PM_Logo

2022-06-18 22:56:27 By : Mr. Allan Su

Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. How we test gear.

Need to make fine precision cuts or just mow through a bunch of lumber? Look here.

We test homeowner and professional circular saws the same way. In the case of this 20-volt Hart, that meant cutting Douglas fir framing lumber, sawing through the 1.5-inch thickness and also with the board turned on edge so the blade was fully submerged at its maximum depth in the lumber. Our verdict: You won’t confuse this saw with one used to frame houses; push it too hard and you’ll trip its thermal cutoff. But it’s got enough oomph for cutting some lumber, including a 4x4. We liked the lock button (officially, the spindle lock); press it to hold the blade in place to more quickly turn off the nut that tightens down on the blade. We also liked its safety latch designed for right- or left-handed users.

This petite saw weighs a mere 8.6 pounds, yet we found it to be unusually capable. Equipped with a 7.25-inch blade, it made short work of 4x6 pressure-treated lumber, 2x10 Douglas fir, 3⁄4-inch plywood, and laminate flooring. And with the 4-Ah battery, this saw will do a significant amount of workbefore you need to swap in a new battery or give it a recharge.

Thin-plank laminate flooring is popular for its ease of installation. But if you’re a homeowner, you may not have the tools to accurately rip and crosscut the material should you need to. And that’s where this 18-volt, 5.5-inch circular saw comes in. It sits on a guide rail and is supported on a trolley (somewhat like that found on a gantry crane), free to slide back and forth to enable crosscuts. Or you can fix its position with the flip of a lever. We tried the saw in ripping, cross-cutting, and miter cuts. Powered by an amazingly fast 6,500-rpm motor, it did everything we asked of it.

It’s actually fun to use, accomplishing the rare feat of making flooring work, dare we say, enjoyable.

We were very pleasantly surprised by this inexpensive little 7-1⁄4-inch sliding compound miter saw powered by an 18-volt battery. With a crosscut capacity of 9-1⁄4 inches, it’s got surprising reach. And, weighing just under 24 pounds (with a 4-Ah battery), it’s also got surprising portability. Its out-of-the-box accuracy is pretty good (not perfect); to dial it in the rest of the way, the owner’s manual has the full rundown on the typical screws and stops to loosen and readjust just like a full-size miter saw. We made our test cuts in white pine, radiata pine, and red oak and found that even with the mid-coarse 40-tooth blade it comes with, you can take it out of the box, set it up, and make paint-grade miter cuts in moldings pretty easily. A little fine tuning and a smoother blade will bring you into the realm of furniture-grade cuts.

Unless you’re a mechanical contractor or a remodeler, chances are you’re not going to use your cordless reciprocating saw every day. For those users, the 20-volt Hart is enough. We hacked through 2x Douglas fir framing lumber and 1⁄4-inch solid steel rod, making one cut after another without much trouble at all. It’s equipped with a brushless motor, a tool-free chuck, and a responsive trigger.

We’ve tested many circular saws, and this one comes as close to perfection of the form as is possible. Equipped than a standard 7.25-inch blade, an 8-Ah battery, and weighing 11.6 pounds, it’s a nimble cutter by itself. But the good news gets better: It has an aluminum accessory track—no special shoe or mounting hardware required. Lay the track on the board or plywood and slide this Bosch down it like a locomotive riding the rails. The resulting rip or crosscut is table saw-accurate.

0073.js">