Thread: 18v ryobi circular saw

Hi

I've owned the Ryobi cordless for about a year, it has it's uses but isn't really a replacement for a mains power saw. It does have a lot of torque though.

One thing to watch and I know this from bitter experience is that the saw draws a lot of power and on a long run (say ripping a 1200mm wide board) heats up the battery something shocking, heat is the enemy of you battery pack so avoid long runs were possible.

Cheers



Dave

Thanks for that Dave - I'm cutting up 16mm MDF this weekend just as a taster. I've got a Triton saw in the table which I can get out for the tough stuff.

Cheers

Had the cordless Ryobi saw for about 2 years now. Hardly ever use it. It doesn't take much to heat up the battery and then I have to get the electric one out anyway. I found on mine that the bearings have become noisy even though I don't use it much. In my opinion, not worth the money.

Gotta say I tried it last night on 16mm MDF and I think I've wasted my money. The only good thing is that with the new baby, it's very quiet

Originally Posted by channa

Gotta say I tried it last night on 16mm MDF and I think I've wasted my money. The only good thing is that with the new baby, it's very quiet

Hi guys.
I have the old blue and new green model.
I use the blue saw at work almost every day cutting 45 and 35mm studs and the saw cuts well when the blase is sharp but can't cut thought the 45 mm stud in one go so I have to turn the timber over all the time.
I use the green saw at home cause I don't want to wreck it , it does go thought a 45mm stud in one go but only just.
The rioby saws aren't bad for light work but by the time u buy the tool and and battery's charger etc you could have a Mikita and other hi end tool for around the same price.
I'm just looking at a new saw ATM and Mikita seems to have a deep 57mm cut and plenty of power.

What do u guys think of the Mikita BS610 or BS611 or any other ideas
Thanks.

I've tried Makita, Metabo & Bosch 18v saws. I own one each of the latter 2.

Frankly, I feel that they're a waste of time.

With an equivalent of 300w of "corded" power available, they naturally are only capable of the lightest of tasks.

If you MUST go cordless, remembering that even the cheapest & nastiest of corded offerings will cut rings around them, then I recommend a 36v tool.

Bosch, DeWalt & Hilti all make 36v saws. They can be safe and convenient alternative to a corded framing saw up in the scantling of a new roof. They can cut sheet material quickly and accurately.

The latter 2 are proper 7 1/4" saws, about the optimum size for scantling. Hilti further has its motor mounted on the "proper" left side of the blade also. With DeWalt you can have it on either side as required. I haven't used a DeWalt saw yet, but can state that the Hilti, in particular, is a beautifully engineered tool that is heavy but powerful, and probably the only model that actually approaches the performance of a corded equivalent.

I own Bosch 18 & 36v saws myself, and consider only the latter a useful tool for occasional use, but limited in having the motor mounted on the "wrong" side (I'm right-handed) and a smaller 6 1/2" blade. It's best features are the 4.5ah batteries that are now available, and the folding rafter hook.