[french_guy]

Who knows the differences between all the different references
P501, P503, P504G, P506?

 

[joecaption]

Ryobi has not made a cordless ciruler saw worth buying.
Unless your only planing on one or two light cuts, buy a corded saw.
Even the corded ciruler saw is not worth buying.

 

[NiNe O]

I've had a revelation recently. I used to carry my 18v powertools with me in the truck. At the jobsite, I would grab the tools, extra batteries, and a charger or two if needed. Then it occurred to me if I am going to bring something in to plug in, why not just bring the corded tool, they work 100 times better, and they don't get weak. I still carry a small mini impact in my service backpack, however, and if there is access to use it, I do.

 

[jeffsw6]

I think a cordless circular saw is just not going to be a good tool. I have a cordless jig saw and I kinda regret buying it. Now imagine how much you use a jig saw compared to a circular saw, how fast the battery will go, and how much you will cuss because the saw cuts slow.

Just not a good purchase. Maybe when battery technology gets better. My first "cordless drill" was powered by my arm. 25 years later I don't even own a corded drill (except drill press.) I'm sure batteries will be powerful enough to be useful for circular saws someday.

If you think about it, your average circular saw says it is 15 amps. If true, that is 1800 watts. The "wall" can power your tool for unlimited time. If you have a 3.0Ah (amp*hour) 18V battery that's like 54 watts if the battery was going to last for an hour. Of course it won't last that long because the tool demands a lot more than 54 watts, otherwise you wouldn't be able to cut veneer with it, let alone a board.

If the cordless circular saw could do the same work as a 15A corded saw it would use up a 54Wh battery in 2 minutes. You won't be building any decks with that!

This is a simplistic view because the motor in a brushless circular saw might be far more efficient than a corded saw, or you might change your saw blade more often to save battery power, or just not need to use your saw more than 2 minutes between charges. But really ... the battery technology is just not there yet for cordless saws.

 

[itguy08]

It entirely depends on your use of the saw. If you're building a deck or framing a house or putting a roof on, a cordless circular saw is a waste. You'll be forever changing batteries or waiting for them to charge.

I've got the Craftsman C3 7.5" circular which is basically the Ryobi saw. Forget a NiCad for any serious cutting. You'll be lucky to cut more than a few 2x4's with one. With the big LiIon it's much better. For it's use of cutting 2x4's, plywood and other things I like it just fine. Yes it will cut slow but I'd rather not drag a cord out anyway.

Just this past weekend I sed it to build a ramp for our shed. Cut the 4' 2x8's on a 45 degree angle just fine, all 4 of them. The battery was pretty much toast when I was done but it did it fine and still had some power left. I've also used it around the house for cutting plywood for my workbench and other light duty stuff around the house when I needed a quick cut. Works great for that.

Again, for the lighter jobs or the one off things you can't beat it. If I were to rebuild our deck I'd definitely be buying a "real" circular saw but for now I'll stick with my cordless. With the new 4.0Ah batteries tht are starting to come out from the major brands these types of tools will only get better.

 

[jeffsw6]

If your cordless saw can cut around four 2x8s before exhausting a 3.0Ah battery, won't it be able to cut like five or six 2.8s on a 4.0Ah battery? I do not think that will make a very big difference to most circular saw buyers. It will be helpful for other tools, but saws need a really big improvement in battery technology which will take time.

 

[NiNe O]

I nominate batt recips for the garbage pile.

 

[ddawg16]

I have the Ryobi cordless saw.......with luck I can rip down two sheets of plywood before the battery dies (NiCad).....

But....when you up on a ladder 25' in the air and having to reach out to make a difficult cut.....that small light saw is a real champ.....

 

[toolaholic]

I nominate batt recips for the garbage pile.

I have a milwaukee hatchet sawzall. It has a 3/4 inch stroke and orbital. It runs on v18lith or 18 volt Nicads. I rarely use my milwaukee 9.5 amp super sawzall. Runtime is very good.

 

[oh'mike]

I've got a couple of those Ryobi battery saws----I only use them for final trimming of cedar trim boards when I,m up on a scaffold---that's where they shine---a few cuts up in the jaws of death---

But for serious work I use a corded saw.

 

[NiNe O]

I work with a lot of metal, batts just can't hang.

 

[itguy08]

If your cordless saw can cut around four 2x8s before exhausting a 3.0Ah battery, won't it be able to cut like five or six 2.8s on a 4.0Ah battery? I do not think that will make a very big difference to most circular saw buyers. It will be helpful for other tools, but saws need a really big improvement in battery technology which will take time.

The LiIon I have for the Craftsman one is not 3 Ah. It's the older 2 Ah battery. I know this because I just got the new 4 Ah battery this weekend and it's double the watt hours.

Like I said those 2x8's were cut on a 45 degree angle for building a ramp for our shed. So figure 4 ft long * 4 cuts or 16 feet of cutting. Not saying it's great battery life or anything but for those quick jobs it works great.

They are not meant to replace a corded saw but be for the smaller jobs where you need a few cuts.

 

[raylo32]

Well, I love my Makita 18v li-ion circ saw. It is the more expensive of their 2 models. Granted I am not in the construction trade... but for harry homeowner projects this thing is great. I just built a couple of platforms out or 3/4" plywood for the decking and 2x6's for the "joists"(platforms are about 5x3 feet). Piece of cake and no stinkin' cord to drag around or get tangled up in.. or to cut with the saw (did that once!)

 

[woodworkbykirk]

the lith ion makita's work well, so does the dewalt 36v. i own the makita and canning custom on here uses the dewalt regularly.. their not designed for constant cutting but they can handle light duty cuts such as sheathing and other odd cuts.. if your going to be cutting 2x all day you need a corded.. dont buy some rinky dink homeowner grade though.. they dont have the guts in them to last very long

 

[princelake]

i use to have the makita cordless 18v, want a pile!! i got the ridgid cordless and its a great little saw with more power then any other 18v cordless i ever used. its great for going jobsite to jobsite and great for jobs with no power and the large ridgid batteries last forever.

 

[raylo32]

And now Rigid warrants their batteries for life! Not sure how they can do that but if I wasn't set up already I'd give those a serious look.

i use to have the makita cordless 18v, want a pile!! i got the ridgid cordless and its a great little saw with more power then any other 18v cordless i ever used. its great for going jobsite to jobsite and great for jobs with no power and the large ridgid batteries last forever.

 

[woodworkbykirk]

ridgid also changes their batteries every year so its a nightmare to get replacement batteries..
makita has had the lxt battereis out for 7 years with only a couple minor changes and their still compatible with the first gen lxt tools. this is a reason their the leader in cordless gear

 

[princelake]

every year? they had the x2s for a few years, the x3s for a few years and now they have the x4s and they are all interchangeable.
i love the makitas they are the lightest most comfortable drills out there but they are soooo cheap, they have a 1 year warranty and thats how long they last. i had the 5 piece kit and the only tool that survived the one year was my reciprocating saw. a guy i work with also had a bunch of makita tools that just past the 1 year warranty and his were falling apart to and bought my tools off of me basically to have parts tools. i went out bought ridgid and its been 2 years and they are still running strong and i use them daily.

 

[ToolSeeker]

Kirk I have had my Ridgid for 7 years now and the only battery change has been from nicad to lithe and they made them so they will work in my old tools.

 

[woodworkbykirk]

my first makita cordless drill lasted 4 years being used every other day, my ridgid had one battery go bad after 6 months.. my ridgid 12v had one battery go stale after 3 months and only a handful of charge cycles another one after maybe 100 cycles. i know multiple trademan who have had the same issue both with ridgid and milwaukee which come from the same parent company. before i bought my bosch kit i asked the toolcrib managers at both home depot locations here about which cordless tool line comes back defective the most.. RIDGID. even the milwaukee rep who handles ridgid here as well has said the same thing

if you had a makita go bad in under a year either you got a dud or abused it. we have 4 kits between 3 guys at work and they get used every day. the only issue weve had is batteries getting mixed up as to whos whos,