In the market for a Circular Saw

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macandal

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Just as the title says. What brands should I look for? How much should I spend? Corded or cordless? It is my understanding that a corded saw will be more powerful than a cordless one, so, besides it being more portable than a corded one, why should I buy a cordless saw? I don't "do jobs" outside my home which is--I suspect--why people choose cordless tools.

Anything you can help me figure out what to get will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.
 
I have 3 different circular saws. The one I grab the most is my DeWalt battery powered circular saw. It is light, easy to get into odd angles without cutting the cord, or tripping on the cord. I also have a plug in Skil Saw, but with a 6' cord, I have to go find an extension cord usually. I also have a worm drive magnesium saw, that is great for heavy construction needing lots of cuts. Being magnesium, it is light, strong and agile. I guess it all depends of what type of cuts you need to make. Anymore, my cuts are for cutting up a 2x4 to fit into the trash can, so I grab my DeWalt for a quick cut and be done with it.
 
My present selection are DEWALT & RIDGID cordless and a BOSCH 7-1/4, W/O a cord, with the feature that requires the cord to be attached to the tool.

Generally, having an onboard hex blade wrench and the tool weight are determining factors. Blade selection for material addressed are also considerations.
 
havasu said:
I have 3 different circular saws. The one I grab the most is my DeWalt battery powered circular saw. It is light, easy to get into odd angles without cutting the cord, or tripping on the cord. I also have a plug in Skil Saw, but with a 6' cord, I have to go find an extension cord usually. I also have a worm drive magnesium saw, that is great for heavy construction needing lots of cuts. Being magnesium, it is light, strong and agile. I guess it all depends of what type of cuts you need to make. Anymore, my cuts are for cutting up a 2x4 to fit into the trash can, so I grab my DeWalt for a quick cut and be done with it.
Click to expand...
Is your DeWalt saw powerful even though is cordless?
 
Snoonyb said:
My present selection are DEWALT & RIDGID cordless and a BOSCH 7-1/4, W/O a cord, with the feature that requires the cord to be attached to the tool.

Generally, having an onboard hex blade wrench and the tool weight are determining factors. Blade selection for material addressed are also considerations.
Click to expand...
What is the difference between your cordless saws and the one without a cord? Wouldn't all these be cordless?

Why would your Bosch saw that doesn't have a cord have a feature that requires a cord you don't have to be attached to the tool? What does this do? It doesn't sound like much of a feature at all?
 
macandal said:
What is the difference between your cordless saws and the one without a cord? Wouldn't all these be cordless?

Why would your Bosch saw that doesn't have a cord have a feature that requires a cord you don't have to be attached to the tool? What does this do? It doesn't sound like much of a feature at all?
Click to expand...
The BOSCH was designed that way, in part, to dissuade theft, because of the inconvenience of then having to find a cord, as opposed to just plugging the tool in, as is the case with corded tools.

In my experience, of the numerous cordless tools, the RIDGID has the better power to weight ratio and there are number of high AH batteries available. I have 2 6AH I use to blow leaves in the lawn and with a BLACK & DECKER gutter blower.
 
macandal said:
Is your DeWalt saw powerful even though is cordless?
Click to expand...
I guess being powerful enough, is all relative. For cutting a 2x4, no problem. I can probably cut 20 sticks with a medium size battery. If I was cutting a 4x8, I'd bring out the big batteries, and may need to rotate thru a few, while others are charging. Again, it all depends on what you're cutting, the type of blade, and the size of the battery.
 
About 15 years ago I used my brothers high-end worm drive saw and loved it - light, quiet and powerful. I have wanted one ever since but my damned Black & Decker saw I bought nearly 50 years ago just won't die. Because of that, I recommend looking at most tools for homeowner use as a once-in-a-lifetime cost. Get the features you want because amortized over the years the cost is incidental. If I were 40 years old, I would get a light cordless and a powerful corded.
 
If you are not using the saw all day, a cordless saw will be much more convenient. You don't have this 6' cord that most of the time you use it, you also have to pull out an extension cord.

Battery capacity is measured in A.h (Ampere hours). On occasion, it might be specified in Joules or W.h, but you can go to Google and convert) A 2 Ah battery is small but may suffice if you don't use your saw much. A 5 or 6 Ah battery (or more) has great capacity.
Volts is not a measure of capacity. A 40V saw will be a little more efficient than an 18V saw, but has no influence on battery capacity.

Consider what tools you might buy in the future. You don't want to end up with a circular saw, jigsaw, string trimmer, sander, etc and every one uses a different battery and battery charger.

Weight is a relevant consideration. A lighter saw will be easier to handle.
Common size is 7-1/4". Don't go bigger. You would have an oddball blade if you go smaller, but I wouldn't fault you if you went with a smaller size.
At one time, I had only a 4" cordless saw (piece of crap actually) and a 7-1/4" corded saw, and I would reach for the 4" pretty much every time, just because it was so much lighter and more convenient.

Cheap saws will have the blade arbor running in bronze or sintered iron bushings. Eventually the bushing will wear and the blade will wobble resulting in poor cuts. Better saws will have the blade arbor running in ball or needle bearings.
 
I have a corded Skill saw and bought a Dewalt cordless about 2 years ago. The Skill saw hasn't seen the light of day in 2 years.
 
Consider getting an opposite-hand saw.

Play with some if each in the tool store.
I am right handed, but like using my left-hand saw more than using the others. I use it with my right hand and get better visibility of the blade with no dust in my face. Plus, it's easier to stay against a guide rail. But, that's just me. You may not like it.

I've tried many cordless circular saws and always find myself going for my 1990's Porter Cable 7-1/4" plug-in. I'm sure the cordless have improved, so don't rule it out. On a roof or scaffold there's one less tripping hazard with a cordless.

One of my brothers, a carpenter, loves his Makita cordless 7-1/4". He has lots of brands of cordless saws from which to choose. He works that Makita hard every day. I've seen that Makita drop from a 2-Story mansard roof straight to the pavement in January. Twice! It lived with just a few scratches.

People I know like the Metabo-HPT circular saw. They're probably built strong. My Metabo-HPT impact driver has also done the 2 story fall & lived.

Paul
 
macandal said:
It is my understanding that a corded saw will be more powerful than a cordless one
Click to expand...

I don't see the relevance of the "power" of a circular saw.
Are you planning on pushing your saw so quickly through a sheet of plywood that you might stall the motor ?
That won't happen with any decent cordless saw, unless the batteries are near-dead.
 
Steve123 said:
Consider what tools you might buy in the future. You don't want to end up with a circular saw, jigsaw, string trimmer, sander, etc and every one uses a different battery and battery charger.
Click to expand...
With so many brands being recommended, I was going to let what brands I already have to determine which brand saw I would get. I have some DeWalt tools already, so I was going to get a DeWalt saw.
 
PJB12 said:
Consider getting an opposite-hand saw.

Play with some if each in the tool store.
I am right handed, but like using my left-hand saw more than using the others. I use it with my right hand and get better visibility of the blade with no dust in my face. Plus, it's easier to stay against a guide rail. But, that's just me. You may not like it.

I've tried many cordless circular saws and always find myself going for my 1990's Porter Cable 7-1/4" plug-in. I'm sure the cordless have improved, so don't rule it out. On a roof or scaffold there's one less tripping hazard with a cordless.

One of my brothers, a carpenter, loves his Makita cordless 7-1/4". He has lots of brands of cordless saws from which to choose. He works that Makita hard every day. I've seen that Makita drop from a 2-Story mansard roof straight to the pavement in January. Twice! It lived with just a few scratches.

People I know like the Metabo-HPT circular saw. They're probably built strong. My Metabo-HPT impact driver has also done the 2 story fall & lived.

Paul
Click to expand...
I didn't know there was an opposite hand option on tools. I can see what you mean about better visablity using it right handed.
 
It's probably a good idea to consider blade diameter, arbor hole and shape when picking a saw.

7-1/4" with 5/8" round arbor hole is most common in North America.

The more standard the blade size, the more choices of blades you will have- and appreciate as your skills improve and you start enjoying projects with diverse materials such as fine plywood, acrylic, laminates or metals. Someday you will probably want a thin kerf blade. There are even dado blades for circular saws.


You may also consider if the blade fits other tools that you may own now or later.
I have occasionally used specialty circular saw blades in my Bosch table saw because they fit. I save money on these specialty blades by only having to buy one. My 12" Bosch miter saw uses a different arbor, so no luck there.

Paul
 
the one feature that i realy like on my saw is a laser beam to make long straight cuts ,
 
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