Item : B00005Q7CJ Customer Reviews Wimpy, wimpy, wimpy by .. M Chaffed (Raleigh, NC) The good: the saw goes 'round and 'round like any other saw. The Makita blade they send along cuts very smoothly. The bad: once you drop this delicate piece of 'construction' equipment you might as well cut the cord, remove the blade and give it to your 6yo for a play toy. The base bends--making it impossible to make a square cut or use the rip guide. The track guides one uses to set the depth bends & twists and makes raising/lowering the blade depth nearly impossible; the bevel angle gets knocked out of plumb (this is from a 30" drop onto soft grass!) Let's face it, people drop saws! And one minor drop shouldn't render this saw useless (for all practical purposes); but it does... Also, it's not balanced very well and the mitre settings are difficult to read. Next time? I'm buying the (much cheaper but more 'manly') Hitachi. (forget Dewalt; they're crap, too) A good clean cut by .. Josh T. Risler (Menomonie, WI United States) I've had this saw a month or so now and I am impressed with it. It cuts great and the blade they send with it is very good. I'm remodeling our house doing pretty heavy construction and this saw has taken all I've thrown at it. I wish the front grip had some rubber on it for better hand hold but I'm adjusting. Great saw by .. al (petersburg va) As a professional carpenter I have used and owned almost every saw out there. I never have cared too much for a brake on a 7 1/4 saw. This is a really tough saw that can handle contractor daily use. However from my experience the Milwaukee tilk lok lasts quite a bit longer before there are issues. The Makita seems to lose the trigger switch unexpectedly after a few hundred hours of use, then the blade guard gets weak and sticks next, Cleaning it good helps delay this.... But you should always have a second saw if you are a pro anyway and what I mention is under all day every day use. They will last plenty long trust me. When I used to work for someone hourly before I started my own trim carpentry business I had a few jobs over the years and everyone I worked for or with had one of these. I would reccomend it to anyone who has experience with a circular saw. It is a bit on the powerful side for someone with no experience in my opinion. The saw is powerful enough to produce a strong kickback. Highly reccomended. Great Tool by .. CC (Erie, Pa) I have several Makita tools I use in my work and none have disappointed me; this circular saw is no exception. And I like the carrying case too. Highly recommended ... go for it !! YEARS of abuse by .. willPS (MD US) This thing has passed the test. Mine is old enough that it doesn't have the light, but runs like it's brand new. The action is smooth and crisp. The ergonomics are perfectly figured out. The one (small) issue with it is that when you set it to 45 and then back to 90, there's the possibility that it goes a bit beyond the y-axis, so maybe 95 degrees. I just eyeball it flat, and done. I use my saw all the time and it's built lots of things. It's got the right weight and balance. My buddy got the newer magnesium model (which I wouldn't expect from him, he likes the classics) but he loves it, and I love mine. A bit more dangerous because it doesn't have the electric brake, but I like it free spinning, it just takes a bit more awareness. All in all, probably the only saw I'll ever own. I recommend the Freud Diablo blades, or the Makita black blades, whatever they're called. My Diablo blade has been through a lot, including some small nails, and is still satisfactory for finish work. I'm getting the black blade next because I remember it being really good.