Why is choosing the best circular saw for beginners very important? If you make a wrong decision, it can be dangerous for you. Many people just focus on buying a machine that is powerful to cut their tough materials, but using a model that comes with safety features can minimize risks of accidents for beginners. Why? first-time users rarely have a lot of experience in using this tool type.
Here are the best circular saws for beginners you can buy in 2024:
- Most Powerful (Corded Electric Circular Saw): SKIL
- Compact & Lightweight (Corded Electric Circular Saw): Worx
- Best For Log Cutting (Corded Electric Circular Saw): GALAX PRO
- Quiet (Battery-Powered Circular Saw): DEWALT
- Best For Faster Cutting (Battery-powered Circular Saw): Milwaukee
- Best For Smooth Cutting (Battery-Powered Circular Saw): Makita
| 6 Best Circular Saws For Beginners | ||
|---|---|---|
Most Powerful | SKIL
| |
Compact & Lightweight | Worx
| |
Best For Log Cutting | GALAX PRO
| |
Quiet | DEWALT
| |
Best For Faster Cutting | Milwaukee
| |
Best For Smooth Cutting | Makita
| |
Most Powerful: SKIL
- Durable and sturdy
- Good design
- Easy to handle
- Accurate
- Lightweight and portable
- Too small for contractors
If you are looking for a power monster for heavy-duty jobs, choose the SKIL Corded Electric Circular Saw. Its 15-amp motor can deliver for up to 5300 RPM to cut your material quickly with a great speed. Moreover, it has 24 teeth, so the blade can smoothly cut hard materials.
Although this product is powerful, it still has safety features for beginner users. For example, it is designed with a dust blower which can keep the board from sawdust so that you see the line cuts visibly. Then, it produces a laser to guide you make accurate straight cuts. Besides, the safety lock and power-on indicator (determining when the machine is turned on) can minimize the risks of causing accidents.
| SKIL Specifications | |
|---|---|
Motor | 15 amp |
Speed | 5300 RPM |
Cutting Angle | 45 degrees |
Cutting Depth | 2 3/8 inches |
Highlight Features | 7 1/4-inch carbide-tipped blade Spindle lock 51° bevel capacity Dust blower Safety lock/guarded trigger |
The SKIL Corded Electric Circular Saw can provide you with much power for heavy-duty jobs losing no safety function.
Compact & Lightweight: Worx
- Reasonable price
- Comfortable to hold
- Lightweight
- Powerful
- Accurate
- Not for people with too small hands
Why should you buy the Worx Corded Electric Circular Saw? It is compact and lightweight enough for you to handle this tool with one hand and maneuver it easily, especially in tight spaces. However, this machine is still powerful enough to help you make accurate cuts on the toughest materials quickly.
This size and weight allow you to use it during the day without fatigue. Moreover, you can quickly adjust this machine for bevel cuts. In spite of a small size, it can cut a board that is 2 inches in depth.
| Worx Specifications | |
|---|---|
Motor | 4 amps |
Speed | 4500 RPM |
Cutting Angle | 45 Degrees |
Cutting Depth | 2 inches |
Highlight Features | 0-45 degree bevel settings Left-sided blade Cutting-edge technology |
The Worx Corded Electric Circular Saw is compact and lightweight, so you can easily handle it with one hand.
Best For Log Cutting: GALAX PRO
- Cheap
- Accurate laser
- Not loud
- Effortless to use
- Not solid
According to the manufacturer, the GALAX PRO Corded Electric Circular Saw is designed for wood and log cutting. Its 12 amps pure copper motor is so powerful that it can produce 5,500 rpm to cut through thick, strong logs effectively.
| GALAX PRO Specifications | |
|---|---|
Motor | 12 amps |
Speed | 5500 RPM |
Cutting Angle | 90 Degrees |
Cutting Depth | 2.45" |
Highlight Features | 0-45° bevel tilt function |
The GALAX PRO Corded Electric Circular Saw can handle tough and thick logs straightforwardly.
Quiet: DEWALT
- Easy to handle
- Good price
- Less powerful than a brushed model
Can't you stand the loud noise produced from a brushed machine? If so, consider the DEWALT battery-powered circular saw. Although this is also a power monster that can handle heavy-duty jobs, its brushless motor works so quietly without badly influencing other people while doing your DIY projects.
| DEWALT Specifications | |
|---|---|
Voltage | 20 Volts |
Speed | 4950 RPM |
Cutting Angle | 50 Degrees |
Cutting Depth | 2 1/8 inches |
Highlight Features | 0 - 50° bevel capacity Tool-free bevel lever |
The DEWALT Battery-powered Circular Saw runs quiet, so you can use it anytime and anywhere without worrying about distrusting other people.
Best For Faster Cutting: Milwaukee
- Lightweight
- Powerful
- Easy to use
- Not bulky
- Pricey
Do you have a lot of things to cut? If yes, you won't want a dull saw to obstruct your work. Thus, it's better to invest in the Milwaukee Battery-powered circular saw that can cut faster. It is designed with a LED light that illuminates your working board so that you can cut visibly and accurately without wasting time on measuring and adjusting.
| Milwaukee Specifications | |
|---|---|
Voltage | 18 Volts |
Speed | 5800 RPM |
Highlight Features | Magnesium shoe and guards Integrated rafter hook LED light Integrated dust port on guard Electric brake |
The Milwaukee Battery-powered Circular Saw allows you to cut any material quicker because of its LED light.
Best For Smooth Cutting: Makita
- Compact and lightweight
- Good power
- Easy to use
- Straightforward to put the blade on
- Durable
- The battery runs out quickly
The blade of the Makita battery-powered circular saw is smooth cutting, so you can effortlessly make accurate cuts causing no rough edges and tear-outs. Therefore, this machine can help you achieve a professional finish on your working piece. Even after using, customers also said that this model works smoothly.
| Makita Specifications | |
|---|---|
Voltage | 18 |
Speed | 700 RPM |
Cutting Angle | 45 Degrees |
Highlight Features | 3, 700 RPM Heavy gauge |
The Makita Battery-powered Circular Saw can make smooth cuts for a professional finish on your working piece.
How To Choose The Best Circular Saw For Beginners?
How Powerful Should A Circular Saw Be?
To answer this question, you need to determine the amperage of each product. The higher the amperage is, the more powerful the machine can cut. In most cases, you can choose a saw with a standard power rating (15 amp). However, if you don’t use it regularly, consider a machine with lower power rating (10-12 amp).
What Is The Best Blade Of Circular Saw For Beginners?
The common size for most home users is 7 ¼ inches that is large enough to cut through 3-inch thick materials. While general uses require 6 ½ inch machines, 8 ¼-inch can meet the requirements of both light-duty and heavy-duty tasks.
If you need to cut panels and other thin materials, use a small specialty trim. A unit with 4 1/4 -or-4 ½-inch blade can fit in this type of saw.
What Are The Best Saw Types For Beginners?
Worm Drive
The torque of this type is powerful enough to carve up wet lumber and saw through concrete, so you can use it for large renovation jobs like framing.
Its handle is designed farther back, which protects you from kickback better and steer a heavy saw through long rips more conveniently. This feature is ideal for first-time users.
Sidewinder
This saw type is so lightweight (under 11 pounds) that you can easily maneuver it compared to a worm drive model, so beginners can effortlessly control and adjust thí model. Its motor sits alongside the blade, so it can spin quicker.
Small Sidewinder
If you can’t control a full-size sidewinder, this type works well for slight-bodied people. Thanks to a small size and low weight, you can effortlessly balance and handle it.
Cordless
If you need to work with your circular saw in a place where it doesn't have any electricity source, choose a cordless saw that runs by using a battery. However, its runtime is limited and its torque is less than a corded saw.
Hypoid
Many people think that the hypoid circular saws and worm drive saws are the same, but they are different. Unlike the worm drive saws, the hypoid saw has the motor mounted back the saw’s blade, an enclosed engine without requiring you to oil it. Thus, it works well for large tasks and heavy-duty work.
Abrasive Circular Saw (Chop Saw)
This has 2 types: handheld machines or saws attached to a base or a radial arm. Both of them are designed to cut hard surfaces like metal material. They come with a flat blade without teeth, so these machines use friction for cutting. Both can cut through pipes, concrete, metal, and tile, but they require you to use expensive blades.
Miter
The miter saw is attached to a swinging radial arm to raise up and down easily. It is versatile so you can use this tool for making different types of cuts such as straight and angled cuts: cross cuts, miter cuts, and bevel cuts.
This portable type works well for beginners because it’s easy and quick to cut through pieces of wood. Although the price tag is high, you will get what you pay for.
Concrete
Concrete circular saws - slab saws are like abrasive saws. They are specifically designed for cutting through concrete. Though this type is powerful, it heats quickly. Their blades tend to wear out fast because of what they are cutting.
Table
As the name suggests, this type has a circular blade mounted into a slot of a workbench table. When adjusting the blade at a suitable height, this machine allows you to rip boards quickly and straightforwardly.
Trim Saw
This is a small version of a traditional circular saw. Normally, it has a 6 ½-inch blade and a blade-left-or-right orientation. If you choose a smaller blade, it can’t cut too deep. However, the trim saw is lightweight and straightforward to handle, so I strongly recommend this type for beginners.
What Features Of A Circular Saw Do Beginners Need?
Electric brake can immediately stop the blade when releasing the trigger.
You should choose a magnesium shoe instead of a steel shoe because the former material is more lightweight but stronger. Although steel material is cheap and sturdy, it is very heavy. Meanwhile, aluminum is more lightweight, but it is pricey and not tough.
No-catch blade guard will keep the blade from catching on your material’s edge. This part is shaped to avoid snagging the board edge, so there is no need to lift it when cutting.
Built-in LED lights illuminate your workpiece so that you can see the cutline, debris, and impending mistakes clearly.
Positive bevel stops allow you to change the bevel angle from 90 to 45 degrees effortlessly.
What Do Beginners Need From A Circular Saw?
If you are a beginner, invest in an easy to adjust machine that allows you to use it straightforward without requiring experience.
Use one hand to tighten large, smooth-cornered lever locks and full-round knobs. These features help you change the depth of cuts and bevel settings easier than wing nuts and hard-to-grasp levers.
Which Brands Make The Best Circular Saw For Beginners?
DeWalt Industrial Tool Company
The DeWalt Industrial Tool Company was founded in 1919. Now, they have become one of the international leaders in power and hand tools. Their products are designed for both professionals and hobbyists in furniture making, manufacturing, and building industries.
FAQs
Can a beginner use a circular saw?
Yes. A beginner can use a circular saw, if you know how to use it safely and accurately.
Is a circular saw better than a jigsaw?
This depends on what your purpose is.
For serious tasks like cutting through boards fastly, a circular saw works better because it’s powerful. Its toothed disc can cut different materials for various applications. Plus, the circular saw disc with many teeth is made from steel, so it can spin faster to make cuts with incredible precision and speed. It allows you to cut through most materials such as wood, pipes, metal, even hard things like stone. Nothing is perfect. Although this type of saw is a power monster to make straight cuts, you can’t use it for curved cuts.
However, if you need to cut details on more intricate shapes, it’s better to consider a jigsaw. The combination of its compact design and the motor-driven, toothed blade allows you to move back and forth against the working surfaces (wood, plastic, and metal) to do intricate cuts because it can reach tight areas. Moreover, this type comes with many blade jigsaws that can create complex patterns quickly and effortlessly without requiring multiple tools.
What size circular saw is best for home use?
A 7 ¼-inch circular saw is the most popular size for home workers and DIYers because it allows them to cut through a 3-inch thick piece of material. For lighter tasks, it’s better to choose a 6 ½-inch model. However, consider an 8 ¼-inch saw for a heavier-duty task.
How many teeth are best on a circular saw?
The more teeth the circular saw has, the smoother and finer it can cut. If you choose a model with fewer teeth (to cut faster and buy with a lower price), it just creates rougher cuts. You need a machine with a 24-tooth blade for general use at least.
Can you rip with a 40-tooth blade?
Yes.
Conclusion
Many people worry that the best circular saw for beginners is not as useful and functional as a professional machine. This is the reason you need to determine your needs. Products in this article focus on safety features and easy-to-use-and-adjust functions more. Of course, many of them are powerful enough to handle heavy-duty jobs, but nothing is perfect.
