>After building 2 houses, 1 garage and a couple of sheds, plus surviving a couple of nasty falls from the roof of same, my old circular saw has just about given up the ghost. I think the last gasp was heard sometime during the cutting of concrete slabs and pavers last August.
Sweetie Pie gave me a HD gift card for Christmas. I am considering blowing it on a 6 1/2" Rigid "Fuego" circular saw. It is considerably lighter than the 7 1/4" saws, which is good for my sometimes arthritic hands...easier to grip and to hold. My house building days are probably behind me, but I still am looking for a decent saw for rough-cutting sheet goods, plus the odd small framing job. This saw seems like it would be just the right thing for my needs now. I wonder, though, how it would compare to a cordless saw, a type of saw I have no experience with.
Any experiences with this saw, or thoughts on the utility of the cordless models?
>I have a 14.4 volt Ryobi cordless circular saw. It will rip maybe 12' of 3/4" plywood before the battery needs to be changed. I don't think my little Ryobi is very practical for breaking down sheet goods. I haven't ever used it for framing lumber. Better saws with bigger battery packs may give better performance, but of course a bigger battery pack is heavier, too. I think a cordless circular saw is a nice luxury but if I had only one circular saw, it would have a cord on it.
I don't have any experience with the 6-1/2" saws. Will they cut a 45 degree bevel through 2x lumber?
If weight is your main concern you might want to check out the Porter Cable 7-1/4" saws with the magnesium cases. I have one and it's a nice saw. Quite a bit lighter than the ancient Craftsman it replaced.
>Good point re: the 45 degree cut in a 2x4. I went searching and found a video on You Tube on the Fuego 6 1/2" saw. The video shows and describes a through cut on a 2x4 at both 45 and 50 degrees. I posted the link in case anybody is interested. (Usual disclaimer...no affiliation, just a curious potential buyer.)