Anyone up on the best circular saws???

tod osier

tod osier

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The crappy skil saw I've been fighting with for years bounced across the concrete floor yesterday (twice) and I need a new one. Anyone have suggestions of a top of the line model in 7 1/4"?

I don't want bells and whistles, just quality construction and flawless operation. I only use a circular saw to make cuts with on cut sheet goods that I can't cut on the table saw.
 
I have a Milwaukee, with the solid aluminum sole plate so I can run it against the square for quick cross cuts. It has a feature I really like, I can rotate the position of the handle depending on where I am working. I have had it for years, so they may have other bells and whistles now. I am sure it is the last one I will need to buy! Plenty of power and not too heavy, though it is a solid tool.
 
Best for one guy may not be best for you Tod....kind of like shotguns. If you were closer to Hartford I'd recommend going to Coastal Tool and pick some up and examine the features. There is a tool store near the HD in Waterbury too, not sure about their selection or pricing. Coastal has good pricing.

I have a Makita, not sure what model.
 
Best for one guy may not be best for you Tod....kind of like shotguns. If you were closer to Hartford I'd recommend going to Coastal Tool and pick some up and examine the features. There is a tool store near the HD in Waterbury too, not sure about their selection or pricing. Coastal has good pricing.

I have a Makita, not sure what model.
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I'm aware of that, that is why I was looking for suggestions that I could look at.
 
I have a Milwaukee, with the solid aluminum sole plate so I can run it against the square for quick cross cuts. It has a feature I really like, I can rotate the position of the handle depending on where I am working. I have had it for years, so they may have other bells and whistles now. I am sure it is the last one I will need to buy! Plenty of power and not too heavy, though it is a solid tool.
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Thanks Dave, that does seem like the standard. Now I'm wondering about cordless - I need to upgrade drill and drivers too.
 
todd i use one every day and hands down it is milwaukee dave is right on, you can get one at home depot 129.00 case included
 
I have a Porter-Cable 324MAG which has a built in dust collection fitting. I didn't realize this until after I bought it and just got lucky. Hooking up a shop vac is absolutely great when cutting in the shop. However, it looks like that model is now discontinued. I would look for something with that feature.

My experience with cordless saw are that they are serious power hogs. A battery doesn't last long and they don't have a lot of power even with a fully charged battery.
 
i have the Ryobi 18V stuff, the old style, blue tools and yellow batteries, not the new lithium stuff. I have never been really happy, but I have so much invested in all the tools and batteries it is hard to make thw switch and start all over again.... maybe I'll give these to my son! I am sure there are better, lighter battery powered out there now.... but for all day work, the corded tools are the way to go. I think you need both, be surprised if there are now battery tools that would take the place of a corded tool for all needs. Reading with interested what others have found...

Dave
 
well Tod if all I was doing is cutting down sheet goods, about any saw will do.

However, acurate lines, the money is best spent on a worm drive circle saw. Heavier than the rest, but more acurate with less vibration, oh and a ton of power to boot. Milwaukee would be my choice.

Personally, I would stay away from cordless saws for the long haul. Batteries die faster than I want them to along with longevity of the battery is a concern and you end up chucking the saw once the batter no longer holds the charge since the replacement battery is almost the cost of a new saw. Yes they are great, handy, can cut curves very easily, light, blah blah blah, but I guess it depends on how you plan to use it. they never seem to have the power I want them to have. They are handy little buggers, but....

now, you mention drill/driver set. I can only speak of those in extremely positive manor, I absolutely LOVE my milw. lith ion impact and drill set. Was on sale for 211 with case here and I snapped it up. I have now used that impact in particular to put up 2 duck blinds, (1/4 lags 4" long with no pre drilling) 4 awnings with 1/2 lags, 2 decks, one was 20 x 20, simply love that thing. Now if you buy the set of them and the saw is there for the throw in, well then you are set. Oh, and the weight of the impact over the drill is amazing. Have I said how much I love that thing?
 
i have a skill for a beat around saw and a dewalt when wanting good angle cuts it's heaver than the skill but it cuts great and has plenty of hp
 
Todd,
out of high school I framed barns and houses made of oak timber frames, then spent quite a bit of time between a cabinet shop and a framing crew on new homes.
I still love my Skill worm drive but if you were not brought up on one cutting on the opposite side is a thing that takes getting used to.
I cant stand the older Milwakee saws. I hate a table adjustment that does not involve a pivot. I want control of the depth for a lot of jobs and the old Makita had a good set up with an easy lift lever that then clamped to the arc shaped back bracket.

No Idea about new saws and who is best.

I dont like cordless drills, but must use them for the obvious reason of the portability. But they are bulky when they get up in the power range and cost a lot for the really good small batteries. No way a saw is going to cut all day one weekend and then sit for months on the shelf and keep a set of batteries in good shape.
Id rather use a genset if needed and as another option my Echo trim saw gas chainsaw if AC isnt available. An old Canadian crew lead showed me how to cut out door plates and window openings with the gas saw. Beats a sawzall all day.

Very handy trimming tree stands too.

Good luck at Costal.

We have two of the Festool panel saw packages at work. Almost as good as a tru wall mount panel saw. Its a skill saw with a track that clamps to the work. Big money but a very clean straight cut in high end teak plywood.
 
Todd, I have a Dewalt that gets a pretty fair amount of use. Solidly built, aluminum sole plate, angle cuts with ability to micro adjust to ensure you are square, and very low vibration. Trip.
 
I have a Dewalt with the plastic floor plate and have had no problems with it over the 5-6 years that I've had it.
Plenty of power, cuts straight, and not super heavy.
The Milwaulkee with the adjustable handle is a nice saw as well but does not have an electric brake.
Just make sure you get a 15 amp saw so you have the power when you want it.
 
Hey Todd, Im a self employed remodeler.. The last saw I purchased was a Makita 7005 mg. Key features:plenty of power, easy to read markings, and it has a light to light up the line that you are cutting, also fairly light, I beleive the mg is for magnesium...Good luck in youre choice..
 
Todd, I use a circular saw every day and am very rough with it. The best I've used has been the dewalt with the composite base. I've used allot of the other brand, even the Dewalt with the steel and aluminum bases. The composite is great because it is light and doesn't bend when you drop it, even from very high. This one has been around for almost four years, which is amazing. I normally go through 1 to 2 a year. Oh I bought it at Lowes. Good luck
 
Another vote for makita. I've built a bit of stuff and still have my almost 20 year old makita. I used to really like the skil worm drive saws because their weight helped with tracking on plywood which tends to vibrate when not well supported, and the weight also helps control kickback. I've seen the festool with its track system and one day when I've got more money maybe I could be tempted, but for all the work I've done I'm a moderate when it comes to corded hand tools and a skeptic when it comes to cordless tools. The makita keeps on going.
Frank
Frank@middletonboatworks.net
 
I've found that sticking with the "top brands" milwaukee, Dewalt, Makita Hitache Porter cable etc as oposed to skill, black and decker, ryobi quality is going to be pretty similar and all have similar models of tools in each price range. I used to be really loayal to Milwaukee but now find myslef with all different colors of tools and they all seem to offer the same level of performance and reliability. My advice is all other things being equal (price, specs etc) find the one that is the most comfortable in your hand. One thing I would not be without on a circular saw no matter what brand is a Freud Diablo Blade. In my opinion nothing else is even close.
 
I love my Hitachi. In fact, I now have two Hitachi saws - this newish circular saw and a 25 year old Hitachi chop box. Both are great, made well, and perform very well. I guess, figure what your price range is and work from there.



Nate
 
One thing I would not be without on a circular saw no matter what brand is a Freud Diablo Blade.
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I think on a circular saw, the blade and the operator are the biggest ingredients to a quality cut. After that, a flat table, and ease of height/bevel adjustment. That being said, I run a POS saw my dad picked up for me at a farm sale, practically new at the time, and a "name brand" I had never heard of nor seen another since. I think he paid $7 for it, and I promptly spent $40-50 on 2 blades for it (a finish and a framing blade)...best seven dollars my dad ever spent on me. Biggest complaint is the adjustments...they stay put, but are a pain to get where you want them...definately features I'll look for when this one dies, and to answer your question, I'd likely start my search with Milwaukee and Porter Cable

Chuck
 
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