Basic circular saw

[JHZR2]

I have a skil Mg worm drive circular saw. I'm thinking that a smaller, more standard circular saw might be useful for some jobs. I was looking at DeWalt and Makita Mg saws, but probably a more basic steel Porter Cable or Skil would do.

Any recommendations? My understanding is that Makita is the best these days, and Skil is now a low end brand for Bosch. Any thoughts?

I'm not interested in HF.

Thanks!

 

[JayhawkRoy]

I have been happy with my 10 yr old Makita. Got a similar model for my brother in law (who does carpentry work for a living) two years ago, and he likes it also. Got the latest Makita from a True Value hardware store with a sale price and a dollars off coupon.

 

[sleddriver]

Check out Fine Homebuilding's test of CS's. Weight, sight lines, stiff lower plate and hand position are key.

 

[Astro14]

Originally Posted By: sleddriver
Check out Fine Homebuilding's test of CS's. Weight, sight lines, stiff lower plate and hand position are key.


+1

I had a 50 year old Porter-Cable that worked flawlessly. My current collection of saws includes a Porter Cable with the magnesium plate. Very accurate, light weight, easy to use saw.

 

[CT8]

Worm drives are nicer.

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: CT8
Worm drives are nicer.



For people who like to look at rather than use their tools then yes a worm drive is nice to look at however because of its ridiculous weight and for a right handed person the blade is on the wrong side which blasts sawdust into your face
So sure they look nice but they are absolutely useless for actual work.
I have a Milwaukee worm drive. Had it for 20 years. It's been used almost never because it's a tank and in no way efficient for any real work

 

[Pop_Rivit]

I have a Porter Cable that I use for lighter work and it's an outstanding saw.

 

[Astro14]

Originally Posted By: CT8
Worm drives are nicer.


He already has a magnesium worm drive.

He's looking for a light weight saw.

I suggest a more careful reading of the OP's question....

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: Clevy
For people who like to look at rather than use their tools then yes a worm drive is nice to look at however because of its ridiculous weight and for a right handed person the blade is on the wrong side which blasts sawdust into your face
So sure they look nice but they are absolutely useless for actual work.
I have a Milwaukee worm drive. Had it for 20 years. It's been used almost never because it's a tank and in no way efficient for any real work.


I was waiting for you to say which saw you actually DO use, but you never said it.

JHZR2, are you wanting the blade left or right?

 

[spasm3]

I have an older porter cable 15 amp saw. Its pretty light , i could be wrong but i think its magnesium. Its 20years old and very powerful. I don't know the quality of the new stuff. But i would not hesitate to buy a good lightly used older porter cable as opposed to the newer stuff.

P.S. I just looked, and mine is a 347. Its light at only about 10 lbs

 

[tom slick]

I have a Milwaukee and think it's great. Worm drives are the saw of choice for framers on the west coast.

 

[Andrew1972]

Porter Cable has suited me well.

I follow my grandfathers adage of buying a lower priced mid range tool and if it fails buy a much better one the next time(rare).

 

[expat]

I do not like a heavy saw.

I had a De walt and sent it back for a refund. A magnesiam Porta Cable is nice, but can be a little pricy.
I have now a Mastercraft Canadian Tire Royobi clone that I love, and has lasted 10 years.

But I recently used a friends Skill (latest version) and really liked it.
The older versions were low powered, plain bearing, junk.
But his skill did not seem bad at all.

Now, before someone tells you to spend more on better quality,
consider how often you will use it.

30 years ago my Craftsman power saw was the only power saw I had, I practically built a house wit it alone.
Now I have, compound miter saws, band saws, table saw, jig saw, demolition saw and more. I seldom have to use the old school circular power saw unless the cut is in a difficult location like up a ladder or out in a field.
A cheapie will do.

 

[punisher]

I have an old DW368. No complaints. No brainer for $78 at the time.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: sleddriver
Check out Fine Homebuilding's test of CS's. Weight, sight lines, stiff lower plate and hand position are key.


Members only...

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/tool-guide/articles/tool-test-sidewinder-circular-saws.aspx?ac=fp

Need to see if I can find this at the library.

 

[sleddriver]

Can't you sign up for a free-trial membership? If not, your local library may have it on the shelf. They may also have access to it on-line through their subscription service. My community library has search tools I never knew existed. They have to pay for them so the members can have access.

 

[JHZR2]

yeah I just need to go down the street to the library one day. maybe a mile away but need to find the time...

 

[sleddriver]

I noticed they do have a 14-day free trial, to gain access.

 

[JHZR2]

I havent gone to the library yet, but I did go on a trip that took me right by a HD and a Lowes. I stopped at each and looked at the saws.

I dont really have a favorite tool brand, though by numbers I probably have more Milwaukee items than any brand. I have always read good things about Makita, and do have two of their drywall guns which are good too.

So I went in with no real notion of what is best or what I wanted, other than knowing that DeWalt seems to have the lightest saw.

I went to HD first, and there they sell a Skil Mag 77 worm drive, which I already own. That was helpful just for comparison.

HD had DeWalt, Ridgid, Milwaukee, Skil, Makita, and maybe one other that I dont recall.

Ill say that I was not impressed with the Makita saws, though they are rated highly. The DeWalt was OK but not that impressive. The Milwaukee and Ridgid saws were nice.

But what stood out was the new Skil Mg Sidewinder saw.

I then went to Lowes, in particular hoping to see a Mg Porter Cable, since they seemed to be a good value.

Lowes never ceases to disappoint in their tool section, from lack of US made hand tools to poor selection of power tools. Same in saws... They didnt have the Mg Porter Cable, but did have another one. Everything else was not very memorable, whatever they had.

So at the end of the day, the two that stood out were the Porter Cable and the Skil Sidewinder.

The Porter Cable was decently light for not being Mg, was only $59, and the trigger on it was definitely the best. The Skil was light, felt good in the hand, and I felt like I could maneuver it around overhead all day without thinking about it (not that I need to do so).

PC:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_525855-79992-PC15TCS_1z13y07Z1z0wckd__?productId=50192341&pl=1

Skil:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/SKILSAW-15-Am...WM-22/205673449

Because I think lightness is a virtue, and the Skil is a full 2.5 lbs lighter, Im leaning that way. Especially since it just came down in price to $99 from $129, and the dual winding sidewinder motor is apparently a really good design. But the Porter Cable trigger action was butter smooth on the Lowes unit, which actually made it stand out... And its cheaper. We will see. I think I have an HD store credit which may seal the deal (plus HD is more convenient for me to get to).

Keep in mind I did not cut with any of them... But what can one do?

 

[Merkava_4]