Irwin Industrial Tools 3061001 Miter Saw Laser Guide

I never leave feedback on anything I buy, even though its a must for me before I purchase. I don't want to have to send something back that sucks, who does? It's only fair to help others as they had helped me.To start out, this was very simple to install. I was a little worried at first because on the package it came in, they state which brands it will work for. ( Bosch, Dewalt, etc.). I have a craftsman, and craftsman was not on the list. But, it did fit fine.You get this nice little zip up case that it comes in, along with 3 different threaded bolts. The bolts are there just in case your original bolt on your miter ends up being too short after you install the laser. I got lucky, and the bolt from my craftsman was long enough. Now that the laser is in the miter saw, the case really has no purpose?As far as performance goes... Ive used it for the first day now; I cut several pieces of wood and its perfect. I'm not sure about other miter's, but mine is mounted on the left of the blade, so when I align the laser perfectly on the cut line, the blade cuts just to the right. Its great... Id rather it do that than cut RIGHT on the line. Some people don't care about compensating for the width of the blade, but a lot do and its worth it.***NEGATIVE THOUGHTS:I'm not sure if its my saw (which Im sure it is) but as the laser turns on when I start the saw, and I bring the saw down to cut, the laser moves about a mm to the left as I come down. So, I really have to start the saw, bring the blade down almost all of the way, then line up my cut. I'm not sure if anyone else had this problem. Other than that, no other complaints.Overall, its worth the $20. It saves me the trouble of having to bring the blade down to the wood, and having to always cut my piece just a hair bigger to play it safe. Now, I just line up the line with the laser, and its on the money every time. Having to deal with bringing the blade down almost all of the way every time because of the slight misalignment of the laser isn't that big of a deal. I wish I could find a use for that zip up case it came with, its a decent little case that would be useful for something. I don't know what, but it is one of those things where one day you'll need it for something random. If your a perfectionist like me, you will definitely want this laser. Not only does it help make perfect cuts, it saves a little extra time too.

What I have to say is mostly redundant with other reviews, but there is strength in numbers so I'm writing anyway:1) Installation: dead simple on my DeWalt 713 10" saw. The saw's original arbor bolt is plenty long and there is more than adequate clearance from the blade guard. All that's involved is removing the bolt, inserting the laser between bolt head and blade, then retightening.2) Visibility of laser line: very good. I have used this only in my basement under strong fluorescent lighting, where it is more than adequate and has a width less than a mechanical pencil line. I suspect it would be fine in reasonably bright sunlight, but have not tested this.3) Accuracy and reproducibility: very good. As noted by some reviewers, the laser line as installed shines roughly a kerf to the left of where the blade actually cuts. Whether this is due to distortion of the case at installation (as suggested by others) or something else, I cannot say. There is no physical reason it couldn't point directly to the middle of the actual kerf, but this doesn't particularly bother me since it is completely reproducible over many successive cuts. The bottom line is that, if you can accurately mark a piece of stock, you can accurately cut it with this guide.4) Reliability: has worked for 25-50 hours of cutting without fail.Overall, it gets 4 stars rather than 5 from me only because of the very minor offset issue. A nice, simple product that works reproducibly well.

This is perfect upgrade for my 10 year old 12" Delta Sidekick. No more squatting and eyeballing to get the perfect cut when it really matters. This little Irwin Laser Guide replaces the outer blade shim washer and the original arbor bolt can be used as is (no need to use the included arbor bolts). The Laser Guide seems to be almost the exact thickness as the washer, so there wasn't any interference when the blade cover closes. It's simply a perfectly designed fit.Auto on/off --- brilliant.Keyed arbor mounting (a square hole on the back) -- auto centering. No worries about centering or wobble. it fit the Sidekick perfectly.The laser line is very bright and narrow -- thinner than 1mm -- maybe 0.5mm, similar to a fineline mechanical pencil; and the blade cuts precisely next to that line (which makes sense since the laser is mounted facing the blade face itself).NOTE: Use a "thin kerf" carbide blade (Freud had a nice 80T FTG offering: ASIN = B000IOVGOM) if you want to "keep the line". A thick kerf blade would "take the line" since the width of the carbide teeth extend significantly beyond the face of the blade, which is the reference plane for the laser.For $25, I'm 100% pleased with my purchase and the installation and operation of this product.Something this simple, and purposeful, and cheap is a delight and rare in life.I LOVE IT!!!!PS: As an added bonus: I noticed that the built-in protractor on my sidekick needs adjustment (rather, the blade needs slight re-alignment with the protractor). The laser casts a line over the whole cut width, and I noticed that it didn't precisely square up with the cut line I'd made with a carpenter square --- hmmmm.Nice going, Irwin. And thanks again.

My husband purchased this same product in 2014 and it worked beautifully. The one we purchased in Sept of this year never worked at all. Don't waste your time and money like we did trying new batteries, if it does not work straight out of the package, return it right then. I am out $100 because the seller won't even offer help with a fix or a replacement.