Let’s call a blade a blade and acknowledge what this miter gauge truly is… fantastic. That’s what.
I’m a cinematographer. And while that doesn’t make me a terrific woodworker, it does make me someone who is obsessed with accuracy. To inaccurate tools, I give no quarter… inch.
The elephant in the shop for anyone considering this product is, at this point, the negative video reviews. And I will admit those reviews made me nervous about ordering such an expensive tool, but when the coupon code rolled up into my inbox, I took a chance. I’m glad I did.
I watched a video that showed a large gap between the angle dial and the indicator. However, mine is tighter than a spaceship’s airlock. The same video showed play and inaccuracy in the preset notches for 90º, 45º, etc. However, mine locks down perfectly and accurately, every time… I made sure of it. A different video showed play at the rear of the gauge from it lacking a rear adjustment dial. But mine has a dial located there, and thus, it doesn’t play around.
The gauge is accurate. The gauge is well made with high quality materials. The gauge is fully adjustable and pairs well with my table saw. The gauge comes in such elegant packaging that I have yet to throw the box away, simply because it feels criminal to do so.
I will also note that I have before called Harvey, and they were very kind on the phone. The salesman answered all of my questions with great patience. And although I was unable to afford their G700 dust collection system, I was able to afford the Compass miter gauge. It has since exceeded my high expectations and laid all of my concerns about it and the quality of Harvey products to rest.
So, were the problems there to begin? I don’t know. What I do know is that there are no problems with it now. And if there were problems to begin with but no problems exist now, that means Harvey did the greatest thing a company can do: They listened to their customers.
That’s good enough for me, and the exceptional Compass miter gauge is good enough for anyone who cares about accuracy as much as I do.