So I'm a framer and sider. For some time I had been looking for a saw to perform a specific purpose...BETTER than the great corded skil worm drives we all relied on. Mainly cutting details, notches etc. in Fascia...Overhead, in awkward positions, often on a ladder using ONE HAND. Along those lines we ALL favored the left LOS as opposed to the conventional layout.This saw does it all. In addition, it FIRST DAY...it slid off the roof....BAAM! banged a bit of scaffolding to hit the AZ desert. Checked it for squareness and it was rite back at work! We all love that saw!

Amazed

I’m amazed by the power of this saw. Remembering back to the days of the DeWalt 5ish inch saws had me reluctant to buy another battery saw.After purchasing other brushless tools from Makita, I’d thought about giving it a try. Great decision, I don’t even know where my corded saw is anymore. This thing is amazing. Powerful, lightweight, long battery life, and handy. Great for the job site. No cords to get snagged when ripping plywood. This thing is a champ.

Awesome Portable Saw

This Makita XSH03Z is a very nice portable saw. Well balanced with good power for an exceptional cut with the factory provided blade. It seems very well made for durability and has well positioned easy to use adjusting levers. Nice big flat foot glides easily across materials or along a guide. Easy and smooth to change angles and depth of cut with bold easy to read numbers/settings marks. I should have purchased one years ago and think its great.

Awesome saw

I bought this after having 14.4 DeWalt (way-way back) and thought i would give another cordelss saw a go...And i was extremely happy with the performance and ease of cutting the tool provided. It enabled me to not bust out electrical cords when i needed to rip some long boards but didn't need 20 boards cut- Although I think this could do it with dual-batteries on a full charge. I am switching out all of my cordless tools to Makita - as having one system makes life simpler!

Excellent portable saw

Easy and quick to adjust depth and angle of cut. Seems to be of very high quality and has plenty enough power to cut through anything you can run it across. Using it with 3Ah or greater battery provides plenty of runtime. Ergonomics are good. The metal hook can kinda get in the way, even when folded out of the way; i'm not sure what the purpose of the hook is. There's another model that does not have the hook but it appears to be on the whole one notch lower in terms of overall build quality. Motor starts and stops very quickly, there's a three-level on board battery gauge which is handy since the gauge built into the battery faces the other direction when it's installed in the tool. I like it so much I bought it twice!

Excellent saw

This my second XSH03 and bought it for back up. My first one has taken hard use for four years building houses for Habitat for Humanity. This is a solid saw. The 5000 rpm makes it excellent. The LED light is a joy to have when working in low light environments.

Great saw, I got 2

I’m getting this as a second saw to do trim work with. My other saw dropped and dented the bottom plate. Love this saw. Great weight. Great power. You can hear the saw add torque when it needs it

Impressive, really

I was instantly impressed with the power and efficiency of this saw. Crosscuting 2x and 3/4 sheet materials is done without any strain, and the edge is very good. Finding an ideal fence for ripping has been a challenge, but this is an impressive little saw. Balance is fine, adjustments are simple, blade changes are not a big deal. Edge tracking using a clamp on 4x8 sheets is excellent - I find no need for a dedicated track or panel saw. With cords out of the way and an easy sight line this is a go-to tool in my box, and I've chosen to switch to Makita 18V system tools as I need replacements. We will see how well these hold up, but things are looking good after a couple months.

Makita 18v Brushless Cir. Saw-performance & quality

This 18v Makita Saw was a Fathers Day gift to a pro construction worker. He had been wanting this specific saw for some time because he had used a borrowed one with great pleasure. It has all the features and power desired for his purposes. He and his son, who has this saw, prefer this saw since it has the blade on the best side/position for a right handed user to accurately see the blade and cut. This higher performance and rpm version (versus lesser models) has power and battery life to work effectively. Strongly recommend this Specific Makita 18v brushless circular saw.

Solid yet light circular saw with great features at a good price

The Makita 6-1/2" cordless circular saw is of the same quality as Makita's other 18V battery operated tools. While it doesn't have the power of an electric circular saw, and you have to be careful to allow the blade to come up to speed before sawing lumber, it runs a long time on a 3 Ah battery. Among the positive features: rapid braking when you stop depressing the trigger button; easy change blade with an on-board Allen wrench; light weight; well-positioned rafter hook; and easy adjustments for 45 degree cuts. I also purchased a Vanon 6 Ah battery ($40 or less on ebay) that weighs the same as Makita's 3 Ah battery; it charges in about the same time and lasts for dozens of cuts before needing recharging.