Rockwell - RK3434 Circular Saw

Editor's Review: Tool Test: Sidewinder Circular Saws

Features:
Cutline marker: Fair. Instead of typical marks in the shoe, this saw has a single plastic pointer that moves with the saw’s body, but it leaves no way to mark both sides of the kerfs.
Blade visibility: Poor
Guard operation: Fair
Brake: No
Adjustments: Poor. Depth set inboard with long plastic lever, adjustment arm is the only one without a guide groove used to reduce play in the assembly. Bevel set with similar lever, cast-in numbers marked every 5°, 45° bypass is a simple offset slot in the bevel quadrant, but is very difficult to use.
Shoe: Cast aluminum. Nearly flat across width, humped across length. Shoe has lengthwise groove to guide over optional accessory straightedge, but the saw lacked a solid, straight edge on the left side of the shoe common to most circular saws. The offset distance from the right edge of the shoe to the blade is a convenient measurement of 1-1/2-inches.
Stability: Good, but with some body flex. Pretty stable for saw with body to shoe connection at the blade guard rather than in line with the handles.
Grip comfort: Rear handle Fair, curved back bulges into palm. Trigger Good, nice rubberized surface but has a harsh clicking action.
Extras: Velcro cord wrap, rip fence
Case: None

Flaws: The biggest downfall of this saw is the persistent buzzing noise and jerky feel at idle, indicating something isn’t quite right. It sounds like a sloppy motor bearing, or maybe a problem with the gears. Either way, it was unsettling. Another major problem was the fact that the base had a large cut out section on the left side, rendering it useless for guiding against a square or straightedge for the most accurate cutting. And like the other inboard depth lever designs, it was tricky to set. Now to nitpick, I don’t expect the delicate, spring-loaded cutline pointer tolast long on the job site.

Bottom Line: One of the three saws considered “less than pro”.

This saw didn’t have what it takes to earn a spot in the big leagues. The motor or drive train problem and the lack of a solid edge along the left side of the shoe are enough to keep it off my site.

Editor Test Results: