I have purchased a few Makita refurbed items in the past with very good luck.

It's been many years, but I think it was this place.
https://www.cpooutlets.com/makita-tools.html

And I think that the place above, or a place like it does sell on Amazon.

I have the DWS779 and really like it. The laser shadow line works really well.
The only think I don't like about it is the kick at start up.

ok, the laser

see above

but it makes things easier for DIYers - wish I had one

I have an old Delta 10" mitre box it must be 30 years old ! It has been and continues to be a great power tool . Nothing fancy just solid/reliable . If I had to do it all over again I would go 12" . A slide type might be more versatile but I question long term precision . Laser lines to me are a gimmick , worthless if outside just give me a pencil and straight edge/square .

I've never had a laser, and I'm unlikely to start now. As you said, pencil and square and I'm good.

I've also heard that sliding saws, unless higher end with more robust mechanisms are less precise than non-sliding.

It's making me wonder if the solution is 12" non-sliding saw AND table saw with a nice sliding miter table/jig/thingy for wider cuts than a 12" non-sliding saw can manage.

That's something I never did before, but it seems like jigs are the way to go for a lot of cuts so you get better, more precise and accurate cuts.

Why the hate for the laser?
I still use a pencil line. Just one more thing to ensure an accurate cut.
Still works outside, just not in direct sunlight.

That saw I pictured is really accurate. We would measure one piece, cut it, check it, then set up a stop so all the next pieces were the same. Building walls and then cutting the blocking pieces for the floor was a piece of cake with it.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1606857143.jpg

I use the Bosch multiple times per week. Was well worth it.

I have a refurbished Ryobi sliding saw. It was priced very well for its quality.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004KW2W2I/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=bestmitersawguide-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B00 4KW2W2I&adid=0NR0D6YF693C42VHFBWF&
I’m not a precision woodworker, but it’s a great tool for the occasional diy project.

My .02 I like the Dws779. I have the standard dewalt 12" compound miter saw and wish I had the radial arm like the 779. There are projects I've done where the radial arm would be really nice. For most of the cutting you mentioned in your OP, a standard compound miter saw would do the job.

Chair rail and flooring need nothing special. As to crown, size matters, as does how you do it. ;)

I cut crown standing up. No need for a slide, but I want a tall fence. I actually add a plywood fence to the fence, with a stop at the top, as a stop for the crown.

So I cut it like this(pictures taken from online, not mine):
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1606870757.jpg


With a fence like this for a stop:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1606870757.JPG

You can buy jigs with the stops at the bottom (first pic above) but with the stops at the top near the blade, I find it more stable.

I was out at the shop today. This is our set up. Mounted up against the wall. Its a Biesemeyer system I bought long ago. I have no idea what the heck they did with the saw? Maybe the boys had taken out to the job?

At the job, we have extension tables set up if we are there more then a few days. For the larger more complex jobs, we set us our job site saw with outfeed tables. Safer and easier.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1606881901.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1606881901.jpg

We run a Hitachi 10" and a Makita 10 " saw on the job. 12 inch saw at the shop. When the Makita breaks (we can't kill it), getting a 12". I will only buy sliders, no one uses the standard chop saw anymore? We seem to use the old fashion Dewalt radial arm saw due to its reach and its large table. If we had to cut anything more then 12 at the shop, they use the sliding table saw. Easier.

Going into a nice house with my brother is often slightly embarrassing. After the introductions are done he tend to walk around and inspect crown molding and custom cabinets and woodwork. He worked as a trim carpenter for many years. He does the same thing at any building with a custom trim finish interior.

That's fantastic.

Funny, that's a job disease we all have.

I use to put my girlfriend to work back when we were dating in college. She would just hang around the job site at times. No way in hell she will do that today. I shown her how to look for bad trim work, poor design and general stuff like it. One time I caught her looking up into the ceiling at a friend's parent's home during a Thanksgiving visit. They had a Coffer ceiling and large crown throughout the house. I had to elbow her to break her spell.

Yeah but you are constantly adjusting it for L or R waste. Pull the guard up and sight the edge of the blade.

@masarum: 0 clearance inserts have their place but they sure inhibit dust collection from below. I put one in when I need it and use an open insert for the most of the time. Don't need a 0 clearance to cut MDF (maximum dust factor).

I want that cyclone sucking hard enough to suck the chrome off a trailer hitch. (—Willie Nelson)

They come pretty close in the standard MS insert but have to allow for bevel cuts. So you keep a 0C close by for 'that' cut.

I used to have a laser that replaced the blade washer. Turned on automatically when blade spun, and the line was the edge of the blade.

Really liked it, I'll have to try a newer version.

I haven't use the laser too much but once you get used to it, very accurate cuts can be had. For most things out there, that 64th" inch isn't that important. If stain grade work is needed, simply just mark it with a pencil just like the old days. We still do it often. Splitting hair here again

Well- I've got a laser. And I LIKE it!!!! :)
There- I said it.

I find the laser useful in general honing in on my intended cut. Really useful on rough cuts. I can mentally calibrate it from there. Perhaps the blade cuts slightly into the laser mark, maybe not. easy to adjust the wood. My only complaint with the laser is that it is centrifugally activated. Ideally, I'd like it to mark before starting the blade up.

If it's a real accurate cut, I'll pull the blade down onto the wood to see where the kerf hits to double check before hitting the spin button.

My saw is not sliding, but works for most stuff. For me- the next step would be to mount it to a solid base with guides on either side to keep longer stock level for the cut. With the longer ramps I could make definitive stops for repetitive cuts. I will put this on my to do list right behind my wife's timing belt, fixing my roof, cleaning the garage, etc.. etc... deep down inside, I really really want though.

Disclaimer- I like to measure once, cut twice, and end up going back to lowes for more wood :)

You can't do a perfect cut every time looking in at an angle. Especially on irregular stock. And you have to pick the right tooth in the line up on any multi purpose blade.

At the moment I'm down to 2 miter saws from 5 and the wood cutting one is a middle-of-the-road Hitachi (if not a little towards the south side of 'middle'). No slide or double bevel. I do have a blade in it that cost half the cost of a new unit in that class. The laser is set to mark work left, waste right. That lets me hold the work rather than the waste. It's a prefered method for me but I can't always operate that way. Those that do crown know this.

It did come with a manual laser that I forget to turn off. Not a big deal if working in the field but if left plugged in at the shop it could run for days and has. What I don't like is that, and I guess different from some of your MS's, is that once I begin the
he plunge the laser is obscured.

I started with a Delta 10" non beveling job in the late 70's. I guess that's why I still cut my crown "upside down and backwards." That was a damn good saw for general finish work which has been the bulk of my 50 years at it.

Hell, I didn't even have a finish nail gun for a few years.

To tell the honest truth, I think 51 years in the trades is enough. I don't miss it and won't miss 90% of the customers and a good portion of my fellow tradesmen. Especially the 30 somethings.

Everything is slam bam thank you ma'am and no shortage of new gizmo tools most of which are decent but not all that necessary. Some new tools are fantastic but the job would have gone the same either way.

PS- I would love a 6, 6 1/4, even 7 1/4 quality miter saw. The European's have them but last I looked their top shelf stuff was still 220v single phase. I wouldn't spring for one at this point.

Tip: if you want to cut very small work on a MS, install a 6" fine tooth blade and add a precision cutting block to table to raise the work. If I'm not using a dovetail saw for that I've got a panel blade installed over an elevated cutting surface.