cordless circular saw? Recomended or not

[aurelio alarcon]

I am thinking of purchasing a cordless circular saw. Does anyone use one of these? Would anyone recomend one of these or not. I would be using it to cut down sheet goods into managable pieces. Just the thought of no cord in the way seems like a good idea.

[Rob Russell]

I bought the Dewalt 18v saw/drill kit not too long after it came out. I figured I could use the saw for slicing up pallets to get free lumber. I was disappointed in how long the batteries lasted even when new.

Having said that, even with the batteries on the tired side - it's very convenient to be able to cut a piece of ply or crosscut a couple of boards without getting the extention cord and plugging in my "real" saw. You have to go a bit slower. It is absolutely possible to clamp a straight edge to a sheet of ply and rip it lengthwise. Done it.

Just don't expect to do more than a few cuts. If you have more than half-a-dozen long cuts to do, get out the corded saw - 2 or 3 if you're talking full sheet ply rips.

All in all, while the saw doesn't perform as well as I'd hoped - if I just have 1 or 2 cuts to make in something, I'll grab the cordless. It's also convenient when you're travelling with tools to grab the drill, saw and batteries.

The accessory I've used more than anything is the 18v flexible "snakelight" style flashlight. That has been extremely useful and it throws a lot of light.

[Dave Bartley]

The saw tht Bob is speaking about is no longer made by Dewalt. The batteries are stronger and improved over the older style he has as well.

The newer version of his saw is now a 6 1/2" saw with more power. I would not want to try to use it to frame a house with it, but it does adequite power to do several long rips like you are talking about.

[Frank Pellow]

I attempted to use a friend's Dewalt (not sure of the model) about a year ago and I hated it.

I am not a big fan of battery powered tools in general and this was the worst of any of the types of cordless tools that I have tried.

[Tyler Howell]

aurelio,
I have the Saw/light/Drill kit PC 19.2VDC with 6" saw. It took a little getting use to because it is for left handers. No where on the box does it say that and It took a day to figure why I was fighting this thing. I'm left hand but adapted to the rightmans world.
It has become very handy. With home made guide and Speed square it has become my exclussive panel saw.
Don't think I'd get this combo again, but making the best of it.:o

[Mark Singer]

I have the Bosch 18volt...it does come in handy...it has recent power and its nice not to deal with a cord.

[James Carmichael]

Mark me down as a not. They're great for incidental cuts when you're away from a power supply, but for ripping sheet goods you had better stock up on batteries and dual battery charger.

On a more subjective note, I have the Dewalt 18v combo. I love the drill and like the reciprocating saw, but do I hate that circular saw, the ergonomics are terrible.

[Peter Kuhlman]

While I do not own one, I read a review within the last year that said the Panasonic battery operated saws were by far the best in having the longest operating times and most cuts per charge. Not sure if I saw this in WorkBench or Fine Homebuilding. They are available with 3.5 amp hour batteries. Not a low cost tool. My Panasonic 15.6 vdc drill with the 3.5 amp hour batteries operates several times longer than my Crapsman 15.6 vdc drill on a charge and has more power.
Pete

[Richard Allen]

I have the 18 volt Dewalt. The circular saw is a big disappointment for me.

If you don't think of this cordless saw as a substitute for a corded circular saw then you might be happier. If you want a cordless saw that works well then get an alcohol powered saw. They cut very clean, quick and of course need no cord.

Thanks

[Ken Fitzgerald]

The contractor building my shop uses a 19.2 volt Craftsman. He says he's been real happy with it! Personally, I don't like battery operated devices. It seems to me that the batteries die to quickly (short term and long term) and the cost of replacement batteries often rivals the cost of a new device. :confused:

[Brad Schmid]

I was thinking along the same lines you are a few years back and borrowed a friends Dewalt to test. I wasn't too thrilled with the longevity on a single charge and the power wasn't there like I was used to with a corded saw (I'm sure some have improved since then). At the time, I decided my money was better spent on a PC 314 4 1/2" trim saw. I had the size, weight and maneuverability advantages of a cordless and the power of a corded. Of course with the only downside being the cord. I'm satisfied with the direction I chose since I do the majority of my work within reach of the shop. This little saw has proven to be a quality unit. I very rarely ever use my 7 1/4" circ saw any more unless thickness requires more depth of cut. The only thing I think could be better is the variety of available blades.

Brad

[Hal Flynt]

I have the DeWalt 18 v 5 1/2?" saw and really like being able to take it wherever and not worry about the cord. I find that it cuts well for 2x material and ply. I use it almost exclusively now because of convenience and weight.

Having said that, I wouldn't give up my 110v and I would use the 110v if I had thicker stock to cut down or was worried about running the batteries down.

I haven't seen the smaller saw since Christmas.

MY $.02

[David LaRue]

Count me in as another no. I bought the Ryobi as part of a 14.4 kit. It was not impressive when I got it, and now even with a full charge can barely make it through one 2x4.

Dave

[aurelio alarcon]

There are no overwhelming indorsements to purchase a cordless saw. I would like to thank you all for your sound advice. Because of this, I will probably not be getting one. I suppose one would be good to have, I just can't see spending the amount required to get a good one at this time. Maybe later.

[Frank Pellow]

I was curious about the "votes", so I read through counting responses as YES, NO, or OK/NEUTRAL (and, in one case, both YES and NO).

The results were:

YES: 5

NO: 5

OK/NEUTRAL: 3

[Bob Hovde]

I was curious about the "votes", so I read through counting responses as YES, NO, or OK/NEUTRAL (and, in one case, both YES and NO).

The results were:

YES: 5

NO: 5

OK/NEUTRAL: 3


Did the three neutrals come from Miami? :D

Bob