What circular saw should i buy?

For years Ive had an el cheapo circular saw that i bought when i first moved out of my parents house. Its underpowered, there is lateral movement of the blade that keeps me from making a straight cut, and overall its a cheap chinzy piece of crap. I realize this is a tool i will always need so im ready to pony up the dough for a good one. So whats the go to saw now a days? I want quality over features. I was thinking milwaukee, they have always been good, but i dont know how the others stack up. Any advice appreciated.

Edit; I also should say that i want a direct drive saw. I have used a friends worm drive dewalt, and while it seemed like a fantastic tool, i dont think i want something that heavy for normal use. 

how much use do you put it through? my 20v dewalt cordless has been near perfect for what I use it for

I"ve had a Milwaukee for many years and have been happy with it.  It's basically the old version of this one:  https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-15-Amp-7-1-4-in-TILT-LOK-Circular-Saw-6390-21/100609348  Personally, I'd stick with a corded drill instead of battery operated, particularly if you don't use it often - then you never have to worry about the batteries being dead when you do need it.  :)

Funny as I almost launched my circular saw across the room today.

I've had my Porter Cable since I built my house about fifteen years ago. I bought it because it had a magnesium base and was lighter than most others. They also offered a left handed version at the time.

I also have a 10 year old PC that I've been happy with as a home owner.

One feature I do enjoy on my circ is a laser line showing where the blade is going.  It's nice to see a few inches ahead of your cut so you can make minute adjustments if necessary.

Another vote for Porter-Cable.  I have two, one I bought 18 years ago and works flawlessly.  The other I got when my dad passed that's even older and he said was the best saw on the market (he was a builder and carpenter till he retired).

In reply to gearheadmb : For over 20 years I made my living selling Telehandlers to building contractors.  I watched hundreds and picked their minds on subjects like this.  

More and more they are going battery. With several batteries on the chargers. There the hands down champion is Milwaukee.  Corded surprisingly the Mikita seems to be the saw of choice. It’s light durable and powerful along with extremely easy to adjust. 

I have a Nikita and a Dewalt  which while OK is nowhere near the Milwaukee. But the one I use most often is my Milwaukee gear drive.   With a sharp blade most saws do OK but when working with hardwood timbers like oak the power of that big gear drive makes even dull blades cut like butter.   

In reply to frenchyd :

I want corded. I'm not going to use it everyday, but when I do use it I will typically be making lots of cuts.

I have seen a lot of good things about Makita in magazine reviews, but I never know how to feel about magazine reviews because they are using a new tool for a couple hours, and I want to know how it will hold up for years. I will take them into consideration, but it sounds more like you are confirming my initial instinct of getting a Milwaukee.

Makita battery tools hold up rather well as my father has been using them for close to 20 years and I only recall one tool with a real issue.

I bought a corded Makita a couple years ago and it has been great. I don't use it all that much, but when I do, it works great. Just used it Thanksgiving week to cut some plywood for a new floor in my sunroom.I don't remember what model I have, but it is one of the magnesium ones, so it is not too heavy.

https://www.youtube.com/user/arduinoversusevil/search?query=circular

If I was going out to buy one, I definitely would get a Makita.   However, I got a Milwaukee a few years back as my 20th year work anniversary.   I was very disappointed to see it was made in China, but that thing cut like a dream compared to my old Sears Craftsman.    Mine are all corded.      

I'll echo Milwaukee, mine is pushing 30 years old still cuts like brand new. Craigslist/face ache marketplace could be useful to save a few bucks. 

My corded Makita is solid, not fancy, reasonably light, and just a great inexpensive saw. It's a great compliment to my worm drive skill saw.

That said, we bought my father in law a Porter Cable trim saw and it's about as handy a saw as you can get without going cordless. We have all 3 in my basement right now for the remodel and I think they are all used about the same, but for different tasks.

Another vote for the Makita, the 5007 series of saws have been around forever and they last.  I have two, one set up for cutting wood, the other set up for cutting other things like tile backer, hardie board, metal, etc.  I used them on the jobsites and after cutting the cord on one, went right out and bought another.  The one with the cut cord was repaired and is now on "cutting other things" duty.  They have never let me down.

My good friend was an engineer for Milwaukee, and what he said rings true in my personal experience.

Corded and cutting wood - DeWalt.  

Cordless anything - Milwaukee.

I have Dewalt miter saw and table saw, and both far exceed my abilities as a craftsman.  Everything else I have is Milwaukee M18 Fuel, traded all my DeWalt 18V XRP in on it and its fantastic.  Also far better tools than my skill level.

I have a Makita Hypoid (worm-drive) saw.  I love the Makita brand and I really love the worm-drive layout.  Compared to all of the conventional saws I had over the years, this thing blows them away.  So smooth, so much easier to use, so much power. 

In reply to pinchvalve :

Does the additional weight bother you? Like i said above, i have used a dewalt worm gear saw, i was using it to cut sheets of osb. It was super smooth, and i liked the way it came up to speed a little slower so it didnt jump off the line when i pulled the trigger, but it seemed like it would be very cumbersome for cutting 2x's, especially when i want one hand holding the board steady. What are your thoughts?

In reply to gearheadmb : I built my timber frame using a worm drive saw for most heavy work.  When you are cutting through deep hard wood you want a worm drive. 

Contractors love them because they tend to buy cheap blades which dull quickly and a regular circular saw with a dull blade slows down too much.  Not so with worm drive.  

Battery powered have improved so much in the last 5 years I can understand why they are gaining acceptance.  Always buy spare batteries and when you are done change out the battery.  I charge my batteries right after using and in one case I hadn’t used my Dewalt in over 3 years.  When I did the battery was raring to go even though at that point it was approaching 8 years old. 

Milwaukee batteries seem to last much longer than my Dewalt 

Old school actual Skil saw here.......wish it had a laser thingy thou.....

stuart in mn said:

I"ve had a Milwaukee for many years and have been happy with it.  It's basically the old version of this one:  https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-15-Amp-7-1-4-in-TILT-LOK-Circular-Saw-6390-21/100609348  Personally, I'd stick with a corded drill instead of battery operated, particularly if you don't use it often - then you never have to worry about the batteries being dead when you do need it.  :)

 

 

This one in the link is what i got for christmas. Im pretty psyched about it, but i havent used it yet because its been cold as balls since i opened it and im not going out in the garage unless its absolutely necessary. 

Makita. That's the voice of over 40 years of construction experience, and thousands of hours using dozens of different saws.  I'm pretty sure I have owned almost every brand name.

If a "quality feel" to you means heavy, consider the Milwaukee or the Porter Cable. They are great tools, with a solid heft. 

But too heavy isn't necessary. 

When I was framing and timber framing, I always had a worm drive or hypoid saw.  Soil or Makita.  They cut straighter, and have the guts for hard work. 

But now that I am less hands-on (I am probably still 3-4 times the average DIYer), I have 2 Makitas in my truck. A corded 7 1/4", and a cordless 6 1/2". I don't remember the last time I picked up the corded saw. The cordless is an incredible tool, has plenty of power, and really long battery life. If I could only have 1 saw, it would be the Makita cordless. 2nd choice- the Makita corded. 

I have a 20v 6.5" Dewalt and don't care for it - seems to be the wrong hand for my personal taste. Cuts well, very quiet, backwards. :(

I went with the most expensive Ridgid saw about 13 years ago and would do it again.  It gets used hard as a professional remodeler/carpenter including nail embedded shingled roofing, layers of flooring, etc.  It was when i stopped being in love with dewalt.  I’ve used ported cable and makita saws in the same price bracket and they feel comparable.