Does the job for which it was built.
Written: Dec 18 '03 (Updated Dec 22 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Appears to be solidly built.
Cons: Heavy, rough and ready. No rip guide. Case is too small.
The Bottom Line: All saws of this size are heavy, rough and ready. This appears to be one of the better built saws in its class although the blade spins the wrong way.
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| plilikoi's Full Review: Porter-Cable 7 3/4" Blade-Left Circular Saw Kit 74... |
I recently bought this saw from The Home Depot. The only circular saws I've used before are a Delta table saw for ripping and a Craftsman radial arm saw for cross cutting. These are both table-mounted, rock steady and run on 240V. I'm wary of all saws, but these two are both very powerful and reasonably safe.
I wanted to buy a circular saw for some DIY construction repair jobs. I have a Porter Cable router with which I'm very happy. It's solid and well-built. After checking reviews on Epinions I thought I'd buy the Porter Cable left hand circular saw with the 7 1/4" blade (it's not 7 3/4").
After using this saw for only a couple of days I can't say that I'm as excited about it as the other reviewers. Even with the magnesium base it's still heavy. However it is powerful enough for medium duty construction work; it cuts through 2x8" wood with no problem. Maybe it's too much saw for the job. A smaller, lighter saw might be better. Certainly it would be easier to carry. However, I've been making miter cuts in 2" thick wood and this size saw is the minimum for making such cuts in wood of this thickness. If I had to drag it up onto the roof to cut much plywood I would definitely consider purchasing an additional, smaller circular saw.
This saw doesn't come with a rip guide. I bought one as an accessory. Sometimes you're better off securing another piece of wood to act as a cutting guide. Sometimes that's not practical and a rip guide is useful. I think one ought to be provided with the saw, but I imagine that they try to keep the price of the saw itself as low as possible in order to be competitive. At least it comes with a sturdy case. The case would be more practical if it stored the cord more easily and provided storage for additional blades.
I'm used to the unerring accuracy of table saws. This circular saw is very much rough and ready. It's fine for construction work where large tolerances are the norm. I find it especially difficult to guide in a straight line when I'm crosscutting near the end of a piece of lumber, particularly when I'm cutting with the blade at an angle. With short angled cuts like this you have to retract the blade guard before you start cutting. Extra scary!
The blade guard often gets in the way, causing the saw to stick on short cuts, especially on short miter cuts. I often find myself manually retracting the guard before I start the saw. In fact I'm tempted to remove the safety guard altogether except that it allows me to lay the saw down on the ground before it's completely stopped.
The saw tends to throw wood chips up into your eyes as you're looking down at the cut line. Safety glasses are mandatory.
This is a left hand saw which means that you have to install regular, right hand, blades the other way around from a right hand saw. The cut proceeds from the bottom of the piece to the top, presumably to hold the wood against the bottom of the saw. The wood tends to splinter on the side you're looking at. This is just the opposite of a table saw, which is another reason the latter is better for fine work.
Other than the safety guard being a pain and the case being too small, I think this saw is a good deal for the $119 that I paid for it.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
plilikoi
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 - Top 1000 |
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Location: San Diego, CA, USA
Reviews written: 76
Trusted by: 6 members
About Me:
Raised in Scotland, living in San Diego. Getting older and wiser daily, older for sure!
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