bat powered skill saw

[Soundguy]

anyone use those battery pack circular saws?

saw a guy using one at a park at lunch today.. thing sounded just as good as my plug in craftsman.. what's the life like onthe bat?

soundguy

 

[aczlan]

anyone use those battery pack circular saws?
saw a guy using one at a park at lunch today.. thing sounded just as good as my plug in craftsman.. what's the life like onthe bat?

We have a Ryobi 18V one that is "ok" the main issue is that the battery packs are about shot and don't last long.
When I worked for an electrician we had a 18V Dewalt 4.5 inch one which worked well. The battery held up about as well as it did in the sawzall, but it made nicer cuts.

Aaron Z

 

[BobRip]

I have a Dewalt version. It works OK, and of course it's great to not have a cord, particularly if you are on a roof. It does have limited torque and if you bind the blade even a little it stalls. I do not do a lot of cutting with it or any circular saw, so I am not an expert. It has a place in my tool collection, but I would not get rid of the AC power saw.

 

[winston1]

I have Porter Cable and Riobi. Either good for small jobs. Neither good for large jobs. That's my opinion.

 

[pharmon]

I have a DeWalt 18v saw with 6 1/2" blade. It will cut 2x4's and 2x6's, just not as quickly. It is convienient when you need to shorten something to get it home from the building supply store. I like mine and use it whenever I can. I have a corded Milwaukee which is great when you need to make a long rip in 2x stock. The 18v DeWalt surprised me how long it would go without a charge, but you should have a backup battery. I have acquired 6 DeWalt 18v tools and have 5 batteries. There have been times when I would have 2 batteries charging at once. I am renovating my house, but not a contractor, so don't use them all day long. I have the NiCad batteries. The new Lithium batteries are supposed to hold a charge even longer.

Paul

 

[Soundguy]

in real world numbers.. how many minutes of cutting or board feet are we talking about?

5 minutes of loaded cutting?

20' rip? 40' rip on 1/2 plywood.

I did see the guy bind the blade one and it stalled it.. looked like a small blade.. mayee 4.5" ?? was blue.. so guess riobi

soundguy

 

[herd]

in real world numbers.. how many minutes of cutting or board feet are we talking about?

5 minutes of loaded cutting?

20' rip? 40' rip on 1/2 plywood.

I did see the guy bind the blade one and it stalled it.. looked like a small blade.. mayee 4.5" ?? was blue.. so guess riobi

soundguy

I too have the DeWalt 6.5'' cordless skill saw. It's a great tool but, then again, with 15 different DeWalt tools, I would expect it to be great. I have used mine a great deal of time when I was framing my shop and had no power. I can't say how long in continious minutes a charge lasts but I have used the saw all day off and on making my cuts and only go thru two batteries. Recharge is also pretty quick.

One word of caution tho, these saws (called "trim saws") can be dangerous. Mine is a left-haded saw which is all I could find and has a difficult "idiot" button to release the trigger. These saw will kickback and bind quicker than the larger, contractor saws. Takes some getting used to but is absolutely worth the money.

I previously had a Sears 5.5'' cordless and it would not last long at all on a charge. In fact, I had 4 batteries with it and used them all and then some in a day's work. Lots of plastic on the SEars, the DeWalt is much heavier duty.

I've done a lot of ripping OSB with the saw but wouldn't waste time trying to rip a 2-by with it, requires too much power. I also have the DeWalt Sawzall, another great heavy-duty tool compared to the Sears.

 

[jinman]

When I recently had a deck added to my house, the carpenter who finished up on the last day brought a brand new 18 volt Dewalt with NiCads. I saw him cut about 20 2x2 balusters without a recharge, but I have no idea what the maximum number of cuts would be.

 

[Soundguy]

thanks guys!

soundguy

 

[Scooby074]

I got the dewalt 18v xrp saw.

Works good. Never really concentrated on the battery life, but it lasts a "fair" bit of time. maybe 20-30 2x4's cut to length???

I have about 6 batts so battery life isnt a concern really except for the inconvenience of changing batteries.

Mine only gets used for small jobs or ripping plywood. If im building a wall, i get a regular 120V saw out.