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Metabo HPT 18V MultiVolt™ Cordless 10-Inch Single Bevel Miter Saw Kit, C1810DFA

Metabo HPT 18V MultiVolt™ Cordless 10-Inch Single Bevel Miter Saw

4/5

Manufacturer: Metabo HPT
Model number: C1810DFA
Power source: Cordless (Li-Ion)
Motor size: 18V
Weight: 19.6

Features and Specifications | Metabo HPT 10-Inch Cordless Miter Saw (Model C1810DFA)

Features:

• Brushless Motor with electronic brake feature
• Designed with Metabo HPTs 18/36V Multivolt platform
• Xact CUT LED Shadow System
• Super lightweight for easy portability
• Single-bevel w/ aluminum swing out guide fence
• Metabo HPT 5-year warranty on tool body only
• Kit Includes: 10 in. Miter saw, 18V/36V MultiVolt Battery ( 5.0 Ah), Charger

Specifications:

• Motor: 18V, Brushless
• Cuts/Charge: 180 2 x 4 cuts
• Miter Range: +/- 52 degrees
• Bevel Range: 45 degrees (left only)
• Max Cut (90 degrees): 5  21/32 in.
• Max Cut  (45 degrees): 4 in.
• Blade Diameter: 1o in.
• Arbor Diameter: 5/8 in.
• Cutting Speed (no load): 3,800 RPMs
• Tool body weight: 19.6 lbs

Overall Power & Performance

Miter Cut Features & Performance

The basic vertical (as opposed to beveled) miter cut on dimensional lumber is where the all-new Metabo HPT 10-Inch Cordless Miter Saw (model C1810DFA) really shines. It finds a great balance between portability, power, and battery life. We hate having to swap out battery packs more than once or twice a day for a cordless job site miter saw. And it’s also frustrating to lug a heavy and awkwardly balanced saw to and from the site each day. Lastly, we are propoents of the “measure twice, cut once” saying. This saw met all those criteria. It is light, powerful, has great battery life, and was very accurate with pre-set detents, angle measure guide, and the shadow line feature.

Our favorite feature for this miter saw was the intuitive shadow line alignment design. A thumb-located button on the handle assembly turns on an LED light inside the blade guard housing. The shadow cast from the blade is inherently centered on the blade loaded. We measured it against a speed square marked line in the pic below and it was spot on. it also worked great when the saw was set to any of the preset detent miter settings.

The detent adjustment lever and locking handle were also simple yet sturdy. They operate independantly, with the handle tightened securly by turning it clockwise. Once loose, the detent catch can be disengaged by pressing down the lever and swinging the handle to the left or right. IT’s a basic design. But that only means it likely weighs less and has virtually no parts to break or fail.

Bevel-Cut Features & Performance

The bevel cut performance wasn’t good in terms of accuracy. In the pic below we had to cut a few standard 45 degree mitered corners and decided to see how the bevel cut felt. The degree accuracy was within 0.1 degrees which worked perfectly for the rough framing we needed to get done. There was enough room to the left of the saw for us to safely grip the lumber. We also had a good line of sight with the compact size of the saw easily allowing us to see the blade contact th material without leaning or hunching over.

The bevel angle indicator is again very basic but works well. We wouldn’t have minded seeing Metabo HPT use a clear plastic window with red alignment line here. But it works and we’re already in the practice of calibrating the setting at the beginning of each job. Since it’s also located at the back of the saw under the motor housing it’s out of the way enough to make it unlikely to get knocked out of alignment very often.

There is a locking handle on the backside of the saw (standard design here) to lock the bevel angle in place. But it was interesting that it is a left-handed (or counter-clockwise) tightening thread design. This took a little bit of getting used to as our other saws have a standard thread style on these locking handles. The level is also not adjustable via spring tension like other saws we;ve used. Again, it worked fine but would be an easy addition to future saw versions.

Dust Collection Port

The Metabo HPT 10-Inch Cordless Miter Saw (model C1810DFA) comes with a dust collection bag. But we quickly put it aside and hooked the saw up to our shopvac. It sports a standard 2 in. port opening. There is a cut out section on the bottom of the receiving flange. This seemed to make the pressure connection a little less secure. The location and angle of the port made it easy to access and quite effective at dust collection. So having to reconnect the vacuum hose a few times was a minor consideration overall.

Ergonomics & Design Features

Aluminum Swing Out Guide Fence

The fence design on the model C1810DFA is unique. There is a pivoting or “swing out” extension integrated into the fence. It serves 2 purposes; added height when stacked or a fence extension when turned outward. When stacked, the overall fence height is 4 in. and when in the extended position is around 2 5/8 in. tall. The fence is made of cast aluminum, adding to the overall lightweight design of the saw. The swing out extension also ensures the guide fence is out of the way of the blade when performing a maximum 45 degree bevel cut. If the fence is stacked, the blade would cut the corner off the fence.

Guide Fence in “stacked position”

Notice that the hold down attachment is removed in the picture below. There is a through hole in both separate sections of the fence. This allows the hold down attachment to be installed in either configuration. But this design also poses its own challenge which we discuss in the recommendations section later on.

Guide Fence in “extended position”

The right-hand side of the fence, or the section to the right of the blade, is fixed. There is no option to move the swinging fence section to this side as it would likely hit the motor housing anyways when cutting. It’s approximately 2 3/8 in. tall and works fine for securing 2x dimensional lumber as well as a variety of common trim materials. There is an optional hold down mount behind this section of the fence as well.

Cast Aluminum Base

We appreciate thoughtful design and convenience. When like to use workpiece supports when we can as it makes the cutting more stable which means increased accuracy and safety. The base height is smartly built to match the dimensional height of a common 2×4, or approximately 3 1/2 in. We can almost always find a scrap of framing lumber somewhenre on site, so this makes it a breeze to set up impromptu, and properly tall, material support extensions.

Trigger & Handle Assembly Design

This saw is meant for right-handed operation. We’ve used other saws where the handle design seemed to be more left-hand friendly but everything about the all-new Metabo HPT 10-Inch Cordless Miter Saw (model C1810DFA) screams right-handed use only. The Thumb switch and trigger are both right aligned. And the LED shadow light button is found on the left side of the handle assembly as well. This isn’t a terrible design, just a conscious decision by Metabo HPT to build the saw in a way that adds convenience to the major of user — right-handed folks. The thumb safety switch and trigger both operate smoothly, and we have zero issues with either. We weren’t bothered by a lack of rubber over mold either as the handle shape was just fine throughout a whole day of job site use.

Recommendations

While this is a solid overall miter saw by Metabo HPT, there are 2 notes we made while using it. First, let’s caveat that, as most PROs, we rarely use the hold down clamp on the jobsite. That said, if you DO use the hold down for 90-degree miter cuts, it needs to be mounted on the left-hand side of the blade. When mounted on the right, the hold down post comes into direct contact with the motor housing. Again, this was a rare occurence since we don;t use it much.

The Metabo HPT Multivolt battery that came with the kit (and worked great) has 4 battery status indicator bars on it. The built-in indicator on the saw only has 2. We would like to see Metabo HPT redesign their all-new 10-Inch Cordless Miter Saw (model C1810DFA) with 4 indicator lights built into the saw display. This way you can know exactly how much battery you have left while you operate the saw. They should also consider adding an auto shut off timer for the LED light as it stays on indefinitely. This can unnecessarily waste battery power.

Overall Impressions and Takeaways | Metabo HPT 10-Inch Cordless Miter Saw (Model C1810DFA)

This was a well performing saw that shines in a few key areas.  It’s super lightweight and portable. It also has a great shadow cutline and overall potential battery performance. The common detents were accurate and easy to adjust. This is a good balance for most of the basic yet essential features we look for in a portable, cordless job site miter saw. We recommend Metabo HPT adds an auto shutoff timer for the LED light. They could also consider moving the right hand hold down mount an inch further away for the blade. If you already own Metabo HPT 18V cordless tools or are looking to pick up a cordless 10 in. miter saw, then this saw might be worth grabbing sooner than later.

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