Buying advice Circular saws
Circular saws are a mainstay for quickly cutting the two-by-fours and plywood used in many popular home-improvement projects

After drills, circular saws are the most common power tool in a home workshop. Battery-powered saws offer go-anywhere convenience, but there's a reason you aren't likely to see professional carpenters using them: Plug-in saws are far more capable.


WHAT'S AVAILABLE

Black & Decker, Bosch, Craftsman (Sears), DeWalt, Hitachi, Makita, Milwaukee, Ridgid, Ryobi, and Skil brands account for most of the circular saws sold.

Corded models. These models run on an electric motor that can range from 10 to 15 amps. The higher the amps, the more power you can expect. Most models are oriented so the motor is perpendicular to the blade. Corded models outperform cordless models by a wide margin with up to seven times the speed and power of cordless saws. Price range: $35 to $175.

High-torque worm/hypoid geared models. In this design, the motor is parallel to the blade. That gives a saw more twisting power, or torque, making the blade less likely to bind in dense or thick wood, though sawing tends to be slower since the blade speed is reduced. Pros like them, but they're heavy and offer little advantage for most users. Price range: $140 to $180.

Cordless models. These range from 18 to 28 volts. They usually have a smaller blade than corded models, and their run time is limited by their battery. Price range: $60 to $420.


HOW TO CHOOSE

Decide the kind of work you'll do. For occasional light cutting, most any saw is fine. For heavy use or for cutting hard or thick wood, you want a saw with speed and power, such as the top-rated models. Speed also affects safety; you're more likely to push a slow saw, dulling the blade quickly and overheating the motor, or making the saw jam or kick back.

Try it out in the store. Design points that can make a saw easy to use include a clearly visible blade and cutting guide, a blade that's simple to change and to adjust for depth and angle, good balance, a comfortable handle, and a handy on/off switch. How well the saw is constructed impacts its potential for a long, trouble-free life. It should have durable bearings, motor brushes that are accessible for servicing or replacement, a heavy-duty base, and rugged blade-depth and cutting-angle-adjustment hardware.

Most new saws now come with carbide-tipped blades. Steel blades are slower than carbide-tipped blades and wear out faster. If your current saw has a steel blade consider replacing it with a carbide-tipped blade when the steel blade wears out. Be sure to match the number of teeth with the material you want to cut; a blade for plywood, say, has more teeth than one for rough cutting.

Safety counts. All the saws are loud enough when cutting to warrant hearing protection. All kick up a lot of chips and dust, so safety glasses or goggles are advised.