Flooring tool review
DEWALT DWS779 Miter Saw Review
Buy the DEWALT DWS779 if you are installing flooring, trim or a deck and you want one saw that crosscuts almost anything you will carry into a house, because at around $399 it is the least compromised 12 inch slider most homeowners will ever need. Skip it if you want the laser-accurate cut line, since that is the one feature DEWALT deliberately left out of this model and put in the pricier DWS780.
DEWALT DWS779 12-Inch Double Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw
about $399
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| Spec | DEWALT DWS779 12-Inch Double Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw |
|---|---|
| Motor | 15 amp, 3,800 RPM |
| Blade | 12 inch |
| Crosscut capacity | 2x14 at 90 degrees, 2x10 at 45 degrees |
| Miter range | 60 degrees right, 50 degrees left, 10 positive stops |
| Bevel range | 49 degrees left and right |
| Molding capacity | Crown up to 7-1/2 in nested, base up to 6-3/4 in vertical |
| Dust collection | Captures over 75 percent of dust generated, bag included |
| Rails | Dual horizontal steel with linear ball bearings |
Specs come from DEWALT's published product bullets returned by the Creators API. Price is approximate.
What the capacity numbers mean on a real floor
DEWALT publishes 2x14 at 90 degrees and 2x10 at 45 degrees. In practice that covers every crosscut in a flooring job with room to spare, because the widest thing you will cut is a plank, and it covers stair treads, deck framing and 2x12 stringers as well. The tall sliding fences support base molding up to 6-3/4 inches vertically, which is the number that matters if you are replacing baseboards at the same time as the floor, and it is where smaller 10 inch saws start forcing you to lay the molding flat and compound the angle.
DWS779 or DWS780: the one difference
The DWS780 costs roughly $250 more and the extra buys the XPS light, which casts a shadow of the actual blade onto the workpiece so you can see the cut line without calibrating a laser. It is genuinely good, and it is genuinely optional. Everything else, the motor, the rails, the capacities, the detent plate, is shared. If you are cutting painted trim where a half millimeter shows, the light earns its money. If you are cutting flooring underlayment, deck boards and studs, it does not.
Does owning it beat paying an installer?
Flooring quotes are labor-heavy, and the saw is only worth buying if you are displacing enough of that labor. Put your real square footage into the flooring installation cost calculator and look at what the labor line alone comes to. On a 400 square foot room the saw is often more than the labor you would save. On a whole floor of a house it disappears into the savings. The material choice moves the number far more than the tool does, which is why it is worth reading hardwood vs laminate flooring cost before you buy anything at all.
Dust, and the bag you will stop using
DEWALT claims over 75 percent dust capture, and that figure is with the collection system connected properly. The supplied bag fills fast and leaks fine dust, which is why almost everyone ends up hooking the port to a vacuum instead. Indoors, on a floor you are about to finish, a HEPA dust extractor with automatic filter cleaning is the difference between working in a room and rebuilding it afterwards. If you are cutting in a house built before 1978, assume painted trim may contain lead and follow lead-safe practice rather than sanding or sawing it dry.
The honest weakness: it arrives needing calibration, and the fence is not sacred
A recurring theme in owner reports is that the saw is not square out of the box. The bevel stops and the fence commonly need adjusting before the first real cut, and if you skip that step you will blame the saw for gaps that are your setup. Budget half an hour with a reliable square before you cut anything that matters. The other limitation is that the detent plate stops are convenient rather than precise, so for miters that must close perfectly, cut a test piece and adjust off the stop rather than trusting it.
What owners consistently report
The consistent picture across published owner reviews is a saw that is accurate once dialled in, powerful enough that it does not bog in hardwood, and let down by its dust bag and its stock blade. Replacing the blade with a higher tooth count model for finish work is the single most repeated recommendation. Complaints about the missing XPS light are common from trim carpenters and rare from everyone else, which is a fair summary of who should pay more for the DWS780.
Who it suits
- Flooring, baseboard and trim installs
- Deck framing, stairs and fence rails
- Anyone who already owns a table saw and needs accurate crosscuts
- Buyers who want DWS780 capability without paying for the light
Who should skip it
- Fine trim work where seeing the exact cut line saves repeat cuts
- Small apartments with no space for a saw plus infeed and outfeed support
- Jobs that are entirely rip cuts, where a table saw or track saw is the tool
Safety, stated plainly
A sliding miter saw throws small offcuts hard. Never hold a cut piece against the fence with your hand on the offcut side, clamp anything short rather than gripping it, and keep both hands outside the blade path marked on the base. Let the blade reach full speed before entering the work and let it stop before lifting, because raising a spinning blade out of a cut is how pieces get thrown. Wear eye and hearing protection, and never remove the blade guard to see the line better.
Alternatives worth comparing
about $649
The same saw with the XPS shadow-line light, which shows the true kerf without calibration and is worth the difference only if you cut finish trim where a half millimeter is visible.
View on Amazonabout $139
A quarter of the price and only 24 pounds, which makes it the right answer for a single room of flooring or trim where you do not need 12 inch capacity or a double bevel.
View on Amazonabout $499
Runs off the same 20V batteries as a combo kit, which matters on a jobsite or an outdoor deck build where dragging a cord to a GFCI outlet is the daily annoyance.
View on AmazonHow we researched this
We did not test the DEWALT DWS779 12-Inch Double Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw in person, and nothing here is written as though we did. This review is drawn from the manufacturer's published specifications, the product's own documentation, and the consensus of published owner reviews, which is summarised as exactly that rather than presented as our own use. Specifications are sourced as noted under the table above, and prices are approximate and move. Cost figures elsewhere on this site are 2026 estimates, not quotes. This is researched information, not professional advice: anything touching electrical, gas, structural, roofing or hazardous material work should go to a licensed professional and through your local permitting process. For the cost side of this decision, see Hardwood vs Laminate.
Frequently asked questions
DEWALT DWS779 vs DWS780: which should I buy?
They are mechanically the same saw with the same motor, rails and capacities. The DWS780 adds the XPS shadow-line light, which projects the blade shadow onto the workpiece. Buy the DWS780 if you cut finish trim and want the cut line visible without calibration. Buy the DWS779 and spend the difference on a better blade if you are cutting flooring, framing and deck material.
Can the DWS779 cut 4x4 posts?
Yes, in one pass at 90 degrees. DEWALT publishes 2x14 crosscut capacity at 90 degrees, which comfortably covers a nominal 4x4. At a 45 degree miter the capacity drops to 2x10, so an angled cut through a 4x4 may need the workpiece rotated and cut from two sides.
Does the DWS779 come with a stand?
No. The saw ships with a blade wrench, a material clamp and a dust bag, and the stand is sold separately. Any solid work surface at a comfortable height works, but the saw needs support level with its table on both sides for long pieces, otherwise the offcut drops and the cut closes on the blade.
Is a 12 inch miter saw overkill for laminate flooring?
For the planks alone, yes. A 10 inch saw cuts laminate and vinyl plank easily and costs much less. The 12 inch capacity earns its place when the same project includes baseboards, stair nosings, door casings or deck framing, which is usually what happens once the floor is up.
Do I need a special blade for flooring?
For engineered wood and laminate, a high tooth count fine-finish blade produces far less chipping than the general purpose blade most saws ship with. Laminate in particular is abrasive and will dull a standard blade quickly, so a blade rated for laminate or melamine is worth buying at the same time as the saw.