Which circular saw is right for you?

One of the most versatile and important tools that any homeowner should own is a circular saw. Along with the hammer, screwdriver and tape measure, a saw it's one of the most used tools around the house. That being said, not all saws are created equal. Before you purchase you next saw, see what we have to say when it comes to making the right decision in saw buying

The beginners saw

When you buy your first home, you usually don't go out and buy the most expensive tools on the market. Generally you're going to buy something cheaper just to see how it works and what jobs you can do with it. Not to mention, you may be on a tight budget so looking for a good saw that is a bit lighter on the wallet is what you need. Sidewinder circular saws are probably the most recognizable saws on the market today. A decent one of the saws will usually run you between $40 to $80, and are powerful enough for cutting 2x4s, trimming down doors and maybe some smaller projects.

These cheaper saws are perfect for the first time home owner looking to get his/her hands dirty for the first time. Many times, these saws will leave smooth, clean cuts in the wood your cutting, but they often come with cheap blades that you may want to replace before any work begins. Often times, the very low price saws are made of cheap plastic that will not hold up well against drops, or heavy duty work, so even if you did not spend too much on it, you will probably need to replace this saw much earlier that a better built one. The other thing that you will need to watch out for with this saws is wobbling. Saws that are built to cheaply tend wobble in the blade area, leaving you cuts looking like waves on an ocean. You may have trouble keeping clean lines in the wood, so making furniture, picture frames or other projects may be a bit harder for you. You may also encounter problems cutting laminated plywood and some of these motors can’t get up the rpm to get through the wood without splitting it. This is one on my major complains with these cheaper saws, as I have more money on new plywood than I would have on a better quality saw.    

Even with some of the negatives mentioned above, some of the less expensive saws actually do a great job keeping up with their more expensive brothers. Just remember that these are a bit more bulky as the motor is located on the side of the saw, and will stick out a bit more than others.

Mid-Price Saws

I'm good mid-priced saw will probably run you between $80 to $120. Thee saws are built more for individuals who have more advanced woodworking skills, and consider themselves the hard core diy’er. These saw buyers would rather watch 45 hours of YouTube videos on how to fix something than calling someone in to fix it for them.

Not only is this the price range that you should stay in if you like to fix things, but these are the types of saws that you brag to your friends about.  These saws not out hold up to heavy abuse, but they have more than enough power to cut just about anything you throw at them. Even if something were to go wrong with a mid-priced saw, they will usually be backed by a great two year warranty, where the cheaper saw may only give you one year.

What you will also start to see in the price range is different type of motor options. Instead of just the basic sidewinder option, will see saws that offer Worm-Drive Technology. I am not going to go into great detail about side-winder vs. worm-drive motors, but the worm drive is more powerful, oil cooled and just has a better build design all together. Instead of the motor sticking out on the side of you saw, the saw is actually longer instead of wider. This allows you to make tighter cuts on the material that you need to rip.

High-priced saws

saws $120 and up may be the most expensive saws on the market, but their built for the construction professionals. These types of saws are far superior to any saw in the $40 price range, and are extremely powerful. They come with motors that are hungry for wood, and give many different options such as 45 to 55 degree angle cuts, laser guides and heavy duty adjustment options. Most, if not all of these beast are oil driven and built for a heavy duty beating on the job site.

As for cutting, they always come with the best blades on the market, and will slice through woods, laminates, and even plywood leaving a factors edge every time. Usually, they will come with one, or even two larger batteries that will give you longer run time, and many will also come with a hard case to keep it protected.  

As for the perfect, saw, everyone has their own opinion, but I like to stay right in the middle when it comes to my saws. In the long run, a cheaper saw may cost you more money in wood replacement, repairs and most importantly, your time. And if you are looking for a recommendation, check out the Ridgid THRUCOOL 7-1/4 in. Worm Drive Saw. This is the most powerful, well-built all around most perfect cutting saw I have ever used. As for the price, it does fall into the high price category at $169.00, but this will be the last saw you will even own.

 

As long as your saw does what you need it to do, it really doesn’t matter what you paid for it, but before you spend your hard earned cash, look at a few different models and see what the reviews have to say. This will help you make a better educated buying decision, and get you ready to diy all year long.