Advice needed: Is this circular saw any good?

[Jimbo]

Looking at getting this from my local B&Q for making straight cuts (I'll be making a sawboard to use with it).

Bosch Circular Saw

Many thanks

Jimbo

[ScottS]

Looks reasonable to me. As long as their isn't a lot of runout and you put a high-quality blade on it, it should operate just as well as any other name-brand circular saw.

[t8erbug]

I've never had any problems with Bosch products. Just remember the saw is only as good as the blade. The sharper the blade the longer the saw will last.

[bfauska]

Bosch does make nice tools, I don't know about that saw specifically.  I would recommend any of the major brands, and you may find a Skill, Porter Cable, Dewalt, or Makita for less money.

More than anything though, I would recommend figuring out how to post links that are shorter.

Bosch
Saw

If you put the link inside the first url bracket like this "[*url=http://www.something.com]whatever you want it to say[/url*]" (without the *s)it will show the text from between the url tags and link to the page listed in the first tag.

[Jimbo]

Cheers everyone I'll go to B&Q today and check it out!  Any other tips on which blade to get (other than as sharp as possible)?

@bfauska:  cheers for the tip... first post amended accorgingly

[t8erbug]

Plywood blades only come in offset so they will have to be replaced or reset and sharpened. You should get three or four cabinets without a problem on a Vermont Blades $18. You might get twice that on a Dewalt blade $40. For cutting any other stock a good carbide tipped combination blade will work.

[Jimbo]

I'll mainly be using the saw on plywood, and I've also been looking at the DeWalt range of circular saws. Anyone had experience with those?

thanks again

jimbo

[t8erbug]

Use one for construction. 3yrs old and runs great. They are built a little heavier. Only problem I've had is the reinforcement boot for the cord, where it meets the saw, cracked on the last two saws.

[RecklessAbandon]

Bosch does make nice tools, I don't know about that saw specifically.  I would recommend any of the major brands, and you may find a Skill, Porter Cable, Dewalt, or Makita for less money.

not in england. dewalt = most expensive

if you can afford it, go for the hitachi saw which is around £115, imo its the bollocks
wickes sell it. you cant find the damn thing in 110v anywhere though, but im guessing that wont effect you

[Jimbo]

Thanks for all the advice everyone.  I bought the Bosch in the end as it was on offer, and the Hitachi was a little abovemy budget.  Looking forward to trying it out at the weekend!  I'll be making my sawboard first though, of course

[xmenxmen]

The 1st time one of my buddy lend me his DeWalt cordless 18volt saw, I saw love...

Days in days out I dreamed about it, somehow the cheap in me ended up picking up a Rigid instead.  Probably got sold on that lifetime warranty that also covers the battery.

Since then, I have only use cordless saws exclusively unless it's out of juice. 

Whatever one do, stay far away from those Firestorm cordless drill, they are crap and the battery don't last.

[M3talhead]

When it comes to tools, I'm a #1 DeWalt fan. I do however (comma, pause for effect), own a Milwaukee saw'zall and a number of Craftsman powertools. We ca go back and forth on which brand is "better", but in your case, I'd suggest browsing Amazon.com and reading the reviews of products in your price range.

[Jimbo]

Well, the Bosch one I bought was broken, so after taking it back I swapped it for a DeWalt one (paid only a little more, but it's great!)

[bigh4th]

Most of the powertools I have are old craftsman tools my grandfather got in the 60's.  They're the cast metal housing tools and are built like a tank.  The only problems I've had with them is the variable speed recently crapped out in the 3/8 drill (its only wide-open now) and I need to get a repacement bearing for the jig saw, which I can find just about anywhere as soon as I get off my butt.   The drill switch is another story as sears can't get a replacement, so I'm having to watch ebay for one.  Still, it took over 40 years for this one to wear out...

However, if I were to buy new POWER tools, I would stay away from 90% of craftsman stuff.  The hand tools are still great, but the power tools all look and feel cheap, and I rarely see a positive review nowdays.

-Harry

[sstorkel]

However, if I were to buy new POWER tools, I would stay away from 90% of craftsman stuff.  The hand tools are still great, but the power tools all look and feel cheap, and I rarely see a positive review nowdays.

Craftsman is very hit-or-miss these days. Their woodworking hand tools (planes, saws, chisels) are pretty much junk. Mechanics hand tools (screwdrivers, wrenches, sockets) seem pretty decent though my buddies who do a lot of wrenching say they think quality is going downhill there, too. Ratchets seem to be a common source of problems among my friends, for instance. Quality for power tools is all over the place. I have a Craftsman bench-top drill press that works very well. A couple of years ago, their tablesaws were winning awards. On the opposite side of the coin, I had a Craftsman hammer drill that probably couldn't have hammered its way out of a paper bag. It all depends on who does the actual manufacturing, which varies from tool to tool.

[bigh4th]

When I said hand tools, I was thinking about mechanics hand tools.  I know absolutly nothing of craftsmans wood working handtools. If it says anything, all of the powertools Grandad bought were craftsman, but all of the woodworking handtools were either stanley or something else...

And I know exactly what you're talking about as far as craftsmans ratchets go.  My father is a professional mechanic who repairs everything from lawnmowers to heavy-duty equipment (backhoes, bulldozers, etc...) and still swears by craftsman tools.  The "problem" ratchets that he and I have run across are the ones with the flipper switch that looks similar to a toilet handle.  The ones with the round "dial" switch are still great ratchets.

-Harry

[ScottS]

The "problem" ratchets that he and I have run across are the ones with the flipper switch that looks similar to a toilet handle.  The ones with the round "dial" switch are still great ratchets.

Could be. I have a flipper-style Craftsman ratchet I bought 10-15 years ago that still works great despite a fair bit of abuse. Seems to be the tools bought within the last year that are giving my friends problems. Dunno which style they're using, though. It does make me wonder about the general quality of their tools, though...

[bigh4th]

another thing that kind of taints craftsmans ratchets is that when you exchange one under warranty, they try to give you a rebuilt ratchet in its place.  For some reason they're usualy worse than what you bring in.

I got a replacement 1/2" drive that slipped on the first nut I put it on, causing me to bust my knuckles.  I grabbed a socket, drove right back to sears and exchanged it again thinking maybe it was a fluke.  Got the next replacement and went out to my car, put the socket on, and tried to break a lug nut loose.  Popped and slipped again.  Went right back in and told them I want a new one off the rack.

So whenever you get a replacement under warranty, always ask for a new one and not the junk under the counter.  By law, the only things  they can do at that request is get you the new one or refund your money.

-Harry