I have to say circular saws are one of my favorite tools to use. Wow, I can’t think of one tool I don’t say that about. However there are plenty of times I hate dragging around a cord or the weight. Luckily for us we live in an age where batteries have come a long way and we can use cordless circular saws for a lot of applications. How nice is it to not have to worry about power or getting ticked off when the cord gets wrapped up around something towards the end of your cut? I guess we really do have it a lot easier than our fathers and grandfathers. Speaking of great circular saws, let’s get into the Bosch CCS180 cordless circular saw.
The Bosch saw is a 6-1/2″ saw and is powered by an 18V battery, has an 3,900 rpm and a bevel capacity of 50°. The very first thing I noticed when picking up this saw was how light it was and the saw has great balance and feel. The saw only weighs 6.5 lbs., so for me it’s a great weight. Not too heavy where I am fighting the weight and getting fatigued, but not too light that the saw doesn’t do any real work. The saw feels very comfortable in your hand. The balance of the saw is also great. When you get to the end of your cut or you are done with your cut, it is easy to control the saw. Last item to note is the line of sight. The line of sight is very nice and easy to follow with all your cuts.
The shoe and upper guard are made from a heavy duty aluminum, so you still get strength, but not all the weight of a steel set up. The numbers for the bevel and depth are very easy to read. The knobs used to make the adjustments are a good size so you can easily loosen or tighten them. One item I am still getting used to with these cordless saws is the plastic guards. I have never broken one and they all seem to be very sturdy. I am pretty sure manufacturers are going this way to help lighten up the tools, but every time I lay my saw down, it is always on that guard. One thing to note about the guard is the angle. On the bottom of the guard there is a nice angle so when you make those small angle cuts, the guard doesn’t get in the way like we have seen on other saws.
I built a shed this past fall and used this saw a lot. The saw was great and didn’t let me down. I didn’t measure the amount of cuts I could make on one battery, but I do know it seemed like a lot and this never really slowed me down. It was nice being able to rely on a cordless saw knowing that I would get a workday out of the saw. Whether I was cutting a 2×4, 3/4″ plywood or 6×6″, this saw buzzed right through everything without a hiccup.
Overall this is a great saw. If you already have Bosch power tools and don’t need the extra batteries, you can buy this as a bare tool, model CCS180K. The balance is great and very easy to work with and control. Lots of power to cut through just about anything. With a 50° bevel, this makes it a perfect saw to have around and give you the versatility you need. Easy to read depth and bevel reading, which is always a plus at my age and with my eyesight. Hands down, this is one of my favorite cordless saws I have used. With a name like Bosch, you know it’s built to last.
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Friday night tool fight… vs. Dewalt 18V?
Do you guys ever get review samples from Ryobi? that new 18ga brad nailer which looks to be similar to the Senco fusion looks interesting for 130 bucks as a bare tool.
Hi Jason, We are getting one :}
I have a few of the Ryobi 18v lawn tools so I at least have the battery packs and chargers. They work surprisingly well the tools now I have had some problems with the battery packs though. I hope to see the review soon on this if it’s that good at that price point it will hurt the paslode cordless trim nailer sales I know I would have had second thoughts when I bought my paslode.
I echo Brien’s thoughts… I’d love to see how this compares with other 18v circ saws!
hey, do you know how many times it could cut a 2×4 on one battery charge
Great question. I am not sure how much, but enough power to at least take you to lunch time if your cutting a lot of 2×4. With the new 4.0 A/h batteries, you will get about 33% more run time.
ok, thanks, i modified a skil 14.4v circular saw to run on an 18v dewalt battery and it cut 40-50 2x4s but i recently got a milwaukee 2602-22 compact hammer drill with 2 batteries and a charger from a store for $100 and i adapted my modification to run on the m18 batteries but it can still run on an 18v dewalt by taking out 4-6 screws, i want to get an m18 impact, which do u thing is better for the money for a bare tool, the m18 fuel impact or the old m18 impact