Possibly buying a cordless circular saw

06-03-2019 5:29pm #1

I'm thinking of buying a cordelss circular saw after my old 18 yo corded Skill 155 mm saw died last weekend. Have been getting good use from it but still suprised it just suddenly stopped without a warning. Most likely could be repaired with new brushes but not going to bother with that.

Anyway, I tend to do quite light duty DIY cutting, biggest cuts have done in the past were lopping off a worktop a few times in the life of the old saw and then splitting 2x4 every so often etc. etc. I have a sliding chop saw for heavier cuts and I expect this one will be used for cutting ply for shelving and such. Converting a camper van atm. and cordless too would be extra handy for wall board etc.

I have some ryobi drivers and a car buffer and have been very happy with the brand for DIY use. Has anybody tried Ryobi R18CS7 or R18CS? The first one looks a nicer saw as it has a brushless motor and a larger blade for a bit extra oomph and capacity but not for much more money. But are the cordless circular saw any good in general? Just thinking the last time I have used a corded drill and it has been a while...

listermint · 06-03-2019 10:37pm

They're alot cheaper than I thought they'd be. I'd be going brushless anyway especially for a skilsaw. more power less risk to motor.

And there is a tener in the difference.

I've a few Ryobi tools and can't fault them .no problems buying them.

They look decent but I doubt you'd get heavy work done with them. As long as you feel it's light enough

07-03-2019 3:22pm

Thank you for the feedback. I will probably end up ordering from UK as I can't find a local supplier for the brushless unit. I have ordered form mydiy.ie in the past and find them helpful but unfortunately they don't stock it.

colm_mcm · 07-03-2019 10:20pm

I don’t see the point in these, it’s not like you’ll be using them up a ladder or out in a field. You can’t come close to the power of the cheapest mains saw unless you’re spending huge money.

FrancieBrady · 07-03-2019 10:26pm

colm_mcm wrote: »

I don’t see the point in these, it’s not like you’ll be using them up a ladder or out in a field. You can’t come close to the power of the cheapest mains saw unless you’re spending huge money.

I have been using a Milwaukee one on a large project on scaffolding for the last two weeks.
I had no interest in one as I thought the battery life/power would be rubbishy enough.
Suffice to say, I am in the market for one now. Absolutely game changing tool imo. No leads, lightweight and cutting 6x2 and 9x2 timbers with ease. Long battery life too.

Big Words · 08-03-2019 1:31am

Mrs Nugent was lucky she didn’t see the milwaukee m18

jhenno78 · 08-03-2019 1:56am

I've got one.

10/10 for absolute handiness.
You'll find yourself using it a lot more for small bits that you just wouldn't bother getting a corded one for. As above, light weight and easy to use.

It is pretty hard on batteries compared to other tools. If you're making long cuts you'll notice the difference. I'd still take out the corded one for ripping sheet material or trimming a length of timber but for most stuff it's great.

Lumen · 08-03-2019 5:33am

Brushless and thinner blades gives better battery life.

Roen · 08-03-2019 9:01am

Have a 36v Makita cordless. Godsend.
Might not have the power of a mains but it has enough power.
I got it at a time I had no power to the shed a couple of years back, but to be honest I'd still go cordless even if I did have sockets there.

JustJoe7240 · 08-03-2019 9:06am

FrancieBrady wrote: »

I have been using a Milwaukee one on a large project on scaffolding for the last two weeks.
I had no interest in one as I thought the battery life/power would be rubbishy enough.
Suffice to say, I am in the market for one now. Absolutely game changing tool imo. No leads, lightweight and cutting 6x2 and 9x2 timbers with ease. Long battery life too.

Yes, but you’re comparing chalk and cheese with a Milwaukee and a Ryobi

Teddy Daniels · 08-03-2019 9:15am

JustJoe7240 wrote: »

Yes, but you’re comparing chalk and cheese with a Milwaukee and a Ryobi

I have a ryobi circular saw that I was given and it’s much weaker than a corded but handy for outside work. I can imagine a Milwaukee or de Walt would be great but serious money especially if the op hasn’t got batteries already.

Teddy Daniels · 08-03-2019 9:16am

samih wrote: »

I'm thinking of buying a cordelss circular saw after my old 18 yo corded Skill 155 mm saw died last weekend. Have been getting good use from it but still suprised it just suddenly stopped without a warning. Most likely could be repaired with new brushes but not going to bother with that.

Anyway, I tend to do quite light duty DIY cutting, biggest cuts have done in the past were lopping off a worktop a few times in the life of the old saw and then splitting 2x4 every so often etc. etc. I have a sliding chop saw for heavier cuts and I expect this one will be used for cutting ply for shelving and such. Converting a camper van atm. and cordless too would be extra handy for wall board etc.

I have some ryobi drivers and a car buffer and have been very happy with the brand for DIY use. Has anybody tried Ryobi R18CS7 or R18CS? The first one looks a nicer saw as it has a brushless motor and a larger blade for a bit extra oomph and capacity but not for much more money. But are the cordless circular saw any good in general? Just thinking the last time I have used a corded drill and it has been a while...

The brushes will be very easy to replace and cheap to get .

FrancieBrady · 08-03-2019 9:17am

JustJoe7240 wrote: »

Yes, but you’re comparing chalk and cheese with a Milwaukee and a Ryobi

Horses for courses and correct tool for correct job.
OP has stayed his/her needs are 'light duty'.
Ryobi would be ok for DIY occasional use I would have thought.

FrancieBrady · 08-03-2019 9:19am

Teddy Daniels wrote: »

I have a ryobi circular saw that I was given and it’s much weaker than a corded but handy for outside work. I can imagine a Milwaukee or de Walt would be great but serious money especially if the op hasn’t got batteries already.

Seen a Dewalt body only one for 150 Euro on Screwfix. I thought that was tempting value.

Kevin Finnerty · 08-03-2019 9:25am

FrancieBrady wrote: »

Seen a Dewalt body only one for 150 Euro on Screwfix. I thought that was tempting value.

Theres no point putting a 4 ah into that. I know Dewalt have a different battery system but the equivalent Milwaukee would need at least a 6 ah which is minimum 200 euro. Most of the bodies seem and are good value, the batteries are the making of them and dont come cheap.

colm_mcm · 08-03-2019 11:06am

You’re talking €550 for the Milwaukee one though vs around €100 for a corded Skil saw.

FrancieBrady · 08-03-2019 11:14am

colm_mcm wrote: »

You’re talking €550 for the Milwaukee one though vs around €100 for a corded Skil saw.

I wasn't advocating that a DIYer buy the Milwaukee one. I was responding to your thinking that these are of no great benefit.

After using the Milwaukee hard for 2 weeks I would pay 550 for one in a heartbeat TBH. Complete change of mind on them from me.

If the RYOBI is even half as good it would be worth it too imo.

colm_mcm · 08-03-2019 11:43am

I can see why a tradesman would use one, but there’s no point in. DIYer buying a cheap one as they’re useless, and there’s no point spending €550 if you’re not getting the use out of it.

Lumen · 08-03-2019 12:56pm

I love my plunge saw, although it does occasionally struggle through thick material unlike my cheapo Woodies circular saw, and for some reason I have to fiddle with it to get it working at exactly 90 degrees.

FWIW it's a Makita DSP600ZJ Twin 18V Brushless Plunge Saw LXT (Body Only), £359.00 with free delivery from the UK. Irish prices are nuts. I got the Makita mostly because I've loads of their 18V stuff so three batteries does me for everything.

listermint · 08-03-2019 3:58pm

colm_mcm wrote: »

I can see why a tradesman would use one, but there’s no point in. DIYer buying a cheap one as they’re useless, and there’s no point spending €550 if you’re not getting the use out of it.

There are various posters in the thread who said they got plenty of use out of them . So enough of that guff

colm_mcm · 08-03-2019 4:25pm

listermint wrote: »

There are various posters in the thread who said they got plenty of use out of them . So enough of that guff

I see recommendations for DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee, I see one
poster that has the Ryobi they got for free and says it’s much weaker than a corded one.

jhenno78 · 08-03-2019 4:28pm

colm_mcm wrote: »

says it’s much weaker than a corded one.

Makes no difference for 90% of jobs.

There's no perfect tool out there. Better in many ways, not as good in some.

colm_mcm · 08-03-2019 4:29pm

jhenno78 wrote: »

Makes no difference for 90% of jobs.

Point taken,and I missed your earlier post when totting up the recommendations.

08-03-2019 5:10pm

Wow, lots of good info here.

If I had unlimited funds Milwaukee would be great but defo wouldn't ever get enough use for one. I think what I'll do is to get that brushless Ryobi as my track record on the drill/drivers has been good so far and as I said I have already collection of batteries and chargers for the One+ system. I suspect that I would really need to get also 4/5 Ah battery so we are talking about GBP 160 for the set (109+52). It's about the same price in EUR in B&Q where I looked at them yesterday for the brushed 165 mm version + 4 Ah so very tempted to pull the trigger on the import. The cordless saws do seem quite flimsy in construction compared to corded models but that's expected as they don't need to withstand so much torque. The weight difference between 80 quid Ryobi 1150W and 109 quid cordless is quite something.

Yea, brushes for the corded Skill would be easy I think and I'll probably repair it too when the inspiration strikes. I lost the guide and blade cover for the saw years ago so it's a bit lethal to use. And funnily enough both my 2000 vintage Skill sander and circular saw both died within a month of each other.

Kevin Finnerty · 08-03-2019 8:07pm

Had you a power cut or surge do you remember?

listermint · 08-03-2019 8:33pm

samih wrote: »

Wow, lots of good info here.

If I had unlimited funds Milwaukee would be great but defo wouldn't ever get enough use for one. I think what I'll do is to get that brushless Ryobi as my track record on the drill/drivers has been good so far and as I said I have already collection of batteries and chargers for the One+ system. I suspect that I would really need to get also 4/5 Ah battery so we are talking about GBP 160 for the set (109+52). It's about the same price in EUR in B&Q where I looked at them yesterday for the brushed 165 mm version + 4 Ah so very tempted to pull the trigger on the import. The cordless saws do seem quite flimsy in construction compared to corded models but that's expected as they don't need to withstand so much torque. The weight difference between 80 quid Ryobi 1150W and 109 quid cordless is quite something.

Yea, brushes for the corded Skill would be easy I think and I'll probably repair it too when the inspiration strikes. I lost the guide and blade cover for the saw years ago so it's a bit lethal to use. And funnily enough both my 2000 vintage Skill sander and circular saw both died within a month of each other.

Make sure get a decent thin blade as per lumens post. Good blade night and day. The DeWalt ones aren't big money. I've one in my cordless table saw. Beautiful cut

09-03-2019 6:43pm

Kevin Finnerty wrote: »

Had you a power cut or surge do you remember?

Don't think so, can't at remember one, and anyway I think a saw should be able to take quite a jolt before dying unlike some electronics.

It was interesting, I split a length of 2x4 the last time I used it and it was running as new and it didn't smell or anything. Then next time I plugged it in not a sign of life. I tried to rotate the blade and gave it some taps to reseat the brushes but nothing. The sander on the other hand suffered from a bearing failure but electrically it's still alive.

Ryobi ordered I'll review once it arrives. Hopefully by next weekend as I'd like to put it in good use cutting some 6 mm ply.

lgk · 11-03-2019 3:16pm

Kevin Finnerty wrote: »

Theres no point putting a 4 ah into that. I know Dewalt have a different battery system but the equivalent Milwaukee would need at least a 6 ah which is minimum 200 euro. Most of the bodies seem and are good value, the batteries are the making of them and dont come cheap.

Unless you're doing extended work, 4Ah will do just fine. I've a ~15 year old DeWalt cordless that came with 2Ah nicads, that worked perfectly well cutting 2" oak for most jobs I did on a single charge.

The Ah is the battery capacity, so just relates to runtime. A 6Ah battery will just run for 50% longer than a 4Ah before needing to be recharged, it has zero effect on power output, so it's all down to the nature of work being done.

FrancieBrady · 11-03-2019 3:32pm

samih wrote: »

Don't think so, can't at remember one, and anyway I think a saw should be able to take quite a jolt before dying unlike some electronics.

It was interesting, I split a length of 2x4 the last time I used it and it was running as new and it didn't smell or anything. Then next time I plugged it in not a sign of life. I tried to rotate the blade and gave it some taps to reseat the brushes but nothing. The sander on the other hand suffered from a bearing failure but electrically it's still alive.

Ryobi ordered I'll review once it arrives. Hopefully by next weekend as I'd like to put it in good use cutting some 6 mm ply.

You did check the fuse in the plug?

:o

Kevin Finnerty · 11-03-2019 7:31pm

lgk wrote: »

Unless you're doing extended work, 4Ah will do just fine. I've a ~15 year old DeWalt cordless that came with 2Ah nicads, that worked perfectly well cutting 2" oak for most jobs I did on a single charge.

The Ah is the battery capacity, so just relates to runtime. A 6Ah battery will just run for 50% longer than a 4Ah before needing to be recharged, it has zero effect on power output, so it's all down to the nature of work being done.

Never said it had anything to do with output. I've an 18v Milwaukee with 2 4Ah batteries and bought a 6Ah because they were being gobbled up mostly drilling m10 m12 masonry.The difference is night and day. I'd recommend anyone buying afresh to buy bigger unless they're coming as a set at value.

Tenshot · 11-03-2019 11:20pm

lgk wrote: »

The Ah is the battery capacity, so just relates to runtime. A 6Ah battery will just run for 50% longer than a 4Ah before needing to be recharged, it has zero effect on power output, so it's all down to the nature of work being done.

Since the 4Ah and 6Ah batteries are outputting the same voltage, the 6Ah's extra capacity is usually achieved by using more cells wired in parallel. When a tool draws power, the load will be spread over a larger number of cells in the bigger battery, and so there is less voltage drop on the individual cells. Power-hungry tools like circular saws or drills with large bits will be less likely to run out of steam with the larger battery pack.

This video has some tests with DeWalt 2Ah, 4Ah, and 6 Ah battery packs that show modest but noticeable differences.

I've seen it myself comparing a 2Ah and 4Ah battery in an impact driver driving large screws into hardwood without a pilot hole (for test purposes). It's an emotive subject, so I suggest people investigate it themselves if they're interested. I'm mentioning it only because until recently, I didn't believe there was any difference either.

lgk · 12-03-2019 12:42pm

Kevin Finnerty wrote: »

Never said it had anything to do with output. I've an 18v Milwaukee with 2 4Ah batteries and bought a 6Ah because they were being gobbled up mostly drilling m10 m12 masonry.The difference is night and day. I'd recommend anyone buying afresh to buy bigger unless they're coming as a set at value.

So why state it would need at least 6Ah? The difference is 50% extra runtime between charges, so hardly night and day! Thread is also about a circular saw for light DIY work, not drilling m12s. The extra cost of 6Ah batteries would be overkill in that scenario.

Lumen · 12-03-2019 12:53pm

Tenshot wrote: »

This video has some tests with DeWalt 2Ah, 4Ah, and 6 Ah battery packs that show modest but noticeable differences.

That's interesting but presumably doesn't apply to dual-battery circular saws. Also, it seems like the biggest difference is with the "flexvolt" 6Ah battery which must have different electronics because it's also able to supply 54V. So maybe it's not all about capacity.

12-03-2019 1:31pm

FrancieBrady wrote: »

You did check the fuse in the plug? :o

Yes I did and I even swapped the fuse to another tool to ensure it was fine. When the inspiration strikes (as if) I'll remove the motor end cap to measure the voltages there and the resistance values of the windings. But it will be a while I reckon. Maybe within the next 5 years knowing myself.

lgk · 12-03-2019 1:36pm

Tenshot wrote: »

Since the 4Ah and 6Ah batteries are outputting the same voltage, the 6Ah's extra capacity is usually achieved by using more cells wired in parallel.

DeWalt are using 21700 cells versus 18650 in the current higher capacity batteries, same 10 cell count in each. 21700s have slightly lower internal resistance (typically 0.04ohm Vs 0.05)

On the older ones where you'd have 18650s wired in parallel, the effective internal resistance would be halved, so you would have greater power loss within the battery, but you're talking a 0.14V drop across the battery versus 0.07V.

12-03-2019 1:39pm

At least with the ryobi batteries the big difference is that the bigger capacity packs (4/5 Ah) have two cells (2P) in parallel so can provide twice the current compared to the slim packs. The larger capacity (6 Ah Milwaukee) pack might also have cells with larger discharge current if they are a newer design. An incresed voltage by several volts on the third party pack would make a huge diffence as the power increases a lot when voltage goes up.

I'm have been thinking of buying a larger pack for my car buffer which also uses a lot of current and this circular saw is a great excuse for that. The 1P packs are more than enough for most other jobs apart from really heavy drilling. Even the weedy 1.3 Ah packs last for ages driving screws and what not.

Edit: 21700 cells would also work a lot like the 2P packs as they have a much higher discharge potential compared to the 18650.

lgk · 12-03-2019 4:28pm

samih wrote: »

At least with the ryobi batteries the big difference is that the bigger capacity packs (4/5 Ah) have two cells (2P) in parallel so can provide twice the current compared to the slim packs.

On the same tool, they will supply almost identical current. Double the current would likely burn out the motor, but a ~500W load hooked up to an 18V supply will pull the same current regardless of battery capacity, you know, P = VI and all that...

samih wrote: »

The larger capacity (6 Ah Milwaukee) pack might also have cells with larger discharge current if they are a newer design. An incresed voltage by several volts on the third party pack would make a huge diffence as the power increases a lot when voltage goes up.

The different battery packs are rated at the same voltage. If one is supplying several volts more than the other, you have a faulty battery.

SuperTortoise · 12-03-2019 8:26pm

Just to note, Milwaukee batteries have a 6Ah and a 12Ah High output/demand version, these packs use 21700 cells instead of the common 18650 cells found in most other batteries, the advantage is they give you a bit more power and a bit longer runtime for power hungry tools such as a chainsaw, circsaw, table saw etc.

13-03-2019 2:28am

lgk wrote: »

On the same tool, they will supply almost identical current. Double the current would likely burn out the motor, but a ~500W load hooked up to an 18V supply will pull the same current regardless of battery capacity, you know, P = VI and all that...

The different battery packs are rated at the same voltage. If one is supplying several volts more than the other, you have a faulty battery.

The battery packs with parallel set of cells can provide the high current with considerably less voltage sag so will provide more torque as the battery voltage stays closer to the rated voltage. P = VI like you say. This is especially true for the high drain applications like circular saws and that car polisher I mention.

I once managed to trigger the battery protection circuit on the 1.3 Ah pack drilling into concrete. The battery went totally dead for a few minutes until it cooled down. The 2P pack would have been fine under the same conditions I reckon although the drill might have been the weakest link then. Anyway both survived to die another day.

Also the third party makers can create 3.7 Volt higher battery packs by adding an extra cell in the series. These pack will also need a different charger. Again more voltage means more power output from the tool as long as the peak voltage is below the tool shutdown voltage.

Seve OB · 13-03-2019 3:27am

I would never bother with a circular saw.

You need a track saw. Same job, (ish) but now you can cut proper straight lines

13-03-2019 8:09am

Seve OB wrote: »

I would never bother with a circular saw.

You need a track saw. Same job, (ish) but now you can cut proper straight lines

Track saw would be dead handy alright where absolute accuracy is needed. I have actually had to cut some ply using a jigsaw past couple of weeks and for my purposes even that level of accuracy did it, just.

Going to cut bits to construct carcass for the camper van kitchen and will use combination of this Ryobi and a sliding mitre saw for the job. For the longer cuts I will clamp on a guide. Maybe. I expect the new circular saw being more accurate than the old 150 mm Skill as the blade is bigger in diameter.

lgk · 13-03-2019 10:29am

samih wrote: »

The battery packs with parallel set of cells can provide the high current with considerably less voltage sag so will provide more torque as the battery voltage stays closer to the rated voltage.

Yeah, but in reality it's only 0.07V difference in voltage, so the current difference will also be negligible. Warm the tool up to lower the motor coil resistance and you'll likely get a bigger difference.

13-03-2019 10:43am

lgk wrote: »

Yeah, but in reality it's only 0.07V difference in voltage, so the current difference will also be negligible. Warm the tool up to lower the motor coil resistance and you'll likely get a bigger difference.

Not true. At high current situations the battery voltage will sag X volts when used with high power tools. The polisher tool is gutless and you need to swap the battery half way through the job which I suspect won't happen with the 4 Ah pack but we'll see. The 1P packs also easily trigger a low voltage shutdown of the tool even when there is still charge left.

On my ebike that has a 3P 48V nominal pack the voltage can sag up to 4 volts under the load especially when the battery is cool.

lgk · 13-03-2019 12:29pm

samih wrote: »

Not true. At high current situations the battery voltage will sag X volts when used with high power tools.

How much of a drop do you expect with internal resistance of the single cells @0.05Ohms versus parallel cells having an effective internal resistance of 0.025Ohms?

samih wrote: »

On my ebike that has a 3P 48V nominal pack the voltage can sag up to 4 volts under the load especially when the battery is cool.

That's more than an 8% drop, what power rating is the motor? Cell quality is suspect if you have that significant a drop as sag is purely a function of current and internal resistance. Measure the current drawn at full load and you can easily calculate what that is.

13-03-2019 12:50pm

lgk wrote: »

How much of a drop do you expect with internal resistance of the single cells @0.05Ohms versus parallel cells having an effective internal resistance of 0.025Ohms?

That's more than an 8% drop, what power rating is the motor? Cell quality is suspect if you have that significant a drop as sag is purely a function of current and internal resistance. Measure the current drawn at full load and you can easily calculate what that is.

The cells are Sanyo NCR18650GA and the typical maximum current is approx 20 A so 6.7 A per string. I haven't actually measured the voltage at the battery pack buy rely on what the display tells me. It could be cabling related as well i guess. The pack is rated 30 Amp continuous.

I think I'll need to do some voltage measurements with the Ryobi once it arrives :-)

lgk · 13-03-2019 4:02pm

samih wrote: »

The cells are Sanyo NCR18650GA and the typical maximum current is approx 20 A so 6.7 A per string. I haven't actually measured the voltage at the battery pack buy rely on what the display tells me. It could be cabling related as well i guess. The pack is rated 30 Amp continuous.

I think I'll need to do some voltage measurements with the Ryobi once it arrives :-)

Most likely alright, plus some resistance of protection circuit. Specs for those cells are available here, showing the sag and drop-off at various loads.

13-03-2019 7:34pm

The voltage sag is also temperature related. The colder the battery the slower the chemical reactions.

The saw arrived today. Feels more solid than expected and the blade is huge compared to my old unit. Seems really powerful and was well able to do a test cut of 2x4 with no drama at all. I'm a bit surprised that there is no guide at all with it. I got used to not using one with my old saw so not a biggie Nah, was hidden in the packet after all. Smashing!

Will put it to good use on Saturday.

15-03-2019 2:40pm

lgk wrote: »

Most likely alright, plus some resistance of protection circuit. Specs for those cells are available here, showing the sag and drop-off at various loads.

Just had a time took at the graph you linked. If Ryobi was using those cells and the tool was drawing 10A of current (which is probably less than what a circular saw uses) a standard 5s1p battery at 90 percent SOC would show a voltage of 18V under the load while the higher output 5s2p would have voltage of 19V. In both cases the resting voltage would be approx. 20V.

Demonstrates well why the 2p packs are essential for the high powered tools and why they bog down with 1p packs and people then think they don't work properly. Who knows how much the voltages would sag if the load was 20 A.

For my bike, which actually uses 13s4p pack, using those Sanyo cells results in 5A demand per string where the voltage sag at cell level of 13 x ~0.28 volts which is 3.6V for a string of 13 cells. The another 0.5 volts loss has to be due to the cabling. It could also be due to the cells being colder than 25'C and they are also about 1.5 years old now and have powered my bike for over 10000 kilometers.

st1979 · 16-03-2019 10:19pm

Have only read some posts so forgive me. Have been using Milwaukee and DeWalt battery circular saws for cutting oak. Both brush less. I owned the Milwaukee and taught it was very good. But the DeWalt was better. Maybe the blade was blunter on Milwaukee but it shouldn't of been. Everything else I much prefer Milwaukee tool over the DeWalt but that is personal preference and the DeWalt is very good.
Once you get in on a brand and pick up a few batteries it's much easier on the pocket to buy a new body only tool. It's sort of an addiction

18-03-2019 11:53am

So have been using the Ryobi for a couple of days and it seems to be a very good tool. You definitely need that 4 Ah or bigger pack as the saw is really hard on the battery.

The first charge lasted well. I first cut several lengths of 5 mm ply for camper walls, maybe 10 metres in total. The following day I lopped off several lengths of 2x4 and ran some 2 meter long cuts of 20/40 mm in depth and notches on them to construct a bed frame. The saw has a tendency to cut out almost without warning when doing longer deep cuts when it gets jammed, especially towards the end of charge. I suspect that the battery pack's protection kicks in as the saw itself seems to have no issues doing the cuts. The 4.0 battery definitely warmed up to about hand temperature during the long cuts. The saw itself stayed totally cool.

I also tried the smaller 1.5 Ah battery, and while worked ok the charge ran out only after a small number of cuts and the saw cut out very easily compared to the bigger battery.

Compared to my old corded saw this one is really quiet. It doesn't warn you as clearly when it's overloading but just cuts out. All in all I'm really impressed but don't expect miracles. And not having that cord on the way is amazing.

mp31 · 21-03-2019 7:47pm

samih wrote: »

So have been using the Ryobi for a couple of days and it seems to be a very good tool. You definitely need that 4 Ah or bigger pack as the saw is really hard on the battery.

The first charge lasted well. I first cut several lengths of 5 mm ply for camper walls, maybe 10 metres in total. The following day I lopped off several lengths of 2x4 and ran some 2 meter long cuts of 20/40 mm in depth and notches on them to construct a bed frame. The saw has a tendency to cut out almost without warning when doing longer deep cuts when it gets jammed, especially towards the end of charge. I suspect that the battery pack's protection kicks in as the saw itself seems to have no issues doing the cuts. The 4.0 battery definitely warmed up to about hand temperature during the long cuts. The saw itself stayed totally cool.

I also tried the smaller 1.5 Ah battery, and while worked ok the charge ran out only after a small number of cuts and the saw cut out very easily compared to the bigger battery.

Compared to my old corded saw this one is really quiet. It doesn't warn you as clearly when it's overloading but just cuts out. All in all I'm really impressed but don't expect miracles. And not having that cord on the way is amazing.

Would you be willing to put up more pics of your camper van project as you progress to the end... I find this sort of stuff fascinating and I reckon there are quite a few people who would feel the same way

Possibly buying a cordless circular saw

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