A new cordless saw has been announced. It is the Dewalt 60V Max Flexvolt DCS781 Brushless 12″ Double Bevel Sliding Miter Saw! Let’s check it out below.
Disclosure: This is not a review, this is tool news. Tool Craze cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information/specifications/features of any tool listed in this article. Manufacturer marketing claims may not always meet expectations. Tool Craze is not responsible if products do not live up to claimed expectations. Please do your full research before buying any products. Tool Craze is an Amazon Associate. Also an affiliate with the Home Depot, Acme Tools, Ohio Power Tool, Tool Nut. As well as an affiliate with Lowe’s, Ebay, and Walmart and places affiliate links to these retailers. If you purchase through a link on the Tool Craze site, Tool Craze may get a share of the sale.
Dewalt 60V Max Flexvolt DCS781 Brushless 12″ Double Bevel Sliding Miter Saw – Main Features
This isn’t Dewalt’s first cordless double bevel sliding 12 inch miter saw, the DHS790 is. When that model came out, it was their flagship miter saw, with all their bells and whistles. It was the cordless version of their DWS780 model. Back then, the cordless DHS790 while being a Flexvolt power tool, used two Flexvolt batteries to operate. That made it a 120V Max power tool.
With that history lesson out of the way, this new DCS781 model is also a cordless 12 inch double bevel sliding miter saw. It also runs on Dewalt Flexvolt batteries. So what makes it different? Well, for one thing, it only needs one battery to operate. This is a huge deal as you no longer need two Flexvolt batts to operate. That also means this new model is a 60V Max power tool as well.
The one battery requirement means that if you only have two Flexvolt batteries and one runs out, you can swap batteries for a fresh one. This means you can charge one while you use the other. If you had the 120V miter saw and only had two batteries and both ran out, then you had to stop working until both were charged again. Unless you had the 120V AC adapter, you could keep on going but only if there was available grid power. At the time of writing, there isn’t an AC adaptor accessory for this new model. Dewalt also hasn’t mentioned if there will be one in the future.
Dewalt 60V Max Flexvolt DCS781 Brushless 12″ Double Bevel Sliding Miter Saw – Future Tech
This new miter saw has some very futuristic tech built in. The original cordless 12 inch sliding miter saw, the DHS790 required two batteries (2x6ah=12ah total) and could get up to a rated 289 cross cuts in 3-1/4″ baseboard. This new model can get up to 675 cuts in 3-1/4″ MDF baseboard. And also up to 255 cuts in pressure treated 4×4 lumber. Both runtime figures are given when using just a single DCB609 (9ah) battery. How is it this new model can get over double the cuts with just one battery? This is thanks to technology also found in Hybrid and Electric vehicles – regenerative braking! Yes you heard right, this miter saw uses regenerative breaking to recharge the battery to extend its runtime. That’s crazy!
Dewalt 60V Max Flexvolt DCS781 Brushless 12″ Double Bevel Sliding Miter Saw – Efficient Drivetrain
Dewalt has long been using drive belts on their miter saws. Drive belts eventually wear out and need replacing. So why did Dewalt use them in the first place? That’s because it allowed them to place the motor out of the way of the cutting area for greater vertical cutting capacity. Other brands like Milwaukee & Makita figured out a way to maintain large vertical cutting capacities without using belts. They did this with shafts and gears and Dewalt is following suit this time around. Dewalt is using what they call a bevel-drive transmission. They say it reduces power losses that may occur with belt drives and is also what helps this saw achieve such great runtime.
The new motor and drivetrain looks like a chunky angle grinder was bolted on. This new drivetrain also helps them keep the motor on the right side while also not getting in the way of large cuts..
Dewalt 60V Max Flexvolt DCS781 Brushless 12″ Double Bevel Sliding Miter Saw – Cut Capacities
Thanks to the new drivetrain configuration, this model still retains a large cut capacity. As shown above, it can cut tall crown molding vertically up to 6-1/2″ standing up or nested on its tall fences. Horizontal cut capacity can cut up to 12-3/16″ wide lumber. Though both vertical and horizontal capacities are very large, they run shy of the DHS790’s vertical cut capacity. And are similar to its standard horizontal cut capacity. I say standard because the DHS790 can cut horizontally up to 2×14 lumber horizontally with its regular fences. However with the fences removed, you can cut up to 2×16 lumber with the DHS790. A similar feature is not mentioned for the DCS781.
Dewalt 60V Max Flexvolt DCS781 Brushless 12″ Double Bevel Sliding Miter Saw – Rated Performance
I can confirm that the previous 120V DHS790 model is very powerful, just as powerful as a corded saw. Dewalt doesn’t mention how powerful this new cordless miter saw is compared to the DHS790. But they do say it has 20% more power than the Milwaukee M18 Fuel 12″ Dual Bevel Sliding Miter Saw when used with a 12.0ah battery. That should give you an idea of its cutting performance.
Dewalt 60V Max Flexvolt DCS781 Brushless 12″ Double Bevel Sliding Miter Saw – Double Bevel
As mentioned in the name of this tool, it can double bevel. What is double bevel? Miter saws can usually tilt sideways in one direction to make bevel cuts. But not all can bevel on both sides. This saw can bevel in both directions. This is better than single bevel because lets say you wanted to make a bevel cut on both ends of a board, you’d have to flip the board over to cut both ends with a single bevel saw. With a double bevel saw, you wouldn’t need to flip the board over as it can bevel cut in the other direction. While not a necessary feature, it is nice to have and can also save time and hassle.
Dewalt 60V Max Flexvolt DCS781 Brushless 12″ Double Bevel Sliding Miter Saw – CUTLINE LED Blade Positioning System
This saw features what Dewalt calls the cutline LED blade positioning system. That’s their marketing term for having a shadow cut line. Rather than lasers to cast a cut line on the piece, it uses LED’s to cast a shadow line where the blade will cut. A shadow cutline is superior to a laser because they usually do not need to be calibrated and are said to account for the thickness of the blade. One downside to the shadow line is that it may hard to see if at all if it’s bright outside. But the same is true of lasers as well. It works well indoors though. Dewalt has been using this type of cut line system for a long time now.
Dewalt 60V Max Flexvolt DCS781 Brushless 12″ Double Bevel Sliding Miter Saw – Miter Angles
It appears that it can cut miter angles up to 50 degrees to the left and up to 60 degrees to the right. Another benefit to it going all the way to the right at 60 degrees is that when in this position, it has a small footprint. This helps with storing this saw as it’s a large power tool. It also helps when getting through doors. I like that Dewalt uses a cam lock to lock miter angles in place. It also uses a finger paddle underneath to move between popular miter angle detents.
Dewalt 60V Max Flexvolt DCS781 Brushless 12″ Double Bevel Sliding Miter Saw – Dust Collection
Dust collection is a standard feature on most if not all miter saws. They usually come with a bag that collects some of the dust created when cutting. This method helps but still gets messy when working indoors as it doesn’t collect all dust. A vacuum can be attached via it’s integrated bag/vac port. This helps greatly but how good it does usually varies from model to model. Dewalt claims that this miter saw can capture up to 94% of dust created when connected to a dust extractor vacuum. This claim is also based on when cutting 2×10 SPF and when using a DCB609 battery. The vac port uses a standard AirLock port which has excellent integration with Dewalt branded extractors. This vac port is also compatible with 1-7/8″ & 2-1/2″ wet/dry vacs with the included adaptor.
Dewalt 60V Max Flexvolt DCS781 Brushless 12″ Double Bevel Sliding Miter Saw – Other Features
It has an updated locking tab in the rear to lock the sliding rails in addition to the locking rail knob. You can lock the rails with the tab in a almost fully extended position as shown above. Or use the tab to lock the rails with the blade almost fully backed up for use as a chop saw with no sliding.
You can expect heavy duty build quality with a sturdy thick metal base. It comes with the standard material clamp that can be positioned left or right. Not their best one but it is better than some of the worst out there. One thing I found interesting is that this model comes with side extensions. Side extensions aren’t necessary if you use a miter saw stand as those come with side supports. But side extensions come in very handy when used without a miter saw stand. Even with a stand, they are handy as they can support shorter boards with ease. The saw weighs in at 50.9 lbs as a baretool.
You’ll find a large carry handle on the top of the tool. You’ll also find two integrated carry handles built into the sides of the base. A blade wrench is included to change out the blade and can be stored on the rear for easy access. A button on the operating handle allows to use the LED shadow cut line system at will.
Dewalt 60V Max Flexvolt DCS781 Brushless 12″ Double Bevel Sliding Miter Saw – Negatives
Just about everything about this saw sounds like it’s better than the previous DHS790, right? Well most but not everything. As mentioned earlier, the DHS790 still reigns king when it comes to max horizontal and vertical cut capacities. The vertical capacity is slightly larger on the DHS790. And there’s no mention of removable fences to reveal a backfence for even larger horizontal cutting like the DHS790 can – up to 2×16 lumber. Another neat feature the DHS790 has is that it could use the 120V AC adaptor accessory to use as a corded saw for unlimited runtime when plugged in. As of the time of writing, this new DCS781 saw doesn’t have an AC adaptor accessory for plug in use. That means that if all your batteries are dead, you can’t work until one is charged. However we can counter argue that thanks to the efficient drivetrain and regenerative braking, this saw gets such great runtime you probably wont need an AC adaptor accessory. One battery gets you ridiculous runtime and if you need more, users can just buy one or more extra batteries.
Another negative is the price. This new model is more expensive than the previous DHS790 miter saw at the time of writing. Currently, the DHS790AT2 kit is priced at $799 which includes two 6ah batteries, a dual charger, and the AC adaptor. The DCS781X1 kit is priced higher at $849 and comes with one (larger 9ah) battery, and single 6amp charger.
Dewalt 60V Max Flexvolt DCS781 Brushless 12″ Double Bevel Sliding Miter Saw – Pricing & Availability
You can expect this saw to launch February 2023. It will be sold as a baretool DCS781B for $699 and as a kit DCS781X1 for $849. The DCS781X1 kit includes the DCS781 miter saw, a DCB609 9ah battery, DCB1106 6amp Charger, Blade, Blade Wrench, Material Clamp, Stabilizer Bar, Vacuum Adapter, Dust Bag, Base Extensions.
- EFFICIENT DUST CAPTURE Up to 94% of dust captured when cutting 2×10 SPF using DWV015 Dust Extractor (sold separately), when using DCB609 battery.
- DUAL-FITTING DUST PORT Standard AirLock
port for seamless integration with DEWALT extractors, also compatible with standard 1-7/8 in. & 2-1/2 in. wet/dry vacuums with included adapter. (Extractors and wet/dry vacuums sold separately.) - OPTIMIZED CAPACITY Cuts 6-1/2 in. Baseboard Vertically, 6-1/2 in. Crown Molding Nested & 12-3/16 in. wide lumber.
- PROVEN ACCURACY – CUTLINE blade positioning system provides adjustment-free cut line indication.
- CONVENIENT PORTABILITY Optimized design weighs only 50.9 lb (bare tool) for easy transport.
- BEVEL-GEAR TRANSMISSION delivers fast, reliable cutting and is designed to reduce the power losses that may occur with belt-drive designs.
- EASE OF USE: Easy blade change and cut depth, miter and bevel cut adjustment.
DISCLOSURE:
Tool Craze does not sell this product or any product on the Tool Craze website. Also Tool Craze does not handle the sale of any item in any way. Tool Craze is an Acme Tools affiliate and an Amazon Associate. And places affiliate links including those from other retailers Tool Craze is an affiliate partner with. If you purchase through a link on the Tool Craze site; Tool Craze may get a share of the sale. Please refer to the About section for more info. Tool Craze cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information/specifications/features of any tool listed in this article. Please do your full research before buying any products.
The post Dewalt 60V Max Flexvolt DCS781 Brushless 12″ Double Bevel Sliding Miter Saw – The Future Of Cordless Power Tools Is Here! appeared first on Tool Craze.