Circular saw advice...
 

thinking about getting one of these essential tools. Any advice on brand? And how much to spend? I probably wouldn't use it much, so I don't want to get professional grade, though I don't like getting the cheapest tools either.

What are you planning on using it for? If rough cuting limber almost any brand will be ok, but I do strongly suggest an electric blade brake. If you have somehting in mind for closer tolerance, then spend more, or maybe consider another tool.

Wait until the day after Thanksgiving sale and head to Sears. Craftsman is a fairly reliable brand and usually less expensive than DeWalt or Milwaukee. You'll get in even better deal if you wait for the sale.

Funny, I've yet to regret not having a circular saw. I've yet to experience saying to myself, "Damn, if I just had a circular saw."

Too bad you don't live in Utah. I have an extra one I could give you.

Speaks volumes.

I bought my DeWalt 5 years ago. Now I like it, it does a bang up job, but that isn't a great endorsement seeing as I am not the expert on these things. But having my Dad say it was the smoothest saw he has used in his 45 years of building experience gave me comfort. I think I paid $140 for it at home depot. I have used it quite often, more than I thought I would when I purchased it.

LOL. Why am I not surprised?

So when you saw the title of this thread were you planning on giving or receiving advice?

I have a Skil saw I probably paid 50 bucks for at Home Depot about 12 years ago. It works just fine for the occasional fix-up honey-dos around the house that require a power saw. I even used it on concrete once (with the appropriate abrasion blade). If I used it every day it would probably burn up the bearings after a year, but I don't. Buy a good blade, and one that is appropriate for the task -- probably makes more difference than the motor turning the blade.

Regarding Craftsman, pretty safe bet, but Craftsman is just a label, you'll be getting someone else's power saw with the Craftsman brand on it. That said, they do a pretty good job of vetting their suppliers, and back their stuff. No need to wait for the sale. Buy it today and when it goes on sale (there is some sort of monthly rotation of sale items, it seems), you can get the difference back in cash if it is less than 30 days from your date of purchase, and if the difference is worth the extra trip to the store. I did that with a garbage disposal once.

Let me make my advice clearer. On the cheap end of the scael one of the price breaks is whether it is equipped with a blade brake or not. SPend the few extra bucks and get it. If you buy a nice saw, it will already have a blade brake.

Mike: are you cutting boards that you can bring to the saw? If so, I strongly recommend a miter saw over a circular saw. I have this model and have been very happy with it:

http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DW703-H...4307209&sr=8-1

I have done a fair amount of finish work with it and I figure it paid for itself in short order.

I like DeWalt and Bosch. I have a cordless DeWalt and used a corded Skil Saw for sometime. I had a dual bevel 12" compound miter saw by Bosch I just sold. Great saw if you go the miter route. It had laser tracking too. I just wish it had a slide.

I also have a cordless Craftsman combo kit that had a circular saw in it. It works for simple stuff like cutting a few 2x4's but I wouldn't trust it on much else.

I'd probably stick with something corded if I were you. Again, Bosch and DeWalt are nice, though I like Milwaukee and Hitachi quite a bit too. Can't go wrong with any of those in my opinion.

Good point. Cutting 2x4's with a circular saw is kind of a pain.

This is why I asked what you wanted it for. If you are doing finihs work you absolutely shoudl get something like Lebowski is suggesting, along with a finish blade. Circular saws don't do finish work very easily and unless you are good with it not well at all.