Best Circular Saws of 2026

At 8.8 pounds, this is as light as any full-size corded saw in this group, and lighter than the two premium models by a margin you feel by the third sheet of plywood or the tenth cut from a ladder. The SKIL 5280 weighs within an ounce of it, but gives up the brake and six degrees of bevel to get there. The 15-amp motor turns a 7-1/4-inch blade at 5,200 rpm, cuts 2-9/16 inches deep at 90 degrees, and bevels to 57 with positive stops at 22.5 and 45.

The electric brake is what we came back to. It slows the blade hard rather than stopping it dead — count a couple of seconds after you let off the trigger — but that's enough to set the saw down between cuts instead of standing there waiting for it to wind down. The depth and bevel levers lock down firmly, so settings survive a ride in the truck. A carbide blade, a wrench, and a contractor bag come in the box, which means you can cut the first board without another trip.

The cord is the trade you make. This saw wants an outlet and a properly heavy extension cord — fine in a garage or a house mid-renovation, a nuisance at the far end of a yard. Everything else about it is a compromise we're glad to live with: enough power for hardwood, light enough to control with one hand, and simple enough that a blade change or a bevel set takes a minute.

The 5007MG is the saw we reach for when a cut has to be right the first time. Its 15-amp motor spins at 5,800 rpm, as fast as anything in this group, and the higher blade speed leaves a cleaner edge in plywood and trim than the slower saws here. Two LEDs sit just behind the blade and light the line of cut — a detail we expected to be a gimmick and ended up relying on every time the work went under a bench or into a dim garage.

What the premium over our top pick buys is that light, the extra speed, and a hard case with a rip fence inside it. The fence is the piece we miss whenever we pick up another saw on this list, and the case packs flat with the guard closed. The 2-1/2-inch depth at 90 degrees and the 0-to-56-degree bevel with stops at 22.5 and 45 cover everything from decking to stair stringers.

Weight is the trade. At 10.6 pounds this is a bench-and-framing-floor saw rather than one you'll happily run overhead, and it's the heaviest of the corded sidewinders here. If your cuts are mostly sheet goods broken down on sawhorses and trim that has to fit on the first pass, those are two easy pounds to carry.

Framers have carried a version of this saw for decades, and the SPT77WML shows why. On a worm drive the motor sits behind the blade, so the weight is at the back and the saw pulls itself through the cut while you steer. On long rips in OSB and plywood that turns a push into a walk, and the blade stays in the kerf with almost no correction.

The 15-amp motor and 7-1/4-inch blade handle wet pressure-treated and engineered lumber without straining, and the 53-degree bevel covers the occasional splay cut. The cut-ready depth system sets from a visible scale instead of by eye, the anti-snag lower guard clears small offcuts, and the wrench stores on board so a blade change doesn't turn into a search.

What we like most is how little it asks of you once the shoe is flat on the material. That's worth it when your day is framing and sheet goods, and it's the wrong tool for trimming out a closet or cutting overhead — the same rearward balance that steadies a rip makes it awkward above your shoulders.

Open the box and you get a saw, a blade, and a wrench. No battery, no charger — and the packs it needs are 60V FLEXVOLT, which means the 20V MAX batteries from your DEWALT drill won't run it. That's the decision with this saw in one sentence: it's the closest thing here to corded performance without a cord, and the batteries are a separate commitment.

The performance part is real. A full 7-1/4-inch blade, 2-9/16 inches of depth at 90 degrees, 5,800 rpm, and a 57-degree bevel with stops at 22.5 and 45 — the same cutting envelope as the corded DEWALT we recommend, at 8.2 pounds. It moves through engineered lumber and 2-by stock without bogging, the brake brings the blade down fast between cuts, and the LED is genuinely useful in a shadowed corner.

Where it earns its place is a site without a convenient outlet: decks, fences, a renovation with the power shut off. If FLEXVOLT packs are already in your shop from a miter saw or a grinder, this is the easiest cordless saw here to say yes to. If they aren't, the honest comparison is against a corded saw and a long extension cord, and the corded saw wins on weight and on money.

A laser on a circular saw sounds like a gimmick until you use one on a long rip. With the beam on the mark you keep your eye on the work instead of crouching to sight the notch, and the line stays visible while the blade is buried in the cut. The 5280-01 has one, along with a 15-amp motor at 5,300 rpm and a 51-degree bevel, and it costs less than any other corded saw here.

It cuts like a bigger saw. Fifteen amps and the 24-tooth carbide blade go through 2-by lumber and plywood without bogging, the dust blower keeps the line clear, and at 8.7 pounds it's within a few ounces of our top pick. The included blade is a framing blade, though — put a 60-tooth blade on for trim and cabinet work and the same saw leaves a much cleaner edge.

Set the bevel against a square the first time and it holds where you put it. For breaking down sheet goods, sizing 2-by, or trimming a door to length, it does what a homeowner asks, and it does it while costing less than everything else on this list.

The cut we remember is a run of rafter tails overhead — one hand on the saw, one on the ladder. At 7.3 pounds with a battery aboard, the XSS02Z makes that comfortable: light enough to hold at chest height, short enough to fit between joists, and stable enough that the machined aluminum base stays flat when you only have one hand to give it.

It's a 6-1/2-inch saw, so the numbers are smaller: 2-1/4 inches of depth at 90 degrees, a 0-to-50-degree bevel, and 3,700 rpm. Cutting 2-by stock and 3/4-inch plywood to length is the whole job, and it does it without drama. A bevel eats into that depth quickly, so anything approaching a deep 45-degree cut in thick material belongs to a 7-1/4-inch saw.

What we didn't expect was how often we pick it up for one or two cuts instead of dragging out a corded saw. There's no cord to run and no extension cord to untangle, and the body is short enough to work in places a full-size saw won't fit. If LXT batteries are already in your shop, it's an easy addition to the kit.

At 3,500 rpm, this is the slowest saw in the group. The corded DEWALT and Makita spin at 5,200 and 5,800, and every other cordless saw here turns faster. In thin plywood you won't notice. In wet pressure-treated 2-by you will — the blade labors where a faster saw keeps its speed, and you find yourself pushing to make up the difference.

The bones are good. Magnesium upper and lower guards, an aluminum shoe that stays flat, a soft-grip handle that's comfortable over a long session, and 7.3 pounds with a battery on it. It crosscuts 2x4s accurately, it runs quieter than most of the saws here, and the 6-1/2-inch blade is easy to keep on a pencil line.

Where it fits is a home shop or a truck box where M18 packs already live. Crosscutting framing lumber and breaking down plywood are what it does, and it does them comfortably for an afternoon of work.

Our honest read is that this is a good saw that has been passed by. Brushless motors have moved the class on since this design, and within this group it offers the least to someone starting fresh. If you already own M18 packs and find one at a good price, it will earn its keep. We just don't see a reason to go looking.

Four point one pounds is the number that sells this saw. Add a battery and it's still the lightest thing here by a wide margin, small enough to live on a shelf in a closet, and cheap enough to make sense as the only saw in a small house.

It's a 5-1/2-inch blade, which sets the ceiling on what it can do: crosscutting 2x4s and sizing 3/4-inch pine are its work, and it bogs down if you force it through anything heavier. The clear polyurethane lower guard is a genuinely nice touch — you can watch the blade meet the line instead of guessing — and the side handle on the left gives you a second grip without blocking your view.

Depth is the thing to check before you buy. The smaller blade means shallower cuts than every other saw here, so anything approaching full-depth work in thick stock belongs to a 7-1/4-inch saw. The bevel runs to 50 degrees, and the rubber overmold on the handles does help when your hands are damp.

As a grab-and-go saw for a homeowner with a couple of ONE+ batteries already charged, it's a sensible buy: light, easy to get into, and small enough to keep within reach. Just don't ask it to be the saw you frame a deck with.