Swarts tools 305mm 12" sliding compound mitre saw drop saw
I'm a newbie so please excuse any clumsiness in this post.
Forum members might be interested in the new cheapo tools on the market through eBay - Swarts brand. I recently found myBosch GTM 12 combination mitre and table saw, although a high quality machine, did not have the capacity that I needed to cut tapers on some 90 mm Huon Pine table legs for a table that I am making so I upgraded to a Hare and Forbes SB-12 and decided to sell the GTM-12 (would be nice if the ebay buyer would pay me!). That potentially leaves me without a drop mitre saw so I started looking around. Now, I am a hobbyist so spending a lot of money is not sensible and having purchased a new table saw I thought that I should look for an inexpensive mitre saw. I read about the 909 and read the review by Jordswoodshop but was concerned that the supplied blade is quite coarse. A better blade for fine work adds at least another $100 so the saw cost goes to close to $400.
The Swarts tools 305 mm saw on eBay, however, comes with a 100 tooth blade. I emailed the seller and asked if the saw cut true and if there was any wobble in the blade (a real problem I had with a past Ryobi table saw). He said the blade ran and cut true on his saws. The saw has similar (not quite as good but OK for my use) spec to the 909 saw except that it only offers one sided (left) bevels instead of both sides. It lists at an eBay "buy it now price" of $275 including freight. I decided to be cheeky and made a "best offer" $50 lower. To my surprise that was accepted and the saw arrived very promptly via Couriers Please.
So - what is it like? The basic build quality seems OK but the finishing of unimportant items like decals is poor. Out of the box the set-up was poor to non-existent. The fence was crooked and the stops on the bevel angle were wrong. Don't even think of using this saw without going through a setup routine. BUT, the good news is that the machine is more easily adjustable than many more expensive saws (e.g. the Bosch) and can be set to make accurate cuts. The blade does run true as far as I can tell so far and certainly makes lovely smooth cut surfaces. The laser guide is a bolted-on battery operated one but does seem to be pretty good and at least is in-line with the blade, unlike the Bosch as supplied which needed to be adjusted with a very clunky setup.
Overall, a cheapie but a goodie for a weekend warrior that knows how to check their angles.
Just a quick note from Swarts Tools
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Xanthorrhoeas
A bit of an update for you on the saw. It's still going, but overall I think that its a good example of "you get what you pay for" and I have to say I'm a bit disappointed. I guess I shouldn't be given the price, but I have had some trouble getting it to keep correct cutting angles so a fair bit of fiddling around required. I bought a digital angle finder to help and that has improved things, but my earlier review was a bit too positive I fear.:- Live and learn, at least I still have the Bosch as the eBay buyer defaulted!:(
I understand your concerns about the saw, alot of manufacturers would not like this but we welcome it. We are only new in the market and are still working to make our tools perfect. We constantly strive to make our tools better and I am happy to inform the readers that the problem has been solved and our Australian quality control team will work harder to make sure it doesnt ever happen again. We double check all the angles in our Australian quality control and adjust accordingly. As readers would know it is important to be able to adjust the rip fence, as sometimes you need to do that unique cut but now we make everything perfect before it leaves so you dont have to. It was a simple problem with an easy fix. It is only loosening 4 bolts. Please note to all future customers we do have a 30 day money back garuntee if you are not satified and a full 2 year warranty, not that you will need it. We have one of the lowest return rates in the industry.
Thank you
Swarts Tools
Best response I have seen from a tool vendor and a great example of a real review
I have not bought or used a Swarts tool and have no connection to the company in any way. I am however really impressed with this thread.
The original poster Xanthorrhoeas posted a good clear review and then kept it current with his experience. The vendor then clearly accepted his comments and addressed them. Going into detail on how the issue would be fixed ongoing.
What a great example of an effective product review that can only occur on an independent forum like this.
Kudos to both of you.
Spbookie
Hi Swarts tools - want to swap?
I am really glad to hear that the new model is much better than the one that I bought, as it has been relegated to its carton and sits gathering dust in a storage shed. If you would like to swap me a new model for the old one I'll gladly update my review for you!:D
European Swarts Mitre saw video
First time poster, long time reader.
Looking into one of these Swarts machines myself and couldn't resist chiming in! This SCMS model is like a UK companies with their 'SIP 01504'
check out their video,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQaTTFsrX0w
in response to Binary01's questions regarding the dials for the mitre angles being plastic or not from the video its very likely plastic and the needle pointer is its only adjustable part. Im almost convinced its actually a sticker
At a distance the SIP version 'locking mitre' post and bevel angle display look identical to, if not, very similar to the Bosch PCM 1800 SD. The Swarts version does have a slightly different base so the video probably doesn't help clarify if the mitre angle guide as first thought.
Hope this helps someone else take the plunge to road test one of these! Diddums I would love a little more information how your mitre saw is now going. Can you confirm the plastic mitre angle indicator plate? any dramatic slop or lateral movement in the blade?
Im very curious myself how close to a wall you can put this thing. whats the measurement from the front of the working fence to the back of the guide posts?
A dud is still a dud in my view
Quote:
Originally Posted by
tdrumnut
One interesting feature of this saw is the 3 year warranty. :U
Aldi have a 3 year warranty too, but in their case if you raise a problem (have just done this) they just send you a new unit. Swarts do not do that.
My Swarts version had a two-year warranty. I thought that impressive at the time, but despite my early positive view of the gear now I find that I am stuck with a dud in a carton in a storage shed. That original unit was a crude machine with significant accuracy problems but Swarts was not prepared to replace it when the model was found to be faulty compared to its replacement version. I haven't been able to bring myself to offer the machine for sale as I would feel guilty if someone were to buy it.
Swarts are keen to rescue their reputation and boast about their new gear but are not prepared to replace their earlier (by their admission) dud. What does that tell you about them? I'll leave it up to you, but I am not impressed and will never deal with them again. OK it was only(!!!) a couple of hundred dollars (still hurt$ when a total waste), but a dud product is a dud product (even if later versions are claimed to be better) and poor support is poor support. A decent company would replace or refund for a dud, not obfuscate, like they have. IMHO there is no excuse for that.
I have some really good gear (Hammer, Minimax etc.) so I know what quality is. But, for less-used gear I usually buy less expensive stuff. I am only a hobbyist after all. I still expect goods to be "fit for purpose" under Australian law. Swarts failed that requirement for me and did not come to the party when I invited them to.
If others wish to purchase Swarts then do so at your own risk and good luck to you. I hope that you have a better experience with Swarts than I have. I would recommend that you spend a bit more and buy better quality gear. In my experience the quality pays off long after the pain of the price is forgotten.
Full range of spare parts
Quote:
Originally Posted by
xgrain
Anyone offer a review vs its Ozito SCMS-1812 or 909 305db or Triton XT305SCMS(which looks remarkably like the Ozito) counterparts?
Both on the cheaper side of mitre saws for sure, however the next step us around the $800-$1000. If one was comparing these lower end type of units would one come out any better than the other.
For example are spare parts available for the Swarts?
Hi xgrain,
Thank you for your interest in our saw. Yes we keep a full range of spare parts in stock in our Sydney warehouse. We also have a 7 year parts guarantee in which if we for some reason discontinue a line we will stock the parts for a minimum of 7 years after or we will refund your original purchase as we know there is nothing worse that buying a new tool then finding out a couple of years later you cant get parts for it. In saying that though we wont be discontinuing this saw any time soon as its a great seller.
As for the review I will leave that up to other forum members to give you but I can assure you through high quality manufacturing, Australian quality control and personal customer service our saw far surpasses the Ozito.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Sincerely
Samuel Jones
General Manager
Swarts Tools