# Bosch glide saw versus Festool Kapex



## TomB19 (Jan 4, 2013)

I don't own any Festools but I respect the brand and could probably choke down the price but I'm not entirely delighted by reviews which cite a requirement of Festool blades.

Is the Bosch glide saw in the same league? I'm not sure I care about the variable speed of the Kapex and I have a miter angle finder.

One thing the Festool does appear to have over the Bosch is less bench depth requirement. I don't have a ton of space and I am looking to replace an old DeWalt 708 slider that requires acres of bench space.

I'd like to have the saw at the side of my shop because my workspace doubles as a garage.

Any advice would be appreciated.


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

I'm in a similar boat. I like the bosch glide saw a lot, especially after having my hands on one and since they came out with a 10" model and I have only 10" blades, an investment that alone would represent two Kapex saws. I like the lack of belts on the Kapex, but the proprietary blades combined with the price are a big turn off. I've never needed a variable speed miter saw so that doesn't represent a feature to me. The only other 10" saw that (I know of) uses gear drive only with a double bevel is the Makita LS1013. But with that comes with the same problem not being able to locate the saw close to the wall due to the extension back from the base.


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## woodchuckerNJ (Dec 4, 2013)

No it's not.

There are problems with it cutting square. Many people talk about it in reviews. A guy explained that if he concentrates he can get the cut to be perfectly square. But what if you don't.. it doesn't. Apparently it's finicky.

He would not buy it again given the chance. I like the saw, but that's a big issue.
On the other hand the kapex is almost 2 times the price.

The saw does not offer a nice laser. I believe it should have a laser as good as the Kapex, , not blade mounted.
It should offer both sides and very fine lines. But they didn't include it. I know, for fine work you don't need a laser. But there are many times it does come in handy. And if it were as good as the Kapex, you could use it for fine work.

So no it's not as good.


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## Buckethead (Apr 14, 2013)

I was looking at that saw as well. It seems like a pretty sweet saw, and bosch has a reputation as being among the more accurate cutting saws in the price class. My 12" CMS is a Bosch, and I can count on it to provide good cuts. It's just getting up there in age. It's also not a slider. The glide just looks like a great solution. Sad to hear that there are issues with accuracy.

The Kapex is sweet, but as others have mentioned, it just feels like getting robbed for blades.

A wise man once told me: "It ain't the gun, it's the bullets". (He was referring to the more expensive paslode paper collated nails to the generic plastic collated, when I was considering a paslode framing nailer over a far superior but slightly more expensive hitachi.)


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## TomB19 (Jan 4, 2013)

Thanks for the replies so far. Good info.

The hitachi C12LSH also appears to be condusive to mounting close to a wall.


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## woodchuckerNJ (Dec 4, 2013)

Yeti, what bothers you about the belts?
You have a belt on your tablesaw.

I am not worried by the belts. I used to have that Makita until I dropped it down the stairs to the basement. I miss that saw. I need a new one.. I bought a cheap HF unit for $5 at a garage sale… it sucks, so I am also in the market.

I looked at the Hitachi, would really like something with a handle like the bosch. But zero wall clearance. The Kapex is by far the best… But over priced.

The Kapex, does accept other blades though. Forrest makes blades, as do a numer of other manufacturers offer the hole pattern of the Kapex… a euro mount. I've never seen a blade thrown, so I don't understand this. But they claim it is necessary for the blade brake..


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

Is the Bosch glide saw in the same league?

Not even close. Bosch is a nice saw, but the Kapex

is King. Try one for 30 days if you don't love it take it

back no questions asked.

Their customer service is world renowned and second to none.


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## Fish22 (Nov 16, 2009)

I have the hitachi 12 inch slider and it fits closer to the wall than my older Bosch 10 slider. I believe that the Kapex can use other blades, at least I have seen people stating that on the FOG.


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## MarkDavisson (Apr 26, 2009)

I had an opportunity to do a side-by-side comparison between the Kapex and the Hitachi 12-inch slider. I made 90-, 45- and 22.5-degree cuts using just the factory indexing, and then checked the results of each. Both saws passed with flying colors. I saw/felt differences between the two saws, but I couldn't say one was superior to the other - there were just differences.

$399 at Menards for the Hitachi, and use your favorite blade. That's a $1,000 price difference.


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## JAAune (Jan 22, 2012)

Blades don't seem to be an issue on the Kapex for us. We've had the machine in the shop for about three years and haven't done anything more than clean the original. It might need sharpening in another year.


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## TomB19 (Jan 4, 2013)

Thanks, everyone.


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

I have had the Hitachi C12RSH for about a year now … great saw.


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

My tablesaw has 3 v-belts, not a proprietary multi-ribbed belt design that I certainly wouldn't find in a hardware store in a pinch. Ultimately it boils down to the KISS design principle. Having a belt when not needed adds cost, size, weight, maintenance, complexity and reduces efficiency.


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## longgone (May 5, 2009)

I have owned a Kapex for a couple of years now and prior to it I had the Bosch slider. The Bosch frequently had alignment problems and I was glad when I sold it and bought the Kapex. Sure, it is more money…but I don't mind the extra investment because I don't plan on replacing it.

I view the blades as consumables that can be sharpened a number of times before needing replacing… I think of them like tires for my van…I buy good ones but they still need to be replaced after a while.


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

The bosch slider wasn't the saw the op was considering. I agree completely, with the tire analogy, only if your replacement tires were only available at the dealer where you bought your van and virtually zero tire shops had any thing that would fit.


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## stevepeterson (Dec 17, 2009)

I have the Bosch glide and am perfectly happy with it. My workbench is 33" deep and nothing sticks into the isle. A 25" deep workbench might be possible. It would stick out 8" with the blade at 90 degrees, but would be flush with the edge if the blade was turned after you are finished.

I suspect that the Kapex is in another league, but so is the price.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

Kapex for $1000.00 in Denver's Craiglist, claims to be brand new:

http://denver.craigslist.org/tls/4475487055.html


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## shawnmasterson (Jan 24, 2013)

I have an older dewalt12" slider. I set it up on a 24" bench and cut a hole in the wall. I framed in a bump out.


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## TomB19 (Jan 4, 2013)

I admire the resolve involved in cutting a slot behind the slider (not joking, either) but I'm not that dedicated to this hobby. lol!


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## shawnmasterson (Jan 24, 2013)

IMHO if you are not that dedicated then you probably shouldn't be considering a Kapex. That is a lot of saw.
Well to be fair that side of the garage is where I stack my firewood, so no one will ever see it until I sell and then who cares. I would rather do it that way then spend a butt load of money on a saw. and if you are right and the blades for the Kapex are only sold by festool then that would stop me dead in my tracks. I will never be pigeon holed into buying blades from 1 place. also I hate the handle design on the Kapex.


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## glass (Sep 20, 2012)

I own the cm10gsd. It's a great saw and very accurate. I have spent plenty of time behind the kapex so here goes. Both are accurate. I have zero problems with the bosch for accuracy. The bosch has more power and cuts 5 1/2" vertically. It's smooth and uses 10" blades. It has a more comfortable handle trigger set up. It has a detente override which I use often. It's 650 the kapex is 1400. Buy the bosch a good blade and the makita 7 1/2 slider all for 1200. The kapex has dual lasers( I hate lasers bother the eyes). It's light so if you are on the go often with small jobs it's a better choice. Kapex has better dust collection but must be used with dust collection. The kapex cannot be used with a generator. If you have a crew or work on large sites it's an expensive piece for others to use. The kapex is quieter and has a softer start. I do find the bevel mechanism on the kapex more enjoyable to use but it's silly safety 2 trigger thing has carpeal tunnel written all over it. I have a piece of wood in the safety of the bosch so I just can pull the trigger and I can hold the guard up with my thumb for long bevel cuts. There is more but beer is calling.


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

Why can't the Kapex be used with a generator?


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## wmixon (May 24, 2014)

Those are both nice tools!


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## RogerM (Oct 31, 2011)

I have used a Kapex for almost 3 years. The cut quality, reliability and accuracy are superb and I believe would be difficult to beat. The price is high for a reason, it simply works very well. It will be up to each individual to decide if he needs this kind of quality at this price.


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## glass (Sep 20, 2012)

the electronics do not like the generator


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

In the end, those of us who have played around with tools for a few decades know, from that experience, no one companies does all things right or perfectly.

Bosch makes mixers, scroll saws, miters, levels and so on. Festool makes a lot of different things too, though no mixers, I suspect. I wrote the worst review I could on a Bosh quarter sheet sander, and it was justified. As to my Festool sanders, yes, I like them, but they are far from perfect. All one need do is look into reviews talking about vague breaking in periods for the Festool sanders to get a clue about how they compare to other sanders.

My hardwood supplier abandoned his Kpex for a Hitachi, because cutting 4/4 and thicker stock intermittently throughout the day taxed it too much.

Meanwhile, regarding accurate miters, I fight my Bosch a lot. On the other hand, the [non-compound] Delta it replaced produced reliable, dead on, picture frame quality miters for years (I "upgraded," oops).

In the end, I'd like to see actual picture frame miter cut comparisons of various saws, along with notes on their adjustability (e.g., the Bosch relies on the ENTIRE fence for accurate 90's and angles, so, if the face is off, so is the set up).

[Yes, it's an old thread, but information is information]


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## Woodmaster1 (Apr 26, 2011)

I use the Bosch at my woodworking club shop it's ok but I just purchased the Delta miter saw it was accurate out of the box. I will have to give it some to see how it holds up.


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