I'm a roof tiler, and we need high powered, durable tools to get the job done. So it was with quite a bit of trepidation that I spent AU$908 on a Milwaukee v28 Cordless circular saw.
I bought it purely because we were getting more and more jobs without readily available power, and no one likes having a generator thumping in their earhole all day
Upon opening the hideous red box, I was immediately concerned. It's a right-handed saw. Not something you really think about when ordering tools, as you're not offered a choice. But there it is.
All of the corded saws I've ever used have been left handed (mostly Makita, but there's Bosch and a few no-name brands there). IE. You hold the trigger handle in your left and use the guard, or hold your work with the right (if you're not safety conscious :) )
The revs on this thing are much lower than what I'm used to, so it will stall if there's too much pressure placed on the baton you're trying to cut. Very noticeable when fixing hardwood to a steel frame.
However, upon adjusting to the backwards american design, and the lower power, it is a very good saw. So good in fact, that our Makita 185mm corded saw (model unknown, but only a year old) has been languishing in the toolbox since this little red bugger arrived.
The only real problem with it is that it's not equipped with a belt clip of any kind. I can't count the number of times we've saved one of our corded tools from disaster by catching the cord as it fell. My guess is that when this falls, we're just going to have to pray that Milwaukee's claim that it can take a 10 foot drop to concrete holds true. Having held it in my hands, however, I kind of doubt it. That remains to be seen, however, and I'm not about to test it
Battery power is much better than I expected, lasting at least three hours on one battery with a sharp blade, and Milwaukee's claim of "fade free power" is actually true. It runs exactly the same, right up until the battery is dead. And then it only takes an hour to charge.
Not having to periodically move leads is also a boon. Yes, you occasionally have to grab a fresh battery, but much less often than you would have to climb down to move your leads.
One more thing. Because of the lower revs, blades last longer for us than they did with our more powerful corded saws. Even a thin kerf blade lasted us three jobs, and only died when the apprentice hit steel twice (Ugh, the sound of carbide tips rattling down a steel truss is nasty, trust me
)So if you're looking for a cordless circular saw with excellent power, mobility and durability, this is it.
