Which Circular Saw: Why do power tool manufacturers offer so many variants?

[Rannsachair]

My son gave me a Milwaukee M18 vacuum and battery for my Xmas, I suspect because he knew I had picked up some Milwaukee tools ( all M12).

I also got some cash off my dad so thought I would treat myself to an M18 circular saw, that the vacuum is set up to attach to - could not believe how many versions there are! Brushed, brushless, Fuel, 165mm blade, 190mm blade...... Thought this is ridiculous, how do I pick what is best for me! My 18V tools are mainly Bosch, had a look at their range, it seems almost as bad.

I am looking at say this on the screwfix site, though any advice appreciated. I have just retired this year and planning to be a part time odd job man and will do fencing/ shed repairs and gardening work, so fancied something reasonable .

 

[Robotstar5]

I don't have any red battery saws, but found the smaller diameter blades are more prone to wandering.

 

[Agroshield]

With Milwaukee, marketing wink is everything. I think 'Fuel' is an alternate term for 'brushless'. See if you can find a brushless that is not fuel or a fuel that is not brushless.

Blade diameter determines max depth of cut, also blade cost and sharpening cost (more teeth, more TC, more money). Pick the smallest that will do the job. Loosing one tooth on a small blade when you cut through a nail is less painful than the same tooth on a big blade.

With cordless, they use a thin kerf to maximise battery life (a 3mm wide blade would cut twice as long length on a charge as a 6mm wide blade). You need to keep the blades sharp and let the tool do the work.

Mine only wanders if the blade is blunt, the battery is low and I push it too fast. Hence, all three are abuse, not a design fault.

 

[Erie Fred]

Even before cordless, we had sidewinder style & worm drive.

And then Porter Cable started offering sidewinders in either hand to compete
with the worm saws.

Makita has the Hypoid 7 1/4" as well.

Porter Cable made a IIRC 4" bladed worm drive called a "cabinet saw" or something.

Skill worms go from 7 1/4" to 10"
Makita makes a sidewinder in 16" for timber framing (I own one).

 

[Kayos]

I only used a circular for ripping up floors so I got the basic brush less model, decent depth of cut for notching joists and that's it

 

[roblane65]

And don't forget left or right handed

 

[dobbslc]

If you're fencing then whatever you get make sure it cuts at least 2" so you can chop up a standard 4" post.

 

[addjunkie]

Brushless everytime. Mine has the smaller blade, 165mm works a treat, but eats batteries if cutting 8x2s.

 

[Erie Fred]

If you're fencing then whatever you get make sure it cuts at least 2" so you can chop up a standard 4" post.

Will almost do it in one cut:

10-1/4 IN. Magnesium Worm Drive Skilsaw

If you cut 4x, there's nothing like cutting it in one pass with this 10-1/4 IN. Magnesium Worm Drive Skilsaw.

www.skil.com

Much heavier, will do it in one cut:

16-5/16 IN. Magnesium Worm Drive Skilsaw

The biggest worm drive saw on Earth tears through whatever you throw at it. This beast of a saw boasts a 6-1/4 IN. cutting capacity to power through 6x in one easy cut.

www.skil.com

 

[chrismac]

What do you plan doing with it, I was all ready to use my circular saw to rip some flooring, then the guy who came to lend a hand pulled out his plunge saw....... I now want one,
Same as circular saw but sits on a track, which does not move, lay it down on the marks and cut, I have seen me using a straight edge and clamps, once you have your sizes from which side of the rest your cutting from its a scutter in comparison tbh.

 

[daleyd]

I’ve got a 165mm Bosch one, very handy. Can’t recall if it’s brushed or brushless but I’m not using it professionally so battery life isn’t a massive concern for me. I like the small size too, not sure I’d want anything bigger, but then I’m using it for sheets/worktops and not thicker wood.

The lack of cord is a real godsend on a circular saw. The last one I had was a cheap Argos effort, and it had a short power cord so doing big sheets was a pain!

 

[Rannsachair]

What do you plan doing with it, I was all ready to use my circular saw to rip some flooring, then the guy who came to lend a hand pulled out his plunge saw....... I now want one,
Same as circular saw but sits on a track, which does not move, lay it down on the marks and cut, I have seen me using a straight edge and clamps, once you have your sizes from which side of the rest your cutting from its a scutter in comparison tbh.

I have just retired this year and planning to be a part time odd job man and will do fencing/ shed repairs and gardening work, so fancied something reasonable .

So more than DIY, though I would only be putting up small fences, repairs to fences, possibly decking. Just now I borrow my brother 18v Bosch 165mm blade or do it by hand for repairs to my own and family jobs. Probably for cutting up sterlingboard sheets for shed roofing too.

 

[hotponyshoes]

I don't know why they offer special many.
Bosch must have at least 10 variations of much the same thing.
Mind you, they have about 50nversions of the drills as well.

My guess is, once you have designed a tool and set up a production line it's pretty easy (cheap) to make minor alterations/small parts changes and create a 'new' model with little extra effort.
The more choices you offer, the more likely you are to find a buyer that's looking for a particular specification hence more sales.

Some things are ridiculous though.
Example, the bosch leaf blower. There are at least 3 models (new, newer & newest) all identical apart from an increased lpm of about 1% then 2%.
Then there are another few variations of each model which come with different accessories..

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

I have an 18v DeWalt, its main use is just for rough cutting. As suggested above I'd just go by the depth of cut that you think you'll need and buy accordingly. It can be handy having a smaller circular saw to get into tighter spaces.

I also have a 240v festool that is really the dogs danglies...that only gets used for the posh jobs where I need a precision cut and a factory looking edge.

My DeWalt is good enough for most diy stuff like fencing and floorboards...but isn't going to match the festool for cutting a kitchen worktop for example.

 

[J1nx]

Brushed will be the base version>brushless better>fuel (will be brushless) best.

Beware if cutting plastics at all then there are a good few reports that the static generated kills the brushless driver, no experience of this myself but I’ve seen enough comments on the tradesman’s pages that would make me use a brushed version for plastics.

Get the blade sided the same as your hand, if your right handed don’t get the left sided blade, it might seem good so you can see the cut better but it doesn’t work like that, you will want the saw to stay on the propped work piece, not the bit that’s falls to the ground.

Size is your call, compact is much nicer but it can be very limiting, a big saw can still make small cuts.

 

[Arc Tourist]

My son gave me a Milwaukee M18 vacuum and battery for my Xmas, I suspect because he knew I had picked up some Milwaukee tools ( all M12).
View attachment 525093 I also got some cash off my dad so thought I would treat myself to an M18 circular saw, that the vacuum is set up to attach to - could not believe how many versions there are! Brushed, brushless, Fuel, 165mm blade, 190mm blade...... Thought this is ridiculous, how do I pick what is best for me! My 18V tools are mainly Bosch, had a look at their range, it seems almost as bad.

I am looking at say this on the screwfix site, though any advice appreciated. I have just retired this year and planning to be a part time odd job man and will do fencing/ shed repairs and gardening work, so fancied something reasonable .

View attachment 525088

When I was younger I was a professional Carpenter, so this is my advice.......

If you are "Left Handed", the saw you are interested in would be ok.

If you are "Right Handed", get a saw with the "Blade on the Left Side" of the saw, otherwise you will be crouching looking over your shoulder to see the line you are trying to cut along.

 

[Welderpaul]

What do you plan doing with it, I was all ready to use my circular saw to rip some flooring, then the guy who came to lend a hand pulled out his plunge saw....... I now want one,
Same as circular saw but sits on a track, which does not move, lay it down on the marks and cut, I have seen me using a straight edge and clamps, once you have your sizes from which side of the rest your cutting from its a scutter in comparison tbh.

I used a friend's track saw and bought my own straight away - I have used it for so many things. Ripsaw is consigned to rough chopping.

So much more useful and accurate. Maybe give it a thought?

 

[OJCar]

Go Big or go home!

https://www.treelinescotland.com/amr-wsa-pto-circular-saw/

Gives you the perfect* excuse to get a tractor ...

 

[Erie Fred]

Go Big or go home!

View attachment 525129
https://www.treelinescotland.com/amr-wsa-pto-circular-saw/

Gives you the perfect* excuse to get a tractor ...

Too small ^^^^.....No tractor needed, portable:

 

[dobbslc]

When I was younger I was a professional Carpenter, so this is my advice.......

If you are "Left Handed", the saw you are interested in would be ok.

If you are "Right Handed", get a saw with the "Blade on the Left Side" of the saw, otherwise you will be crouching looking over your shoulder to see the line you are trying to cut along.

I never knew you could get different 'handed' saws!
Being a superior lefty I assumed I was stuck with whatever the Proles were using
I'll have to check what my little 12v Bosch one is.