Makita Circular Saw 5007F
No one will ever accuse a Makita of being pretty. Makitas are about performance, not appearance. How does the Makita perform? It is a professional-grade circular saw with a 15-amp motor that produces 5,800 rpm.
The large cutting capacity-2 3/8 on a 90 and 1 at 45 degrees-means you can cut even true 2 by 10 cms. Wrap around bases made of heavy-duty aluminum provide extra durability and straighter cuts. We can only choose the top three or four items from our long list.
What We Like
- LED lights for illuminating the cut line
- A blower at the front that sends dust out of the way. No more blowing the dust out of the way
- Flat motor housing. No need trying to balance the saw while changing the blade
- Large, easy-to-read markings
What We Don’t Like
- The weight. 50 kg might not sound like much until youve spent an hour cutting lumber
- Guard design. Youll wish you had three hands if you need to pull it out of the way to start a cut
That’s all. This is a great saw for professionals or a great professional-level tool for the do-it-yourselfer. Of course, Makita circular saws are more expensive. We could list it under what we dont like but expecting a top-of-the-line to have a rock-bottom price is unrealistic.
Makita Circular Saw 5007MG Magnesium 7-1/10 Cm
A common complaint was the Makita 5007F’s weight. Makita developed a saw with magnesium components that was lighter. That sounds good. How much does a Makita saw/magnet components weigh? 48 kg. Thats only half a pound less. DeWalt DWE575 is 40kg lighter, and almost 1kg less. If that was the only improvement, the Makita 5007MG would not be worth the extra money.
It does have two extra features that might be worth the extra expense. The first is the 2×90 cutting capacity, which is 1/20cm more. But we did feel then increased bevel capacity (0-56) might be useful. But positive stops at 22.5 and 45 degrees-thats something to get excited about!
What We Like
- You can achieve greater accuracy with the improvements made by the bevel
- Everything that we liked about the 5007F is still there
What We Didnt Like
- It’s all about the hype. A circular saw that is half a pound lighter is still a heavy saw
- Bragging about having an increase cutting capacity of 1/20 cm
Magnesium Components sounds great. It must be even better. The saw isn’t up to its hype and the improvements are not worth it. Why hype a product that doesnt need it?
Makita Leads The Way With Cordless Innovation
As we discuss in the guide on Makita miter saws, in 1978 Makita sold the first cordless drill. However, that was 40+ years ago. Is Makita still innovating or has Makita been outpaced by other manufacturers? We did some investigating.
In 2005 Makita introduced the first 18V Lithium batteries which have several advantages over other rechargeable batteries. They have a higher energy density-more energy into a smaller space-and a lower rate of discharge. Makita now offers a large line-up with 18-volt tools.
Makitas innovation has not stopped. You can see their most recent cordless saw.
Makita Circular Saw, XSH06Z 18VX2 LXT Lithium Ion (36V), Brushless Cordless 7-1/10cm
A new circular saw comes with two batteries. This gives you more power and a longer run time. RPM on this machine is 6,000. They did this by changing the orientation of their motor. On a 2×4, the cut capacity can be up to 610 crosscuts Similar cutting depth and bevel design as the 5007MG.
This model is the second generation 36 Volt circular saw. You can find a detailed explanation of the differences between the Gen 2 and Gen 1 here. It will show you the improvements that you cant see on the outside.
What We Like
- We expect it to be heavier than the weight-10.5 without batteries, but it is still very heavy.
- For increased safety, the tether notch is used to ensure that it doesn’t fall on the ground.
- It is easy to access the safety switch, making it simple to turn it on or off.
- The battery gauge lets you see exactly how much juice you have
- The dust collection feature so that you can attach a vacuum to it-great for keeping dust down indoors
What We Don’t Like
- The guard design hasnt improved
- The saw has a tether notch, but the tether is sold separately. This seems very cheap.
Our list of what we dont like about this saw is small. This is not a problem. This is a solid, professional-grade saw worth the professional-grade price, if thats what you want to spend.
All electric models are currently more expensive than their corded counterparts. The batteries can be used with any other tool made by the same manufacturer. This is why many people find the additional cost justified. You might not want to change brands if you are already part of the cordless revolution.
Makita Circular Saw Accessories
We visited the Makita website to look for accessories. It pulled up 7 pages of accessories for all cordless products. Our search was limited to 18-volt accessories. This resulted in only 2 pages. The majority of accessories were battery chargers or additional batteries. Several accessories caught our eye
- The 8V LXT Synchro Lock Battery Terminal controls when the batteries can be charged. If you didnt know you needed such a thing, you wouldnt be interested.
- 18V LXT/12V max CXT LithiumIon Quick Optimum Charger. This charger has a fan built in to speed up charging and keeps the battery cool.
- If you wan to learn the basics of how to use a circular saw, check out How to Use a Circular Saw.
- For the best circular saw rail guide system, check out this guide.
Last Thoughts
Makita continues to impress and innovate. Theres a driving tour to show off their innovations-a truck that houses the tools, batteries, and accessories. If you want to see when it will be in your area, click on the interactive map here. You might be interested in Best Compact Circular Saw.
