Best Cordless Skill Saw- A Well Research Review In 2023

Skill saws are unanimously considered as one of the most popular power tools used among professionals, beginners, and DIY enthusiasts on a regular basis. When you add the “cordless” factor to it, there are few power tools that can match it in terms of portability, efficacy, subtlety of craft, and versatility.

However, for a long period of time cordless skill saws lacked a significant amount of development, specifically in terms of power and speed compared to corded ones.

But, those days are gone!

Modern cordless saws now have similar RPMs as corded saws and with a continually evolving battery setup can function long enough on an outdoor worksite to compete on a level playing field.

Still there are a number of technical nuances involved that you need to be aware of for making a successful purchase and that’s exactly what we are going to show you in this guide.

Best Cordless Skill Saws Reviews

BLACK+DECKER BDCCS20C, Black Cordless Skill Saw

If you are looking for some serious power for an outdoor project but hate the idea of carrying around a wired power saw, this is the product for you.

The saw weighs 7-pounds. However, considering its capacity in terms of raw strength and RPM, the product can be seen as lightweight.

It runs on a single lithium-ion battery, which powers the integrated 20-volt motor, allowing it to produce a high amount of torque. The tool can execute up to 50 cuts on a (2 x 4)-inch surface utilizing a single charge.

The saw uses a tungsten blade, protected with carbide-coated tops. The blade is made from a 12 teeth set. It’s long enough (5.5-inches) to make heavyweight cuts just as easily as a corded saw and equipped with a quick-cut feature.

For safety, it offers an adjustable blade cover with a locking lever. You can use this feature to shield the blade while not in use and easily uncover it when in need of some quick sawing.

The product allows you to adjust the depth of cut without using any additional tools. It also provides a setting for making bevel cuts with easy access push stops at both 90 and 45-degree points.

The saw is equipped to make stack cuts as well. However, if you’re making a double-pass cut, be careful on the second one as the blade moves differently that time, which may result in an imperfect finish.

The saw offers a wide range of heat resistance and is able to function up to 95-degree Fahrenheit atmospheres. Users have noticed that due to its built, it’s more efficient at making rip cuts than across cuts.

Highlighted Features:

• Allows adjusting the depth of cut without any additional tools.
• Provides an adjustable blade cover with a lock lever for foolproof protection.
• Features strong heat resistance, staying functional up to 95-degree Fahrenheit.
• Offers a setting for making bevel cuts with strategically set push stops.
• Able to produce up to 50 cuts on a (2 x 4)-inch surface on a single charge.

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Makita SH02R1, Cordless Skill Saw Saw Kit

Makita has made a name for itself through consistently producing quality power tools and this product is no exception.

It weighs 3.5-Pounds with a total length of 12.375-inches. It has an ergonomically designed handle with a rubber padded soft grip. The handle is equipped with an easy access trigger and safety button.

The saw uses a motor with a threshold of 12-Volt, running the blade at a 1500 RPM speed. It has a unique base frame design, which can be angled at 90 and 45-degrees to make bevel cuts with precision. The saw, despite being cordless, can cut up to 1-inch thick materials.

The blade takes 3.375-inch of the entire length. It has a 20 teeth set blade, made from tungsten and carbide coated tips.  You can use the cordless saw to cut all sorts of materials, such as: MDF, plywood, drywall, pegboard, melamine, particleboard etc.

The product uses a slide-in Lithium-Ion 2.0-Ah battery from Makita’s famed CXT series. For preventing over-discharge, over-load and heating, a BPC (battery protection circuit) is installed into the battery. It even has a triple indicator system with a touch start button, which uses 3 L.E.D light strips to keep you up-to-date about the amount of charge left.

The kit includes a sturdy portable case, equipped with an easy-to-use organizing style. The machine has an in-built blowing tool, that keeps the cutting edge free of sawing residue through operation by blowing air in a focused line.

It also comes with a complimentary blade wrench for quickly and smoothly changing blades in emergencies. The device is compatible with the BL1041B 12-volt Lithium-Ion 4.0Ah battery, also from the CXT series.

Highlighted Features:

• Provides a powerful motor capable of rotating the saw at 1500 RPM speed.
• Features a sturdy carrying case, equipped with an easy organizing style.
• The in-built blowing tool keeps the cutting edge free of saw dusts for precision.
• The slide in battery comes equipped with a touch start and 4 LED strips for display.
• The included blade-wrench allows a smooth changes of blade in emergencies.

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Makita XSS02Z, Blue-green Cordless Skill Saw

The XSS02Z is Makita’s one of the most wholesomely produced cordless power saw.

Built with a digitally cut base manufactured from heavy-gauge steel, the product becomes a favorite choice for professionals who operates on outdoor work sites with intense weather for its durability. The specially engineered base plate also makes executing complex angle cuts (e.g. miter and bevel cuts) easy.

The well-designed handle is equipped with a smooth access to the trigger and safety button. The rubber grip is designed with multiple layers and patterns. Specially the palm grip, crafted with recessed dotted patterns, provides exceptional comfort during long work sessions.

The machine runs on a motor which can provide a high amount of torque while spinning the saw at a 3,700-RPM speed.

The company uses Star Protection’s “Computer Control” tech that reads and transmits real time data from the machine and the battery. This provides protection against common yet disastrous electronic mishaps such as overload, deep-discharge and heating issues. For example, it turns off the machine when the charge level is too low for avoiding an over-discharge.

The blade can cut materials that fall under the depth range of 0.25 to 2-inches. The saw’s also equipped with a bevel setting with a wide cutting range (up to 50-degree) to provide easy execution of tricky bevel cuts at both 90 and 45-degree angles. The bevel has surveyed to cut twice as fast than regular models at the 45-degree range.

It uses a singular LXT-series Lithium-Ion slide in battery with a maximum 18-volt threshold. Praised for providing the quickest recharge time in its category, the battery can let you finish up one giant project after another with minimal amounts of recess period.

Highlighted Features:

• Provides a heavy-gauge, digitally-cut base for precise bevel cuts and durability.
• Facilitates professional skill cuts (e.g. miter, cross, rip) on multiple materials.
• Star Protection’s “computer control” detects and stops electronic issues easily.
• Includes a battery with the quickest recharge time in its category for speed.
• The palm-grip with dotted patterns offers comfort during long sessions.

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PORTER-CABLE PCC660B, Cordless Skill Saw

The PCC660B can easily be mistaken as a weapon from the future, but along with a brilliant techno outlook the saw also delivers at its fullest.

It weighs 6.5-Pounds. It has a dimension of (15.25 x 9.63 x 8.38)- inches. That means it is 15.25-inches long, 9.63-inches wide and has an overall length of 8.38-inches.

The handle uses an overmolding technology (using the insertion of a primary, soft material like a thermoplastic elastomer into a strong infrastructural element like high-strength plastic) to provide comfort, grip support, vibration recession and impact resistance. Porter-Cable creates a dynamic rubber grip by utilizing a variety of patterns, (e.g. square, rectangle, etc.) to fit the shapes and outlines of your hands.

The product uses a smartly engineered motor with a maximum voltage capacity of 20-volts. It’s able to spin the saw blade at a 4000 RPM speed. It can be powered by both 1.5 and 4.0 Ah Max-pack lithium-ion batteries, with a maximum voltage of 20-volts.

The 6.5-inch circular blade with carbide-tip protection is able to provide a cutting depth of 2.125-inches. The saw is compatible with the company’s other 6.5-inch blades with a 0.725-inch arbor wheel measurement. It’s also equipped with a bevel setting that can be adjusted from a 0 to 50-degree radius for making difficult angle cuts in tight dimensions.

The product is a latest addition to the company’s brand new “Linked-System High performance tool” series. This product, like the Makita SH02R1, has an integrated purifier channel. It pushes airflow across the cutting edge to move away cleaning residues through the sawing for providing a perfect line of sight.

The saw is especially equipped with features that can provide smooth user control while performing cross-cuts.

Highlighted Features:

• Compatible with both 1.5 and 4.0 Ah Max-pack batteries.
• Uses an integrated airflow tool for providing better visibility during sawing.
• The blade provides an astounding 4000 RPM speed.
• An overmolding technology based handle provides superior vibration reduction.
• Dynamic rubber padding for better grip and preventing hand blisters.

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Milwaukee 2630-20, Red Cordless Skill Saw

The 2630-20 has a dashing look that’s complimented by a variety of effective features.

The 1-pound power saw is designed with a rubber padded handle, set semi-horizontally to create an aerodynamic angle. The padded grip is patterned with pressed rectangular grip squares that provide strong attachment between your palm and the handle, allowing safe operation despite sweaty hands or in a humid atmosphere.

The tool uses an 18-volt high power motor, which is able to spin the saw at a 3,500 RPM speed. This lets you cut through the toughest materials at a speed rarely delivered by a cordless power saw.

The motor’s safety is enhanced by containing it in a solid structure with magnesium made guards, set both at the top and bottom of the blade. This blocks damages to the motor, preventing electronic hazards.

The saw uses a 6.5-inch blade with a 24 tungsten teeth-set and carbide coatings at the top for increased longevity. It’s compatible with Milwaukee, M18 18-Volt Lithium Ion batteries. It’s also equipped with electronic brakes which eliminates the waiting time for the blade to stop spinning, letting you quickly cover it.

The bevel base is detail engineered with a raised front and end, along with clearly etched angle markers unto the stainless steel body for easy reading and precise measuring. The adjusting gears are set at the foot of the saw for ease of access.

You can set the bevel up to 45-degrees, along with a (0 to 1.5)-inch depth adjustment range, which allows you to make subtle angle cuts.

The machine has an impeccable shock resistance, allowing the piece to stay intact and functional even from multiple feet drops or slippage.

Highlighted Features:

• Uses an aerodynamically angled handle for spontaneity and speed of use.
• Digital brakes quickly still the blade after turning off the machine.
• The motor’s supported by magnesium guards for safety and shock resistance.
• The blade comes with a 24 tungsten teeth-set for a faster cutting.
• Offers an intuitive bevel and 1.5-inch depth adjustment for precise angle cuts.

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Bosch CCS180B, Blue Bare-Tool Cordless Circular Saw

An effective upgrade to the previous NiCad battery based design, the first-of-its-kind FPS (Flexible Power System) equipped saw is here to impress.

A motor, equipped with the EMP (electronic motor protection) safety system for tackling issues like heating and current overloads, feeds a 3,900 RPM speed to the saw blade.

Designed with 0.625-inch arbor wheel, the saw generates a double cutting speed compared to regular cordless saws. Using the bevel, you can make angle cuts up to 2-inches at a 90-dergree angle and up to 1.5-inches at a 50-degree angle.

The handle’s architecture is based on a right-hand use, providing a clear line of sight to the blade which falls left from this perspective. Thus, right-hand users will have a great visibility of operation. It has a display to read bevel angles that can be adjusted to your comfort, providing a combination of long needed oversight features.

The machine’s structure uses aluminum feet, an upper guard, and a snag-resistant lower guard to provide a foolproof integrity conservation and superior balance. The snag-resistance allows the blade to smoothly sink in the material, increasing sawing speed and preventing pinched or jagged finishes. They’ve also upgraded the spindle-lock design to make changing blades faster. Both the footplate and depth-brackets are made from tough materials, so you can use the bevel setting and the depth adjustment with ease and durability.

The product uses an 18-volt lithium-ion battery from Bosch’s “Cool-pack” series. It’s equipped with an ECP (electronic-cell protection) technology to manage discharge and overload issues, along with a fast-charge feature.

It uses a patterned rubber top for an improved grip and to tackle over-heat issues while charging.  It also offers an inbuilt digital display to keep the charge-left amount in check.

Highlighted Features:

• The first FPS equipped professional cordless circular saw.
• A digital display equipped battery allows to easily track the run-time.
• Two-times quicker sawing speed even at its full depth capacity.
• Includes aluminum feet, footplate, and depth-brackets to increase durability.
• Dual-part blade guard offers safety and snag-resistance stops jagged finishes.

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DEWALT DCS575B, FLEXVOLT Cordless Circular Saw

The DCS575B uses the world’s first battery that’s equipped with an automatic and intelligent voltage change feature.

The Flexvolt battery is highly intuitive and has backwards compatibility. That means, not only it changes voltage by default as you shift it from this 60-volt power saw to a 120-volt tool, it’s also compatible with older Dewalt power saws that runs on a 20-volt limit.

The 7.6-Pound saw has a multi-level rubber grip, ergonomically designed with a combination of dense and relaxed contoured patterns that’s engineered to create a firm attachment. The handle is aerodynamically angled to reduce muscle stress and provides easy reach to the trigger and push-start button.

The 60-volt motor is manufactured with a brushless design and optimized for superior durability and a longer functioning time.  It’s encased in a strong steel construction, which prevents the motor from damages caused by sudden impact, extreme temperature, etc. It’s able to pump sufficient power to spin the sawblade at a monstrous 5,800 RPM speed.

The machine offers a rather unorthodox yet effective angle range through its bevel setting. You can use it to make angle cuts up to 57-degrees, with convenient stops at the 22.5 and 45-degree points. The depth adjustment allows you to saw up to 1.625-inch thick materials at a 45-degree angle and 2.25-inch thick materials at 90-degree angles.

The saw blade is 7.25-inches. This increase in diameter makes the device able to perform sawing activates that previously you’d only dare to approach with a corded saw. It has a carbide coated 24-teeth set for unmatched sharpness and is able to make a maximum of 339-cuts using a full charge on (2 x 4)-inch surface.

Highlighted Features:

• Comes with a Flexvolt battery with an automatic voltage change feature.
• The 7.25-inch blade spins at 5,800 RPM speed to offer power of a corded saw.
• Equipped with convenient bevel stops at the 22.5 and 45-degree points.
• The motor uses a brushless construction for optimized functioning.
• Multi-level rubber grip designed with different combined patterns.

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Makita XSH03Z, Teal Brushless Cordless Circular Saw

In terms of power, The XSH03Z is a monster. With a mass of only 7.3-pounds (which includes the battery weight), the machine uses a BL motor to deliver a whopping a 4,770 RPM speed to the saw blade.

The full-length blade guard is equipped with a sturdy, screwed-in safety lever. This prevents unintentional openings and ensures a safe, constant coverage. It also comes with light safety cover made from high strength material.

The saw is equipped with Makita’s XPT (Xtreme Protection System) safety feature. This makes the machine invincible towards dust exposure and provides strong water-resistance, making it an ideal tool to use on outdoor worksites with extreme weather.

For internal security, the company’s “Star Protection Computer Control” system is used. This system fetches data in real time from the machine and its battery for constant oversight, making it able to quickly detect and prevent issues like heating, deep-discharge, over-load etc.

The 13.75-inch cordless saw has magnesium base that’s die-casted for enhanced strength. It has an intelligently angled handle, which effectively reduces user fatigue and built with a conveniently placed front grip. The rubber grip is designed with attachment-enhancing patterns.

The motor is equipped with an intuitive speed management system. It balances the amount of torque and speed during the sawing process. Thus, it optimizes the motor’s functioning to produce a maximized use of resources. Also, by decreasing the blade’s (model A-85092) diameter and increasing the RPM, the saw becomes exceptionally effective at making rip cuts.

It uses two bright L.E.D lights to illuminate the sawing area. The saw can be adjusted to a wide scale of cutting depth, ranging from 0.25 to 2-inches at a 90-degree angle. The equipped bevel setting allows you to execute angle cuts up to 50-degrees.

Highlighted Features:

• Provides 4,770 RPM speed with a mass of only 7.3-pounds.
• Effective at sawing sheets and dimensional lumbers.
• Double LEDs at the operation area provides better visibility.
• An intuitive speed management improves motor performance.
• Employs Makita’s XPT safety feature to create a weatherproof saw.

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Cordless Skill Saw Buying Guide

Design Of The Handle

Since this is a portable tool, the handle is significant in determining user comfort. You should aim to buy a cordless saw that is equipped with an ergonomically designed handle. This will provide you maximum aerodynamic advantage. It’ll also reduce muscle fatigue, allowing you to carry out long work sessions with ease.

Another important factor is the grip. A grip is usually the rubber (or a similarly comfortable material) padded part of the handle. Without a proper grip, you can face issues like slippage, palm blisters, rashes, etc.

We recommend choosing a multi-layer grip that provides an all-around support. Also, ensure that it uses a specially researched combination of multiple patterns (e.g. rectangular/circular dots, contoured designs inspired by our hands’ landscape, etc.) to improve attachment strength and comfort.

Bevel Setting And Angle Range

We recommend purchasing a power saw that has an easy-to-use and detail engineered bevel setting. This includes where on the footplate/base frame the bevel is set, its angle range, installation of a bevel gauge for precision of measuring, stoppers to lock in the material at certain angle points, etc.

We also recommend purchasing a bevel with an angle range between 0 to 45/50 degree. This way, you can smoothly execute a wide range of complex angle cuts without error.

Blade Diameter, Tooth Count, And Durability

Blade diameter is mostly a personal preference. However, if your job demands sawing through large and thick materials on a daily basis, you should aim to buy a power saw with at least a 5 to 7-inch diameter blade.

Since we are discussing about circular saws, instead of TPI (teeth per inch) we must consider the TC (teeth count throughout the entire diameter) of the blade to determine its sharpness.

Usually the higher the TC, the sharper the blade will be. And that’s great if you need to make detailed, complex cuts (e.g. bevel cuts, dovetail cut) within a small space/dimension. However, for certain heavyweight jobs like felling a tree or making stack cuts, a blade with too high TC might become an impediment. So, we recommend buying a blade manufactured with 18 to 24 teeth. It’s an optimal middle range that’ll allow you to pull off all variety of cuts.

Finally, “carbide coated tips” can largely determine the durability of a blade. This feature lets the blade retain its proper form without sacrificing the sharpness for a long period of time.

RPM

RPM is an abbreviation for the mechanical term “revolutions per minute”. It reveals how fast the equipped motor is able to spin the blade within a minute. The higher the RPM, the faster the sawing speed.

Previously, it wasn’t practical to expect powerful RPMs from a cordless power saw. Though, nowadays you can easily purchase cordless saws that can provide anywhere from 3,400 to 5,000 RPM speed, allowing you to get heavyweight jobs done with the ease of a cordless while using the speed of a corded saw.

Motor Specification And Safety

We recommend ensuring that the motor of your intended purchase is compatible with the power supply setup at your home or worksite. You can check a number of measurements (e.g. maximum voltage limit) to determine you’re not making a fruitless buy.

Also, make sure that the motor has some kind of safety system (e.g. Star Protection’s Computer Control or Bosch’s EMP) in place to tackle issues like overload and overheating to avoid electronic hazards.

Battery

While purchasing a cordless saw, you’ll be solely dependent on the battery as your portable power supply. Thus, we suggest purchasing batteries with high energy reservation ability (usually determined by the amount of Ah/ampere hour) and voltage threshold.

You should also look for modern features like a slide-in fitment, digital display/indicator for charge level notification, touch start, etc. And ensure that the battery uses an integrated digital protection system (e.g. Bosch’s “ECP”) to protect itself from issues like deep discharge, over heating etc.

Minor But Important Features

Look for these particular details during your purchase and you’ll thank us later-

• Flash-lights/laser guides set at the work area,
• Air blower installed at the cutting edge for real time residue cleanse,
• An integrated dust collector,
• A front grip equipped handle with easy access to trigger,
• Safety buttons.

Final Word

Skill saws take up a large portion of the power tools market. Thus, caution is necessary if you want to pick out the worthiest product for your money avoiding the second-rate traps laid in the middle.

And that’s exactly what this guide is custom tailored towards: For you to take a quick read and confidently go out on the journey to purchase the skill saw you deserve.