Circular Saws... suggestions?

[Steve Kwon]

Any suggestions?  

 

I know everybody probably has their favorite but I guess....

 

Brands I should avoid?  Brands I should stick to?

Should I even bother with a cordless?  

Size?  

 

i'm novice-novice... thank you!

[John Schaben]

Hi - personally, I would stick with the name brands and stay away from the discount store house stuff. 13 amp or better should suffice. There are a lot of 15 ampere saws out there though. Black and Decker, Skil and Ryobi have pretty decent entry level saws. Contractor grade I would look at the Milwaukee, Hitachi, DeWalt, Makita, Bosch, or Metabo.

I have a Ryobi cordless that can only do about 6 ft/battery charge in 3/4 ply. The higher $$$ ones may be better. They have some  24 and 36 Volt numbers out there that are  probably real good but I can't even afford the batteries for those.

You can get a little higher end tool for your money by shopping the reconditioned market.

http://www.reconditionedtools.com/circular-saws/circular-saws,defau...

http://bigskytool.com/Circular_Saws___c341.aspx

 

 

[Jens Jensen]

I favor yellow tools  but then again each to there own  Try this site here in Washington state

www.hardwaresales.com

They are great to work with and have all sorts of brands even Krg stuff  plus lots of factory rebuilt with warranty

[Michael Campbell]

I use the Porter Cable left hand saw,  I have used this saw for 15 years, think I am on my 4th one.  with the left hand saw the blade is on the left side, so if you are right handed the blade is in front of you.  Porter Cable is the only company that I know of that makes this saw, It has a nice and sturdy magnesium base.  the only other left handed saws out there are cordless or worm drive.  Check it out it is a great saw

[steve kidd]

hi steve, i totally agree with michael. the pc left hand for a right handed person is great. i love mine, it has served me for over 10 years, great saw. about $120 at lowes.

[steve kidd]

hi again steve, regarding the cordless saw i have the 18 volt ridgid, great tool, long battery life and strong saw. along with the corded porter cable i would also suggest this saw. the battery charges in 20 minutes, just something else to think about, good luck with your decision.

[Bill Harner]

I'm a fan of Makita and Milwaukee. I've gotten both as hand-me-downs from my father. The Makita he gave me was close to 20 years old when I got it and it ran for me for another 3 years until we had a power surge that burnt out the motor.

 

Right now I'm using a Craftsman that my in laws bought me. It's not the greatest thing out there but 3 years in and it still works fine. Granted, I don't know how long it would last building houses but for general hobbyist/home owner use I've not had any problems yet.

[Steve Kwon]

Douglas Harwood said:

Hi Steve,

I have two old Skils, both corded and both at least 20 years old.  I use the sidewinder for my ripping

and the worm drive for rough framing.  I don't have any experience with the battery operated machines.

One suggestion is to keep you a good 24 tooth rip blade and a 60 tooth finish blade.  I prefer Freud

for both.  You will not look like a novice long with a good Freud 60 tooth diablo blade and a straight edge.

The blades are the important part.  Unplug your saws, remove the blades, wipe the pitch off with alcohol

and use a good wax on the blades and they will last you along time.

Regards,

Doug

 

thank you doug for the input and suggestions about the blades... i thought any blade would do just fine but i guess there is a difference!

[John Schaben]

Hi Steve  - Just the other way around, put a good blade on a cheap saw it will cut like a champ and if you put a bum blade on a high end saw it will give you nothing but grief.

Steve Kwon said:

thank you doug for the input and suggestions about the blades... i thought any blade would do just fine but i guess there is a difference!

 

 

[Jens Jensen]

Like Doug said wax the blades also I wax the plate and all my table top tools once a month with Johnsons furniture polish. Paste type