Best Cordless Circular Saws of 2021 for Beginners and Home Owners

Gone are those days when you had a compulsion to have a nice long cord to keep your circular saw working.

For heavy-duty work like cutting stones, bigger lumber, metal, or other things with a harder surface; we still do need a good corded circular saw with a blade capable enough to cut through every hard surface it comes across.

But Why do You Need the Best Cordless Circular Saw then?

Best Cordless Circular Saws 2021

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Now after having a brief look into the reasons leading to have a cordless cutting machine, let us have a look at the best options available in the market for the best circular cordless saw 2021.

1. DEWALT DCS391B

This cordless circular saw by DEWALT has the power of 5150 to 5250rpm (revolution per minute) supported by a 20-volt battery. It is a nicer version of DEWALT DCS391B 18-Volt which comes with a battery of 18 volts and power of 5250rpm.

DEWALT DC391B 20-Volt is a lightweight, having a weight of 7 pounds, and the best cordless circular saw among all its almost equally good competitors available in the market.

2. Milwaukee 2730-20 M18

Another best option so far available in the market is Milwaukee 2730-22with a powerful battery of 18 volts.

This cordless circular saw gives a whopping power of 5000rpm (Revolution per minute) which makes this marvelous creation to come to the top of every closest competitor of its kind.

 It has electrical brakes which can help the user to continue his work without wasting any time while waiting for the blade to stop. 

The best part of Milwaukee 0730-22 is its grip which keeps your hold over this cordless circular saw as firmer and comfortable as possible. The magnesium shoe and guards keep the machine safe even if it faces any accidental drop.

3. Makita SH02R1 Max CXT

This beast is the competitor of the top of the list DEWALT circular saw. With a power of 1500rpm and lightweight of 3.5 pounds only, it definitely gives the top player a tough time.

Its lightweight can help you in managing bigger projects which may take more time in getting finalized if you choose a heavyweight cordless circular saw for it.  The best part is its ergonomic grip made with soft rubber adding more to the user’s grip while using it. 

4. BLACK and DECKER 20V BDCCS20C

Starting with the top point about this incredible machine is that it is a good choice in a lesser price range that the above two competitors.  This cordless circular saw comes without any battery, but you may add the one during your purchase from the market or the online store.

 Another feature that makes this beast the number 4 best is that it possesses a high torque motor.   Such motors are capable of applying steady torque to the load while drawing current in a stalled state.

Every Black & Decker BDCCS20C 20V circular saw comes with 2 years of warranty which can give you a source of relief if anything goes wrong with this machine.

5. Makita XSS02Z 18V LXT

Having the power of 3700rpm, Makita’s another competitive cordless circular saw with 18 volts of battery is a right choice for not only a professional worker but also for those people who love to make stuff of different hard surface from different types of wood.

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6. PORTER CABLE 20V MAX 6-1/2-Inch

This cordless circular saw is famous for its power of 4000rpm and a mighty battery of 20 Volts.

With a power backed up by a strong battery like PORTER-CABLE PCC660B, this tool is the best for the users who require aggressive cutting from such a heavy-duty tool every now and then.  As a recommendation, it is better to be used for household needs instead of job sites.

7. Milwaukee M18 2630

Milwaukee 2630-20 comes with a magnesium guard on the top of the blade that keeps it safe even if it falls from several feet. With an onboard fuel gauge, it is easy to keep an eye on your battery consumption while you are working.

The powerful battery giving 3500rpm can help a lot in cutting through tough materials. This makes this cordless circular saw the best choice for not just one but many types of work, including carpentry, plumbing, framing, etc. These tasks are made easier with a comfortable handle made of soft but firmer rubber.

8. Ridgid OEM R8652 Gen5X

This cordless circular saw comes with an 18 volts support battery giving this machine the power to produce 3800rpm without any problem. Despite having a weight of 10 pounds, Ridgid Genuine OEM R8652 comes with a perfect pair of gripping handles that can support your secondary hand while making cuts or doing the ripping.

It is a great tool for woodworkers whether they are working for small level projects or job-based ones. The power of this machine is ready to serve anyone who craves aggressive cuts.

9. Bosch CCS180B

There are two major and distinctive reasons for this cordless circular saw to be among the top 10 competitors available in the market.

The first solid reason is that it comes with a nice spindle lock, which makes it easier for its user to change the blade without any problem.

10. Hitachi C18DGLP4

The power of 4500rpm and features like the LED spotlight and electronic brake, Hitachi C18DGLP4 is backed up by 18 volts of battery. With a weight of lesser than 7 pounds, this cordless circular saw can produce a power of 4500rpm without any load.

Hitachi has surely come up with a cutting machine with a not just a nice with soft grip or handle but a bundle of other nice features as well like electronic brake, hex bar wrench and a spotlight for keeping an eye on the cut while using the machine.

Which is the Best Cordless Circular Saw in different categories of different features?

Now after having a quick look at our top 10 players in the game, let us discuss some very important points before you make a final decision regarding your choice among these all.

You might have observed that there are so many commonalities among almost all the competitors discussed above.

So what makes every model to get to the rank that it stood in our list?

The bundle of features that each cordless circular saw possesses has compelled us to rank each of these cutting machines accordingly.

But before you finally think about your choice, let us have a look at the winners based on different important features.

These features are compulsory and sometimes required by the user who is in the market or online to buy a nice cordless cutting tool according to his or her needs. Let us have a brief look at the winners based on different features.

Blade

We have compared the number of carbide teeth on the blade of each cordless circular saw had, and the winner of this category is Milwaukee 2730-22 18V with a 6 ½’’ blade.

The maximum number of teeth on a blade tells us about the performance and ease of a blade while cutting through different materials. The more the teeth are, the better and fast the cutting becomes. Milwaukee 2730-22 18V has 24 carbide teeth which make it the crowned cordless circular saw in the category of the best blades.

The next best is Ridgid Genuine OEM R8652 which also has 24 carbide teeth having a blade but with a blade size of 7¼’’.

Blade change

Here we have observed the ease each of our competitors gives to its user when he or she feels the need to change the blade of the circular saw. It greatly depends on the spindle lock each of the saw has. In this category, Bosch CCS180B 18V has won the game.

This cordless circular saw by Bosch might be an old school design, but its spindle lock is still good enough to play a tough match with the newest models entering into the market. The ease to unlock mechanism makes Bosch CCS180B 18V the winner of this category.

Ergonomics

Ergonomics generally refers to the efficiency a person or a thing has in a working environment. When we are discussing cordless circular saws, we are actually looking at their ergonomics in the category of

1. RPM (Revolution per Second) produced, 
2. Quality of their handle,
3. Weight of the tool,
4. Bevel setting, and
5. The depth of cut each of them can produce.

There can be many other things which may include but let us discuss the major ones which are the focus of almost every user.

1. RPM (Revolution per Second)

The total number of RPM produced by any cordless circular saw tells us about how much energy and power it is capable of producing. Along with the power, the speed of that particular machine is also associated with the total number of RPM produced. The higher the RPM is, the more powerful and faster the circular saw is. In this category, our number 2 DEWALT DCS391B 20V clearly wins.

This cordless circular saw is capable of producing almost 5150rpm which is one of the factors making it the one step ahead of Milwaukee 2730-22 18V cordless circular saw which can produce 5000rpm and Hitachi C18DGLP4 18V circular saw in our list which can produce 4500rpm.

2. Quality of grip/handle

Bosch CCS180B 18V circular sawhas the trendiest and the most comfortable rubberized gripping handle which, as a few of its competitors, keeps the work of its user less tiring and firmer in gripping the tool while using it.

The next best is Ridgid Genuine OEM R8652 which comes with a pair of handles for a firmer and stable grip for making cuts.

3. Weight of the tool

Weight might seem like not a major problem while looking for a good cordless circular saw. But it does affect the efficiency of the tool to some extent in the process of working.

A lightweight tool creates less fatigue in cutting while carrying it. The lightest circular saw among our top 10 players is Makita SH02R1 12V. With a weight of just 3.5 pounds, it is just as light as a feather among all cordless circular saws in the top 10 list.

4. Bevel setting

In this category, Ridgid Genuine OEM R8652 is a clear winner with 56 degrees of bevel adjustment setting on-scale over the other cordless circular saw.

The Ridgid Framing saw has detents at 0, 15, 22-1/2, and 45 degrees, for supreme speed and accuracy setting bevel angle.

Finally, with an easy to look at magnesium dial painted with white color, this surely makes Ridgid Genuine OEM R8652 cordless circular saw the winner in this category.

5. Cutting depth

DEWALT DCS391B 20V has the maximum cutting depth of 2¼ inches.  This cordless circular saw gives the clearest and open line of sight among all while cutting.  

Battery pack winner

In this category, we have compared all the cordless circular saws in our list by checking how much work (cutting), every one of them can perform with a single charging.

The efficiency of the saws is calculated by measuring the watt hours (WH) per battery pack and comparing this overall number of cuts each of the competitors can make.

This basically gives the user an idea of how competent the tool of his interest is. Milwaukee 2730-22 18V cordless circular saw is capable of producing the  most numbers, 162-watt hours, among all other tools.  

Total WHs produced does not mean that the more watt-hours are the more work any particular cordless circular saw can perform. How many cuts each tool can make with each watt-hour is what actually matters.

In this category, our winner is Milwaukee 2730-22 18V again. The runner up cordless circular tool is DEWALT DCS391B 20V.

Value winner

Among all the circular saws Bosch CCS180B 18V is the one being offered at the lowest price in the market as compared to other competitors in our list.

The Bosch CCS180B 18V cordless circular saw with amazing ergonomics, a nice runtime, and a reasonable price for all components, which can be bought separately, make this our value winner for this category.

No doubt that we know this already that it is an older model. But it still is capable enough of showing good and competitive performance at the lowest price among all.

You can expect to pay somewhere around $350 for the tool, 6.0Ah battery, and a movable charger.

Tips and Techniques for Using a Cordless Circular Saw

Some of you, who are reading this article, might be looking for a set of nice tips and techniques for using your chosen cordless circular saw. 

It not for new users only, sometimes professional circular saw users forget what to look for and know a few of the tricks for making their tool work more efficiently.

There are so many things in a single circular saw that needs attention which we might not be giving at the time of using this particular tool or when we let it have some rest in the free time.

Let us have a look at a few of the important tips for using a cordless circular saw.

1. The right blade depth

If you are setting the blade too deep, it can cause a small number of problems. The first one is that it is more hazardous than a set blade that is correctly set because the body of the blade is more exposed when the user is cutting.

Besides this, the saw has a possibility to connect and unwind if the blade is set too deep than its actual position. If we put the safety issue on one side, blades of every type of circular saws cut more proficiently when they are properly set.

2. Pre-set the blade depth

You need to decide the blade depth before turning on the circular saw, and you need to hold it together with the board with which you are working, with the blade guard drawn back.

You should lose the handle responsible for depth adjustment and rotate the base of the saw in anticipation of the blade expands to about 1/4 to 1/2 inches under the board. Make the handle or knob tighter, and now you are ready to use your circular saw

3. Let the separated piece to fall away freely

Make sure that the cut pieces are falling freely after cutting and there is no hindrance in its fall. Just keep an eye on the cut piece that it does not face any breakage while falling down or aside.

You can stop the board from cracking while you are cutting the board for some important projects by supporting the board endlessly before it hits any harder surface which can damage it. But don’t clamp, hold, or otherwise restrict the cutoff piece.

4. How to cut plywood?

When you are cutting the plywood across its axis without any support for its whole length, it can easily make the saw to bind or the plywood finish to break or chip off when the piece falls.

You can use sawhorses for the support by just extending them with a pair of 2x4s size of boards. It is a very easy way to support that the plywood needs during cutting.

5. Avoid cutting the supported on both ends sides

Just imagine that you are on a branch of a tree and you are cutting the very same branch on which you are standing. What comes to your mind with this imagination?

Isn’t it a horrible scenario?

When you accidentally cut off the supporting boards on both ends while cutting the wood you have your focus on, you face the same scenario when you would cut the branch which you were standing on.

The reason for this is that when the cut is almost completed, the board bends down, which touches the blade while cutting and becomes a reason for the saw or the board to resist. This is not a good thing, and it ruins the board the user is working on.

Tip for a rip cut

For ripping a board, a table saw is the best option as compared to a circular saw. If a table saw is not available at your place, and if it does not matter if the rip cut is not that accurate, then a circular saw works good for you.  All you need is to keep a hold of the board while ripping it. 

If you think that board that you need to rip is quite wide, then the clamps will get in the way while you would be ripping it. So a good option other than to compressing or clamping is to pin the board down to the sawhorses that you are using.

You might be thinking that pins or nails have reached the saw bed. But you can clip out the nails and still easily drag off the board when you have completed the rip cut.

To decrease the damage to the board on which you have done a rip cut it is a good choice to use good quality of nails, and pull them off from the backside when you have completed your work.

Tip for an angled cut

The new circular saws have blade guards which are designed to pull back or what we say retract even when the user wants to give an angled cut on to the board.

With the newer cordless circular saws available in the market, it is very easy to get an angled cut by just retracting the blade guard of the saw which you are using.

When you are done with a few inches of cut, gradually discharge the blade guard so it may rest on the board that you are working on.

In case you tend to start giving your board an angled cut exclusive of making the blade guard retract, the guard may grab the wood which slowly causes the circular saw blade to get stuck or even it may make the cut to diverge quite easily.

Try and try again if you face a mistake.

It is not an easy job to cut along the line that the user of the cordless circular saw has drawn. It takes a lot of practice and patience. When the saw blade is on its function of cutting by the side of the line, the blade takes lesser effort to be on its track to cut.

But just in case you start with a crooked line, it becomes hard to direct the circular saw to be on the line again. It is better not to try to push the blade back onto the line. As an alternative, it is better to take a break and let the blade stop rotating.

Many cordless circular saws come with an electronic brake. It makes the blade to stop instantly when the saw is turned off. Next step should be that the user should remove the saw from the cut, sight along the line and start again.

You do not need to worry if you cannot make a straight cut. Practice can make you a perfectly straight line cutter in no time.

Trick for cutting heavy boards

When you are cutting bigger or other heavier chunks of wood, it is usually quite easy to cut them, especially when they are lying straight instead of pulling them onto the sawhorses. An effortless way to do this is to simply let the board rest on the tip of your foot. Use your shin to support it after you have tilted the board.

The next step is to set the saw in line by outing it on the mark you have drawn. You would observe that it will let the gravity help you in dragging the saw throughout the cut.

You need to be careful in keeping an eye on the cut made by your circular saw more than 10 inches away from the tip of your foot.

A Quick Guide for a Rip cut

Your index finger can help you a lot in making longer rip cuts which are narrow as well. You can use it as a guide while making cuts with your cordless circular saw. You need to make the blade straight on to the line.

The next step is to pin the base of the saw in between your thumb and index finger altogether. You need to let your finger be carried next to the boundary of the board to guide your index finger for making the cut.

It is a safe technique as long as you have a stronger grip on your cordless circular saw before turning on its power. You need to make sure that you do not discharge it till you observe that the blade has stopped.

Every tool is important for different types of tasks. All you need to do with your choice is that you have to make sure it has all the required features which you want.

When it comes to choosing a good cordless circular saw, the first thing that may come to your mind is a great value for a good bunch of features catering all your needs all at once. Thinking about the most important features is the next step you need to take.

All kinds of circular saws, whether they are corded or cordless, have the same usual gears: the blade guard, intended to cover up the blade when the saw is not being used, the bevel adjustment, which is very practical when you are in need of making beveling tasks; the circular saw shoe, which is intended to stable the saw alongside the object on which the user is working; and the blade cutting depth adjustment, for working on stuff with different levels of thickness.

Every product comes with fancy advertisements and promotional offers associated with them. As a rational user, keep an eye on the product that is up to your standard needs and has better reviews online or in the market among professionals or DIY enthusiasts.

The reviews tell us about what the users of each particular cordless circular saw have experienced the functionality of its chosen product.

Before you make any decision by going through our article, there is something we all require to think before taking any step.

No matter how many good features a tool may have, if any of them are not of your need at present or in the future, it is useless to invest your money in it even if it is available at a preferable price range. Your need should be your priority in every situation.

All the cordless circular saws that have been compared above, for your help, comprise of different useful features. All you need to do is look for any of these tools which are entirely or at least nearly fulfilling your requirements.

For making the right choice, all you need to do is to analyze and compare the features of each cordless circular saw you have selected.

You have to look for the cutting power for finding it in volts on cordless saws. If you see a higher level of volts, such indicator shows that the tool has more cutting power.

The next thing is checking for the blade capacity. It actually determines the maximum level of cutting depth of the cordless circular saw. Larger blades give deeper cuts.

The next thing that you should observe is the bevel adjustment capacity. It shows the maximum bevel cutting capacity.

We hope these details will help you in finding the best cordless circular saw with ease. Do let us know about it in the comments section.