I’m selling my small table saw and hoping to replacing it with a circular saw and sliding miter saw. I already have an 18 V Makita battery and charger so I looked at that brand first but they are well out of budget and the batteries are smaller anyway so I’d need a new charger.
Had a look at Uberman and Earthman but they feel pretty cheap and they were corded.
I certainly don’t need anything pro, but I want something that will last and is accurate. Any suggestions on brands and where to shop? Tools here just seem so overpriced. Thanks!
7 comments
You do *not* want a battery powered circular saw. They’re useless unless you get a really expensive pro model, and even then, they run out of juice faster than any other power tool so you need at least 3 or 4 batteries.
Circular saws need to be corded. In that case get the cheapest model by Makita and just replace the included blade (only good for rough cuts) with a finer tooth blade.
What are you going to use it for?
Edit: I got [this model](https://amzn.asia/d/gCAnxHr) last year and it’s super accurate once you replace the blade.
Edit 2: I’m having really good luck with [these](https://amzn.asia/d/i4elwr7) blades.
Edit 3: but to answer your question, no, there are no recommended brands that are not Makita. Makita is the only brand to use unless you get into the very expensive high end pro carpenter tools. Then any Japanese maker will be similar. At the consumer level, Makita is the *only* option. Any offshore brand at a similar or lower price point is a waste of money. That includes Black & Decker for example. They’re junk that will break in a few years.
If you can’t afford the 12,000 yen for the corded Makita then you can’t afford a circular saw.
Milwaukee is a solid choice.
bosch
You might want to consider used pro tools from Hard Off or a similar used store that deals with tools. With the store you’ll be sure they’ve at least checked the tool and most come with some limited warranties too. Usually just a week or a month, but enough to make sure you don’t have a lemon.
Makita and Hikoki tool boxes are mutually compatible and can be stacked together. All my cordless tools are Makita or Hikoki. If only the batteries were also mutually compatible!
Snap-on is my go to. you can have them shipped to japan if you want them.
Buy once, cry once.