Screwfix will be a very familiar name to many people in the UK. They have trade desks set up across the country, in addition to their website.
Where can I find the website?
The website is found at www.screwfix.com.
A Selection of the Best Selling itre Saws from Screwfix
How do I find the mitre saws section of the site?
It’s a two click find. You go to the ‘Power Tools’ button on the top menu, then scroll down until you see an image of a compound mitre saw in the second vertical column. From there you simply scroll down to a list of options.
If you want to go straight there the dedicated URL for this part of the website is
http://www.screwfix.com/cats/101401/Power-Tools/Compound-Mitre-Saws.
What types and brands of mitre saw do they offer?
They offer a wide range of brands – but annoyingly they are presented in no particular order. Brands are jumbled up on the impact screen and the site makes you ask to see them in order.
There are sliding compound mitre saws, sliding compound mitre saws with and without laser guides and sliding cross-cut mitre saws.
They go from the budget options (Direct Power, £39.67) up to the Bentleys of the market – DeWalt’s and Makita’s for over £500.
Are there any buying guides or useful sections of information about mitre saws?
Yes – if you scroll down from each model there is a section for customer reviews. Sometimes there are lots of them. At your fingertips you can look at loads of impartial feedback from real end users. Unfortunately you don’t know, from the impact screen about your model, whether or not there are any reviews, so you have to laboriously scroll down only to find the ‘Be the first to write a review?’ question time and again. Putting a graphic further up the screen saying ‘No reviews’ would solve this issue.
Having said that each product page does have all the essential details about that product on it – wattage, maximum cross cut in millimetres, whether it inclines left or right or both, whether it has a dust extraction feature built in and so on. However this technical specification approach is only so helpful, it just leaves off what it doesn’t have and it’s all to easy not to notice.
Is there anything else I should know?
Yes, one way in which Screwfix are a great site to buy from is the fact that they have a prompt and famously reliable delivery service. Basically if you spend over £50, which you probably will if you’re buying a mitre saw, it will arrive the next day. Also, if you get a copy of their catalogue there’s a quick shop button where you just type in the DIY essentials that you need to keep stocking up on. It’s the ideal way to quickly and easily refill the shelves with pozi screws and drill bits and all the little things you forget to buy when you go to a hardware store for something different!
There’s also a talk forum, split into different trades, which is fairly interesting. The topics range from what screws to use to which brands deliver the best value for money.
There is an email update sign up which promises to send you the ‘best deals’ but it’s a good idea to be rather wary of such lists as they can end up being a recipe for collecting spam. Having said that it is easy enough to cancel your place on the list, if you have found your perfect deal.
They also have a ‘clearance’ section which features reduced stock and end of line tools. It’s worth looking at if you’re on the point of buying and you know what you need but beware – if you buy end of line tools you may not find that the product is fully supported in a couple of years time – in other words exactly when you need some spares.
In conclusion
Screwfix’s site is considerably less impressive than you would expect. They’ve got a lot of good ideas, but poor implementation. The ‘secret’ absence of reviews is a case in point. Having said that there’s a wealth of information on there, the prices are very keen, and the forum is a good place to go to ask a question as long as you take the answers on their merits.
Best of all, apart from the price, is the cast iron service guarantee. Order from the site and pay for something worth over £50 and you will open the door to the Screwfix man at lunchtime the following day.