Black & Decker Firestorm 18 Volt FS18CS Cordless Circular Saw ...
Keep that rule of thumb in mind when purchasing and utilizing these tools and one will have greater satisfaction in their tools as they will not expect things from it that it is not meant to do. For example, the reviewer who was disappointed that... The only problem is the sawdust tends to collect over my cutline but that's true of most brands of circular saws so I can't hold that against it. For small to medium jobs, this saw is perfect. Yes, cordless saws do not have as much power as corded saws. And yes, cordless saws are more convienent than corded saws. It's a hastle but if you are stuck out away from a power source the saw will do what it needs to do. Very effecitve saw. The only way to reach the button is to use both hands - one to push the safety button and one to start the saw. I also had to invest in a set of clamps to hold my work that I wanted to cut since I now had to turn loose of the material to start the saw. It will not perform with a big, heavy corded saw but I was pleasantly surprised by how well it does perform. First of all I just want to start out by saying that this product obviously doesn't compare to a 15 amp "corded" circular saw. Now I've been using circular saws for 40+ years and to me that is more of a safety risk than a safety protection. I've also used the Ryobi and Dewalt cordless saw, they are virtually identical in craftmanship, performance, and durability with the B&D costing so much less. I bought this thinking it would be lighter and easier to use than my 50+ year old heavy duty circular saw. The battery is well balanced making it easy to keep the saw level and on line. For people who are trying to get that kind of performance out this or any other "cordless" saw will be dissapointed. Remember that this is a CORDLESS saw. With that said, this is a great saw for light to moderate home improvements. I even cut a few 4x4 posts with it, by cutting one side at a time (the blade is too small to cut through a single 4x4 in a single pass, something that is easily figured out by anyone who puts even a small amount of brainpower to the issue). Battery life is somewhat short under these conditions but since I have more than one Black and Decker 18V tool and a multiple charger, I was able to keep enough charged batteries on hand to finish the job. It cut's fine for me however I seemed to forget that wood isn't all perfectly pre-cut so I did have to stop a few times to re-align boards. It is a little awkward to hold and push all the buttons to turn it on but eventually I was able to use one hand to hold it while cutting. I rebuilt a large portion of my deck and used it to cut the 2x6 deck boards at the end of the deck. Not having to worry about a cord when cutting is very, very nice and really simplifies my work. I am relagated to one small corner of my garage and one outlet. Other than that use a fully charged 18v battery and you should be good to go. Too bad it doesn't come with a storage bag or some sort of storage holder. It has long run time and can cut quite a few 2x4's or plywood before running out of juice. I wouldn't use this on 1" thick oak but for smaller jobs or softer wood it works great....