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I am looking to buy a cordless circular saw with the blade on the left. Unfortunately, Panasonic only sells blade right saws, and I say that because I use their drills and like to keep to one kind of battery when possible. I’ve looked at both the Milwaukee and Makita 18 volt saws. Because of the battery issue, I am also studying their 18 volt hammer drills. Any experiences with either of these saws? I am kinda prejudiced against DeWalt cordless tools, but open to hearing anyone’s great experiences with any brand. Thanks in advance.
Bill
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I have, for some strange reason, a Dewalt 14.4V cordless saw, and it works fine for doing some light trimming or cutting. I've used both a Ryobi and Craftsman 18V cordless saws, which don't come close in terms of performance. Like any other cordless tool, I'd guess that you have to define it's use; if you want to trim off some stray OSB on a roof; then cordless is fine, but corded will always have more power and performance. What exactly do you plan to do with this saw?
*Santa Claus left me a Dewalt 18V cordless under the tree 14 months ago. I don't come any where near giving it heavy use but it works fine for what it is and I have had no problems. Have also used a Milwaulkee. They seem about the same to me. I cannot compare long term or heavy use durability however.
*Bill, I have the DeWalt, and it works fine. They now make a 6 1/2" 18v cordless with blade left. This one will cut a 2x4 at 45 degrees where the 5 3/8" model won't.
*I have the DeWalt 14.4 drill and saw combo. After almost 5 yrs, no big complaints. Jeff
*I was at the Despot yesterday, and learned that the 5-3/8" Dewalts are all being replaced with 6-1/2" models. Also noticed a stack of 6-1/2" Marathon blades on sale - a reassuring presence. They don't carry anything else I can take seriously. I plan to use the saw for ladder work, and on pick-up jobs where the hassle of a cord outweighs the advantages of corded tools. Maybe this is one of the tools that DeWalt does a good job of building. They certainly have done a fine job of saturating the market with product. Anybody out there who can compare the DeWalt to offerings from Milwaukee or Makita? Or other blade-left cordless saws?Bill
*Bill, My 24V Bosch is blade left, works great, but kind of heavy. Plenty of power for 2x4s, etc. They have a drill and recip saw which use the same battery (I understand your battery concerns; I kept all my cordless tools to Makita 9.6V stick batteries until I bought the Bosch for more power). The drill is awesome, and the recip is pretty powerful. The whole set cost less than the 18V Makita or Milwaukee would have. I have always had good luck with Bosch corded tools, so I figured I would give their cordless ones a try. Time will tell how they hold up, but so far so good. Hope this helps. Rich
*Rich,Thanks for your reply. I don't really need another cordless drill, unless it is a hammer drill, or one of the new fusion-powered units ;-). I had not looked at the Bosch because they had seemed very heavy when I casually handled one at HD some months ago. For just the saw, the Bosch is $90 more than the Milwaukee, and heavier. I am fond of Bosch, but their latest few rounds of cordless stuff don't thrill me like the earlier products did. What I really don't get is why Bosch does not offer a cordless jigsaw. I'd probably buy it in a heartbeat if they did. They sold a 7.2 or 9.6 volt jigsaw about ten years ago, but it vanished without a trace. And jigsaws are what they do so very well! Marketing is strange.Bill
*I know this is not really along the lines of this thread but you mentioned a cordless jigsaw. It made me wonder how come ALL cordless combo packs have a drill. Every one. The first cordless tool most people buy is a drill. The one tool I would not have in a combo pack is the *%#^! drill! Sorry, just venting.
*Carl, I know what you mean. I e-mailed DeWalt to ask them if they could just sell their tools without the batteries and charger. If you already have 1 or 2 cordless tools the last thing you need is 2 more batteries and another charger.I bought the drill and saw combo before they even offered the one with the recip saw or jigsaw. When I bought a jigsaw and recip saw I bought corded because the cordless units were at least $100.00 more. If DeWalt had offered the tool and a case without the batteries, I would have bought their tools instead of someone else's.Love that Bosch jigsaw,though!
*Where are you guys getting your tools? My lumberyard has a huge stack of both cordless jigsaws and recip. saws; no batteries or chargers, but I believe they do come with a case. $100 each for 18V.
*I buy 'em all over, but have never seen tools without the whole kit.Maybe they'll make it to my neighborhood soon.:-)
*Disston 12 point Batteries last as long as you do!!! Mr T.
*Touche, Mr. T!I actually like the Japanese pull saws and their western cognates such as Stanley's Short Cut Tool Box Saw. How about I reword my query to read, "What is the best cordless CIRCULAR saw?" I have not seen one of those that runs on sandwiches and soda, but then again, there is a whole lot I haven't seen. I saw a kit from Milwaukee today, consisting of the 6-1/2" saw, Sawzall, hammer drill, lantern, 2 batteries and charger all for $600.00 in a soft cloth bag. Nice, but lotsa dough.Bill
*Bill, ditto on the Japanese saws! One of the guys that I worked with over the summer had a Porter Cable cordless Sawboss and I loved it. The saw was kinda huge and wasn't balanced too great, but it sure was nice to have. I think if I had to pick any of the cordless saws right now I'd go for the Makita. It seems pretty well-made. The Panasonic saw looks decent too, although I don't think I've ever seen one up close. The PC was definately too much of a beast though, just not comfortable to use at all IMHO.
*Today I ran down all the batteries I could find, and whipped out the old Japanese pullsaw. They sure are great tools, but I still wish I had some fresh batteries.Maybe I should have had some sushi for lunch, and I wouldn't have run out of energy.:-)
*Carl,I bought the Porter Cable 19.6v cordless saw (on sale) and used it all summer on a Habitat tract in WA. They had five homes going and a 100A job site panel feeding --- wait for it --- one duplex outlet.The saw worked fine in general framing work and was very handy up on the trusses. But - make sure you have a battery on charge (comes with 2). It's blade left and has a dust exhaust. I plan to take it north this summer again. Though, there were times I wanted my 77V.ToolBear
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I am looking to buy a cordless circular saw with the blade on the left. Unfortunately, Panasonic only sells blade right saws, and I say that because I use their drills and like to keep to one kind of battery when possible. I've looked at both the Milwaukee and Makita 18 volt saws. Because of the battery issue, I am also studying their 18 volt hammer drills. Any experiences with either of these saws? I am kinda prejudiced against DeWalt cordless tools, but open to hearing anyone's great experiences with any brand. Thanks in advance.
Bill