Makita 18-Volt Brushless Cordless 7-1/4 in. Circular Saw Kit
*This post is sponsored by The Home Depot
Cordless circular saws are such a game changer, I love the freedom of using a battery powered saw, and this saw has two of them!
The Makita 18-Volt Cordless 7-1/4” Circular saw kit comes with the saw, TWO 5AH batteries, Rapid Charger, dust collection port and carry bag. Using these two batteries, this saw can cut up to 610 crosscuts per charge in 2x4 lumber and up to 320 crosscuts per charge in 2x10 lumber. That’s a lot of cuts!
The only down side I see with having two batteries is that both of the batteries need to be in the tool for it to run, so both batteries will need to be charged. The charger that comes with this kit is a dual charger, so charging them at the same time is not an issue, just something you will have to remember. With both batteries in, it weighs about 10.5 lbs.
A pretty cool feature is you can actually check the status of the battery charge on the tool itself by pressing the battery button under the handle.
Besides for being battery powered my absolute favorite feature is the dust collection port. I’m a fan of anything that keeps my shop clean! When attached to a vac, most of the dust was sucked up through the dust port. Awesome.
This saw has automatic speed change technology that adjusts cutting speed and torque during your cut for optimal performance. One of my favorite features is the electric brake that automatically stops the blade from spinning as soon as you let go of the trigger. This is safer and keeps you moving along with your project.
I really like how clear the numbers on the depth setting are marked, and this saw has a large 2-5/8 cutting capacity when its set to 90. That means I will be able to easily use this saw to break down thick pieces of rough lumber.
The saw has 0- 56 bevel capacity with positive stops at 22.5, 45, and 56, but I don’t really love how these positive stops work. There is a front dial that you first have to turn to 22.5, 45 or 56 then you can adjust the bevel. So it’s a 2 step process to use the positive bevel stops.
This is way better than not having any positive stops at all, but I have used other saws that don’t require a 2 step process to change the bevel and it’s such a great feature.
Another thing I don’t love is the shoe seemed slightly out of square to the blade when it was in the 0 bevel position. I will have to take out my square every time I switch up the bevels to make sure it’s cutting perfectly square.
This saw is crazy powerful and I could see this being a workhorse out on the jobsite, the freedom of not being tied down to a cord with all that power from the two batteries is really a game changer. The Makita built electronically controlled BL motor delivers 50% longer run time per charge and because it’s a brushless motor, it runs cooler and more efficiently, so it is built to last.
If you are on the Makita platform this saw is a great addition, or if you want to hop on board the Makita train, this is a great kit to start with since it comes with two batteries and the dual charger.
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