Motor: 15 amp; belt drive; no soft start; blade brake; 4,000 rpm
Miter angle: 50° left to 60° right; stops at: 12°, 22.5°, 31.6°, 45°; detent override
Bevel angle: 47° left to 48° right; stops at 22.5°, 33.9°, 45°; detent override
Horizontal cut width at 3/4 in.: 12 1/8 in. at 90° (15 1/4 in. with special setup), 8 5/8 in. at 45°
Horizontal cut depth: 3 1/2 in.
Vertical cut height at ¾ in.: 5 1/2-in. through cut at 90°; 5 1/2-shave cut at 45°
Nested crown capacity: 6 1/4 in.
Dust collection: 2 lb. 13 oz.
Weight: 55 lb.
Price: $600

Website: deltamachinery.com

Comments: Delta hasn’t made a miter saw in many years, so this new model has been a highly anticipated one. In lieu of a rail system, the head of the “Cruzer” rides on robotic-style arms similar to the Axial Glide system Bosch employs, except it’s significantly smaller and lighter than the Bosch. It can be pushed up tight to a wall and has a compact footprint, with all controls up front. I have to say right off the bat that I really liked using this saw. The bevel controls were among the most user-friendly. It has detent overrides in both miter and bevel setting, and the slide mechanism is incredibly smooth with a tensioning adjustment on each arm to dial in a resistance you like. It’s easy to calibrate, and though the head is stiff when chopping, the action feels stout and efficient. Initially, I had issues with the blade guard sticking in the up position, but that was easily remedied by loosening the nut; I think Delta could do a better job with this, as most other blade guards can’t be overtightened. Also, there is the possibility for the blade guard to get hung up on the cord—another potential safety issue. The dust port on the Delta is close to the saw’s handle and so it’s difficult to make a good connection without jamming the fitting in. I think either the handle or the fitting will break in time in the field. The saw cut effortlessly and well through all of the material in the test and made decent-quality miter cuts in the chop setting. Chop-cutting accuracy at 90° was on par with other saws at 1/256 inch in 4 inches and slide accuracy was good at 1/128 inch in 12 inches. While the 90° straight cuts were good, slide miter cuts were only fair. The blade shows some measurable and visible wobble and the head has some deflection. Overall, this is a decent saw for remodeling and framing, though I wouldn’t recommend this as a go-to trim saw; it’s just not accurate enough for flawless miters in casing, base, or crown.