Circular Saws Reviews

This saw may be lighter but at the expense of strenght. Any saw will get damaged if it is used/abused, but this saw's foot plate (shoe?) is easily damaged if not treated with kid gloves. If you use a speed square to ride the edge of the shoe along for cross cuts, or you like to use the v-cut in the front for rips like I do then you know how important it is that it be in alignment (paralel)with the blade. The shoe on this saw will not take much of a bump before it gets out of alignment. Not only that, but because the shoe is made from aluminum, the bottom of the shoe scratches easily and will then leave marks on the wood that you are cutting; especially bad if you are trimming a door. I like the color, and yes it's a little lighter, but the saw that has proven throught the test of time is still the Skil HD77.

I have owned one of these for ten years, and a have cut everything you can think of from soft wood, to metal, to asphault and concrete this`saw is virtually indestructable.

I work construction and do plenty of research on tools. Skil currently makes less then par products, but with this exception. This saw is the industry standard. I see the MAG77 and the regular HD77 on every constructon site. I like the HD77 because it is a little heavier then the MAG77 due to the casing, which means no kickback and a stonger, more solid feel. Both saws are incredible and either purchase is an investment. Buy this saw if you plan on cutting a lot of lumber.

I had a good Delta blade on my Delta miter saw for almost 8 years. So I'm used to good blades. I work with all kinds of wood. Maple, Oak, Walnut, including plywood. This blade cuts it all great. No chips, splinters, and it is extremely sharp. You can hardly feel the blade hit the wood. The end grain cut is amazingly smooth.

I went and ordered a combo blade from Freud for my tablesaw.

The title says it all, you can't beat this blade. I really don't think there is any room for improvement here. I don't know what I did without it before! If you've got a decent chopsaw and a stock blade, you are missing out. This blade supercharges your miter box with glass-smooth cuts, less tear-out, thick carbide for many resharpenings, no blade flex (that I noticed) and therefore, perfect finish grade crosscuts. Leaves the edges as sharp as can be. Be careful when you first take it out of the box, this blade is truly sharp. YOU NEED THIS BLADE! Now I'm looking for more Freud products. Way to go Freud!!

We have tried all types of blades. And some are better than others!

When your making some of the finest cabinets and doors in the world for some of the most demanding customers you can't second guess your self! Or worrie about your saw blades integrity!

These blades will amaze your customers with fine bevels and hair line tight cross cut joints at any angel with any type of wood!! Great for cabinet panal saws and compound radial sliders! In 10" size.

When asked how we get our cuts so tight, we tell them about the Freud 80-tooth LU85R010 "Ultimate Crosscutting" blade! If your as serious about your projects as we are about ours don't skimp on your crosscut blades! Buy the LU85R010 From Freud!

And Fillet Your Wood!

As a petite woman and DIYer I needed a saw that was easy to use and control. I was given this saw as a gift and it has been great.

The original Skilsaw is the classic tough wormdrive saw, and has never been equaled for longevity or durability by any other circular saw. In fact, I would say this saw's greatest competition is older versions of the same model - since they never seem to break, at least when maintained and operated properly.

My own Skilsaw was an older 77, it lay battered and dusty in a used tool shop where contractors often dump tools to rust and die. It cost all of $70, complete with broken top handle and torn power cord. I replaced the cord and handle, cleaned the motor and put in fresh lubricant and have been cutting away ever since (10 years now). It cuts like a new saw. I have only used wood and masonry blades on it, no breakdowns, no problems. It is virtually impossible to overheat this thing as long as you are using a proper gauge extension cord and change the lubricant. Best power tool I own.

I'm a builder and without a doubt, this is the most powerful "hand tool" I bring to a job site. It's also the scariest tool and I cringe when a novice grabs this thing thinking that it's a run of the mill circular saw. I have a 30+ year old Craftsman circular that doesn't know when to quit, but when the going gets tough, I bring out the worm drive. It's heavy, but that means that you only have to guide the beast and not push it. Buy good blades. Use it for trimming just one large deck and it's already paid for itself, but be careful and don't forget to change the oil.

I purchased a Ryobi combo set that included the same tools as the Makita combo set. Battery life with the Ryobi was short and the recip saw broke after a few hours. I returned the Ryobi set and purchased the Makita combo set after reading the customer reviews here.

I put up galvanized steel fence panels on my property and used the reciprocating saw to cut the panels to fit. What a difference! The recip saw cut through the galvanized steel like butter! A nice feature is the adjustable shoe. Being able to move the shoe up or down lengthens the life of the blade by moving the cutting edge to other parts of the blade. Another nice feature is the do-it-yourself carbon brush changes on the recip and drill/driver. The drill is in itself is really nice. Again, the quality of the tool was evident. Batteries seemed to last a long time.

I've grown up using corded tools [usually past down from my father] and finally decided to buy a nice cordless tool set after tripping on extension cords once too many times. Power is right up there with the corded tools.

If you are looking for a good set of tools, this is the set to buy.

I bought this tool set about 1 year ago and It is so handy. I have used it more times than I can count. I am a carpenter and I use it from trim work to cutting plywood off the eves of a roof. I am very impressed with the power of the drill, the amount of work I can get out of the tools on one charge of the batteries and how efficient the tools are to use. The tools are very rugged and durable. They have held up very well on the jobsite and I use them just about everyday. I highly recommend them to anyone who needs the power of a corded tool with the effiecency of a cordless.

Have now used this kit quite a bit while building a shed from scratch.

The drill is incredible. Great power, flexibility, balance and battery life. I have managed to break one of the two included bits, but I replaced it at the hardware store for 89 cents. The drill itself seems solid and well built, even after a lot of use.

The circ saw is powerful enough and well balanced, but battery life can be an issue if you don't plan your charges in advance.

The recip saw is nice enough and well balanced, if a little heavy (I had to do some tight cutting above my head and holding it up there was a little tiring after a while).

The flashlight? Well, it just sits there. I suppose it would be ok, but usually both of my batteries are taken, either by a tool or the charger.

The standout here is really the drill, followed by the circular saw. The fact that I don't have to drag a cord around is simply wonderful, and the 18v tools provide more than enough power for the things I do.

My first circular saw and I like it a lot. Easy to use. I replaced the blade with a diamond edge masnory blade to cut 2 inch think flagstones, it cuts like butter. Great saw.

I am obsessive about researching my purchases, especially with tools. Not wanting (or needing) a heavy worm-drive saw, I narrowed my search to the Hitachi (well-rated), Milwaukee 6391 (top-rated by many magazines), Bosch CS20 (also top-rated), and Porter-Cable MAG (again, top-rated). However, I also take most magazine reviews with a grain of salt - always get actual consumer reviews and get your hands on the item.

While the Milwaukee is a great saw with a great reputation, the Tilt-lok seems like a nice "bonus" feature but I usually believe "The simpler the better" principle (less stuff to break down or cause issues) and wanted something a bit lighter. I didn't like the "composite plastic" Bosch plate and have seen other durability issues (see reviews on Amazon). The Porter-Cable was a front-runner (I love PC tools), but again there seemed to be some durability issues in some reviews, wondered about the fancy plastic dust port clogging, and the price was $50 more (is it worth 50% more money??). So, after handling all of these saws at the store, I really liked the Hitachi best - plus a perfect 5 star rating here at Amazon (until the guy who posted incorrectly about the warranty). I couln't find any faults - it is very light, powerful and accurate (dead-on 90 degrees and 45 degrees out of the box). The blade brake isn't as fast as I hoped, but still several seconds faster than without (and those several seconds could make the difference between "Ouch!" and "Take me to the emergency room!"). The stock blade is better-than-average, the plate is rock-solid and nicely designed, nice dust control and it has great visibility. Some people might not like that the plate tilt does not have any markings to tell what depth it is set at - however, I usually "eye-ball" the blade depth for a cut anyway, and if I really needed to be accurate I would actually measure the depth instead of relying on the rough measures on the tool (plus, the bar used to raise/lower the plate is enclosed - so it won't collect sawdust and dirt). To top it off, it does carry a 5-year warranty (unlike a previous poster stated), plus the brushes are replaceable for extended life.
I'm sure all the saws I mentioned would be a great choice, but for the money I betting on the Hitachi!

I first bought a Skil 5750-01, thinking that the laser guide would be great. I liked having the extended line of sight, but that was the only plus to that particular piece of equipment. I immediately returned it, and bought the Hitachi. Wow, was that a good idea. Perfect 90 degrees at catch, the other measurements for angle are off, though, and it doesn't tilt all the way to the 55 degree miter. The first thing I did was change the blade, a snap with the tool provided in the case from the factory (nice touch, Hitachi!), store the old one on the gripping spindle in the case (another thoughtful addition) and cut through a piece of 3/4" 7-layer birch plywood. Perfect performance, and the brake isn't too hard, so there's almost no kickback when you drop the trigger.

Received mine and have been setting it up for a while now.

Electrics -
Ran 220V from the dryer outlet, probably violating code. Don't try this yourself unless you understand what single phase means. The unit comes with bare wires ready to be hard-wired. Was unable to find a 220V extension cord, so made one myself. 20 amp wire and NEMA connectors.

Breakage in Transit -
The unit had tipped over in shipment. I noticed a ding in the fan cover. Actually, I noticed a loud racket when I tried turning the blade by hand. The fan was rubbing the shroud. A little work with a hammer and pliers fixed that. But I didn't know that there was a related problem until I tried to set the blade to 90 degrees. Stuck my head inside to see what the problem was and found ... a three once chunk of cast iron that had snapped off the flange that holds one of the main trunnion shafts. This was the point that gave out when the whole unit fell on the motor. Thank goodness I hadn't turned it on yet. The blade had a good chance of rotating into the table when I tilted it.

Cleaning -
Removing the preservative is actually easy, once you find the right solvent. Instructions call for a degreaser or citrus based cleanser. I had a "Clean Off" between a degreaser, an orange-based cleanser and Goof Off. the first two didn't even make a dent. Goof Off removed it very effectively, but have a lot of ventilation if you use it.

Support -
Grizzly is sending me a new flange and says I will have no problem replacing the broken piece. Very good interaction with them. I was worried I would have to ship the whole unit back. Getting it into the basement almost gave me a hernia.

Will update this after I get to actually cut wood.

When shipped, they shipped the wrong fence, wrong rails, and incorrect bolt bags for the optional sliding table. After about a week, I had all the parts needed to assemble the saw. Customer service was great. Nothing but good things to say about that.

The shipping was faster then expected. I ordered the saw on a Monday, and it was in my shop on Wednesday PM. No issues other then the missing/wrong compenents. Mistakes happen. Not a big deal.

The pro's have all been mentioned in other reviews. Simply: It's a great saw. To me, it's just as good as the Unisaw, which I've also used. I like to say that overall, The Unisaw and PM66 are production saws meant to cut 1000's of board ft a day. The G1023S is also a production saw, but only good for about 500 board ft a day. That's the only difference in performance that I can see.

The Cons:
The shop-fox fence: It's always compared to the Biesmeyer T-Square, but I can tell you - It's only in appearance - not performance. The cam lock on the shopfox is flimsy, and has serveral reports of breaking off with moderate pressure. It's not as heavy, and it uses a pesky guide foot that slides across the rear-rail. This foot gets bound up when the real rail is full of sawdust - something saw's are known to create! The good news is - the guide tube DOES fit real Beismeyer fence - which is how mine is set up. The hex nuts to square the ShopFox weren't real tight on mine, and require lock-tite to keep em in place. I think it's worth noting that I already owned the Beisemeyer commerical fence. I'm not sure If I would be as particular if I didn't have it in house to compare.


The optional sliding table looked like a good idea - but after giving it a real effort to align it square with the table, it lacks the capability to remain aligned. The roller guides have too much play in them to remain sqaure, and if tightened, they will often bind up when making a cut. If set too loose, the table will fall off.

You're also required to cut 12" off the left side of the fence guide tube to attach the sliding table. This kind of permenent alteration needs to be concidered. That end 12" portion is where the power switch was designed to mount. When the switch was re-mounted further in on the tube, it get's in the way of the blade hieght wheel when the blade is beveled over 45 degrees. Still workable, but making these types of alterations to a new machine just doesnt seem right.

If you're planing of ripping large format stock (anything over 24" square) the sliding table needs to be removed because it only has 24" from it's butt end to the first toe of the blade. It's setup also requires the sliding table to be set 1/16" above the saw table so the fence clears. This in of itself will cause any cross-cuts to have a 1/16" unintended bevel - almost defeating the purpose of the sliding table!!

For ANY dust collector to work properly, it needs a defined air-flow path. This means you absolutely need the optional motor cover! This is something I think Grizzly should include as part of the package. Without it, your only collect dust that happens to pass over the 4" hole - if your lucky.

Overall - I wouldn't trade this saw for anything less then a Robland X31. Which is a very unlikely purchase.

I'm not sure how you could find a better saw for the money than this. Sure, the cardboard box and flimsy pallet needs improvement, but the company/freight line will stand by any issues....at least they did in my case...had some damage to one of the extension wings...Grizzly took right care of it.

The saw set up perfectly right out of the box. Blade parallel to miter slots. Straight up 90 and perfect 45 stops were right on. Extension wings bolted on and were flat on first try. Fit and finish were very nice on the cabinet. Holy Mackerel this sucker is POWERFUL. If you are a home hobbiest, this is all the saw you will ever need and it seriously overlaps into the professional saw space as well. Loved the Shop Fox fence. Miter gauge is pretty standard.

Well done Grizzly....just protect your fine product a bit better in shipment.....

This is my second Makita hypoid saw. The first one was still going strong after 12 years of moderate use before it was stolen. It is annoying that there is no tool case with this saw. I purchased a steel Milwaukee worm drive saw case, which works well, but it is another $55. I have also used Skill worm drive saws and I prefer the feel of the Makita. It has plenty of power and will cut through anything as long as the blade is reasonably sharp and not pinched/binded in the kerf. Both saws (and all worm/hypoid saws) are heavy and thus not easy to use in awkward positions (overhead, sideways, etc.).

I asked Dan what he thought and he said this was the best saw ever made. In fact, he said he'd trade his wife for this saw. I'm sold!

I'm a framer. I was really skeptical about buying this saw, I couldn't stand the earlier models. I've strictly used Skil, and recently the new Bosche. My Bosche gave out in less than 2 years. I got this Makita to back up my (back up)Mag 77, but after one day at work it is my primary saw. Just as powerful as the worm drives, but way smoother!!!. And cheaper to boot!

I have found this saw to be very dependable and comfortable for professional everyday use. The only problem is with the toolless quick-change blade system. This may be fine for homeowner use, but for a professional tool which I use every day, I would prefer the old-fashioned bolt and wrench.

The reason I selected this saw is that I had decided to get a circular saw and router precision guide system for my home shop. I have so little room that table tools are a problem. Anyway, while looking at the precision guide systems, I noticed that every single vendor pictured their guide system being used with this saw. I asked a couple of them about that and was told that the precision, power, ability to plunge cut and dust collection (if you hook it to a vacuum) rivals the Festool at less than half the price. So I got one and I am extremely pleased with it.

After my last Black and Decker toy bit the dust -- in the middle of a small backyard fence job -- I swore that I had finally learned my lesson with cheap, 3-month wonder immitation power tools.

So after shopping around for a quality replacement, I finally settled on the Porter-Cable. The fact that I didn't have to pay a quality price for it on Amazon was an added bonus. I can't believe how much saw just a little more money can buy.

After using this lightweight, well-balanced, powerhouse for the first time last weekend, I'm already spending more time looking around the ranch for new projects than I was previously in avoiding them.

One of the problems I'd always had with the cheap saws was the even cheaper blades that came with them. After only a few uses, it was usually used up. Ripping a board was always a hit-or-miss exercise in frustration. Until now. This P-C made me look good the first time out with a line so true it appeared as if I did it on a table saw. And as for power, I sliced right through a pressurized 4x6 like a hot knife through butter. Sweet.

I didn't buy this saw for the blade-change system, but it's nice to know that when the time -- or the right job -- comes around it will be a snap to swap it out. To me, that's just another example of the well-planned design that went into this outstanding American-made product.

I had this kit for less than 1 month and cannot tell you how many times I have used it..I just built some shelves for my mom and it was a breeze having the cordless conveinence but furthormore the circular saw does not stop..I ripped down some boards with no problem and it has plenty of power. I did look at dewalt circular saw and the milwaukee is built 10 TIMES BETTER..
Dewalts cordless drills seem fine but I think milwaukee is built with tough standards..Buy this combo you will not be dissapointed...I know this was the best purchase I made!!! Hope this helps...

I tried an entry-level Ryobi quad-pack (at the Orange store) with circular saw, sawzall, 1/2 drill, and flashlight. Not all that bad for $199.00, but I needed a hammerdrill and wanted longer battery life as well as more precision tools. I bought the Dewalt saw and hammer/drill and found it was physically impossible to make one-handed 45's with the saw. Very clumsy "safety" switch, probably ends up being somewhat dangerous considering what you have to do to be able to finally pull the trigger switch.

I then discovered Milwakee's saw/hammerdrill combo on Amazon, all I cold find was the higher item count sets at the Orange store. I am extremely happy with my choice. Some of my oldest tools are Milwakee and I have no reason to get new as they are tough and capable ene though 25 years old (sawzall and 1/2" angle drill, both have lot of miles on them).

One thing no one has mentioned is the brake on the saw. Let go of the switch and it stops instantly, something my wormdrive and other circulars don't do. When it comes to safety, that is right up there as far as effective. A coasting cirluar can do a lot of damage, if it gets away from you. Safety switches and blade gaurds are questionable in the final analysis, but without them, the lawyers would be driving bigger cars, I suppose.

Another reason I bought this saw was, aside from the incredible conveinece, is it is light and well balanced and at 60, I'm just not as strong as I used to be. This saw is light comparatively speaking.

I am a homeowner and hobby woodworker. I purchased this set of cordless tools after using a friend's DeWalt set. Milwaukee sends DeWalt to the back of the line in quality, ruggedness, power, you name the category. You want to see a friend cringe with envy, pull this set out while he is using his DeWalt. I chose this set from shopping in the local stores and using Amazon's reviews. Thanks everyone who posted five stars, you all were right. This is one of my first reviews on anything, I usually don't take the time, but I just had to tell the world about this set of Milwaukee tools. Simply, these tools ROCK!

Read all the reviews here and decided to give it a try. The saw I previously used was a 20 years old SKIL saw. Let me tell you,this saw doesn't hold a handle to the old SKIL. It sounds like any other cheap saw from Harbor Freight (kind of rocks instead of bearings feeling). Besides, a pretty strong vibration would come and go while you are cutting. I don't know what I'm going to choose next, one thing I know for sure, I'm not going to keep this saw. The hight adjustment leaver got jammed and it took all my strength to loosen it. Bottom line, it would be a good $30 saw, not a $130 one.

well. The saw is powerful, and fairly lightweight. Not jumpy either, very smooth. The case is clown-shoes big and the adjustable handle is a bit stiff, but overall a worthwhile investment and a good deal at that. (this review is for "left blade" consumers only. I cannot speak for the other side.)
And I am over the age of 13. Really.

Good strong saw, 2 things bother me though, 1 made in mexico, 2 the saw slides around in the case and seems to be a circular saw / router case, not a standard saw case with slots to hold extra blades or small parts.