For those of you who follow the tool world, you had to conclude this was coming, the Milwaukee cordless rear handle circular saw. If you know Milwaukee, they aren’t a company to sit back on their heels. They are aggressive, they go out and build tools for the professional tradesman. So for those of you who are Milwaukee fans and want a rear handle saw, let’s see how this saw stacks up. Let’s check out the Milwaukee Rear Handle Circular Saw Review.
Overview
Last year, Makita came out with a 36V read handle circular saw, which was first to market. I love the Makita saw. It’s powerful and I love not having a cord to mess around with. For me, it was the first real solution to a powerful circular saw that would cut some serious wood. In fact, that was my go-to saw for the house project. Milwaukee being Milwaukee and being aggressive, they came out with their rear handle saw to compete with the Makita. So when I found out they came out with the cordless 2830-21HD, I knew I had to give it a try and see how it compares to my go-to saw, the Makita.
The timing couldn’t be more perfect since I am in the process of framing out my addition to my house. So let’s take a look at see what this saw is all about. For me, I love a rear handle saw, the power and the feel of these saws are awesome compared to a top handle design.
Milwaukee Rear Handle Circular Saw Review
Features
The Milwaukee rear handle saw comes in two models, the 2830 (Bare tool) and the 2830-21HD (12Ah Battery, charger and bag). The saw is designed around a brushless motor that spins the 7-1/4″ blade 5,800 rpm’s.
The saw features an electric brake and LED front light.
The saw is powered by a Milwaukee HD 12Ah battery that sits on top of the saw.
As noted, the handle is on the rear of the saw and has the same rubber grip you are used to with other Milwaukee cordless tools.
The top handle has a nice angle to help with comfort and guiding the saw.
Both for the depth of cut (2-1/2″ @ 90 degrees and 1-7/8″ at 45 degrees) and miter angles (up to 53 degrees), it’s easy to read the large etched numbers on the metal rails.
The guard and shoe are made of magnesium for weight and durability.
There is a foldable hanger hook.
The blade change tool has a nice storage place on the bottom, back of the saw.
Performance
According to Milwaukee, this will cut faster than a 15 amp corded read handle saw. Now we didn’t do a head to head yet, but let me tell you, I can definitely see and believe this. It’s not a night and day where you can really notice the difference, but you can tell the saw cuts fast and doesn’t bog down as we have seen with other cordless saws. We tried both the factory Milwaukee blade along with a Diablo blade.
Two features I didn’t mention above but are worth noting is the weight and the saw doesn’t need oil. This saw weighs in at about 10 lbs while other worm drive saws are closer to 11.5 lbs, so yes, it’s lighter. The other note is while Worm Drive saws need to be oiled, these saws do not.
One item I really noticed with this saw is how sawdust doesn’t build up in the front and cover up the line you are cutting which is a huge plus. No more stopping, no more trying to blow the work off while cutting, no more hassle.
While I love this saw, the line of sight isn’t the best. Now it’s not a knock against this saw as most saws aren’t great. It’s hard to show in a picture, but you just have to lean over a little more when making a cut where you care about the line of cut.
Value
You can pick this saw up at your local Home Depot for about $450 and that is for the kit which includes a battery, charger, and bag. It’s double the price of a Skil worm drive, but you get an awesome saw and you don’t have to deal with a cord. If you have a battery, you can get the bare tool for about $270 to save some money.
I am a huge fan of rear handle saws. Considering the power, it’s cordless and a workhorse, the $450 is a decent investment and price for this tool.
Milwaukee Rear Handle Circular Saw Review
Final Thoughts
Overall, I love this saw. There really isn’t much to complain about. I love the power, I love the feel with working with it and the run time is more than we expected. If you are in the Milwaukee battery platform, this is a must-have tool. If you want a powerful, rear handle saw, this is just one reason to get into the Milwaukee platform. Bottom line, the circular saw performs.
