It's basic but built solidly and powerful enough to inspire more confidence than I've had in any other saw. I've had 10" Hitachi, Dewalt and Ryobi compound miter saws in the past. All of my past saws have worked well and have had a number of features that seemed to lend to as many problems as they resolved. The Ryobi was surprisingly durable given the price. The Dewalt was comparable to the Makita but it seemed more cumbersome and I don't feel that -given the build quality- it was as good of a value as the Makita. This saw just feels right.