Cordless Circular Saws

[Vince Shriver]

Does anyone own a cordless circular saw that you might recommend? I've been looking at 7-1/4" saws from Milwaukee, Makita and DeWalt - and usually trust all three I'm just a little skeptical the cordless versions having the stamina of the corded. Any thoughts most appreciated. Thanks, Vince

[Michael Schuch]

Your title says corded and your text says cordless. I am assuming you are talking about cordless.

What do you plan on using it for? A day at the construction site, chores around the house, hobby woodworking?

Personally I have hardly used any of my circular saws since I bought a track saw. My Dewalt 6 1/2" 20v circular saw does a great job for occasional remodel and repairs around the house when I am away from a plug. I will grab my corded track saw over my cordless Dewalt for pretty much any woodworking even if it means running a long extension cord out to the driveway to use it.

Which saw would work best for you will really depends on how you plan on using it.

I understand Milwaukee makes a very nice cordless track saw.

[Rich Engelhardt]

A lot of manufacturers are offering 40 to 60 volt cordless circular saws in the 7 1/4" class.

I have two 18V cordless Makita circular saws and one 12V cordless trim saw.
The 12V is very weak in all respects. It works and it cuts 3/4" with little to no problems, but, you can tell it isn't a happy little saw.

The 18V circular saw is a 5 3/8" and uses a single 18V battery and isn't a brushless motor. It's good for small stuff and will cut 2X4s - but - not all day long - maybe 1/3 of the day. I never used it that way so I can't say for sure.
I don't recall any job I did that I used a circular saw over a miter saw for cutting a lot of 2x4s.

The other cordless circular saw I have is a Makita track saw. It uses two 18V batteries - so -it's a 36V saw. I believe it has a brushless motor.
It's a very happy saw with more than ample power that doesn't go through batteries like candy. I never tested the limits of it's battery life since I have a decent number of 18V Makita batteries.

I you want power - IMHO & based on my very limited experience with what I have, you'll want at least 36 volts and a brushless motor. I chose Makita since they use two 18V batteries and those same batteries power the rest of my cordless tools (except the little unhappy 12V saw).
Other makers, like DeWalt and even Makita use a single 40 volt battery - which means having to buy onto yet another line of batteries.

I have to echo Michael - a lot depends on what you plan to use it for - and - how it will fit into whatever battery platform you have now.

[STUART Robertson]

You really have to consider what your use will be.
I use an 18v 61/2" Makita extensively for 2x framing work and general construction.
Limitations are that it only cuts just over 2".It's brushless and performs well with 6A batteries.
Only good for light ripping but great for crosscuts.
One great thing about these little saws is that they are light=less operator fatigue.
The blade is only about 1/16 thick
=fairly flexible, so is best used with a speed square.The kerf is about 3/32.
You need a number of batteries if doing any scale of work.
Makita make a range of cordless saws,so there are ones with bigger capacity blades and larger battery power,either in 36v(2x18) or there's the 40v range.They also have left and right hand saws,and you need to consider this in the context of using a speed square.
Dewalt and Milwaukee make a good range too.
No,they don't have the power of a corded tool but they have many other advantages.
For more accurate,larger capacity cuts a 12" sliding compound mitre
saw is the business.

[Jim Becker]

Does anyone own a cordless circular saw that you might recommend? I've been looking at 7-1/4" saws from Milwaukee, Makita and DeWalt - and usually trust all three I'm just a little skeptical the cordless versions having the stamina of the corded. Any thoughts most appreciated. Thanks, Vince

There might have been a time when your concern would be "more valid", but the construction industry certainly has embraced cordless in a big way and the "major players" have stepped up with very capable tools and battery systems. Look at any construction site and any pro construction video content on the 'Tube and you're going to see primarily cordless in action. If you already have a battery system you've chosen, then that's going to be the one to look at first.

[Jimmy Harris]

There might have been a time when your concern would be "more valid", but the construction industry certainly has embraced cordless in a big way and the "major players" have stepped up with very capable tools and battery systems. Look at any construction site and any pro construction video content on the 'Tube and you're going to see primarily cordless in action. If you already have a battery system you've chosen, then that's going to be the one to look at first.

True. And I'd definitely back the idea of getting the one with a battery system you already have. Especially since circular saws aren't high tech devices where there's a considerable difference between brands.

But, the construction industry has moved to cordless because it's often more difficult to find power at a construction site than at your house. So it's a solution to a problem they have, and the rest of us usually won't run up against. Most nonprofessionals will run into the opposite problem. They'll go to use their saw, only to find the battery is dead, or they'll use it for a little while, and have to stop to recharge the battery. Or they'll have to buy a bunch of batteries and mess with the charging and keeping track of which ones are charged and which ones need to be charged. Plus, battery powered saws tend to cost more, are bulkier, and weigh more.

However, that doesn't mean that your average home hobbyist won't be better off with a cordless circular saw under the right circumstances. This is especially true if you often work some distance from the nearest outlet. And sometimes there are better features on the cordless saws. Like I have a DeWalt DWE575 that has a "brake". And the brake on the corded saw doesn't work very well. But the brake on the cordless version works a lot better, due to the different type of motor involved. However, I've owned enough cordless power tools to know you only get about 10 years out of them at most. After that, the battery technology changes, your old batteries die, and you can't replace your old batteries because they don't make them anymore. So you have to buy a whole new system. Whereas the corded power tools can last many decades.

Each have pluses and minuses. But to the OP, if you're wanting a cordless, go for the one who's battery system you have already invested in, so you can share batteries and save some cost and headache. The most likely problem with any of them that you'll run into is a battery problem, and having a few more on hand that you can easily swap out will solve that.

[Tom M King]

If you're already invested in a particular battery system, I would just get one that uses batteries you already have. I've had an 18v Makita in my truck for over 12 years, just because that was the batteries I used on woodworking stuff. It's still in my truck and gets used when it's the best tool for the job. I've never needed a big one to run long hours. If I'm framing a building, I use corded ones.

edited to add for Jimmy that was posting at the same time I was: Hold the trigger on your saw that the brake is not working good on for 30 seconds and let it go. If that doesn't improve the brake, the brushes may need changing.

[Bill Dufour]

I like my little PC trim saw. Hard to find the small blades. They are 4-5 inches. I do not remember the exact size. It is designed to cut through 2x lumber at 90.
I would not want a heavy battery operated saw overhead.
Looks like it is no longer made?
Bill D

[Jimmy Harris]

edited to add for Jimmy that was posting at the same time I was: Hold the trigger on your saw that the brake is not working good on for 30 seconds and let it go. If that doesn't improve the brake, the brushes may need changing.

It's just the design of the thing. The brake works. It just takes it a good second or two before it kicks on and then takes another half second to come to a full stop. And the brushes are good. The saw probably has 20 hours on it, as I rarely use it. But the battery powered DeWalt circular saws with a brake will stop the blade almost as soon as you release the trigger. It's a pretty stark difference in a side-by-side comparison.

[Tom M King]

Still would be worth a try though. That's the common "fix" for slowing saw brakes. I have a Porter Cable 447 that the brake gets tired on occasionally, and the running it for a while fixes it again. I only like a brake for some uses like trimming the ends of rafters when I'm standing on a scaffold plank, but don't prefer them for general use.

[Jim Becker]

But, the construction industry has moved to cordless because it's often more difficult to find power at a construction site than at your house. So it's a solution to a problem they have, and the rest of us usually won't run up against. Most nonprofessionals will run into the opposite problem. They'll go to use their saw, only to find the battery is dead, or they'll use it for a little while, and have to stop to recharge the battery. Or they'll have to buy a bunch of batteries and mess with the charging and keeping track of which ones are charged and which ones need to be charged. Plus, battery powered saws tend to cost more, are bulkier, and weigh more.

It's true that a part time user will have to get into the habit of "battery management". But most of us already have to do that for our drill/drivers so that helps and if one can stay in the same ecosystem as the tools they use frequently (and drill/drivers often qualify for that) so much the better.

Now I actually strayed from that because there are a few tools that I like having with the portability that battery power brings but they are not something I use often. So for them, I opted for a lower cost option (Bauer) that matches my battery powered property management tools, like the leaf blower, pole saw, little chainsaw and strimmer when I picked up a little circular saw and impact driver during my shop build. My only other battery tools in the shop are my Festool drill/divers and I didn't perceive the need to stay in the same ecosystem for infrequently used tools. I added a battery powered hot glue gun recently, also Bauer, for incidental use for hold-down at the CNC. If I was doing serious work with the portable circular saw and didn't want to use my 1980s era B&D (which is in great shape) via an extension core, I would have opted for a name brand, heavier duty product; probably Milwaukee.

[Ray Selinger]

Look at the saw itself. For me a saw has to be righthanded, as in the blade as faraway from my leg as possible. I have seen too many jumps and kicks . Next the saw has to balance. I don't know how explain that one, but I have Makita and Chinese Milwaukee corded saws, the Milwaukee is awkward and the Makita is just right.

[STUART Robertson]

Makita 18v 61/2 is light.Good power to weight ratio,has a purlin hook too.
If you're right handed and plan to use a speed square as a cutting guide,which is a good idea because of the blade flexibility,then the motor will be on your outside right.You can see your cut line and you're actually further away from the blade,not leaning over the saw as in the old style setup.
Best to stick to the battery platform you may already be on as others have said.
Saws draw a lot of power so bigger aH batteries are bigger,5 or 6 aH.
Here at least on a jobsite, corded tools and cords have to be very regularly certified,cordless don't.
Mobility is a big factor,not being tethered to a cord or having cords to deal with all over your site.
True their life is shorter and the technology is improving rapidly.
Back to first principles;consider your use.