Makita 165mm Cordless Circular Saw, 18V, DSS611Z

I bought this to replace the brushless one I bought. The brushless one required a fairly expensive repair and I noticed there were numerous carcasses for sale on eBay for spares or repairs. So I bit the bullet and bought the brushed one and after about 100 short cuts it is doing exactly as expected so presently happy. PS I had the brushless one for circa two years, it was not heavily used (amateur DIY). So not very happy with the brushless but happy enough (at the moment) with this new one, just bought it mid April 2022.

I bought this saw as a replacement for my corded 7-1/4 that failed. I was initially concerned about the smaller blades; however, this saw put those concerns aside immediately. It has enough power and cutting depth to cut any 2X, lumber with no issue. I used it to build my shed and had it cutting OSB, 2x4’s, 2x6’s, vinyl siding, you name it it worked flawlessly. It is too bad that it only comes with a 16 tooth blade which is only good for the roughest of cuts but I put on a Diablo 40 tooth and it is great. It can certainly use batteries on larger lumber but I only found myself charging my 3AH batteries maybe once a day while building the shed.

Purchased this circular saw to build a 190 foot property fence about 2 year's ago and it hasn't let me down at all. I use Makita cordless power tools every day for work as a maintenance technician and have never had any problems with any of them including this little gem. This is one of only a few 6-1/2" saws that will cut through a 2x? on a 45° bevel and actually cut all the way through on a single pass. I have used it to cut down interior doors, build fences and picnic tables, cut stock lumber and plywood sheathing for numerous repairs and it just keeps on going. It's not a brushless motor and can go through batteries quite quickly, but it does what it supposed to do, cut lumber. Use it with 4 amp batteries and a rapid charger and a good quality blade and your set ... MorePurchased this circular saw to build a 190 foot property fence about 2 year's ago and it hasn't let me down at all. I use Makita cordless power tools every day for work as a maintenance technician and have never had any problems with any of them including this little gem. This is one of only a few 6-1/2" saws that will cut through a 2x? on a 45° bevel and actually cut all the way through on a single pass. I have used it to cut down interior doors, build fences and picnic tables, cut stock lumber and plywood sheathing for numerous repairs and it just keeps on going. It's not a brushless motor and can go through batteries quite quickly, but it does what it supposed to do, cut lumber. Use it with 4 amp batteries and a rapid charger and a good quality blade and your set to work all day. Very impressive little saw and well worth the money, highly recommend it.