# Best circular saw - sidewinder



## N.E.Bldg&Rest.LLC (Aug 18, 2005)

m1911 said:


> Many of you guys complain about binding and kickback, but do you realize that many circular saws are designed with a blade washer that allows the saw blade to slip under hard binding situations?
> You aren't supposed to crank down on the blade bolt like an angry gorilla who just dropped his banana down the storm drain. On my Bosch and Skil worm drive it says to hand tighten and an additional 1/8 turn with wrench, it's designed as a slip-clutch of sorts, and when tightened properly, along with using common sense and a sharp blade, it works as designed.
> just sayin'


I knock the diamond out of the blade for my worm drive.


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## m1911 (Feb 24, 2009)

N.E.Bldg&Rest.LLC said:


> I knock the diamond out of the blade for my worm drive.


that has nothing to do with tightening torque :blink:


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## Jswills76 (Nov 12, 2012)

My Makita 5007mg is a great saw. I really like my 369 dewalt to. But my favorite is the left hand pc mag. I don't have one but I remember it being awesome. I have the 6 1/2 pc but never really gets used. My first sidewinder was a hitachi, good saw every one always like it. I can't stand the 8 in dewalt saw


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## Irishslave (Jun 20, 2010)

I've roached at least a half a dozen of them......the just don't have the ass of a worm drive..........I've resigned the ones I have left that work to light duty and junk work. One old rockwell still works but it's an antique. I've got a shelf full of them with broken guards, bad cords etc. Worms will take anything you throw at them


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## tccoggs (Dec 17, 2008)

I have developed quite the collection over the years that consists of the following saws:

Original Makita 5007, made in Japan. Workhorse, reliable
Makita 4 3/8, great trim saw
Makita 5 1/2, similar to above, got it cheap and practically brand new
Makita Hypoid, heavy duty
Makita Beam saw, for timber frame, 6x6 etc.
Milwaukee Tilt Lok, gift from dad, barley used, I keep a finish blade on it

The big surprise of the bunch. I picked up a ridgid Fuego 6 1/2 on clearance, and I love it. Its really light and maneuverable, and slices through 2x PT with no issue at all. I don't miss the weight of the hypoid, at least until I cut my next roof. I always wanted a PC sawboss but never got one when they were being made.

Those PC Mag saws were damn good as well, used them when I worked on a crew.


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## asgoodasdead (Aug 30, 2013)

$10 at a yard sale and it cuts really nice. already used it for a few full work days so i'd say I got my money's worth.


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 17, 2008)

the milwaukee tilt lok is a nice saw, i had a first generation one up until this past october when if finally kicked the bucket. it was much better constructed than the newer ones mind you

i second the makita mag for the exact reasons canning stated, i bought it on liquidation from a bigbox that was closing. i love the saw but it keep it for finish cuts breaking down large sheets and cutting down doors. i dont want it to get banged around like my last saw did.. i use a wormy for framing or company saws for that and demo


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## SAcarpenter (Oct 10, 2008)

We used milwaukee exclusively until a couple years ago. The old aluminum table/front knob depth adjustment was nice and durable. I know a few guys that will still search for them and pay good money for them. Then came the tilt lok style which has been our go to. They last about 3-5 years on average. They have excellent power and the bevel adjustment is solid. The depth adjustment however, is terrible. If the shoe gets bent in the least bit, it bends the slide track and will never be perfect again. 

We had a few of the bulky, magnesium table edition but it was not impressive at all. 

I forgot about a run at some boschs that we had six years ago. They were the ones without a cord. Those were junk except the shoe was a good plastic. No power and the adjustment knobs always broke. 

We had a rigid that was good- keyword "was"'good- but had a short in the trigger and parts and service were beyond finding. It did however, rank number 1 in a FHB test which is what prompted us to try it. Epic fail though

We recently received two demo skils from a rep and at $110 a pop, well lets just say NOOOOOOO!

Lastly, we now have three of the new lightweight dewalts. We've only had them for two months or so but so far I'm impressed. They are super light and seem to be tough as nails. The bevel adjustment is nice and has detnts at afew common bevels. It can bevel all the way to 57*. The biggest shocker though is in the depth. The adjustment is solid with none of the issues that the tilt lok. The adjustment lever is kind of hard to get at but thats what protects it so the trade off is acceptable. Also in regards to the depth, it goes deeper than the tilt lok which is nice when cutting 2 1/2" wide floor joists. So far the power seems to Be on par with the tilt lok. The only thing i can see is they have some vibration but that could be attributed to their lightweight. Time will tell. 
Thats all i got, sorry for the long post. Hopefully its somewhat informative

Eric


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