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Cordless
Circular Saw
Quick And Easy Cuts Without
The Cord
Why
A Cordless Circular Saw?
The
days of a cordless circular saw completely dominating
the jobsite are
almost here.
Having to lug the big corded sidewinder or wormdrive saws around the
jobsite are almost a thing of the past.
Today these types of power tools are almost at the level of making
their corded counterparts obsolete.
Who
Makes The Best Cordless Circular Saw?
This question can only be
answered by you...but we will do our best
to help you through it.
You are going to have to weigh all the pro's and con's of each brand
and type.
There are so
many variations to consider such as size, weight, power,
comfort and most importantly what you will be using this saw
for specifically.
Are you the a weekend warrior type?
Will you only be using this power
tool occassionlly?
Are you a professional Contractor?
Will you be putting some heavy
demands on this saw?
You
shouldn't have any trouble finding this type of cordless saw
no matter which brand you choose.
A few are listed below:
Dewalt
Craftsman
Bosch
Milwaukee
Makita
Hitachi
Ridgid
Ryobi
So where do you start?
Well...let's continue...
What
Should You Look for when Buying?
Battery
Charging Time
Always
keep in mind the time it takes for you to charge the battery system
that comes with your circular saw.
This particular type of cordless tool tends to eat through a charged
battery pretty quick.
They do get the job done...no question...but remember this saw is
still
designed for portability not all day power.
If you keep a good supply of charged batteries around for these bad
boys then you will find yourself pleased with their all around
performance.
What you are cutting and the way you are cutting (i.e. rip or
crosscut) will make a difference on how often you need to re-charge
your battery.
Saw/Blade
Size
There are only a few blade size
variations when it comes to these cordless tools.
Some of the smaller cordless trim saws may have a blade size of 3 3/8
inch and a battery size of 14.4 volts.
This type of cordless saw is used for a very narrow type of cutting.
Small and precise.
On
the other side of the coin you can purchase a 7 1/4 inch cordless saw
with 19.2 volts of power for that regular heavy duty work you may
perform on a construction jobsite.
You may want to evaluate this factor closely based on the work you
intend to perform.
Weight
and Balance
Cordless saws all have varying weight and
balance.
A 9.6v trim saw obviously will weigh less than a 24v cordless circular
saw.
You are going to have to compare
apples to apples to find the best weight/balance for the
saw that you want to purchase.
When making
awkward cuts you are going to notice how well your saw is
balanced
and whether the saw weight makes cutting more cumbersome or not.
For the most
part this factor won't hinder the usability of any of these saws very
much...but make sure you consider this based on how you intend to use
this power tool.
Visibilty
How well you can see when making a cut to me is
another important
factor to weigh when buying a cordless circular saw.
Whether you are left or right-handed makes a difference as well.
Some saws may fit you better than others when considering your dominate
hand.
Does the blade guard hinder your visibility?
Does it swing out of the way so you can continually see your cuts?
These types of cordless saws can have varying guard sizes...make sure
you consider this as well.
Make sure to pay attention to your saws overall visiblity...in the long
run it will make a difference in your cuts as well as your safety.
Adjustment
You will always be making adjustments to your
circular saw...no matter what...it will be necessary.
Always try out your depth and bevel adjustments for each saw.
It
can be frustrating when you have to spend more time
getting your adjustments right than you do making cuts.
Does the saw have clearly marked increments and preset detents for most
standard depths and bevels?
Are the tightening knobs easily accessed and operated?
Do any adjustments require a tool? And if so is one supplied and stored
on the saw?
One last thing...Blade changing.
Look to see if there is a built in blade lock and is a blade
wrench/tool supplied and stored on the saw as well.
All these little things can make the biggest difference when using a
saw of this type.
Battery
Size
The battery size
of your saw is going to play a big part
in your power tool buying decision.
The battery
sizes can vary from 14.4v all the way up to a 19.2v
capacity.
Each will deliver the power and charge duration based on the voltage
and type of battery offered.
Whether it's a NiCad or Lithion-ion will determine the
duartion of charge and the speed at which you can recover a
charge.
The
type of projects or work you typically perform with this saw is going
to determine the size you are looking for...choose
accordingly.
Our
Conclusion?
Once again...this saw
really helps complete my inventory of cordless tools.