8 Best Circular Saws for Today’s Building Boom

MOST POWERFUL CORDED

Skilsaw SPT67WM-22

Amperage: 15 | Weight: 8.6 lb

This is the saw we use in the PM Shop. We build projects with it, prepare materials for testing power tools, and use it for slicing up what’s left when the test is done. That means sawing through lumber and hardware alike. We’ve been pleased with the power, balance, the clear line of sight to the blade, and how easy the blade height and angle are to adjust. It gets straight As in all of those features, plus one more: the magnesium shoe that allows the saw to slide over a piece of lumber like it was on ice. At the day’s end, when all you want to do is make that last cut and go home, you won’t appreciate anything more than the SPT67WM-22.

BEST VALUE CORDED

Skil 5280-01

Amperage: 15 | Weight: 8.8 lb

Skil has a long history with the circular saw, and it puts that institutional knowledge to good use with this inexpensive but capable tool. Among the homeowner saws we tested, this one is about as close to pro-grade as you can get. And given what it costs and its price-performance ratio, it would be perfectly fitting for a contractor to keep this saw on the truck as a backup or a tool. It handles nicely, its depth of cut is easy to adjust, and it cuts accurately. The shoe is perfectly parallel with the blade. And we were pleasantly surprised by the torque its 15-amp motor provides. Even with the blade fully submerged in lumber for rips and crosscuts, it powered through nicely.