Battery powered circular saws

[Gatorboy]

I was at Home Depot yesterday and was in the tool bin area and saw a DeWalt 18V circular saw. It got me thinking if it would be better to have battery operated tools or buy a generator and use the good old electric ones out on my property? (for building my pole barn)

Has anyone used these 18-24V tools? How long does the battery life last? I am leaning towards still going with the idea of buying a generator. I don't want to get all set up on the property and have to quit because my batteries ran down after just a couple hours.

[wingnut]

there's a lot of energy expended in turning that blade when you're cutting .... so (my experience is that) batteries don't last long enough for real work. I love the portable for carrying around and doing the odd cut .... but still find that they lose their oomph at just the wrong time. I find the same thing with the 18v circ saw and the 18v rattail.
If I have a fair amount of cutting to do .... then I haul out the sk8il saw and the generator and don't worry about how long I can cut.

[Gatorboy]

WingNut,

You have confirmed my suspicions -- thanks

[Steelfan]

Hi Gatorboy,

I've got two cordless sets from Dewalt with 18 volt batteries. The first set has a 5 1/4 inch Circular Saw in it. I've used it to do a lot of projects. I never was without a full battery. My set came with 2 batteries, so when one ran out of charge, I put it in the charger. It takes 1 hour to charge the newer batteries. The batteries seem to last a long time when fully charged. There is one word of warning that I had for you, about these saws. The 5 1/4 saw will not cut a 4X4 in one pass. You will have to filp the board over to finish the cut. If you only need to cut 2X4, or less , you will not be disappointed. Good Luck, I hope this helps.

Kent

[Daryl]

I bought a cheaper brand at Home Depot. It was a package deal by Ryobi. 18 volt had a circular saw,sawall,flashlite and drill. Also 2 bateries and a case.I do not use them a lot but when i need them they sure are handy. The circular saw does not have the power of a corded one but for limited use it does fine.

Thanks
daryl

[MRB]

Never had a cordless saw until last november. I was planning on getting a Dewalt set, but went to Sears to pick up something for my wife. The local store had a display of 18 volt, Sears combos, consisting of a saw, drill and a flashlight head for $149.00. This set also included two batteries and a charger. Needless to say I bought the set, the Dewalt I wanted was close to $500.00.
My son-in-law was wanting to remodel his living room but had no saw or drill. I gave him my combo and bought another for me. He remodeled his whole living room usng the battery powered tools. They are handier than pockets and have a place in the shop. I still have My Milwaukee circular saw for the big jobs but always grab the cordless for small projects.

[Ranchman]

Look at them kindof like compact tractors - They are awful handy/convenient and can do a lot of work, but don't expect them to have the same capabilities as a "full size rig." 20 sheets of 3/4" particle board? nope... 1/2" plywood siding & 2x4's? Go for it. Based on my experience, I'd agree that the multiple battery route is definitely a big help. I attached a little project I did with a 18V saw - only items I used the AC version for was the flooring. (BTW, mine is a $59 version I got from Harbor Freight.)

[RobS]

<font color="blue"> Look at them kindof like compact tractors </font color>
Excellent analogy Ranchman. I've got a Dewalt 12v saw which is great for small projects and quick jobs but for anything serious I get out the corded tools. I noticed the framing crews on our house used some cordless tools but primarily corded. I think they used the cordless when working overhead and up high on staging. By far, the majority of their work was with corded tools though [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[ScottAR]

I agree with pretty much all the comments so far. When we framed my cousin's house this summer, the corded saws stayed on the ground for the serious sawing but the battery saws were GREAT for various cutting on the roof and ladders. I will put in a plug for the 24V dewalt saw... It's a hoss.

I've built my last two barns with nothing more than two sets of dewalt cordless tools. I can't say enough good about them. I have six batteries and two chargers so I am never without a fresh battery. I hate having a noisy generator going all the time, running cords everywhere, etc. and this was certainly the answer for me. Plus it is so nice just to carry the tool and not have to fuss with cords and such, especially when you are on top of the building.