sjwoodturn Posted December 22, 2010 Report Share Posted December 22, 2010 Hey all, Just thought I'd throw out the question. I'm starting to look into purchasing a circular saw and was wondering what would be the best one. I'm leaning more towards Porter Cable or DeWalt. Are there certain brand's I should stay away from (ryobi . . .)? What would you suggest I check out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Slack Posted December 22, 2010 Report Share Posted December 22, 2010 Festool TS 75 is what I use. The guide rail is superb and you can use it later with a router, with the jig saw. I like the Festool with the guide rail because will give you clean and accurate cuts. I built cabinets with it and everything came up perfectly square. If you need to cut wide panels ... to wide for your table saw, there is no need for a sled. I can go on and on. I am for sure a Festool fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ztifpatrick Posted December 22, 2010 Report Share Posted December 22, 2010 Festool TS 75 is what I use. The guide rail is superb and you can use it later with a router, with the jig saw. I like the Festool with the guide rail because will give you clean and accurate cuts. I built cabinets with it and everything came up perfectly square. If you need to cut wide panels ... to wide for your table saw, there is no need for a sled. I can go on and on. I am for sure a Festool fan. I'm afraid I'd have to second that, it's tablesaw quality off a cicular saw. Of course the question might be what are you going to use it for? If your a builder who is roughing out with rough lumber then a lesser tool might do, but I would view the Festool as a good investment. If your going to be making cabinets and working with quality sheet goods, it's the ticket. I have the TS 75 too, but I often thought the smaller one (TS 55?)might have done me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlingenfelter Posted December 22, 2010 Report Share Posted December 22, 2010 I have never loved or even liked circular saws, until I bought my Festool TS75. I know it's a lot more money then most, but quality and performance is beyond anything I've experienced with any other circular saw. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRAM121881 Posted December 22, 2010 Report Share Posted December 22, 2010 I have never used a Festool TS75, I have looked at them several times and plan on getting one very soon due to the number of projects that I am working on and will be doing. However I can say that I have used a Porter Cable circular saw exclusively for the past 5 years and have had great results cuts everything I through at it. Combine the P.C. saw with a top quality blade, a good straight edge and you will get great quality straight cuts. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jab73180 Posted December 23, 2010 Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 i have a ridgid circ saw. i dont use it much but it is well built, accurate and powerful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjwoodturn Posted December 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 Guys, Thanks for the input on the Festool saws. I would LOVE to get one of those, however money is a bit of a factor right now. I'm looking for under $200. Down the road, however, most definitely will look into Festool TS system. I have looked at them a bit and am quite pleased with them. Right now I'm just a hobby wood worker so I'm just looking for something to get the job done. Mark, I appreciate your advise on the P.C. saw. I'm probably going to go check those out at the store and see if the fit me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMarcel Posted December 23, 2010 Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 Give toolmonger.com a look; they review a lot of tools. Been awhile since I browsed it, but their reviews were pretty decent. Not super detailed, but they separate the chaff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dyami Plotke Posted December 23, 2010 Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 Guys, Thanks for the input on the Festool saws. I would LOVE to get one of those, however money is a bit of a factor right now. I'm looking for under $200. Down the road, however, most definitely will look into Festool TS system. I have looked at them a bit and am quite pleased with them. Right now I'm just a hobby wood worker so I'm just looking for something to get the job done. Mark, I appreciate your advise on the P.C. saw. I'm probably going to go check those out at the store and see if the fit me. In the under $200 range, I'd recommend the Magnesium soled Makita or the Milwaukee. Check out Fine Homebuilding, as they have a few circular saw reviews (probably in the member's area). When picking out a saw, be sure to pay attention to the sole. How easy is it to adjust and does it flex a lot? Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dyami Plotke Posted December 23, 2010 Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 Guys, Thanks for the input on the Festool saws. I would LOVE to get one of those, however money is a bit of a factor right now. I'm looking for under $200. Down the road, however, most definitely will look into Festool TS system. I have looked at them a bit and am quite pleased with them. Right now I'm just a hobby wood worker so I'm just looking for something to get the job done. Mark, I appreciate your advise on the P.C. saw. I'm probably going to go check those out at the store and see if the fit me. SJwoodturn, 5 years ago, I would have said buy the Porter-Cable. Since then they've been bought by Black & Decker (who has since been baught by Stanley). The quality of many (though not all) of their tools have suffered. Circular saws are one area where they have fallen, big time. Their cheap, stamped sole saw (the one you can get with a lazer if you like) is a piece of junk because of it's cheap, stamped stole. Their current high end saw is ok (it at least has a cast sole) but no longer up to the Milwakee & Makitas which it used to be better than. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben@FineWoodworking Posted December 23, 2010 Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 I've recently done a bunch of digging and the Milwaukee seems to constantly get great reviews. I haven't gotten it yet so I can't speak from experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted December 23, 2010 Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 I have underpowered, cuts like crap Dewalt cordless that i use for nothing but rough cuts. It is handy to grab and cut something in two pieces, but plan on cutting another inch off with the table saw. Recently i got the Festool TS55 because I could save a bunch of money in material if my first cut was my final cut. Wow! Talk about chicken salad vs. chicken poop [self edited per the forums strict rules ] Stick with something with a cord. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjwoodturn Posted December 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 Dyami, Thanks for the advise. I had no idea about PC being bought by B&D - Stanley. I guess I'll stay away from those ones. I looked at the Magnesium Makita at Home Depot today, very breifly, and would like to compare it to the Milwakee. I read some reviews of the Milwakee online and it seems to be more of what I think I might like. The shopping continues . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dyami Plotke Posted December 23, 2010 Report Share Posted December 23, 2010 Dyami, Thanks for the advise. I had no idea about PC being bought by B&D - Stanley. I guess I'll stay away from those ones. I looked at the Magnesium Makita at Home Depot today, very breifly, and would like to compare it to the Milwakee. I read some reviews of the Milwakee online and it seems to be more of what I think I might like. The shopping continues . . . I'm happy to help. Good luck deciding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelBClark Posted December 24, 2010 Report Share Posted December 24, 2010 If you can wait, I'd suggest watching the Tooliday feed. Right now they seem to be on a Dewalt kick but there have been a few circular saws lately. They've tempted me a few times, but Amazon + Prime has offered better deals. SJwoodturn, 5 years ago, I would have said buy the Porter-Cable. Since then they've been bought by Black & Decker (who has since been baught by Stanley). The quality of many (though not all) of their tools have suffered. Circular saws are one area where they have fallen, big time. Their cheap, stamped sole saw (the one you can get with a lazer if you like) is a piece of junk because of it's cheap, stamped stole. Their current high end saw is ok (it at least has a cast sole) but no longer up to the Milwakee & Makitas which it used to be better than. Didn't they recently say they were going to divide their tools into tiers? Like Dewalt and Porter-Cable will always be the premium tools and Black and Decker will always be the low end? Of course, that doesn't mean they aren't cutting corners as much as they can and hoping people would overlook little flaws because of the name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuilderBill Posted December 25, 2010 Report Share Posted December 25, 2010 I've been using Makita 5007-series saws since the mid-80's. Worn out several(once the bearings go it's just as cheap to replace it), replaced several switches and don't know how many brushes but that's about all that ever went wrong with them. My framing crews use mostly Makitas as well, a couple of sidewinders and one or two of the new magnesium-base versions, but mostly the standard 5007s.Occasionally I'll see a Dewalt or P-C on the job but they never seem to stay around long... HTH, Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjwoodturn Posted December 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2010 I looked at a Dewalt DW368K at the store today and it seems to have a stable base. I like that there is a depth adjustment on it. Also it is easy to adjust the angle of the cut. Have not had a chance to get my hands on a Milwaukee yet to see if I like it better, but the DeWalt is looking like the one for me so far. Seems to have more stable of a base than the Makita has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodworker 51 Posted January 23, 2011 Report Share Posted January 23, 2011 I had an old Black & Decker for 20 years. Got a Milwaukee for Christmas, the difference is incredible, would highly recommend the Milwaukee Dennis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikerDad Posted January 24, 2011 Report Share Posted January 24, 2011 My understanding is that Stanley-B&D is going to position DeWalt as the premium line for contractor/builder tools, P-C as premium for shop tools (i.e. belt sanders, large routers) and mid-line for everything else, and B&D for the "consumer grade". Methinks most of the folks responding are east of the Rockies, otherwise there'd be a lot more suggestions for worm-drive saws. The Skil Mag77 still is the cream of the crop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samhell Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 i have a ridgid circ saw. i dont use it much but it is well built, accurate and powerful. I also have the Ridgid model. Its quite heavy duty (and just plain heavy). It was the sturdiest and most well made out of all the ones at Home Depot when I bought it a year or two ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChetlovesMer Posted January 25, 2011 Report Share Posted January 25, 2011 I have Hitachi's high end model. It's not bad, but the skirt lock (or sole lock which ever you call it) is in a really awkward place. Because of that I can not recommend it. A friend of mine has Makita's new plunge circular saw. I think it’s the SP6000K. I have to say the thing is super impressive. We had a simple shop vac connected to it and I'll be darned if I could find even a trace of saw dust afterwards. It also cut 45 degree bevels in MDF and Birch Ply that were simply incredible, smooth as silk. I've never used the Festool, but I can't imagine it is any better than the Makita. (Maybe I'm wrong) The Makita is half the price of the Festool. One more note, while the Makita was super cool, awesomely accurate and slick as snot on a doorknob. It is only a 6-1/2 inch blade. And it’s too delicate to use for sawing off Deck Posts and things of that nature. If you are only looking to turn one piece of plywood into two, then a standard Circ will likely be more versatile. A standard circ will not be as accurate or as clean, but I can't imagine dragging the Makita out to a decking project or pole barn raising or something like that. It is equivalent to the difference between a scalpel and a meat cleaver. True you could remove your hand with either, but are you a surgeon or a butcher? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jab73180 Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 I also have the Ridgid model. Its quite heavy duty (and just plain heavy). It was the sturdiest and most well made out of all the ones at Home Depot when I bought it a year or two ago. im starting to use it more with bora straight edge clamp to break down sheet goods. works great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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