Hint: It’s not what you’re looking at, either.
Looking for the best cordless circular saw on the market? Maybe you need a little help. Here are 5 good candidates in our comparison.
But first and foremost it’s important to find out what the market is!
With the market moving away from corded power tools to cordless tools the workforce is now more mobile than ever. Gone are the days when you’d go to a tract home construction site and have to step over multiple cords due to a whole crew of carpenters working on the same home.
Nowadays, each individual can move from home to home without having to wrap cords up, secure them and then lug the whole bundle of tools to the next house. No wonder cordless tools have become the standard of technology for the industry.
So there are several factors to look for in cordless tools, such as battery material and life, amperage draw, and power of the tool. With manufacturers building several different tools on any particular battery platform, attention must be paid to whether batteries and a charger are included in the price.
A little heads up on prices. Prices change on the market as often as Pamela Sue Anderson changes boyfriends, so these quotes are only estimates.
The first one we’ll rate is the Ridgid Genuine OEM R8652B with the 7-1/4 inch blade.
That size of
| Unit: Ridgid Genuine OEM R8652B Gen5X Cordless Circular Saw |
| Price: Bare tool $110.00 (No Battery) |
| Battery Voltage: 18 volts |
| RPM: N/A |
| Blade Dia: 7-1/4″ |
| Max Cutting Depth: 2.44 In. |
| Tool Weight: 10 lbs |
| Battery pack/C |
| Batt/Charger Price: $160.00 |
| Total price for tool and battery kit: $270.00 |
The MGT9000 Tool-O-Meter gives the Ridgid tool a 7/10 rating.
Next Up: The Milwaukee M18 2630-20 unit.
The Milwaukee is still low on the voltage rating, and the speed starts out at 3500, the blade is smaller, meaning more torque getting to the teeth, and less power usage. The weight is a little lower than the Ridgid.
| Unit: Milwaukee M18 2630-20 18V Li-on 6-1/2 in |
| Price: Bare Tool $82.00 (No Battery) |
| Voltage: 18 volts |
| RPM: 3500 RPM |
| Blade Dia: 6.5″ |
| Max Cutting Depth: N/A |
| Weight: 8.5 lbs |
| Battery/Charger Kit: Milwaukee 48-59-1850 M18 18-Volt Lithium-Ion XC Starter Kit with (1) 5.0Ah Battery and Charger |
| Battery/Charger Kit Price: $127.00 |
| Total price for tool and battery kit: $209.00 |
The MGT9000 Tool-O-Meter gives the Milwaukee tool an 8/10 rating.
The next tool we’ll look at is the Bosch Model CCS180B.
Bosch is still using the 18-volt battery system, unlike the two top contenders. Bosch makes an excellent top of the line drill driver, very compact and lightweight with a lot of torque. So it’s not surprising that Bosch made it to the list. The three aspects Bosch has going for it are the price, the speed, and the low weight
| Unit: Bosch CCS180B 18-Volt Li-Ion 6.5 Circular Saw |
| Price: Bare tool $119.00 (No Battery) |
| Battery Voltage: 18 volts |
| RPM: 3900 |
| Blade Dia: 6.5 |
| Max Cutting Depth: 2 in |
| Total Weight: 6.6 |
| Battery/Charger Kit: Bosch SKC181-101 |
| Battery/Charger Kit Price: $80 |
| Total price for tool and battery kit: $199.00 |
The MGT9000 Tool-O-Meter gives the Bosch tool a 9/10 rating.
Now for the Craftsman C3.
Craftsman comes in with the higher voltage batteries and higher RPMs, which translates to more staying power and a quicker cut. The weight is questionable as two different sources give two different weights. Crafstman has a good reputation and a good guarantee, so expect to get a quality tool from them.
| Unit: Craftsman C3 19.2-Volt 6 1/2 in Circular Saw model CT2040 |
| Price: Bare tool $97.00 (No Battery) |
| Voltage: 19.2 volts |
| RPM: 4700 RPM |
| Blade Dia: 6.5 in |
| Max Cutting Depth: 2” |
| Weight: Sears says 12 lbs w/o battery |
| Battery/Charger Kit: Craftsman C3 19.2-Volt Lithium-Ion Compact Battery & Charger Starter Kit |
| Battery/Charger Kit Price: $82.00 |
| Total price for tool and battery kit: $174.00 |
The MGT9000 Tool-O-Meter gives the Craftsman tool a 9.5/10 rating.
Now the DeWALT rating.
DeWALT hits the competition hard with the most voltage, 20V, for the most power, the most RPMs for the fastest cut, and lower in weight than all the others except the Bosch, at 7.1 lbs. The DeWALT easily comes out on the top in this particular comparison.
| Unit: Dewalt DCS391B 20-Volt MAX Li-Ion Circular Saw |
| Price: Bare tool $109.00 (No Battery) |
| Voltage: 20 Volts |
| RPM: 5150 RPM |
| Blade Dia: 6.5 in |
| Max Cutting Depth: 2 1/4 |
| Weight: 7.1 lbs |
| Battery/Charger Kit: DEWALT 20V MAX Battery and Charger Kit with Bag, 5.0Ah (DCB205CK) |
| Battery/Charger Kit Price: 100.00 |
| Total for tool and battery kit: $209.00 |
The MGT9000 Tool-O-Meter gives the DeWALT tool a 10/10 rating.
Are you ready to see what kind of deal you can get on this saw? Go here now:
There you have it, Mister Goodtools’ rating of the best cordless circular saw for the market!
Leave me a comment, if you find something you want to add, let me know!
Hey Steve,
That’s an excellent piece of review you have here, very informative and precise. Well I’ve got just one question, well beside the features which you have covered for each of those circular saws, how long does the batteries last for each?
I have seen some great voltage units there and they’re just awesome. I would be grateful if you could please brief me on how long the saws run on battery before they run out of charge and how long it takes to recharge them?
All in all, that was one great review, I was shifting in between the lines and just couldn’t figure which to choose on, however I would go for the Bosch Model CCS180B since its lighter, much cheaper and off course has a max cut of 2″.
Cheers
Joseph
Hi Joseph, here is an article from DeWalt on battery usage. DeWalt Battery Usage. The trouble with runtime is not knowing what the usage will be. Thick hardwood will sap the battery more than a softer wood. Also how often is the usage, are you cutting a couple of pieces, fitting them in then cutting a few more, or are you planning on cutting a whole fence worth of wood all at once. I would say with constant use, you should get a minimum of an hour usage out of a charge. With that said, I’m going to go test one out to see how long it really lasts! Thanks for the questions!
Steve
Hello Steve.
After reading this comparison, I’m seriously considering the Dewalt but I have a couple questions that maybe you can help with.
I’ll be using this saw for mostly home projects and I’m still in the learning phase myself. I see that the battery kits have to be purchases separate but appear to only come with one battery. I would like to have a minimum of two so that I can keep working while the other is charging.
So here are my questions:
Can you recommend an extra battery option?
Do the compact batteries last as long as the regular size ones?
I’m not sure how to tell but I assume smaller means less. I have not seen the option to get two batteries with the charger unless I missed something but that would be even better.
Thanks in advance
Darren
Hey Darren, so to answer your questions, the 5.0AH battery is going to last longer than the smaller one. And that all depends on how you use it, as in; thickness of wood, is it a constant two hour marathon sawing session, etc etc. It takes about 90 minutes to recharge and with heavy use, you could run the battery down in about an hour, and that is heavy usage. Around the house that would probably never happen unless you’re finishing your basement or something. Here’s a link for a pair of the 5.0AH batteries with the charger. Dewalt 5.0AH Batteries. Although for around the house, you could get away with the 3.0AH batteries. (But who wants to go for the lesser power!) Hope this helps!
Steve