Makita Rear Handle Saw ( XSR01Z) Review

Makita 18-Volt X2 LXT Lithium-Ion (36-Volt) Brushless Cordless Rear Handle 7-1/4 in. Circular Saw

Every Once in a while, a new tool comes out that you just need to have. You see it sitting there, teasing you while it's setting on the display shelf just saying buy me, buy me. This is exactly how I felt every time I walked by the new Makita LXT X2 (36) volt rear handle circular saw.

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I already had the new brushless X2 Makita miter saw and grinder, but the circular saw just looked powerful to me. I could not wait until it was mine, so I went up on Black Friday and bought it, and I'm glad I did.

There were two options to choose between when looking at this saw. The first was to purchase the whole kit. The kit comes This the saw, a blade, two 5.0 batteries, double battery charger and a carry bag. I already bought the Grinder kit, so I did not need another charger or more batteries, so I went with just the saw.

When I got the box home, I was more excited than a child on Christmas morning. I opened the box and out came this beautiful tool. It already had the 7 1/4" blade already installed. As I continued to did through the box, I noticed that I was having issue finding the edge guide and carry case. Usually Makita is good with sending a case or at least a bag with their tools, but that was not the case with this. Not only was there no case, but they did not even include the edge guide. I never purchased a saw that excepted an edge guide and was not included. This felt like a bit of a rip to me considering this saw tan me $200.

Though I was a bit upset that they failed to include some basic essentials, I was still pumped to take this beast for a spin. The first this I did was look at all the adjustments that could be made on this bad boy.

The first adjustment I made was the depth adjustment. You can set this from 1/4" all the way up to 21 1/2" which is a great range for cutting depths.

The next was the bevel adjustments. This was one of the coolest parts of the saw as it comes with a secondary adjustment knob

that locks in positive stops. The first stop is the 22.5 degree stop. Just set the knob to 22.5, and now the bevel with lock into the position automatically. The second stop is the 45 degree stop. This allows you to make these adjustments without even looking at your saw. Just unlock the belev lever and it will stop by its self. This is deffinetly a cool feature as it will save a lot of time when switching between cuts. Consider you can cut over 500 2x4 on a single charge, that's a good thing.

Once you are ready to go, just insert the two batteries into their dedicated spot and you off. You must have two batteries in place at the same time, as it will not run off of just one battery alone. In the topic the saw,

there are two battery level indicator lights that will ago you how much juice in left in each battery. All you need to do is press the little button and that's it.

As for power, this saw has plenty of it. I will say that there is a bit if a lag after pulling the trigger. Usually an electric saw gets up to full rpm once the trigger is pulled, but you will notice a bit if a build up for about a second before the saw gets humming.

The saw its self produces 5,100 RPM of power, and was chomping everything I threw at it. The cuts were smooth and extremely easy to make. Even with large knots, the blade cut through like a champ. I really could not believe how nice and smooth each cut was.

The saw also feels great in the hand. It's a bit heavy at around 15lbs (with batteries installed), but The weight really helped keep the saw flat on the wood and allowed me to make some beautiful straight lines, even without a guide.

As for build, it's like a tank really. Almost everything on this saw (other than the casing) is made from magnesium and hardened aluminum. Even the guard is made if metal, and will last a life time.

The rear handle is also very ergonomically comfortable, and allows you to make cuts in tighter spots than a side winder. All in all,

it's probably the best saw that I have ever used, and that saying a lot as it's powered with batteries. It's also much more portable as you need no electrical outlets to get the job done.

With all that being said, the Makita Brushless, Cordless rear handle saw is a beast that is truly in a class of it's own. I am a bit upset that Makita cheaped out on some of the accessories, but I'll get over it eventually.

Check out the full video review here!