A circular saw is required when making straight cuts into the wood-based materials. Whether it is the plunge-cut or standard, you must pay special attention to the type of the blade and the power rating, in other words the diameter and the number of cutting teeth should be considered. This Circular Saw Buying Guide will focus on power rating, weight, and whether electric or battery powered.
Power rating:
It is the power which determines how fast it can cut, the diameter of wood it can comfortably cut, and the how deep a circular saw can cut. Note that high rating is not always the best. The ideal power rating depends on the type of the wood you want to cut, and also your needs as well. Putting this in mind, you may need lower powered or higher powered saw. For example, if you want to cut hard wood such as oak timber, measuring 80mm x 1.5mm, a saw with power rating under 1200W. If you want a circular saw that can work on large plinths of wood, go for one with power rating higher than 1800W. The diameter of circular saw blade determines how deep it can cut.
Weight:
How much does the circular saw weigh? As you would expect, a saw with low power rating has smaller rate and is lighter in weight. A saw with higher power and deeper cutting depth is most likely larger in size. In this regard, a typical circular saw that can cut up to depth of 132mm needs motor with power rating 2300W or higher and may weight about 18kg. On the other hand, a circular saw that can cut up to 60mm depth weighs about 5 kg. Thus, as you go through a circular saw blade size guide, you must consider the weight and the power rating, as these three go hand in hand.
Electric or battery powered?
Some circular saws use their batteries for power. They are good choice if you want to work on wood where there is no electric power supply. However, the battery powered saws are in most cases not as powerful as their electric powered counterparts.
