say $30-40/hr after expenses) it adds up fast
Hey, love your channel. As an Harbor Freight Employee I use your information often when helping customers find the right tool for the job. I stumbled on something suggesting you are in Montana?! I work in Missoula so that was also very exciting. In regards to the warranty at HFT, please know that this depends on where your local store is. Some products only offer a "Repair" plan. In that case stores in say California, will actually need to send the product off for repair. In area's like Montana that is spread out and do not have a "local" repair place/person. Those plans are treated like a replacement. That broken tool is shipped back to the distribution center for repair.
The features are similar, and by the time you replace that crap blade in the Hercules, the price will be as well. That brings up the one area that HF seems to be kicking everyone else's behind. The warranty. Specifically, what do you have to do if you need to use it? Unless something has changed, with DeWalt, it's ship it to one of their warranty centers at your expense and wait. With the Hercules, you go to any Harbor Freight, and they give you a new one on the spot. That's arguably a pretty important point if your company or paycheck depends on that saw being there working. For home use, being able to change the blade easily means you're more likely to use the right blade for the cutting you'll be doing. On job sites, I don't think it matters much. I'm guessing most of the time, they do the cutting with whatever blade is installed at that time regardless.
The blade that comes with the Hercules is pretty good actually. I used it to cut finished material and the edge was flawless. The Dewalt ships with a much worse blade.
Great comparison. I must agree with you that each saw has it's pros and cons. No one saw will ever check all the boxes for all the buyers, so both have a market. Hercules though is really stepping up and giving Dewalt a run for their money. Quietly forcing Dewalt to lower their prices is a big deal in the grand scheme of things.
DeWalt has been playing that game for a few years now. With every drop in price we've also seen a drop in quality. It's to the point that the low end Dewalt tools are way over priced and sometimes even inferior to their budget counterparts. Their high end stuff is worth the money if you have the need and budget for it. For the home DiYer I just can't really recommend them in most cases anymore. Sure they are good but not worth the price of the name.
@@dalesworld1308 You miss the point. Cheap low end tools are expected, but cheaply made high end tools yield higher profits for the parent company because people aren't expecting it. Most people will blame themselves for problems and not the high end tool.
I called 7 stores to find one in stock. When I finally found one in Victorville, I rushed over to buy it. Upon inspecting the display model, the fence would not lock. An employee confirmed the clamp was broken. That's a bad sign to me. I was so bummed because I thought I could save money by purchasing this saw instead of a dewalt! Now I have to go to Home Depot and spend more than I'd like.
I've had the DeWalt table saw, the one with the wheeled stand for a couple of years now. I really love it, especially the fence. The miter tool sucks. I use dado stacks on it. The legs lock and unlock very easily, takes 10 seconds to store the saw. That said, I chose the Hercules 12" miter saw and the Hercules stand as well. I wouldn't trade the DeWalt table saw but Hercules killed it on the Miter saw and the stand is also much better than the DeWalt.
Can't really add since I don't make a living with a saw like this. So I can only comment on the quality of the review. And that would be excellent. You speak truth. What a concept these days.
Seems decent , cheaper saws usually have plastic motor housing and plastic cages , I have the dewalt jobsite saw with cart , it's nice and I just got it Thanksgiving time , after rebates and online orders , was a killer deal I believe the was model 7491 just over 400 bucks , the DeWalt cart is worth the money very nice.plus it has 31.5 in rip and quick release riving knife ect. Good job 👍 By the way This is WEALRO changed channel name before the give away.
Three things I noticed. Blade stopping time was vastly different. The Hercules took at least 12 seconds every time. The DeWalt never took more than 8 seconds. Two, it definitely looked like the wood moved much smoother on the DeWalt than the Hercules. Three, the two saws are now both $379. Based on what I saw, you talked me into the DeWalt. Except I'll go with the 7491.
Nice job on the comparison. I guess Harbor Freight has the " luxury" of obtaining a bunch of competitors tools and picking and choosing ( copying if you will) features from other manufactures. That being said I would agree with you that it is definitely a suitable choice for a small home shop. When I go to replace my current saw I will definitely consider the Hercules. Again, thanks for the review.
I’d have to say most companies “copy” the competition now. The only one that has been innovative lately is Saw Stop. All of the others copy something on each of their designs.
The very first table saw I ever used was one my dad made using a 4'x8' table with a standard skill saw bolted underneath it! Taped the trigger closed and tied the power cable to a light switch on the side (no light) and then ran the power to a wall plug. Switched on the light switch and the saw came on. Worked great! Of course, when he got the money to do so, he did upgrade to a real table saw which he incorporated into a permanent table as suggested here.
I own the Hercules and I really like it. Im not master carpenter by anymeans. I do home projects, I make boxes for my grandkids. It works great, it's accurate, easy to use. Im very happy with it.
Bear, you convinced me on the Herc. Miter saw. I bought mine last week. Unfortunately, I’m not as convinced about this. I’m going to avoid this table saw until they match the warranty on the miter saw. I also think I’d prefer the dewalt fence, although either of these will be better than the fence on my little Craftsman.
This is not nearly as cut and dried a decision as the miter saw to be sure. But I should point out they dropped the base price to $250. Which means you could buy the 1 year warranty for the same price.
Good job bear! I have the DeWALT & I love it, especially with it's rack & pinion fence system-BAR NONE! It is so exact on both sides! And BOO-BEAR-HOO on those who may bitch on moving the DeWALT's fence to retract or extend it out. And like you I too like how one can easily read the DeWALT's measuring tape on where your at-at any given moment! Merry Christmas to you, your cubs & momma bear! Now I'm gonna chomp down on the like button!
For me the fence is everything. Starting to rebuild a woodworking shop in a new house. Previous shop/house that got totally sold, I spent $600 on just an AM fence for my tablesaw. Bought a $400 DeWalt today and it's pretty darn good. Nothing like my old saw, but I do really like the fence.
Lots of great features in a small saw. For the type of woodworking I do, 32nds matter, so I went with a stationary cabinet style table saw with genuine Beismeyer fence. Honestly, that's the only way to get more accurate than a job site setup, but the cost jumps a LOT, and portability is zero. Either saw would benefit from the Freud 24T thin kerf rip blade (LU87R010). After using that blade, it never comes out of my saw, even for crosscuts or plywood. Shine on, Red!
Jared Marshall....I am retired and do woodworking as a hobby. But my table saw is just a basic belt drive contractor type saw and doesn't have a good fence, and I certainly cannot afford to buy a real nice and accurate fence system , much less a new table saw. But what I do in order to get accuracy is this: I tape from the fence to the blade for whatever distance I need, then measure from the end of the fence over to the mitre slot,and with a careful eye-ball of where the tape touches a point on the mitre slot, I take that reading and go to the front of the fence and measure from there over to the same spot on the mitre slot and very lightly tap the fence one way or the other to get a matching point. I then go back to the end of the fence and double check the tape and adjust if needed. I know...this sounds like a lot of work, but I do this in well under 1 minute and I get very accurate results. I am retired..I'm not trying to set any speed records...I have time..I don't get in a hurry ( I did way too much of 'being in a hurry' in my 40 plus years of working. ). I too, deal with precise measurements. I have a Brown & Sharp dial caliper that I use constantly to check thicknesses and I can maintain tolerances of .01-.02 easily. A person doesn't necessarily need the latest & greatest table saw or mitre saw...or whatever... to get accurate results. Attention to detail and careful work can make up for not having high dollar tools. Sure, I would love to have a real nice cabinet saw and a helix planer, but that ain't gonna happen any time soon. So I use what I have and work smart, carefully, and accurately and use the most important tool ever developed...the brain...and produce real nice stuff.
@@marbleman52 The way I justified spending the money on an Incra TS-LS fence system is the time saved on cutting the wood down to the dimensions I need gives me more time actually building something with the wood. ;) I don't strictly need the ability to just walk up to my saw, set the positioner, and cut a piece of wood to within 0.002 of the desired dimension with no measuring, but it sure does free up some time for other stuff.
@@markbeiser I understand, I really do. I get impatient sometimes by having to mess with my fence but I will just have to live with it until I can make a change. I'm not even sure if another fence could be fitted to my saw without a lot of modifications. To be honest, I have not actually looked into it that closely, so maybe it wouldn't be that involved. Maybe Santa will be nice to me this year; but what I think that I would like to have before a good fence would be a Helix planer...Santa are you listening..??? LOL..!!
@@marbleman52 Yeah, the planer thing is one I'm struggling with. It is basically spend $600+tax/S&H for a lunchbox style one that still has all the same issues that come with lunchbox style planers, but cuts nicer, or spend a minimum of around $1800, with nothing in between. :(
Thanks Bear, nice job! Even though I already have a similar Ridgid saw I was looking forward to your review. I think the Hercules version is going to be popular.
I think the Hitachi wins. It's 340ish fold up stand with all the features of the DeWalt with increase cutting capacity plus soft start and motor brake.
Wish this had come out before I purchased the Chicago electric table saw. It sucks! Got to get what you can though. Only $50 less than the DeWalt I probably would of still ended up with the Chicago Electric anyway. Nice Video Red.
Do hardwood floors and love my dewalt (compact) saw. Used to have bosch, and dewalt contractor saws. They both have larger tops and large easy raise stands. This dawalt saw never leaves my van. Sold bothe, and purchaced the dewalt for $350 with scissor stand, black friday.
Got an open box deal for the Hercules today for $143! Ripped some solid 2x10”s on the stock 32t blade. Slight bogging down but man what a difference from my previous. And at less than half price a steal!
High-end craftsmanship & a rack & pinion fence is an absolute must Bear! Or in other words, I'll take chocolate chip. On the other hand, the Hercules is a very close vanilla flavored alternative! 🧑
I really wanted to fall in love with this saw. With the miter saw, it was love at first sight, yours and other reviews prove my purchase to be a solid decision. I currently have a rigid 4513 jobsite saw that i paid $399 for. Honestly after seeing this review i am going to stick with my rigid which blows both these saws away. The herc. Just seemed to struggle far more than my current saw. The rigid is an amazing saw for the price. It is certainly not a pro cabinet saw. But the hurc at $349 and $299 with coupon. I will happily pay the extra $100 for the rigid with the stand and out of box precision. we all love you bear and your videos and opinions, but if you want to be truly safe on a table saw get a pair of microjig grripper pushblocks, far and away the best purchase i have ever made. That push stick you use, is an invitation to see how far wood can penetrate flesh.
At the same price point I would purchas a 8 1/4 Skillsaw worm drive at $419.00 for a small home shop. Better quality with all the features. Great video.
Here's why I prefer that DeWalt saw. I don't value ease of blade changes or riving knife adjustability. Simply because I don't do it. I use a combination flat tooth blade and never find myself in a need to change it. Also making big changes on the DeWalt is easy. You just unlock the fence and push the fence, rather than spending the adjustment dial. In my opinion the DeWalt has the best fence and to me that's what is most important in a table saw. However I'm really happy that all of these manufacturers are making better job site saws. More options and competition can only lead to better quality.
There are two positions for the fence. For full rip capacity it has to on the far right notch and for closer cutting, you have to move it to the near right notch. There is overlap but as I said, for "large changes" you have to move the fence. Maybe you have a different model.
@@denoftools yeah I probably have the cheaper model. I love it though. also does the portion of the table under the fence, does that always slide with the fence? Might be hard to build a table around it if it does
Really intrigued by this saw. The problem I have with HF tools is that I'm afraid I'd get laughed off the job site if I showed up with this. Even though everything is made in China, and probably at the same factories.
Tbh who cares a tool is a tool doesn't matter what brand it's from as long as it's reliable and gets the job done then go for it of course do your research 1st before anything
Rack and pinion? Oh well.... next.... One of the reasons us contractors do love this type of saws. I’m not brand biased, in fact I’m switching to skilsaw spt99-12 table saw for 3 reasons. Improved rack n pinion fence (tighter then dewalt) 3-5/8” rip capacity (to rip 2x4s on its side in one pass) I do that suprisingly allot. And worm drive motor ( chews thru even wettest 4x4 with ease) gobs of torque with no competition anywhere near. All else can be fixed with jigs and some ingenuity Few other pointers: Dado problems? Almost any saw can take a 1/2-3/4” dado blade, just don’t be lazy and make ur self a zero clearance plate from mdf. Bad miter square? Those are made to be thrown away. Make a crosscut jig. By the way, slightly larger table and blade set a big towards back of table is a big help for crosscut jigs. (More landing area before blade cut) Rip capacity? Who cares about anything larger then 24”? We all work with 4’x8’ 97% of time, just subtract the cut off you need with the blade, and use the other side My biggest problem with almost all tablesass/chop saws, and other stuff is adjustability. I adjust saws for friends regularly, and many companies do not account for movement in some places which sometimes require machining, filing and grinding. Nothing is ever square out of the box. But then again, as a finish carpenter/ kitchen installer. Only brand I’d say I’m sort of loyal to is festool. Not everything they make is best, but they got some gems. Love their (what I have) Kapex ks120 chop saw Ts55 track saw Ec125 brushless sander 5” (easily swapabld to 6” head) Their dust collectors Of1010 (best hand held router ever) Domino 500 jointer (their best tool ever) and a bunch of other minor jigs that work with their system approach Their cordless stuff sux. I go with Milwaukee for that.
Years ago I needed a table saw to rip larger pieces. I was looking at the cheap HF table saw (only one they had then) but it looked very flimsy and I had read that the fence was sloppy. I didn't want to spend $400 for a Dewalt 7480 but I ended up getting lucky and got it for $290 as a refurb. The saw arrived looking like a new one and I've been loving the rack and pinion fence ever since.
I've been using the cheap HF saw for a couple years. Even built a mini kitchen's cabinets and drawers with it. Right away, the fence clamp system broke when I tightened the barrel nut to try and make it clamp tighter. Had to use a dremel to cut a square hole on top of the handle of the fence clamp area and access the guts that are pinned in place. Problem was the metal fork inside, and the barrel nut that pushed against it... when tightened, the barrel nut bent one side of the fork, and pushed right through the fork. With the hole cut on top to access, was able to bend the fork back straight and put a washer between the barrel and fork, it now clamps tight, though still have to manually align it on both ends. Basically that cheap HF saw is still working and actually does ok (milled 4x4's with it the other day to match size of lumber on an old 1924 house)... but I've been eyeballin' this new Hercules saw. Blade on the HF is getting dull... $45 for new blade or $380 for a much, much better saw with new blade. As for the HF cheap saw, once the fence was fixed to hold tight.... it has a lot of inconveniences, but is still working after fairly regular use for a couple years.
it looks and sounds like a decent job site saw on the level of the Dewalt btw i did professional Woodworking for over 25 years and its been one of my hobbies for over 35 years now over the years ive tried just about every table saw out there and for portable ones the company i ran with over 40 installers we used the Dewalts exclusively as most of the installers preferred that brand all our saws were mounted to a 3/4” plywood base for stability and to clamp it onto a stand
Too bad they don't have a feature to chop off the fingers of thieves, huh? I'm all in favor of it. Perhaps a tracking device hidden under it somewhere might be a good idea. I'm considering investing in key tag trackers to glue under expensive equipment. Most thieves won't think to look for them much less remove them.
I went to HD to get the Dewalt for 10% off Lowes sale price. HD would not beat there price because it was not in a sale paper or something. Went back to Lowes and grabbed the sign and told them I would be back with it shortly. Finally after a discussion with the manager he tells the cashier.... Let him have it. Got mine for 245.00. I like the Dewalt. I have the bigger brother to this saw too. I also have a Dewalt hybrid saw that's still on a pallet in my box truck. Got that one for 490.00.
Looks like a good saw. I have a Bosch job site for a long time now and that does do dado. On the Dewalt unit I do like the measuring system better than mine.
I bought the Herculies table saw. It was very nice, but I ended up returning it. Dewalt's fence system just seemed worth the extra money once I tried it. Also when I wanted to make a zero clearance insert, it seemed like there were a lot of videos on how to do that for more popular saws and aftermarket inserts too. Aside from the aforementioned issues, and the limited warranty, the saw seemed great. Fair warning, I got nailed with a nasty restocking fee...
I enjoy your videos. I've recently got into wood working as a hobby and these types of videos help me decide on tools. I know I could spend more on name brand but I've learned if it works ot works no matter the name..
I love the Hercules line of tools, 12" miter saw is an amazing tool right out of the box! and the price point can't be touched on quality or performance. I am purchasing this table saw was to use in my small 10X17 shop. it's going to replace a Kobalt work-site saw with the mobile base, 2 reasons 1- Size! plan to build a mobile cart with folding out feed table. 2- Price! with the right coupon this saw is a steal at under $275.00
I'm looking forward to the Herc jobsite saw, but I'm afraid that HF is going to charge too much. If the difference is $50, I think I would get the DeWalt.
I just looked at the HF catalog for March, the Herc is $300 with a coupon. With Amazon Prime, the DeWalt is $279 with free shipping. I shop at HF to save money, but jn this case the DeWalt wins.
That's not the same song. This is the dwe7480. that other song is a smaller cheaper version of this song and doesn't have the same capacities as either of these
@@denoftoolsAh I see, my bad. At that price, the Herc does look more lucrative. However I'd still like to see prices in the $200-$280 range to make the Herc more appealing.
Comments before listening to Bear's summary Hercules advantages 1. Arbor lock - arbor locks are nice 2. insert lock outside the inert 3. T-slots - seemed like it might be an advantage but the bear wasn't keen on this 4. Wider fence setting possible - not sure but it looks like it 5. Easier to adjust the riving knife height. I don't know why this would be an advantage. I've never changed the height of my riving knife but the bear thought it was and advantage so it probably is. DeWalt advantages 1. Better fence position view. Mine was perfect out of the box and it has never needed adjustment. I can cut more accurately using it than I can by measuring the blade position. 2. Yellow and black colors (personal taste I'm not keen on the blue) plus colors match my other DeWalt tools. 3. More likely to see your saw on TV. Not an advantage to everybody but when I see a show and they're using my saw I like it. 4. Known to be very reliable 5. Better method of providing a support surface for the wood when the fence is extends past the saw surface. ETA post bear: 6. I like the rack and pinion. I don't see any disadvantage. Good for fine adjust and you can just pull on the fence for large adjustments. Neither one no good place to store the miter gauge Unknown Dust collection The blade mounting nut on my DeWalt can be difficult to loosen. The last time I did I had to use a different wrench than the one that it came with. Don't know about the Hercules. Comment on the miter gauge The DeWalt is all right for rough work, but it's too wobbly for fine work. you can put some tape on miter gauge so it fits tighter in the slot but then it tends to bind. Don't know about the Hercules I never managed to get the insert perfectly flat with the table on my DeWalt but that might be a problem unique to my saw or me. Comment on the DeWalt fence - Seems like Mickey Mouse mechanism, cheap plastic and flimsy metal parts but mine has worked perfectly.
I personally use my radial arm saw or my router table for dado cuts, so that's insignificant to me. I'm basically sold on the Hercules, especially at the price.
I'm seriously considering the Hercules. It's between that or a Ridgid... Mostly because the Ridgid comes with a stand... Cheap one but good for portability and quickly setting up
Maybe a worm-drive... You can get great regular drive Skilsaws really cheap, so I don't see much advantage to Hercules making one. But making an affordable worm-drive would be awesome.
Great video, Bear! Certainly looks like a potential shop saw. I appreciate you running the saw through its paces. I'd be interested to know your thoughts and observations in a few months after you have utilized the saw on various projects. Have a great week and weekend! Mark
Oh yeah a small tip I saw on UA-cam, Miter gauge wiggle? (All my dewalts did). Use some painters tape to tighten it up, I had to put 2 strips on one side and one strip on the opposite side to get my miter gauge to be firm in the slot... No more problems, slides back and forth easily and has no wiggle!
The Freud Box Joint dado set will fit on the Dewalt arbor with the nut fully engaged which is why I bought the Dewalt, I got tired of changing setups on my main saw.
Not sure on the credit card. I had heard they were going to announce it in January. I also heard they lost their you know what when I broke the story on the card.
Not for a professional. Home owner / DYI sure why not. I make furniture as a hobby and I’ve given harbor freight power tools a go and sure they can get a project done but the longevity is not there sure HarborFreight has a great warranty system. But I don’t want to keep returning things I want to grab a tool and know it’s going to work. If you buy something of great quality it will last you
I own or have had the DeWalt 745 - 7480 and 7491 and a Milwaukee M18 cordless, got rid of the 745 and 7480, the 7480 was my go to saw, and you can do a dado-ish setup on it, using a Freud box cutter setup, of course it is not a full dsdo setup, but do some googling on it... the 7480 gets you a wider capability and you can gain 2 more inches by adjusting the fence nodes ( just remember to hand measure as the on board gauges are rendered useless, but you do get an even wider capability!) I do not recommend trying to go more than that as there will be problem with support. The 7480 is a great grab and go saw, loved it, also ran 7 1/4 " blades at my own risk, just do your research first, and be safe by all means. Kick back is a real threat, and I do not recommend anyone do this, but some of us do. Notice I do not talk about the 745 at all, it was lost in the mix once the 7480 arrived, now I am down to the 7491 which is the best DeWalt contractor saw in my opinion, it just is, and the Milwaukee M18 cordless, I went with the red saw due to the two miter slots vs one on the DeWalt...Freedom from cords is quite the experience! Power? Hell yeah enough to handle everything I have thrown at it and if I need a corded the 7491 is the aircraft carrier waiting offshore! The hercules looks interesting, and anyone else who thinks the DeWalt warranty is great? Yeah, just see how much shipping costs you for the repair! Harbor freight, you walk in and it's done, let's see hundreds to ship or walk in and be happy? People over look that fact. I may pick one up but does it lack the flip fence?
Nice review. I have a X5 Unisaw so I'm not in the market. It seems like a good saw. I will be interested to see if they respond to Dewalt with some good coupons.
I'd bet you have the smaller design. To push this out to the full 24" rip capacity they had to put two mounting points on the rack. If you want to cut less than 4" you have to move it. As in unclip it and move it then re-clip it. And lots of people don't like having to reach underneath every time you need to move the fence. Hence my comment about it being great when you are doing a lot of repeat cuts.
Can you talk about how accurate the fences were in regards to staying parallel to the blade when moving the fence ? Are both motors direct drive ? Thanks for the review..!!
I had no problem with accuracy with either fence system. and yes both are direct drive what you're going to find on all models of saws in this category. There are very few jobsite saws that are belt drive
Bear, what I found interesting is that it did not seem to reduce in power regardless of which type stock you used. I agree, I like the idea that the locking mechanism is of the blade guard for the zero clearance insert. I think that this would be a great tool for the jobsite. If you want better quality on different elments, hey, do what we all do....upgrade to your desires...Thanks for the review...God Bless.
Quick FAQ: 1. The DeWALT is the DWE7480. 2. TheDW on sale for $280 is a different model. It has 25% less power and a reduced rip capacity of only 20". 3. The Herc is not out yet, but should be out in the next couple of weeks. 4. The Herc is in the sale flyer for next month with a coupon of $299 5. Neither of these saws can run a Dado (Get a router, it works better) 6. The depth of cut is 3.5" (standard for all 10" table saws) 7. No, I will not send you the one I'm not keeping. 8.
Routers can be problematic for dados. The bit has a powerful tendency to wander, especially if you're using a miter gauge. The cutting force is all directed sideways-not an issue with a fence, but keeping the wood from slipping with miter gauge is very tough.
I run a jig like a track saw for them. The real drawback is doing multiple passes for depth. But considering how often I do dados it's not really an issue.
Da Bear - I would like to start my question with a little praise, after all Bears like a bit of honey, right? I started watching your videos a short time ago, maybe a couple of months.
At first I thought, what is it with this joker, he's using this animated bear to do his presentation? What's going on here? After awhile, I saw the knowledge & honesty in your video reviews, even the humor. I'm enjoying all of it.
So, here's the question, there's no wrong answer, but I just don't have enough experience with these compact 10 inch portable saws to know which is good and which is only so-so.
What do you think of these two choices?
SKILSAW SPT70WT-01 Portable Worm Drive Table Saw priced at $341.10
Bosch GTS1031 10-Inch Portable Jobsite Table Saw $349.00
Both have free shipping. They have some history and they're ~ $50.00 more than the Hercules.
Features of these are all somewhat different, but do you see a clear cut winner or loser here? (yes, I like puns)
Funny you should bring up the Bosch, the top of that saw is almost identical to the Herc. Same style of fence, same slots all of it. In fact, I was joking that the Herc seems like the illegitimate love child of the DW and the Bosch. That said the Bosch only offers a rip capacity of 18 inches. That is very limiting, making this a saw that is almost dedicated to ripping long thin stock. Both the Skilsaw and the Herc have much wider rip capacities. And you don't need to do full sheets of plywood for that to be an issue. I was to rip a 25" x 23" board down today. Too big to do in a single pass on the mitre saw and you couldn't do it on the Bosch. The skill saw is a great saw but not fantastic. It has a slightly lower depth of cut at 3 1/4" This means you can't rip a 4x4 in one pass like you can on the Herc. I'd say the Skilsaw and the Herc are about equal and the Bosch would be a step down. I really like the next model up Skilsaw but it also sells for over $500. Oh well.
@@denoftools Thank you.
You do have to spend some time setting the saw up... blade, fence, etc. But once done, the saw is great. Fairly compact which is Nice ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxXh-4_3-ZT1fFWP91ZV7iVqzElr0lEb-a I did get an Incra Miter Gauge which takes some setup as well. The stock miter gauge can be adjusted in the miter slot with a little painter's tape... this tightens up the side to side play a lot.
After I saw this vid, I went out and purchased the Hercules table saw almost 8 months ago & let me say, I’m really impressed with it. Regarding the miter gauge, I found the best way to solve the sticking issue was to use my dremel and polish the edges on the gauge & inside the track. Now it works flawlessly. Thanks for such a good source of info.
Can you see the gears that raise the blade? A lot of competitors to dewalt have plastic gears while the dewalt reportedly has metal gears.
Cast metal
The fence adjustment is going to be used more than any other feature I'd go with the DeWalt personally. The Hercules is no slouch though. Once again HF is putting out some quality tools.
That is my take too. Eyesight is going (52yrs) and that dontrast sold me
Bought the Hercules yesterday and really like it so far. Much better than the ryobi I was using. Thanks for the review
Oooh. It's here.
And I had just purchased a Dewalt over the past 30 or 40 days I think. No complaints. Nice to see the Hercules though.
I like the bigger surface on the Hercules and the ease of changing blades and riving knife adjustment. Hercules wins this one for me and it's less expensive.
Thanks for the video!
Thank you , Bear. I just bought one and still studying the layout. Happy to hear the pros and cons. Great video
Love the Bear.
1) Said make HF manager your friend. Did that.
2) Said HF Hercules jobsite saw was better than OK. Considered that.
3) Talked about changes to jobsite saw for OSHA requirements, said old model was better in some ways.
4) Watched 'old' display model in closeout drop from $330 to $300 to $272 to $263 and finally told manager we had a deal but wanted 90 day warranty thrown in.
5) Manager said can't do but can cut price to $150. I said 'deal'.
6) On the way to the cash register the Manager, unsolicited, further cut the price to $125!
7) Walked out the door happy, set up new saw, cut like budda, very nice blade.
Bear and HF rate high on my happiness scale! ;-)
Jeez, bear. It drives me absolutely nuts when I see people who don't use the effing guards and kickback arresters that come with the saw! At the minimum, the guard should have been addressed as a point of comparison to the guard on the DeWalt.
At that point, anybody who wants to put their fingers at risk, risk getting smacked by a kickback-propelled piece of wood can still do it.
As for me, I've been doing this stuff for 58 years and still have all of my fingers, eyes and unscarred skin. Even then, I don't count on the guard to protect me; I always take one last look to make sure my fingers are going to be on a safe path.
Work safe!
Looks like another winner, Harbor Freight is really stepping up their game... of course you can still buy the cheap line, but their upper end is definitely getting better. I personally have the ridgid jobsite table saw that I bought several years ago and still works well. A few dings and dents but still accurate. However I did buy the Hercules miter saw, and have been suitably impressed. Makes a great jobsite miter saw, and unbeatable warranty, walk in and grab a new one off the shelf....
I purchased this saw this past November and I have used it on a number of projects. I got it on sale for just a few dollars over 250. I am EXTENSIVELY impressed with the saw. With one exception and that is the miter gauge, that is indeed scrap. The blade was spot on true to the miter slots and the rip fence has been spot on square to the blade. I checked it for over an month with a machinists square for squareness and it was spot on every time. The saw has more than ample power. My advice to anyone thinking of getting this saw , go for it!
My dad's livelihood was carpentry and so was his dad. I picked up on the trade, and I am 63 yrs old. I have seen table saws come and go from home to portable. As you described on your video everybody's likes are different, 'Different Strokes for Different Folks". I myself like like this Hercules Table saw, the stow away compartments for the claw and other attachments. It feels strong and built strong!!! It does what it's suppose to do and more, yea you can say this is better or that is better. I do extra remolding work on the side and this machine is perfect for what I do, like garage attachments, home additions, decks, hanging and floating shelves, kitchen cabinets, etc...Bottom line it does just as good as the high dollar table saws. I am not disappointed at all!!!!
Totally agree on dado cutting. Stacks are great for stationary saws. Job site saws are not cabinet saws. I get your position on T-slots, but I prefer them. I wax them too -- bar and track.
Yep, add a little something to help them slide.
When ripping the 2x4 around 8:50 it is easier to rip half way down and then flip the board around and cut from the other side. This helps a lot if you don't have an outfeed table.
That is a pain in the ass if you have kickback pawls, you need to turn off the saw, lift the pawls and pull the work piece from the blade, that might not be a big deal for some, especially when you are working on your own time but on a job and you have multiple rips to make it is just too time consuming. Its a lot easier to just set up a roller stand or let the work fall on the floor.
It works but you will have a difference in cuts unless your stock is 100% perfect
This saw and the new 12 inch miter saw from them are without a doubt contractor grade. I would put either one up against the best and most expensive saws out. Also the new Diamondback tile saw from harbor freight is amazing as well. That’s another saw I would put up against the top brands. I will be owning all three soon. Harbor freight is clearly trying to ups their game in quality. Great job. I wouldn’t really get any of their other power tools but those three saws are simply amazing for the Price. By far the best bang for the buck.
I did not see what DeWalt you were comparing, so I compared it to my DW7491RS, and there is no comparison.
The DeWalt runs circles around that Hercules. It's not even close.
The Hercules was not in stock at my local HF, so I went online and ordered mine. I'm a novice, but locally I cannot find a good carpenter. The one carpenter that did show up quoted me $15,000.00 to build a deck onto my house. I have done projects in the past, but I am a trucker and only home on the weekends. I am going to take time off the road and build my own damn deck. The hell if I will pay that kind of loot. 😄👍🏼
Yeah, I priced out a 20' x 10' patio style deck and a guy quoted me $10k. It was a good thing he quoted that over the phone and not in person.
Contractors these days r the biggest scam artist u could find.
@@denoftools Well. Depends.
You live in a highly restrictive area? Or out in the boonies? You want to do it legal like? Or is the contractor "trusting" that youve done permits?
Idk. 10k os still insanity for some shit you and a buddy could put up in a weekend.
Edit: my point here was if he was talking about pulling permits and whatnot...just the survey work, unless you had it done very recently, is probly gonna cost ya a grand. At least. Permits, etc. Idk.
I could see 5k. If its very nice wood, a little more if ya wanted a roof. Im sure you could find someone to do it for 1-2k, though.
You may be irritated for the life of your deck with how they did it though. (Materials especially)
🤣
@@firghteningtruth7173depends, you add supports, railings, stairs, etc. And pay the carpenter a decent wage (say $30-40/hr after expenses) it adds up fast
Just bought the Hercules miter and table saw....love the both so far and the price was sweet.
Now that you’ve had the table saw for a while, how do you like it?
if I was jobsite table saw shopping I would end up going with the Skil wormdrive
IDEA! When you do these kinds of videos, get fuzzy bear costume gloves so it looks like the bear is still doing the review.
And do all tests at least 85 miles deep in the forest with some salmon jumping in the background.
@@relikvija 😂😂
Hey, love your channel. As an Harbor Freight Employee I use your information often when helping customers find the right tool for the job. I stumbled on something suggesting you are in Montana?! I work in Missoula so that was also very exciting. In regards to the warranty at HFT, please know that this depends on where your local store is. Some products only offer a "Repair" plan. In that case stores in say California, will actually need to send the product off for repair. In area's like Montana that is spread out and do not have a "local" repair place/person. Those plans are treated like a replacement. That broken tool is shipped back to the distribution center for repair.
Thanks for the heads up. We are in Livingston during the summer. Right now we are in Vegas.
The features are similar, and by the time you replace that crap blade in the Hercules, the price will be as well. That brings up the one area that HF seems to be kicking everyone else's behind. The warranty. Specifically, what do you have to do if you need to use it? Unless something has changed, with DeWalt, it's ship it to one of their warranty centers at your expense and wait. With the Hercules, you go to any Harbor Freight, and they give you a new one on the spot. That's arguably a pretty important point if your company or paycheck depends on that saw being there working. For home use, being able to change the blade easily means you're more likely to use the right blade for the cutting you'll be doing. On job sites, I don't think it matters much. I'm guessing most of the time, they do the cutting with whatever blade is installed at that time regardless.
The blade that comes with the Hercules is pretty good actually. I used it to cut finished material and the edge was flawless. The Dewalt ships with a much worse blade.
Great comparison. I must agree with you that each saw has it's pros and cons. No one saw will ever check all the boxes for all the buyers, so both have a market. Hercules though is really stepping up and giving Dewalt a run for their money. Quietly forcing Dewalt to lower their prices is a big deal in the grand scheme of things.
DeWalt has been playing that game for a few years now. With every drop in price we've also seen a drop in quality. It's to the point that the low end Dewalt tools are way over priced and sometimes even inferior to their budget counterparts.
Their high end stuff is worth the money if you have the need and budget for it. For the home DiYer I just can't really recommend them in most cases anymore. Sure they are good but not worth the price of the name.
Parent company Stanley/B&W HAS cheaper brands. They don't need to cheapen DeWalt.
@@dalesworld1308 You miss the point. Cheap low end tools are expected, but cheaply made high end tools yield higher profits for the parent company because people aren't expecting it. Most people will blame themselves for problems and not the high end tool.
That Hercules is impressive. Looks like a great saw!
I called 7 stores to find one in stock. When I finally found one in Victorville, I rushed over to buy it. Upon inspecting the display model, the fence would not lock. An employee confirmed the clamp was broken. That's a bad sign to me. I was so bummed because I thought I could save money by purchasing this saw instead of a dewalt! Now I have to go to Home Depot and spend more than I'd like.
I've had the DeWalt table saw, the one with the wheeled stand for a couple of years now. I really love it, especially the fence. The miter tool sucks. I use dado stacks on it. The legs lock and unlock very easily, takes 10 seconds to store the saw. That said, I chose the Hercules 12" miter saw and the Hercules stand as well. I wouldn't trade the DeWalt table saw but Hercules killed it on the Miter saw and the stand is also much better than the DeWalt.
Literally just bought one!!! So excited to use it!!
Can't really add since I don't make a living with a saw like this. So I can only comment on the quality of the review. And that would be excellent. You speak truth. What a concept these days.
Seems decent , cheaper saws usually have plastic motor housing and plastic cages , I have the dewalt jobsite saw with cart , it's nice and I just got it Thanksgiving time , after rebates and online orders , was a killer deal I believe the was model 7491 just over 400 bucks , the DeWalt cart is worth the money very nice.plus it has 31.5 in rip and quick release riving knife ect. Good job 👍 By the way This is WEALRO changed channel name before the give away.
Three things I noticed. Blade stopping time was vastly different. The Hercules took at least 12 seconds every time. The DeWalt never took more than 8 seconds. Two, it definitely looked like the wood moved much smoother on the DeWalt than the Hercules. Three, the two saws are now both $379. Based on what I saw, you talked me into the DeWalt. Except I'll go with the 7491.
I would like to see a 6 month side by side on the job site
Nice job on the comparison. I guess Harbor Freight has the " luxury" of obtaining a bunch of competitors tools and picking and choosing ( copying if you will) features from other manufactures. That being said I would agree with you that it is definitely a suitable choice for a small home shop. When I go to replace my current saw I will definitely consider the Hercules. Again, thanks for the review.
And their engineers
what’s wrong with your current table saw?😕
I’d have to say most companies “copy” the competition now. The only one that has been innovative lately is Saw Stop. All of the others copy something on each of their designs.
The very first table saw I ever used was one my dad made using a 4'x8' table with a standard skill saw bolted underneath it! Taped the trigger closed and tied the power cable to a light switch on the side (no light) and then ran the power to a wall plug. Switched on the light switch and the saw came on. Worked great! Of course, when he got the money to do so, he did upgrade to a real table saw which he incorporated into a permanent table as suggested here.
I own the Hercules and I really like it. Im not master carpenter by anymeans. I do home projects, I make boxes for my grandkids. It works great, it's accurate, easy to use. Im very happy with it.
Bear, you convinced me on the Herc. Miter saw. I bought mine last week. Unfortunately, I’m not as convinced about this. I’m going to avoid this table saw until they match the warranty on the miter saw. I also think I’d prefer the dewalt fence, although either of these will be better than the fence on my little Craftsman.
This is not nearly as cut and dried a decision as the miter saw to be sure. But I should point out they dropped the base price to $250. Which means you could buy the 1 year warranty for the same price.
Nice review Red man thanks for your opinion you did a good job.
Good job bear! I have the DeWALT & I love it, especially with it's rack & pinion fence system-BAR NONE! It is so exact on both sides! And BOO-BEAR-HOO on those who may bitch on moving the DeWALT's fence to retract or extend it out. And like you I too like how one can easily read the DeWALT's measuring tape on where your at-at any given moment! Merry Christmas to you, your cubs & momma bear! Now I'm gonna chomp down on the like button!
For me the fence is everything. Starting to rebuild a woodworking shop in a new house. Previous shop/house that got totally sold, I spent $600 on just an AM fence for my tablesaw. Bought a $400 DeWalt today and it's pretty darn good. Nothing like my old saw, but I do really like the fence.
Lots of great features in a small saw. For the type of woodworking I do, 32nds matter, so I went with a stationary cabinet style table saw with genuine Beismeyer fence. Honestly, that's the only way to get more accurate than a job site setup, but the cost jumps a LOT, and portability is zero. Either saw would benefit from the Freud 24T thin kerf rip blade (LU87R010). After using that blade, it never comes out of my saw, even for crosscuts or plywood.
Shine on, Red!
A Beismeyer fence, how primitive... ;)
If you want to be really accurate, get an Incra TS-LS fence system! :D
Jared Marshall....I am retired and do woodworking as a hobby. But my table saw is just a basic belt drive contractor type saw and doesn't have a good fence, and I certainly cannot afford to buy a real nice and accurate fence system , much less a new table saw. But what I do in order to get accuracy is this: I tape from the fence to the blade for whatever distance I need, then measure from the end of the fence over to the mitre slot,and with a careful eye-ball of where the tape touches a point on the mitre slot, I take that reading and go to the front of the fence and measure from there over to the same spot on the mitre slot and very lightly tap the fence one way or the other to get a matching point. I then go back to the end of the fence and double check the tape and adjust if needed. I know...this sounds like a lot of work, but I do this in well under 1 minute and I get very accurate results. I am retired..I'm not trying to set any speed records...I have time..I don't get in a hurry ( I did way too much of 'being in a hurry' in my 40 plus years of working. ). I too, deal with precise measurements. I have a Brown & Sharp dial caliper that I use constantly to check thicknesses and I can maintain tolerances of .01-.02 easily. A person doesn't necessarily need the latest & greatest table saw or mitre saw...or whatever... to get accurate results. Attention to detail and careful work can make up for not having high dollar tools. Sure, I would love to have a real nice cabinet saw and a helix planer, but that ain't gonna happen any time soon. So I use what I have and work smart, carefully, and accurately and use the most important tool ever developed...the brain...and produce real nice stuff.
@@marbleman52 The way I justified spending the money on an Incra TS-LS fence system is the time saved on cutting the wood down to the dimensions I need gives me more time actually building something with the wood. ;)
I don't strictly need the ability to just walk up to my saw, set the positioner, and cut a piece of wood to within 0.002 of the desired dimension with no measuring, but it sure does free up some time for other stuff.
@@markbeiser I understand, I really do. I get impatient sometimes by having to mess with my fence but I will just have to live with it until I can make a change. I'm not even sure if another fence could be fitted to my saw without a lot of modifications. To be honest, I have not actually looked into it that closely, so maybe it wouldn't be that involved. Maybe Santa will be nice to me this year; but what I think that I would like to have before a good fence would be a Helix planer...Santa are you listening..??? LOL..!!
@@marbleman52 Yeah, the planer thing is one I'm struggling with.
It is basically spend $600+tax/S&H for a lunchbox style one that still has all the same issues that come with lunchbox style planers, but cuts nicer, or spend a minimum of around $1800, with nothing in between. :(
Thanks Bear, nice job! Even though I already have a similar Ridgid saw I was looking forward to your review. I think the Hercules version is going to be popular.
I think the Hitachi wins. It's 340ish fold up stand with all the features of the DeWalt with increase cutting capacity plus soft start and motor brake.
which model? The only one acme has is 450
I paid for the fence system on my dw, I would again. I love any thing that can be dialed in, I can't stand to bump something into adjustment.
Wish this had come out before I purchased the Chicago electric table saw. It sucks! Got to get what you can though. Only $50 less than the DeWalt I probably would of still ended up with the Chicago Electric anyway. Nice Video Red.
I can't quite put my paws on it but this channel is unBEARable 😂🤣
Well done punmister.
I got the DeWalt table and the Hercules miter. The miter is just to damn good.
100% with you on the track/circ saw thing. My neighbor is walking around with half a finger from ripping on his table saw.
I like it Bear. Thanks again buddy
Do hardwood floors and love my dewalt (compact) saw. Used to have bosch, and dewalt contractor saws. They both have larger tops and large easy raise stands. This dawalt saw never leaves my van. Sold bothe, and purchaced the dewalt for $350 with scissor stand, black friday.
Got an open box deal for the Hercules today for $143! Ripped some solid 2x10”s on the stock 32t blade. Slight bogging down but man what a difference from my previous. And at less than half price a steal!
Wax the mitre attachment slot with car wax so it will ride smoother without binding.
Before the wax try rounding off the corners a little.
Then the wax, great idea.
High-end craftsmanship & a rack & pinion fence is an absolute must Bear! Or in other words, I'll take chocolate chip. On the other hand, the Hercules is a very close vanilla flavored alternative! 🧑
I really wanted to fall in love with this saw. With the miter saw, it was love at first sight, yours and other reviews prove my purchase to be a solid decision. I currently have a rigid 4513 jobsite saw that i paid $399 for. Honestly after seeing this review i am going to stick with my rigid which blows both these saws away. The herc. Just seemed to struggle far more than my current saw. The rigid is an amazing saw for the price. It is certainly not a pro cabinet saw. But the hurc at $349 and $299 with coupon. I will happily pay the extra $100 for the rigid with the stand and out of box precision. we all love you bear and your videos and opinions, but if you want to be truly safe on a table saw get a pair of microjig grripper pushblocks, far and away the best purchase i have ever made. That push stick you use, is an invitation to see how far wood can penetrate flesh.
I try to use the equipment that comes with the tool. I hate those push sticks though. And no, I would not switch for this saw.
At the same price point I would purchas a 8 1/4 Skillsaw worm drive at $419.00 for a small home shop. Better quality with all the features. Great video.
Here's why I prefer that DeWalt saw.
I don't value ease of blade changes or riving knife adjustability. Simply because I don't do it. I use a combination flat tooth blade and never find myself in a need to change it.
Also making big changes on the DeWalt is easy. You just unlock the fence and push the fence, rather than spending the adjustment dial.
In my opinion the DeWalt has the best fence and to me that's what is most important in a table saw.
However I'm really happy that all of these manufacturers are making better job site saws. More options and competition can only lead to better quality.
There are two positions for the fence. For full rip capacity it has to on the far right notch and for closer cutting, you have to move it to the near right notch. There is overlap but as I said, for "large changes" you have to move the fence. Maybe you have a different model.
@@denoftools yeah I probably have the cheaper model. I love it though.
also does the portion of the table under the fence, does that always slide with the fence? Might be hard to build a table around it if it does
No, but for the longer cuts yes.
Another great video! I bought mine like a week ago and it made my job way easier no joke.
Really intrigued by this saw. The problem I have with HF tools is that I'm afraid I'd get laughed off the job site if I showed up with this. Even though everything is made in China, and probably at the same factories.
Tbh who cares a tool is a tool doesn't matter what brand it's from as long as it's reliable and gets the job done then go for it of course do your research 1st before anything
Jjaaa 😂 eso me pasa ami con mis compañeros
I have had the "RANK AND PINKYTON" fence, they will go crapy on you just like the rest. Still have to measure front and back to make sure.
james mcarthur even worse when they skip a tooth and have to be taken apart. That’s a keeps a job productive lol
Another great review Red
Rack and pinion?
Oh well.... next....
One of the reasons us contractors do love this type of saws. I’m not brand biased, in fact I’m switching to skilsaw spt99-12 table saw for 3 reasons.
Improved rack n pinion fence (tighter then dewalt)
3-5/8” rip capacity (to rip 2x4s on its side in one pass) I do that suprisingly allot.
And worm drive motor ( chews thru even wettest 4x4 with ease) gobs of torque with no competition anywhere near.
All else can be fixed with jigs and some ingenuity
Few other pointers:
Dado problems? Almost any saw can take a 1/2-3/4” dado blade, just don’t be lazy and make ur self a zero clearance plate from mdf.
Bad miter square?
Those are made to be thrown away. Make a crosscut jig.
By the way, slightly larger table and blade set a big towards back of table is a big help for crosscut jigs. (More landing area before blade cut)
Rip capacity? Who cares about anything larger then 24”? We all work with 4’x8’ 97% of time, just subtract the cut off you need with the blade, and use the other side
My biggest problem with almost all tablesass/chop saws, and other stuff is adjustability. I adjust saws for friends regularly, and many companies do not account for movement in some places which sometimes require machining, filing and grinding. Nothing is ever square out of the box. But then again, as a finish carpenter/ kitchen installer.
Only brand I’d say I’m sort of loyal to is festool. Not everything they make is best, but they got some gems.
Love their (what I have)
Kapex ks120 chop saw
Ts55 track saw
Ec125 brushless sander 5” (easily swapabld to 6” head)
Their dust collectors
Of1010 (best hand held router ever)
Domino 500 jointer (their best tool ever) and a bunch of other minor jigs that work with their system approach
Their cordless stuff sux.
I go with Milwaukee for that.
Years ago I needed a table saw to rip larger pieces. I was looking at the cheap HF table saw (only one they had then) but it looked very flimsy and I had read that the fence was sloppy. I didn't want to spend $400 for a Dewalt 7480 but I ended up getting lucky and got it for $290 as a refurb. The saw arrived looking like a new one and I've been loving the rack and pinion fence ever since.
I've been using the cheap HF saw for a couple years. Even built a mini kitchen's cabinets and drawers with it. Right away, the fence clamp system broke when I tightened the barrel nut to try and make it clamp tighter. Had to use a dremel to cut a square hole on top of the handle of the fence clamp area and access the guts that are pinned in place. Problem was the metal fork inside, and the barrel nut that pushed against it... when tightened, the barrel nut bent one side of the fork, and pushed right through the fork. With the hole cut on top to access, was able to bend the fork back straight and put a washer between the barrel and fork, it now clamps tight, though still have to manually align it on both ends. Basically that cheap HF saw is still working and actually does ok (milled 4x4's with it the other day to match size of lumber on an old 1924 house)... but I've been eyeballin' this new Hercules saw. Blade on the HF is getting dull... $45 for new blade or $380 for a much, much better saw with new blade. As for the HF cheap saw, once the fence was fixed to hold tight.... it has a lot of inconveniences, but is still working after fairly regular use for a couple years.
it looks and sounds like a decent job site saw on the level of the Dewalt btw i did professional Woodworking for over 25 years and its been one of my hobbies for over 35 years now over the years ive tried just about every table saw out there and for portable ones the company i ran with over 40 installers we used the Dewalts exclusively as most of the installers preferred that brand all our saws were mounted to a 3/4” plywood base for stability and to clamp it onto a stand
Hey.......some guy broke into your shop and started using your table saws.
That's my pet human I keep him around for the dirty Jobs
For a second I thought it was a grown-up Goldilocks who had become rather masculine on her old(er) days
The Den of Tools I think it would be cool if the pet human had furry bear paws in these shots..🤣🤣🤣
i think this saw has it all & I love all it can do!
Thank you so much for the headphone warning icons!
For difference of fifty bucks I think I'll go with the proven tool. I had one until somebody decided to steal it off of a job I was doing...
Too bad they don't have a feature to chop off the fingers of thieves, huh? I'm all in favor of it. Perhaps a tracking device hidden under it somewhere might be a good idea. I'm considering investing in key tag trackers to glue under expensive equipment. Most thieves won't think to look for them much less remove them.
Looks like a decent portable table saw. Thanks for the review.
I went to HD to get the Dewalt for 10% off Lowes sale price. HD would not beat there price because it was not in a sale paper or something. Went back to Lowes and grabbed the sign and told them I would be back with it shortly. Finally after a discussion with the manager he tells the cashier.... Let him have it. Got mine for 245.00. I like the Dewalt. I have the bigger brother to this saw too. I also have a Dewalt hybrid saw that's still on a pallet in my box truck. Got that one for 490.00.
Great video of as usual Keep On Rockin in the Free World...
A good honest review bear. I would pick the bearcles
Looks like a good saw. I have a Bosch job site for a long time now and that does do dado. On the Dewalt unit I do like the measuring system better than mine.
I probably have the same Bosch as you. It's a good saw, but some of the features are a bit dated.
I bought the Herculies table saw. It was very nice, but I ended up returning it. Dewalt's fence system just seemed worth the extra money once I tried it. Also when I wanted to make a zero clearance insert, it seemed like there were a lot of videos on how to do that for more popular saws and aftermarket inserts too. Aside from the aforementioned issues, and the limited warranty, the saw seemed great. Fair warning, I got nailed with a nasty restocking fee...
I enjoy your videos. I've recently got into wood working as a hobby and these types of videos help me decide on tools. I know I could spend more on name brand but I've learned if it works ot works no matter the name..
I love the Hercules line of tools, 12" miter saw is an amazing tool right out of the box! and the price point can't be touched on quality or performance. I am purchasing this table saw was to use in my small 10X17 shop. it's going to replace a Kobalt work-site saw with the mobile base, 2 reasons 1- Size! plan to build a mobile cart with folding out feed table. 2- Price! with the right coupon this saw is a steal at under $275.00
Nice try harbor freight!
I'm looking forward to the Herc jobsite saw, but I'm afraid that HF is going to charge too much. If the difference is $50, I think I would get the DeWalt.
I just looked at the HF catalog for March, the Herc is $300 with a coupon. With Amazon Prime, the DeWalt is $279 with free shipping. I shop at HF to save money, but jn this case the DeWalt wins.
That's not the same song. This is the dwe7480. that other song is a smaller cheaper version of this song and doesn't have the same capacities as either of these
@@denoftoolsAh I see, my bad. At that price, the Herc does look more lucrative. However I'd still like to see prices in the $200-$280 range to make the Herc more appealing.
I'd like to see this saw at $250 with a one year warranty or $300 with a warranty and a stand.
@@denoftools that definitely sounds like a deal.
Nice saw. Would buy it but already own the Dewalt.
No 10” Dewalts available in Northern CA. Bought the Hercules today. It’s great.
Finally you've been giving me blue saws for a week
@david billa...I see what you did there!!!
Hey hey there! Family channel here. No talking about your "tools"
Comments before listening to Bear's summary
Hercules advantages
1. Arbor lock - arbor locks are nice
2. insert lock outside the inert
3. T-slots - seemed like it might be an advantage but the bear wasn't keen on this
4. Wider fence setting possible - not sure but it looks like it
5. Easier to adjust the riving knife height. I don't know why this would be an advantage. I've never changed the height of my riving knife but the bear thought it was and advantage so it probably is.
DeWalt advantages
1. Better fence position view. Mine was perfect out of the box and it has never needed adjustment. I can cut more accurately using it than I can by measuring the blade position.
2. Yellow and black colors (personal taste I'm not keen on the blue) plus colors match my other DeWalt tools.
3. More likely to see your saw on TV. Not an advantage to everybody but when I see a show and they're using my saw I like it.
4. Known to be very reliable
5. Better method of providing a support surface for the wood when the fence is extends past the saw surface.
ETA post bear: 6. I like the rack and pinion. I don't see any disadvantage. Good for fine adjust and you can just pull on the fence for large adjustments.
Neither one
no good place to store the miter gauge
Unknown
Dust collection
The blade mounting nut on my DeWalt can be difficult to loosen. The last time I did I had to use a different wrench than the one that it came with. Don't know about the Hercules.
Comment on the miter gauge
The DeWalt is all right for rough work, but it's too wobbly for fine work. you can put some tape on miter gauge so it fits tighter in the slot but then it tends to bind. Don't know about the Hercules
I never managed to get the insert perfectly flat with the table on my DeWalt but that might be a problem unique to my saw or me.
Comment on the DeWalt fence - Seems like Mickey Mouse mechanism, cheap plastic and flimsy metal parts but mine has worked perfectly.
I personally use my radial arm saw or my router table for dado cuts, so that's insignificant to me. I'm basically sold on the Hercules, especially at the price.
I'm seriously considering the Hercules. It's between that or a Ridgid... Mostly because the Ridgid comes with a stand... Cheap one but good for portability and quickly setting up
I need them to make a Hercules circular saw like yesterday! Great vid!
Maybe a worm-drive... You can get great regular drive Skilsaws really cheap, so I don't see much advantage to Hercules making one. But making an affordable worm-drive would be awesome.
Great video, Bear!
Certainly looks like a potential shop saw. I appreciate you running the saw through its paces. I'd be interested to know your thoughts and observations in a few months after you have utilized the saw on various projects.
Have a great week and weekend!
Mark
Oh yeah a small tip I saw on UA-cam, Miter gauge wiggle? (All my dewalts did). Use some painters tape to tighten it up, I had to put 2 strips on one side and one strip on the opposite side to get my miter gauge to be firm in the slot... No more problems, slides back and forth easily and has no wiggle!
Saw one in a box yesterday at my local HF store. Manteca CA.
Update. It's out of the box and ready to be fiddled with
The Freud Box Joint dado set will fit on the Dewalt arbor with the nut fully engaged which is why I bought the Dewalt, I got tired of changing setups on my main saw.
Was it the DWE7480? Because it clearly states no dado stacks.
AWESOME Mr Bear! Thanks for the video!. It nice ti see dewalt getting they're ass kicked once again.
When is the new store credit card coming out?
Not sure on the credit card. I had heard they were going to announce it in January. I also heard they lost their you know what when I broke the story on the card.
Not for a professional. Home owner / DYI sure why not.
I make furniture as a hobby and I’ve given harbor freight power tools a go and sure they can get a project done but the longevity is not there sure HarborFreight has a great warranty system. But I don’t want to keep returning things I want to grab a tool and know it’s going to work.
If you buy something of great quality it will last you
I own or have had the DeWalt 745 - 7480 and 7491 and a Milwaukee M18 cordless, got rid of the 745 and 7480, the 7480 was my go to saw, and you can do a dado-ish setup on it, using a Freud box cutter setup, of course it is not a full dsdo setup, but do some googling on it...
the 7480 gets you a wider capability and you can gain 2 more inches by adjusting the fence nodes ( just remember to hand measure as the on board gauges are rendered useless, but you do get an even wider capability!) I do not recommend trying to go more than that as there will be problem with support.
The 7480 is a great grab and go saw, loved it, also ran 7 1/4 " blades at my own risk, just do your research first, and be safe by all means. Kick back is a real threat, and I do not recommend anyone do this, but some of us do.
Notice I do not talk about the 745 at all, it was lost in the mix once the 7480 arrived, now I am down to the 7491 which is the best DeWalt contractor saw in my opinion, it just is, and the Milwaukee M18 cordless, I went with the red saw due to the two miter slots vs one on the DeWalt...Freedom from cords is quite the experience! Power? Hell yeah enough to handle everything I have thrown at it and if I need a corded the 7491 is the aircraft carrier waiting offshore!
The hercules looks interesting, and anyone else who thinks the DeWalt warranty is great? Yeah, just see how much shipping costs you for the repair! Harbor freight, you walk in and it's done, let's see hundreds to ship or walk in and be happy? People over look that fact. I may pick one up but does it lack the flip fence?
I love Dewalt but it the price on them forces me to find other alternatives and so far Hercules looks very sweet.
Although I was impressed with the Hercules I would still go with the DeWALT! Thanks Bear
Not the Milwaukee?
Nice review. I have a X5 Unisaw so I'm not in the market. It seems like a good saw. I will be interested to see if they respond to Dewalt with some good coupons.
Grizzly also has a 10" job sight saw. Listed on there sight as $365 plus shipping. Worth looking compared to these two.
It was just announced and had not been released when I did the video. I'd like to get my paws on one to test it out through.
This saw is a big boy toy never use one but very interesting thank you
Really disappointed there is no rack and pinion fence adjustment. Without that it is hard to compete with Dewalt.
There are negatives to the rack and pinion as well.
never like that. so used to tapping the fence after it gets close.
I'd bet you have the smaller design. To push this out to the full 24" rip capacity they had to put two mounting points on the rack. If you want to cut less than 4" you have to move it. As in unclip it and move it then re-clip it. And lots of people don't like having to reach underneath every time you need to move the fence. Hence my comment about it being great when you are doing a lot of repeat cuts.
Those fences don’t hold up to daily use. At least none of the 7-8 dewalts I’ve used over the years did. And a lot harder to adjust back to square
@@denoftools I have the saw and it takes about 5 seconds.
Man that is one nice. Looking table saw
Can you talk about how accurate the fences were in regards to staying parallel to the blade when moving the fence ? Are both motors direct drive ? Thanks for the review..!!
I had no problem with accuracy with either fence system. and yes both are direct drive what you're going to find on all models of saws in this category. There are very few jobsite saws that are belt drive
The Bosch TS 4xxx series runs a dado fine.
They DO offer a dado insert, so you don't even have to run the stack up through it.
Bear, what I found interesting is that it did not seem to reduce in power regardless of which type stock you used. I agree, I like the idea that the locking mechanism is of the blade guard for the zero clearance insert. I think that this would be a great tool for the jobsite. If you want better quality on different elments, hey, do what we all do....upgrade to your desires...Thanks for the review...God Bless.
My old open base Skil would give it a run for money. It’s an oldie but a goodie. Lol