Just Curious - Cordless Circular Saws?

[Ronald Mancini]

I shifted all my batteries to LI, and now I almost exclusively use battery powered circular saws, sawzall, drills, and hammer drills. So much faster and easier.

[Gary Hynes]

I shifted all my batteries to LI, and now I almost exclusively use battery powered circular saws, sawzall, drills, and hammer drills. So much faster and easier.

Can I ask what model of circular saws do you have? I'm choosing what to buy from this top ten list of best circular saw from a list just to be sure I won't get an awful one. I'm also thinking of maybe getting a battery powered small one to use around the house. (Btw I'm just a newbie and a DIYer, for a quick BG about me)

[lee cox]

I am no expert but I think the Milwaukee 28 volt Sawzall and circular saws are the best battery units I have tried. The Sawzall battery is just as good as my old corded version. The Milwaukee 28 volt circular works better than others but I do not think it is as good as my old Skill worm drive saw. The Milwaukee 28 volt circular saw just can not keep up with a corded circular saw. I have 2 Milwaukee 28 volt Sawzalls and I sold my Milwaukee 28 volt circular saw. I also sold my Milwaukee 28 volt drill as it was too big and strong for light stuff. It worked good for building concrete forums but I don't do a lot of that.

[joseph f merz]

the new brushless tools are in a different league .i have makita brushless 6 1/2" with 5ah battery's and milwaukee 7 1/2" brushless .primarily use the makita . I do carry a corded saw in the truck also but it is a 10" . that new makita turns faster then the brushed saw .i can make real nice cuts alot easier then i could before . it follows a line nicely .the light weight and small size must help . framed up a decent deck with it using treated lumber .i cut a lot of material in place with no cord in the way .i do general carpentry and remodel now . i now also have dewalts big 12" cordless mitersaw . very handy for many jobs . the brushless tools are a whole new ball game .they have several cordless worm drives out there .but not for everyone i guess

[Jim Dwight]

I started using Ryobi cordless tools back when the only batteries available were Ni Cd. With those batteries, the circular saw and reciprocating saw were novelties. They would not do real work. Then my son gave me a 2 pack of small lithium ion batteries when my Ni Cd went bad. In a drill, the main advantage was weight. But in the saws, they suddenly became useful tools. The circular saw will barely cut through 2x material but the battery is not the issue, the tiny blade is. But it is small and light and often I would rather not lug the Milwaukee and a cord. The reciprocating saw only has a 3/4 stroke so it will not keep up with my DeWalt corded saw but often the Ryobi is enough saw. I have a couple 4ah batteries now and that really makes the saws useful. Ryobi has a 7.25 inch brushless circular saw now, that would solve the depth of cut issue with my little one.
For around the house use, I think these cordless tools could be all you need. They do not quite keep up with good corded tools but will really do nearly anything that needs done - albeat a bit slower.

[Art Mann]

If Elon Musk built a circular saw, it would cost a thousand dollars - even with government subsides.

Totally agree. Only a few years ago, most of us would have thought a battery powered car to be a joke. Today, a decked out Tesla is one of the most high performance cars on the road. If battery technology can meet the demands of a car like that on an economically realistic basis, cutting the jobsite power tool cord for even the heaviest tools should be very doable. As Jim points, out, they've come a long way already. They will keep getting smaller, more powerful, lighter, cheaper, longer lasting. It won't be long.

Sorry if this goes off topic, but the real Tesla - Nikola Tesla, envisioned a world of wireless, unlimited power (millions of volts) and documented exactly how to do it - over 100 years ago!

[Bill Graham]

When they come out with a battery that'll power a circ saw like a Makita 5007 that'll last all day cutting framing or siding(let's say 1000 cuts) I'll be standing in line.

I've been running framing crews for 15 years and I have yet to see a cordless saw on my jobsites. They have their applications where it would be nice to not have to drag around a cord but production framing isn't one.

I have an older Makita 6-1/2" 18V cordless and it's convenient for ripping down ply or making crosscuts at the yard so they'll fit in my 4Runner but for all day/every day use on a jobsite it would be about as useless as teats on a bull. Think about it: You have 6 guys standing 20' in the air holding a 300 lb ridge beam. Do you want to pay them to stand there while the guy with the saw waits for a fresh battery to trim the temp brace?

You have to have temp power onsite anyway to run the compressor(I haven't seen any cordless compressors) and all the corded tools the plumbers, HVAC guys, electricians, etc. use anyway and temp power is cheap. And the last time I checked Makita doesn't make a 16-1/4 cordless saw which we use every day.

Someday given the advances in battery tech we'll all be using cordless tools, but someday isn't today. In the meantime we have to make a living and battery power doesn't cut it.

[Jim German]

I've got a Milwaukee M12 FUEL brushless circular saw and it is one of my favorite tools. No it doesn't have the power of a corded saw and it won't last the whole day on a single charge, but who cares? I'm not cutting pressure treated 6x6s most of the time, mostly I'm cutting plywood or 2xs and it does that just fine. The thing is so light and easy to use. I wouldn't want it as my only saw, but its a fantastic compliment and gets used probably 95% of the time when the corded saw gathers dust.