4 ms·

The nature of the tool makes the corded/not corded decision easier too. The ones I mentioned (weed whacker, leaf blower, drill) are usually used when you're mov

The nature of the tool makes the corded/not corded decision easier too. The ones I mentioned (weed whacker, leaf blower, drill) are usually used when you're moving around and having to plug in and drag the chord around is a real pain in the ass. For something like circular saw, I think that's much less of an issue. I picture that as something you set up in a spot and use for the duration of the project. So I guess I am surprised it even comes in a battery option.

hx8 3y ago
> So I guess I am surprised it even comes in a battery option. If you're going to a job site with limited electricity and don't know the exact cut of wood you need before arriving, I can see value. This option isn't for medium/large workloads, and isn't for the guy operating a wood working shop, but might be for a guy that does small jobs away from a shop.
ihattendorf 3y ago
Cordless tools tend to be more convenient. While a corded tool might technically be more powerful, for a quick cut it's annoying to unravel the cord, possibly grab an extension cord and unravel that, make the cut, then wind up the cables again. Vs. grab a cordless tool and maybe throw a battery in. Cable management can also be annoying sometimes when moving around.
soylentcola 3y ago
The battery powered circ saw is nice because it's lightweight and easy to use for quick cuts. I've even taken it with me to rough cut stuff in the parking lot of a store so it will fit in my car. Didn't need anything better until a few years later and bought a big beefy Milwaukee. I still use the battery powered Ryobi for 80% of stuff though, just due to convenience. That said, I see things like battery powered table saws and have zero desire to mess with any of that.
- JohnBooty 3y ago
  The only real use case I can think of for battery powered table saws is for hobbyists/homeowners who do their work in the yard, or maybe in an unpowered tool shed. A lot of older homes have no outdoor power outlets. For "pro" use on a job site, it's hard to imagine a battery powered table saw having enough power or endurance. I know my plug-in table saw seems to use at least ~1,200 watts @ 120v when cutting something tough like pressure-treated lumber, because it trips the surge protector. But, I don't know. I see Dewalt has like a 60V powered table saw. With a big enough battery maybe it's enough to be useful for pros.
  - SAI_Peregrinus 3y ago
    A 15A 120V wall outlet (not uncommon in the USA) can provide at most 1800W (a bit less in practice to give some headroom to avoid tripping excessively sensitive breakers). The motor wastes about half that, so you expect about 900W power output if hooking a tool up to a dynamometer. DeWalt's 60V cordless circular saw can put out over 1500W into a dynamometer[1], with similar waste (up to about 3600W max from the battery). The batteries get discharged at about 50-60A max according to the DeWalt specs I could find, which makes sense given the measured power output. Modern cordless batteries are better for actual power output than (15A) corded tools, comparable to 25A corded tools! They're worse for run-time, of course, batteries get drained. Endurance is the issue, but battery powered tools can beat corded tools for power these days. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Cjf0beYXfU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Cjf0beYXfU
    - JohnBooty 3y ago
      Wow, thanks for pointing that out. That's really badass.
quickthrowman 3y ago
> I picture that as something you set up in a spot and use for the duration of the project. So I guess I am surprised it even comes in a battery option I believe you are confusing a handheld circular saw with a miter saw. A miter saw has a base, an arm, and a blade guard; and must be placed on a flat surface/table to use it. A circular saw is a handheld tool.
- xyzelement 3y ago
  You are absolutely right, I was making exactly that mistake. THANK YOU
  - bombcar 3y ago
    Doesn't matter, battery powered table saws and miter saws exist. https://www.milwaukeetool.com/2736-21HD https://www.milwaukeetool.com/2736-21HD https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/Power-Tools/Woodworking/Miter-Saws https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/Power-Tools/Woodworki... (some of the table saws from other brands are "duel fuel" and can take a battery or a plug, can be nice). Battery power table saws seem a bit silly until you realize that the construction people often arrive before there's any site power at all, after all, someone has to build the site power connections.

hx8 3y ago

> So I guess I am surprised it even comes in a battery option. If you're going to a job site with limited electricity and don't know the exact cut of wood you need before arriving, I can see value. This option isn't for medium/large workloads, and isn't for the guy operating a wood working shop, but might be for a guy that does small jobs away from a shop.

ihattendorf 3y ago

Cordless tools tend to be more convenient. While a corded tool might technically be more powerful, for a quick cut it's annoying to unravel the cord, possibly grab an extension cord and unravel that, make the cut, then wind up the cables again. Vs. grab a cordless tool and maybe throw a battery in. Cable management can also be annoying sometimes when moving around.

soylentcola 3y ago

The battery powered circ saw is nice because it's lightweight and easy to use for quick cuts. I've even taken it with me to rough cut stuff in the parking lot of a store so it will fit in my car. Didn't need anything better until a few years later and bought a big beefy Milwaukee. I still use the battery powered Ryobi for 80% of stuff though, just due to convenience. That said, I see things like battery powered table saws and have zero desire to mess with any of that.

JohnBooty 3y ago
The only real use case I can think of for battery powered table saws is for hobbyists/homeowners who do their work in the yard, or maybe in an unpowered tool shed. A lot of older homes have no outdoor power outlets. For "pro" use on a job site, it's hard to imagine a battery powered table saw having enough power or endurance. I know my plug-in table saw seems to use at least ~1,200 watts @ 120v when cutting something tough like pressure-treated lumber, because it trips the surge protector. But, I don't know. I see Dewalt has like a 60V powered table saw. With a big enough battery maybe it's enough to be useful for pros.
- SAI_Peregrinus 3y ago
  A 15A 120V wall outlet (not uncommon in the USA) can provide at most 1800W (a bit less in practice to give some headroom to avoid tripping excessively sensitive breakers). The motor wastes about half that, so you expect about 900W power output if hooking a tool up to a dynamometer. DeWalt's 60V cordless circular saw can put out over 1500W into a dynamometer[1], with similar waste (up to about 3600W max from the battery). The batteries get discharged at about 50-60A max according to the DeWalt specs I could find, which makes sense given the measured power output. Modern cordless batteries are better for actual power output than (15A) corded tools, comparable to 25A corded tools! They're worse for run-time, of course, batteries get drained. Endurance is the issue, but battery powered tools can beat corded tools for power these days. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Cjf0beYXfU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Cjf0beYXfU
  - JohnBooty 3y ago
    Wow, thanks for pointing that out. That's really badass.

quickthrowman 3y ago

> I picture that as something you set up in a spot and use for the duration of the project. So I guess I am surprised it even comes in a battery option I believe you are confusing a handheld circular saw with a miter saw. A miter saw has a base, an arm, and a blade guard; and must be placed on a flat surface/table to use it. A circular saw is a handheld tool.

xyzelement 3y ago
You are absolutely right, I was making exactly that mistake. THANK YOU
- bombcar 3y ago
  Doesn't matter, battery powered table saws and miter saws exist. https://www.milwaukeetool.com/2736-21HD https://www.milwaukeetool.com/2736-21HD https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/Power-Tools/Woodworking/Miter-Saws https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/Power-Tools/Woodworki... (some of the table saws from other brands are "duel fuel" and can take a battery or a plug, can be nice). Battery power table saws seem a bit silly until you realize that the construction people often arrive before there's any site power at all, after all, someone has to build the site power connections.