Top 4 Corded Circular Saws: The Best in the Business



Posted: Friday, December 11, 2009

by Mallory Kramer
M&M Tool and Machinery

A hand-held circular saw is a must-have tool for every craftsmen and homeowner. Likely the most versatile of the power saws, the circ saw offers up a huge range of applications from rip and cross cutting to cutting slats for fences and decks. Most circular saws are specifically designed to cut wood but most can also be used with specialty blades to cut metal, plastic, and other such materials. Circ saws also tend to be incredibly lightweight, versatile, portable, and comfortable to use. Of course there are certain specialty saws that may do it a little better than a standard circular saw, but none that do it all so conveniently. Its portability, versatility, and compact size make the circular saw a wonder tool for virtually everyone. However, although the circ saw is a vital tool to have on hand, not all circ saws are created equally; there are four, to be exact, that seem to raise the bar in circular saw standards.

Makita's 5377MG (7-1/4") magnesium hypoid saw, with a number of revolutionizing technologies, has singlehandedly established a new line of evolved circular saw. The saw's motor is not only immensely powerful (2300 W) but also features a compressed winding technology keeping the overall size of the motor compact and durable. The saw's magnesium components keep the saw ultra-lightweight, well-balanced, and surprisingly durable. The term "hypoid" in the saw's name refers to its heat treated hypoid steel gears. These wickedly efficient gears are hardly as susceptible to standard wear as are traditional bronze-alloy worm drive gears. Additionally, the tool incorporates an oil bath technology designed with a sealed gear housing and a built-in fan to ensure a complete oil surface coating; ultimately, the hypoid gears are terribly efficient with more power and suave than traditional worm drive gears, and with the help of the oil bath, they are nearly maintenance free. The saw has a large cutting capacity, a reinforced power cord, and performs with carbide-tipped blades to ensure the strongest, cleanest, most precise cuts. This saw is tremendous and exciting, and delivers craftsmen a little bit of the impossible in a highly evolved power circular saw.

Skil, on another hand, is perhaps best known for their invention and continual innovation of the circular saw. Their HD77M worm drive Skilsaw is a tremendous example of how Skil does circular saws like no one else. Built with an ultra light-weight magnesium housing (a great deal lighter than most) the saw handles and maneuvers brilliantly. With its powerful 13 amp motor and ultra durable worm drive gear, this saw has truly proven itself as a front-runner in the circ saw Olympics with max power, speed, and agility. Its longevity is rarely contested and its 7-1/4" capacity is perfectly suited for industrial, heavy-duty applications.

The Porter-Cable 423MAG circular saw, while still weighing just about 2 lbs more than Skil's HD77M, also boasts a light-weight magnesium construction and an impressive 15 amp motor. This saw is a particularly aggressive little machine with a 0 - 50 degree miter capacity and a positive stop at 45 degrees. After only a few passes with this saw it is plainly one of the more powerful and versatile circ saws in the industry. The tool smoothly flaunts an entirely needle and ball bearing construction making the tool uncommonly simple and smooth to use, and with its light-weight and comfort designed handle, the saw glides through workpieces unlike any other.

Perhaps the most phenomenal of these tools is Festool's TS75EQ. Festool is a truly unique manufacturer delivering tools of unmatched quality, performance, and endurance from their homeland in Germany. This Festool circular saw is a mind-boggling example of the standard issue Festool innovation. The TS75EQ (7-1/4") has incredible power and accuracy to a pinpoint, and being unconscionably smooth, the saw leaves absolutely no burns or splinters after making a cut. In fact, the cut edges of your workpieces truly require no any additional touch-up sanding or trimming - they are smooth and clean right off the slicer. This circular saw is ideal for a huge number of industrial and carpentry applications from cutting doors and windows, to truing rough lumber. The lucky folk who have tried this Festool circ saw have honestly never looked back, the quality, precision, feel, and endurance of the saw make it hard to set down, and even harder to pick up another tool. This Festool is likely the most expensive of these celebrity saws, but it's important to remember, particularly in the tool industry, that you always get what you pay for.

Each of these circ saws are tremendous, exemplary machines that ultimately represent the crème de la crème of the circular saw community. With one of these babies at your side, you are sure to enjoy circ sawing to its absolute fullest.

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As a UofU student, Mallory is currently earning her degree in English. Specializing in tool parts and web communications, she joined M&M Tool 3 yrs ago adding to their over 150 years combined experience. For over 70 years M&M Tool has provided the best service to the tool industry with replacement parts, sales, & service to expert woodworking products, machinery and power tools like Porter-Cable's 423MAG circ saw, and Makita's 5377MG circ saw.
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