SKILSAW SPT77W-01 15-Amp 7-1/4-Inch Aluminum Worm Drive Circular Saw

Top Notch saw .

I'm a contractor who mostly does interior renovations, so I'm not out swinging this saw off roof timbers, but for my purposes it's the best saw I've ever used. I tried several different circular saws before this one, mostly sidewinder types (the smaller ones with the blade on the opposite side) . With other saws I always felt like I was fighting with the saw to get a clean cut. I really didn't like the tendency to wobble or drift off a cut line with other saws I used. But the thing I hated most of all, was how hard it seemed to actually see the blade on the cut line and cut with confidence. Before I purchased this saw I was using a magnesium Makita sidewinder, which I mistakenly thought was the best saw on the market. Within a couple months the Makita's painted magnesium shoe plate was all scratched up and the glued on ruler guide fell off. The scratches meant it wouldn't glide smoothly across work anymore. I'm pretty hard on my tools, but I've never had one fall apart so quickly. This saw is a night and day improvement over the Makita. The thick aluminum shoe plate and the hardened steel adjustment bits are more accurate and easier to adjust. It has the weight and the torque to easily hold a straight line, even when free handing. And best of all, because of the leftward position of the blade, you can actually see what you are cutting! This is how all circular saws should be and after using this I honestly cannot understand why "sidewinder" style light weight circular saws even exist. I considered getting the magnesium version of this saw, but my experience with the Makita makes me question the ruggedness of painted magnesium parts. Circular saw shoe plates take a lot of abuse, so employing a brittle painted metal part seems like a bad idea and more of a gimmick. Most importantly, the weight of this saw is to your advantage. Making it lighter could only make it worse at actually cutting. I also considered other Makita, or Dewalt worm drive models, but neither of them seems as sturdy as the Skilsaw. The Dewalt exhibited a lot of flex at the point where the shoe meets the body of the saw meaning the blade can angle more easily under pressure. I'm a Dewalt guy normally, so things had to be pretty bad before I ruled that model out. The Makita version shares the same shoe plate as the other Makita model I used, so I knew that would be a deal-breaker because of the inferior durability. Overall, I think this is just the right compromise of elements you actually want in a circular saw, without a bunch of distracting bells and whistles. When using this saw, you get the impression that everything just works. It's a saw that you quickly forget you are using, so you can just focus on the cut you are making.

This saw came a week ago and has been used some every day as I get more familiar with it. In performance, it has met or exceeded my expectations. The level of control, convenient location of the blade, the weight and balance, the rafter hook and even the blade it came with I regard with a favorable eye. I watched the video where the reviewer tears one down and identifies manufacturing process changes since the manufacturing of this saw was off-shored. Of these changes, the only one I feel is noteworthy is the lighter handle. I'd like to think that it will never be dropped by me and and hit in such a way as to crack the handle, but instead I'll knock on wood and simply try not to let that happen and go about my merry way working with a fantastic tool. For a professional framer that remote risk could be problematic. Anyway about the saw, it saws straight and true. It feels rock solid as you cut. Control is so good you just have to experience it yourself. Both the angle adjuster and the blade depth adjusters work great after spraying with Teflon dry lube. The blade safety shield operates smoothly. Blade angle checked with a speed square; right on the money. Oil reservoir filled to the proper level. In all, a great value, money well spent.

To me the 77 is the best saw ever made … so with the lighter aluminum design it’s even better this performs all day … weather your ripping a 1000 meters of 3/4 in 9 in wide bridge deck edge form…cutting hip and valley rafters for condominium projects… or even as a demolition tool this saw will never overheat and it’s solid and some say too heavy design allows for confident … precise… crosscuts… rips… and miters unmatched by any other saw… and I’ve used them all don ho pro carpenter/piledriver

Excellent saw but very heavy.

For most people a worm gear saw is too heavy, but the cuts from a worm gear are the straightest. The front to back rotor axis provides a gyroscopic effect that, when used properly, i.e. don't fight it-follow it, allows you to cut long straight lines even on an 8' sheet of plywood. A standard saw with a left-right rotor axis results in wobbly lines, hence the nickname for standard saws is sidewinder. The blade is on your side so the visibility lets you stop a bad cut before you mess up your board. The weight also provides inertia that dampens wrist wobble. Down cuts are super easy because the weight does all the work. The Skil brand worm drive is, IMHO as a professional carpenter, the best of them all. The handle is more back and down which gives extra distance (leverage) to the saw blade, making it easier to control. I have found the angle adjustment to be quick and easy to use even while hanging in the rafters, and the height adjustment is quick, accurate and secure. The blade guard doesn't hang on small or thin pieces. In general I find it easier to use than any other brand, which may explain why I have used it for 30 years. It is heavy though.

Brand new and works great!

Use it with the steel demon blade and have cut a ridiculous amount of plate, angle, tubing and channel with it. Still going strong over a year later.