Look around any job site and you will see circular saws. They are an everyday power tool that makes work faster and more accurate than the traditional hand saw. When Skilsaw first introduced their rear handle worm, drive saw, they changed the way framers and other tradesmen worked. In fact, the Skilsaw worm drive is said to be the saw that built America. So you may be wondering what we are talking about when we say the Makita Rear Handle Circular Saw review. What’s the big deal, rear handle saws have been out for decades?
True, rear handle saws have been out for years, but not when it comes to cordless circular saws. In fact, Makita is the very first manufacturer to bring to market a rear handle circular saw.
Makita Rear Handle Circular Saw Review – Overview
There is a lot to this saw, but the two most important items to take into consideration is the handle style and how the saw is powered.
As you know this is a rear handle saw. With that said, don’t expect it to be like your traditional cordless circular saws because it’s not. This saw has a lot more power, which we will get into later, but it also has a lot more weight. So when you are comparing this saw, compare it to worm drive rear handle saws. This saw is made to compete with a corded worm drive saw, not your inline weaker counterpart saws.
A worm drive saw weighs in at about 14 lbs where this weighs in at about 12.9 lbs, so it does shave off a little weight and that is with the batteries.
Speaking of batteries, here is what’s awesome about this saw. Yes, it’s powered by batteries and not an AC plug. The saw runs off two 18V Makita batteries. So if you already have Makita batteries, you are in business. No need to invest into a completely separate battery line. With that said, don’t expect the power of an 18V. Since it uses two batteries, you will get the performance of a 36V battery. Seriously, how awesome is this? No additional investment, but you get the power of a higher battery platform.
Makita Rear Handle Circular Saw – Features
The Makita saw has a lot of the features you would expect in a saw of this caliber. First, Makita designed it with a brushless motor, for increased performance. The brushless motor delivers 5,100 rpm. Besides the electric brake, a great feature Makita implemented into this saw is the automatic speed change. The tool will actually sense a difference in the cut and adjust speed and torque during a cut.
Makita Rear Handle Circular Saw – Power
This saw is made for power, just what every framer needs. Again this is compared to the worm drive counterpart. With this said, this saw does not disappoint. This bad boy is powerful and head and shoulders above any other cordless power tool on the market. Well, the Flexvolt does give it a run for the money, but it is a different design and different battery platform.
Makita Rear Handle Circular Saw – Performance
This saw has a 2-9/16” cutting capacity at 90°. As far as bevel, this has a wide range from 0°- 53° bevel capacity with positive stops at 22.5°, 45°, and 53°.
The saw is designed with a die-cast magnesium base and blade guard along. The die-cast aluminum blade cover and motor housing provide a lightweight and dependable design.
Makita Rear Handle Circular Saw – Final Thoughts
Overall this is another winner from Makita. If you love the feel of a rear handle saw, but hate dealing with the power cord, this is the saw for you. Makita has designed a unique platform that is friendly and cost effective to the consumer. Instead of having the consumer buy two separate battery platforms, Makita is sticking with one platform and able to increase the power when needed.
Makita Circular Saw – Buy Now and Read Reviews
The one thing that surprises me about this saw, for all of its features, is the lack of an option for attaching dust collection. With all of the new regulations on dust collection when drilling concrete, you would think that they would have included an option on the saw for anyone who might have wanted to use it for a quick dry cut or two when they did not have access to a dedicated unit. The older X2 saw has an optional attachment to hook up a collector to it, so why not this one?
Good point. Never thought about that