That means you can use it for breaking down plywood sheets or lengths of hardwood lumber for that furniture you want to build. The latest and lightest Worm Drive continues the long tradition of SKIL quality, rugged durability and consistently exceptional cutting performance. Weighing in at just 11.5 lbs, it’s 4 lbs less than its predecessor and the lightest Worm Drive SKILSAW on the market.
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The rugged magnesium housing stays strong but keeps the motor cooler, giving you powerful performance job after job. Legendary SKIL Worm Drive technology meets our best-in-class Dual-Field™ motor, invented specifically for saws. Stanley Black & Decker and its vendors use your communications here to provide technical support services and improve customer support.This chat uses an automated bot to respond. By continuing, you consent to the collection, use and sharing of the communications in this chat for the purposes mentioned above and as provided in our Privacy Policy. This saw is considered a sidewinder saw which means it’s a direct drive saw with the blade sitting directly on the opposite side of the motor. A right-handed / blade-right saw like this puts the main handle in your right hand with the auxiliary grip in your left hand.
And with the 4-Ah battery, this saw does a significant amount of work before you need to swap in a new one or give it a recharge. But a contractor-grade saw may not help you get the job done faster, believe it or not. While it’s true that pro saws cut faster compared to homeowner saws, their most important attribute is durability. A homeowner working with a pro-level circular saw may find it too heavy and be unable to take advantage of its speed and power. It is a part of the new ATOMIC line of tools that DeWalt is pushing this year. For those who do not know, DeWalt has a line of XR tools that are 20-volts and normal-sized.
Shaving a couple of pounds off may equate to finishing the house sooner, which could contribute to your bottom line. With manufacturers working so hard to develop cordless tools, you also may wonder if these are the best fit for you. Homeowner-grade cordless saws have enough power to cut 2 x 3 and 2 x 4 lumber, pine planks, and plywood. We don’t see it as a house framing tool where you need a better combination of lightness and power.
If cutting industrial material is your game, consider this Flex. Since Stanley Black & Decker (also the owner of DeWalt) bought the company in 2017, Craftsman tools have been improving. We’ve always liked the brand, and we were very pleased to find this dewalt tool saw carrying on a capable tradition of high-quality power tools. Next, we did some hairsplitting crosscuts, guiding each saw along a square held across the wood. If the saw held true along the cut, that told us that its shoe edge and blade are parallel.
To those attributes, we would also add that it’s well balanced and easy to handle. While anyone can appreciate those features, it’s especially nice if you use the saw only on weekends for home projects. Its balance and geometry help you settle it quickly on the cut line, and it has more than enough power to see the cut through to completion. Since this type of extra-heavy-duty work is typically done in poorly lit conditions, the Flex’s work light is a huge help.
The motor delivers 5,300-RPM for greater speed, while the 51° bevel with positive stop at 45° allows for a range of angled cuts with the durable carbide-tipped blade. The single-beam laser cut line ensures accuracy, and the dust blower increases visibility while cutting. The lower guard provides smooth, snag-free operation and narrower cut-offs, while the lightweight design allows you to work for longer durations with less fatigue. Vital safety measures include a power-on indicator and a safety lock/guarded trigger to prevent accidental starts, giving you peace of mind on the jobsite.
Alex Rennie is a freelance writer who specializes in the Home Improvement, DIY, and Tool space. As a former residential and commercial carpenter, Alex uses his hands-on experience to write practical buying guides, how-to articles, and product reviews. His work has also appeared in Business Insider’s Insider Picks, and before his writing career, he was dewalt drill a full-time carpenter living in New York City. There, he worked as part of a team designing, building, and installing large furniture pieces, as well as performing a variety of home repair and maintenance projects. Alex currently lives in Los Angeles, CA, and spends his free time exploring the beaches and mountains with his fiancé and their dog Louie.