I’m a fan of Milwaukee brand cordless tools. I purchased my first drill from them five years ago and have not been disappointed with a product yet. That original 12 volt drill is still on my truck after five years and the batteries still work, a fact that I find remarkable considering it’s used nearly every day.

I purchased this 18 volt circular saw about a year ago, after encountering many tasks and thinking to myself, ‘A battery powered saw would do this and I would have it done before I finished unrolling this extension cord’. I finally made the purchase one day when I saw a special on the saws at Home Depot.

Great Features

• Like most battery powered tools now, the LED light illuminates the cutting area and is a great aid in dim conditions

• The saw has enough power to take on any task. Cutting 6x6 posts with the blade fully engaged is entirely possible. The saw is great at crosscutting 2x4’s and ripping plywood up to 3/4 inch.

• The depth adjustment is easily accessible on the outside of the handle.

• The bevel adjustment is easy to access and the large knob is easy to turn.

• The saw is accurate enough for framing and some finish carpentry tasks right out of the box.

Could be improved

• The depth of cut markings are cast into the blade housing and they’re so dim I really cannot see them without great effort. I have given up using them and if I need to gauge the depth of cut to within a 1/4 inch I just have to pull out my tape measure.

• The line of sight to the blade is very poor. I have to lean my head forward an unnatural amount to see the blade make contact with my measurement mark. I have not used other battery powered saws, but I suspect it’s a common problem to this sidewinder saw design because the battery motors have to be moderately larger than their 120V counterparts.

My conclusion - if you’re a homeowner with frequent DIY projects and you can only buy one circular saw, you need to buy a corded saw to make sure you’re never limited by a battery’s power. But if you only take on light DIY projects, or you’re a contractor looking for a solid tool when power is inconvenient, you won’t be disappointed.