10 Best Mitre Saws of 2024

One of the bigger names in home DIY kit, Evolution are famous for their blades and loved for their honest wallet-friendly prices. The Evolution R210CMS is right down there in terms of price, as it costs just a fraction of the big Bosch GCM8SJL, but still provides decent cutting ability for a budget chop saw.

I’m a big fan of how small and light this little saw is. Weighing less than 6 kg, this little machine could almost fit in your pocket. It doesn’t have a huge cutting capacity, but if you’re tackling standard bits of timber then it’ll get the job done. And thanks to the amazing TCT multi-material blade, you’re not limited to cutting wood either. You can get stuck into plastics, aluminium and even steel if you need to!

This budget saw doesn’t come without its drawbacks though. It suffers from a clunky mitre table that struggles to lock into place, and for the money, you don’t get a work light to keep things illuminated. Nevertheless, this is a solid and honest little saw that will get the job done.

The success of this saw depends on what you want to do with it though. Even though it’s got a handle on top, it weighs more than 17 kg so it’s not that portable. I wouldn’t want to carry it up flights of stairs every day, so I think this is more of a workshop saw than a job site one.

If, like me, you haven’t got tons of space for all your woodworking gear then the overall footprint of this tool is a bit too big. The sliding section and mitre table control arm stick out too much for it to sit on anything other than my folding Workmate, which isn’t as solid as a proper bench.

I can’t fault this mitre saw for power, capacity, or ruggedness. It’s extremely capable and would be an asset to any professional joiner or fitter. But, for me, I don’t need most of the features and prefer a saw that is lighter to carry and takes up less space when not in use.

Anyone who’s used a battery-operated DeWalt knows why they’re considered some of the best cordless mitre saws you can get. Ergonomically designed, tough enough for the job site and packed with clever refinements, the sliding single bevel  DeWalt DCS365N-XJ is ready to work wherever you need it. It also only weighs around 12 kg with the battery.

What makes this one of the best mitre saws for accurate cutting is the XPS cutline system. Instead of using a laser guide, DeWalt have opted for a shadow cast by two LED lights above the blade. Not only does it show exactly where the blade will hit but the exact width of whatever blade you have installed. It’s brilliant.

Don’t forget this is a “bare” tool that will need batteries. You can use any existing XR 18V battery, but you should really go for a high Amp hour unit to get a decent amount of running time.

The Evolution R255SMS+ is one of Evolution Power Tool’s most popular compound mitre saws. This version does not have a double bevel feature like the Evolution R255CMS-DB+ (where the saw arm can be tilted both left and right to 45°), but it’s significantly cheaper.

Both these Evolution mitre saws feature the same 2,000-Watt motor, as long as you have a 230-volt power supply, use the same 255 mm circular blade and share similar features like Evolution Power Tool’s proprietary multi-material cutting technology.

If you don’t need the double-bevel feature, then the R255SMS+ is a very viable alternative to the R255CMS-DB+. This high quality powerful saw is one of the best DIY mitre saws on the market.

It’s perfectly suited to a casual DIYer that wants to cut timber at angles but doesn’t want to splash out on extra features they might never use. You don’t get a laser guide or work light to help you out, but it’s perfectly fine for basic woodworking.

It’s the build quality that lets this saw down for me. The plastic parts, especially the safety lever, feel a bit too sharp and flexible for a saw that’s spinning around at 5,000 rpm. It doesn’t fill me full of confidence to be brutally honest. It’s an honest saw but I don’t know if it’s built to last.

Forming part of Bosch’s “blue” line of professional-level power tools, the Bosch GCM 18V-216 is one of the best compact cordless mitre saws on the market. It makes use of Bosch Professional BITURBO technology – a high-performance combination of their best Pro Core batteries and brushless motors specifically designed for cordless work.

This cordless mitre saw is a beast – it has the equivalent cutting power to a 1,600 Watt corded version and a 216 mm saw blade that offers unrivalled cutting capacity, but you do pay for it in weight as it’s a hefty 16 kg with the battery in place.

The technical data shows that this Bosch mitre saw is more than capable of handling large pieces of timber without having to flip them over, which is great for timber framing DIY projects but probably a bit unwieldy for more precise work. You get a laser guide and work light built-in, and a sturdy work handle for transportation.

Another trusted tool brand from Japan, Ryobi have been making life easier for DIYers and professionals since 1945. Their ONE+ battery system is great; you can share any battery in the range and power up anything from a lawnmower to what we think is one of the best cordless mitre saws for the money.

This Ryobi cordless mitre saw is more of a lightweight mitre saw than Bosch’s version. It’s just over 8 kg with the battery in place, so it’s truly portable if you need to carry it up several flights of stairs. You do lose out on a fair amount of cutting capacity however.

The only drawback of this saw is the smaller cutting capacity than most of the competition because it doesn’t feature a slide and it’s only a single bevel unit. However, it’s a noticeably light mitre saw and still large enough to cut smaller sizes of timber.

I’m well aware of DeWalt’s pedigree when it comes to powered saws, but even I was blown away by the telescopic slide-out function. Initially thinking it was a basic up-and-down chop saw due to its small footprint, I almost couldn’t believe that it can cut timbers up to 250 x 60 mm! And because the slide telescopes out, you don’t need acres of room behind the saw, making it ideal for the tiny workshop.

I need to take some marks off for the slightly uncomfortable handle and lack of a left-handed safety button, but that’s about all I don’t like about this saw. I can pick it up and carry it around by the two large handles without breaking a sweat, then put it down and cut accurately thanks to the phenomenal XPS shadow line technology. This saw is a cut above the rest.

It does suffer from the same problem as the Bosch, unfortunately. For me, one of the things I look for in a “small” mitre saw is portability and a small footprint for storage. I don’t use a mitre saw every day, so it’s difficult to justify giving over a huge section of my shed to this big beast.

However, if you’re a DIYer that struggles with large bits of wood and needs the extra capacity, it’s ideal. It might not be quite as solid as the Bosch, with a slightly flimsy fence and bendy plastic control knobs, but it’s a lot less expensive as well! This is a decent saw from one of the better German tool brands, that makes sense if cut capacity is your number one priority.

The Lumberjack SCMS254DB is a sliding compound mitre saw that offers great value for money. For the price, you might expect it to be lacking in features, but it proves to be one of the best double-bevel mitre saws you can get hold of.

The build quality is excellent with a solid cast aluminium base that gives extra strength and rigidity to the saw, making it feel very sturdy even though it weighs a relatively light 16.5 kg. It’s powerful as well, the 2,000-Watt motor delivers a no-load speed of 4,500 rpm to power the 10″ (255 mm) blade, which is more than enough for most basic DIY projects.

The angle and depth adjustors are solid and ensure precise cutting. This is backed up by the precision laser guide. And because of the sliding function, workpieces up to 12″ (305 mm) in width can be cut without turning the piece over.

One of our favourite features is the double bevelled sawing arm- you can tilt the saw both ways, saving you having to flip your workpiece over.

For the serious DIYer or professional this value for money mitre saw is one of the best 10-inch mitre saws around and is well worth considering. If you are on a budget, this might be the best mitre saw to suit your needs.