Thread: good circular saws?

Don't do anything until you see the new Triton which is about to be released. 184mm, plenty of power and really nice all round saw. Lot's of handy features too.
I think it's due just after Xmas.

I thnk that makita currently have a special for the 185mm cs in a box with 2 blades for a very reasonable price - I got one not so long ago but cant remember the price. approx 180 ??????? :confused:

pay heed to the green gumbino though... however you may want to scratch the orange paint off the triton he talks about and see if its gmc blue underneath...

Originally Posted by Zed

pay heed to the green gumbino though... however you may want to scratch the orange paint off the triton he talks about and see if its gmc blue underneath...

I tried, it's definitely NOT a GMC.

Originally Posted by normc

.... I have a 250mm SCMS and a very old, very heavy & very noisy AEG CS. ..... and ..... I need one primarily for the occasional ripping of particle board & MDF

How do you rip the particle board and MDF now with a SCMS?

If you want superb quality cuts then have a look at the Festool 55mm plunge cut saw with the guide rail. Expensive, Yes (about $800) --- but you won't get a better quality cut using a hand tool.

Qw

I have a makita saw, and i am very happy with.

I got a 7 1/4" GMC just for cutting chipboard and plywood.
I wouldn't use it for heavy work but its great for sheet stuff and it was cheap. (with a 2 year guarantee)

If you worried you can always swap blades around if you using crappy material. I'd buy a saw with an aluminum rather than steel base. I'd be careful about one of the cheap Makita saws. Check out the handle as the the one I saw ( about $160 ) was held with just one screw. I prefer something a bit more secure.

Dean

The Hitachi C7SB2 (7 1/4) is a fine little saw with an alloy base. The only drawback is a lack of dust extraction capability. This may be OK if you mainly work outside.
If you might be using it inside then I highly recommend a saw that can be hooked up to a dust extractor eg some of the new Makita ones.

Cheers
Michael

Thanks for all the advice guys. For $99, I ended up going with a 185mm Ryobi for the occasional cutting of 3/4" board. Nothing fancy or great about it but its not too heavy, has enough power, dust extraction, riving knife and with a thin kerf 40T Irwin blade, it should give a close to finished cut. It's really useful to get other opinions just to help make sure nothing is overlooked when making decisions about which model to buy. Thanks again,