Circular saw preferences

[Larry Foster]

My 40 year old Craftsman 8" saw died yesterday.

Later today I plan to head out and get a new one.
So many to choose from.

I'm leaning on a corded but wondered your thoughts about cordless.
I expect to pay more than $100 instead of getting a low end.
I'm 68 so this new saw will never get the beating the old one took.

Which do you like and why?

Thank you

[andy bessette]

Avoid cordless!

Skil, Milwaukee and Porter-Cable are what I own. The little Skil 5-1/2" gets the most use.

[Jim Becker]

What you're going to use the saw for is going to influence recommendations. For general construction type work, there are a number of good choices like Andy mentions. If you use your circular saw more for woodworking projects, then I'll suggest you consider one of the nice track saws as they not only "cut" wood, but can also do so very accurately...handy for working with sheet goods and other tasks. Most will still cross cut a 2x4 when you need to, too.

[Jeff Bartley]

My two cents: corded or cordless get on with a brake! None of my saws has a brake and every time I use a saw with a brake I really wish mine had one.

I have four saws currently; a dewalt corded track saw, a hitachi sidewinder, a skill wormdrive, and a skill wormdrive with a Big Foot adapter.

And the saw I'd really like to buy tomorrow is the 7 1/4" Makita cordless that uses 2 batteries.....

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I agree with Jim. It depends on the intended use. Personally, I don't mind working with cords and absolutely detest having to buy replacement batteries that can cost as much as 50% or more than the original price of the tool. I had a 12v drill in which the batteries went bad. The cost of the replacement batteries were about 70% of the original price I paid for the drill and 2 batteries. I bought an 18v replacement drill. I have both corded and corded drills but my saws are all corded.

I'd buy a corded saw and if I was cutting a lot of sheet goods, I think I'd buy a guided tracksaw.

[Larry Foster]

Thanks for all the replies.
I don't have a lot of heavy construction in me anymore so it will, mostly, be used in my workshop.

Hadn't thought about a track saw
Right now, I'm using a Kreg accu cut for ripping long pieces and a clamp on guide for wide pieces.
Heading over to Lowes and Home Depot this evening and need to bring one home after holding one for feel.

[Matt Day]

I’d suggest paying the extra money to get one of the tracksaws such as Makita or Dewalt.

[Jim Dwight]

Larry,

Unless your big box stores are different than the ones around here you won't find a track saw there but it would be my choice for what you describe. I have a Ryobi cordless, 5 1/2. It was pretty useless on Ni Cd but with 4 amp hour lithium ion batteries, it is quite useful. But only for relatively crude use. I also have a Milwaukee corded saw that is quite useful but I rarely use it since getting a DeWalt track saw. They are, however, in a whole different performance level and also price level. My DeWalt with two tracks was about $600. A Festool with equivalent tracks would be at least $1000.

You can now get a Wen track saw, I think Home Depot will deliver it to their stores, for $135. It only comes with two 25 inch tracks, however. I have a 102 inch, a 59 inch and a 41 inch track. I wouldn't mind a 25 inch, it would be handy sometimes, but you need something over 4 feet to crosscut sheet goods and something over 8 feet to cut them lengthwise. But the Wen would let you get started and you could decide later about more tracks - except I don't think there is currently a way to have a 8 foot plus track without joining two - but that is more portable.

I'm 62 and I've given up trying to push a full sheet through my table saw. My shop is part of the issue but I don't want to handle the plywood that way. I can cut it on my trailer with a track saw or I can get it onto my workbench and cut it up. Some people put a foam board down and cut it on the floor.

The biggest advantage of a track saw is you are not making crude cuts to clean up on the table saw, you are making table saw quality cuts. That is true with my DeWalt, anyway. Not sure about a Wen. Probably needs a Freud blade. It's really nice to not have to muscle around large pieces of sheet goods or solid wood. I edge boards with my track saw too. Easier than a jointer too. I wouldn't want to do a lot of framing with my track saw but I did like it for cutting a stair stringer earlier this year.

Jim

[Bryan Lisowski]

I'm a track saw fan and because of that I bought a Ryobi 7 1/4" circular saw because it is for rough work. I had a porter cable cordless and being Ni Cad it was fairly awful. If it's staying close to a power source, go corded. If you really want cordless, go with what your other cordless tools are.

[Jim Becker]

Hadn't thought about a track saw
Right now, I'm using a Kreg accu cut for ripping long pieces and a clamp on guide for wide pieces.
Heading over to Lowes and Home Depot this evening and need to bring one home after holding one for feel.

There's nothing wrong with using an edge guide, but the benefit of a track saw is that it cannot wander in either direction. With just and edge guide, it can move away from the guide which even if very slight, can affect the quality of the cut. What's wonderful about track saws is that in most cases you can do the "finished cut" and be done without cleaning things up with a table saw, etc. And as I mentioned, many can be used without the track if necessary for those times when it's the better choice.

Jim D is correct that many of the 'borg stores are not going to have a track saw in inventory, but they are readily available from other reputable sources in whatever flavor/color you prefer. Mine is Festool, but many folks have been very happy with the Dewalt and Makita options.

[andy bessette]

A decent track saw will be way over your $100 budget. I bought my Festool TS 55 kit for $350, used, on c/l. Many advantages over a saw guide, including safety, splinter-free cuts and the ability to accurately plunge into the middle of expensive veneered plywood. You'll still want a good builders saw.

[Jim Dwight]

It's a little deceptive to suggest the WEN is close at $135 because it only has 50 inches of track - in two pieces. I've seen reviews saying the Grizzly is the same design and if you can use Grizzly tracks, they get $59 for a 55 inch - their longest. So if you buy two (I probably would) you'd almost double your cost and be clearly much over budget. If you only use what you get for $135, you won't be able to rip a 8 foot sheet - one of the key things I want to do. With one extra Grizzly track you'd be at 200- a factor of 2 overbudget.

So basically I think it's a true statement. To get finish cut quality cuts, you probably need a new blade too.

I have never gotten cuts with a circular saw close to the quality of my track saw regardless of the blade. I think they put better bearings in the track saws. Or maybe the guide makes a difference. I've tried high tooth count blades but that still didn't get me there with my Milwaukee. The wood whisperer review of the Grizzly makes me optimistic that it could get there with a good blade. But he didn't try it so there is some room for doubt.

The WEN also has a weaker motor than my DeWalt - 9A versus 12A. But the Festool is also 9A. Reviews don't say either is too weak.

[Von Bickley]

I vote for the Makita...

[Van Huskey]

If I was asked to suggest a mid-level quality circular saw for all around use it would be the Makita 5007 MGA. When the discussion moves to tracksaws it becomes more complex in my mind. There is a much wider price range (Wen up to Mafell) and also a wider difference in cut quality. If the OP is considering a tracksaw then I think he needs to set a budget (no real budget in the OP) and see where that goes. For me personally, I can't recommend the tracksaws under the Makita/Dewalt pricepoint, under that I would rather have a good quality circular saw especially if it is to be my only circular saw.

[Neil Gaskin]

Skill 77 or equivalent for general use.

Porter cable 345 for general Shop quick break down.

Porter canblev314 small work.