Features:

  • Powerful 14-amp motor delivers 5,300-RPM for greater speed and faster cuts
  • 7-1/4-in carbide-tipped blade included. Spindle lock for easy blade changes.
  • 51° bevel capacity for a wide variety of cuts. Arbor size: 5/8 inches, cord length: 6 feet
  • Lightweight 6.95-lb design reduces fatigue
  • Dust blower keeps line-of-cut free of sawdust for improved visibility.Anti-snag lower guard reduces snags when making narrow cut-offs
but couldn't justify the $ for some of the better ones out there

I was looking at battery powered saws for my first circular saw, but couldn't justify the $ for some of the better ones out there. Plus, many of the battery powered saws lack some of the features on this one, like laser guide and onboard wrench storage. I did purchase a better diablo blado and have not used the included SKIL blade yet, so I can't speak to that. Laser guide is very accurate on mine with the thinner kerf finishing blade I am using. My only wish is that the bag was just a hair bigger - it's a real tight fit and no room for anything else except the saw itself. For the money this is a great buy and I'm sure I'll get a ton of use out of it.

Loved this saw, powerful and works great

I am not that experienced with circular saws so my opinion may not count for much but for what it worth, I like this saw very much. I got it to complete a small home repair project and it works really well. Simple to use, cuts are clean. I tried to do the same cut with hand saw and it is very hard to get a straight angle cut. With this saw it was not a problem whatsoever. Just used square and couple of clamps and the cut is perfect. The saw comes with the blade so nothing else needs to be purchased. The laser guide is somewhat helpful but simple guide is more robust. Very happy with performance and the tool over all.

Great quality for the price!!!

I must say, I am very impressed with this saw!! I built a small lawn edging wall which curves a bit, and I needed to cut the capping bricks. I guess I could have rented a circular saw, but I wanted to buy one and not spend to much on one. As I researched about saws specific for cutting bricks the price started going up. After reading a few reviews, some people stated it's not a good idea to use this particular one for brick cutting, and then I seen a few that said it can, just not huge jobs. I said screw it, bought a masonry blade, and went at it. Well, it does an amazing job. The capping bricks are probably 2 1/2 inches thick. The saw has more than enough power, and cut right through the bricks with no problems.

Quality, relatively lightweight, powerful DIY saw

This is a replacement for Skil's popular older models 5680-01 and -02. The main differences between this model and the older ones: -- about 15% lighter - 9.5 vs 11.2 pounds (with blade, cord & wrench, 8.7 without). -- shaft lock added to make changing blades easier. -- a little more power than the 5680-01 (15 Amp and 2.5 HP vs 14 Amp and 2.3 HP). -- a little more bevel capacity than the 5680-01 (51 vs 45 degrees maximum). The thing I like most about this is the lighter weight. If you cut a lot, it becomes very noticeable. It has plenty of power for ordinary uses like easily cutting 2x4s, 1.5" planks, plywood, etc. The maximum cut depth is just under 2-1/2 inches. The blade guard retracts smoothly. The sawdust blower keeps a clean cut line. The laser line guide is handy for more easily insuring the cut is on line. It puts a red line from the front of the saw to a couple feet out (more in dim light). It isn't very easy to see in direct bright sunlight, though. You can turn it on and off as needed. The safety button that you have to push to pull the start trigger is easy enough to use with one hand. The saw has a one-year repair-or-replace warranty for home use, 90 days for professional use. Pros: -- lightweight for its type/power. -- good power and speed of rotation (5300 rpm) -- sturdy body construction for home use -- laser line guide to easily see if blade is on cut line. -- sawdust blower keeps cut line visible. -- smooth blade guard operation. -- trigger and handle hole are large enough to easily use with gloves on. -- easy-to-use safety button to prevent accidental startup. -- torque clutch to help lessen risk of kickback. -- positive bevel stop at 45 degrees. -- power indicator light on top. -- onboard wrench and shaft lock for ease of changing blades. -- comes with a standard Skil Carbide 5/8" 24-tooth blade, a popular if inexpensive most-purpose blade. -- comes with adequately sturdy, lightly padded, zippered black nylon carrying bag with a bright red Skil logo. Cons: -- no electric brake, which would stop the saw blade after you release the trigger. (Many consider that a useful safety feature.) -- no built-in light to illuminate what you're cutting. -- steel base plate. Strong enough for ordinary use, but more easily bent if dropped or banged than aluminum or magnesium. If bent, the saw may not make straight cuts. Other points: -- maximum depth of cut at 90 degrees: 2-7/16 inches. At 45 degrees: 1-15/16 inches. Depth is adjustable by loosening a screw, with a built-in depth guide. -- cord is 6 feet long, heavy duty, with clip on plug end. -- 10.75 (L) x 8.75 (W) x 6.4 (H) inches without the blade and with the blade guard retracted. With the blade and guard in place the height goes to 9.1 inches. The nonremovable cord is stiff enough to add at least another inch to the length.

I like it

I like it! I've been using battery powered tools for years but got tired of my tools dying in the middle of a cut, waiting for a battery to charge (YOu have spares but they seem to die quicker than they charge), batteries no longer charging at all forcing me to buy expensive new batteries and "where the heck is that other battery?. I've spent enough on batteries and chargers to buy this SKIL saw four times over. Now I go corded. Yeah, the cord can get in the way sometimes, but batteries were causing me a lot more frustration. Anyway... My saw works like a champ. I have absolutely no complaints. I like that the tool to replace the blade is built right into the guide plate. I particularly like the laser guide. I noted some reviews with negative comments regarding the safety switch. I like that the safety switch is just a little awkward so you won't pick up the saw and start it running on accident. It's not like you have to hold that sweaty switch the entire time your cutting. Just press the safety switch with your thumb, pull the trigger to power up the saw then let the safety switch go. I can't tell you how many times I've been climbing a ladder with a power tool in my hand only to unintentionally power up the tool. That's tougher to do here. I haven't had this saw long, but have already used it on a couple of projects and to cut up a bunch of scrap wood destined for the fire pit. I'm not sure how durable it is or how long it will last, but the blade that came with this saw so far has cut through all that wood like a hot knife through butter. So far I've found nothing negative to say about this power tool. Update: I said I had no complaints and nothing negative to say, but that's not quite true. This is a 15 amp saw. If you plug it in to a 15 amp outlet it will run fine unless you have a difficult cut that strains the saw. If your cut is not straight and the saw binds and you keep trying to force the cut then Pop! There goes your circuit breaker. .

Five Stars

.. I used it to build this deck ADDED A NEW BLADE..VERY SMOOTH CUTS

Greater starter Circular Saw

This is my first circular saw so I don't have much to compare it to, but I have found it works well and met my needs. I was reluctant to buy a corded tool, but for the limited home use I need it for it works great. It seems to have sufficient power and adjustability to meet my needs and I like that it came with a carrying bag.

... a circular saw and this thing cuts through wood like butter. I was cutting through 4x4 pressure treated ...

This was my first time using a circular saw and this thing cuts through wood like butter. I was cutting through 4x4 pressure treated lumber by cutting it on one side, flipping it over and then cutting the other side (You can't really do the depth to get through a 4x4). I then cut through a bunch of 2x4s in no time. The guides make it easy to use, and this thing is easy to make straight lines with. I haven't tried angle cuts, but it seemed pretty easy to adjust for that. The only trouble I had was finding the key tool. It is a black flat metal piece that slides into the back of the guide plate :)

Outstanding circular saw value from Skil

I didn't want to rate this saw until I'd had an opportunity to do a reasonable amount of work with it. Now after cross cutting many 2 x 4s and even a few 2 x 8 joists and doing several long rip cuts, I'm happy to give this thing a 5-star rating. It's well-made, lightweight, well-designed and easy to use. The blade guard design really does seem to avoid getting hung up or jammed, better so in fact than a much more expensive saw this replaced. The power cord is rather short, but I use a long, 16 gauge single plug extension with this saw routinely anyway. It does well with everything from demolition to ultra-precision blades, conventional and carbide. I like that it's compatible with the 3rd party ripping fence I'd been using on my old Ryobi. I had to provide my own locking thumbscrew for the fence guide, but at this price, I'm not going to quibble over a $0.25 thumbscrew. The laser guide is useful, but I sure love my ripping fence for keeping lines straight. Operation is smooth and vibration and harshness free. The supplied case is well made and very handy. Only time will tell if the bearings and gears hold up, but for a "honey-do handyman" this saw seems nearly ideal. Skil hit a price/performance sweet spot with this saw.

Great little saw for the money

I purchased this saw to replace my harbor freight saw and so far I am very happy I did. I am using a Freud Diablo blade and so far it has cut perfectly straight and smooth cuts. I have made many cuts on melamine sheets over the weekend and didn't have any issues doing so. I cannot comment to the laser because I don't use it since I have mounted this saw onto a Kreg Rip Cut Jig and the combo of the rip jig and saw is a perfect combo. All I have to do now is set the rip jig to the correct length, make the cut and done. You can find the jig here https://www.amazon.com/Kreg-KMA2675-Rip-Cut/dp/B007K5HIFS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498502926&sr=8-1&keywords=kreg+rip

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