HA! I got you guys good!
(Please click the video for effect, or pretend it auto-played. Sorry, I didn’t want to go that far.)
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I’m sorry, with a title like that, you were expecting us to talk politics, right?
A couple of people have asked about ToolGuyd’s position on the political stances of different tool brands, retailers, or persons related to them. Yeah… I’m not touching that topic with an 8′ 2×4. There is no shortage of other places for you to read about politics.
For the regulars reading this, I do care about you guys and what you have to say, but I’m not interested in talking politics.
I hope you’re not mad at the trick, but you can’t possibly tell me you were hoping for us to actually talk about politics, right?
Let’s have a heated debate and poll of a different kind.
What type of cordless circular saw do you prefer? Left or right?
It might not seem like a big deal, but a lot of users have long-established preferences when it comes to circular saw blade sides, and many are frustrated by the lack of cordless circular saws aligned with their wants.
And no, this isn’t any kind of analogy or symbolism. I’ve been wanting to ask about your circular saw blade preferences for a while. Maybe I’m wrong (hopefully not), but I also wanted to make light of politics right now, as it’s hard to escape the topic. I figure there’s a good chance you opened this post, bracing for what I had to say, and hopefully you’re relieved that this isn’t at all about politics.
Personally, I’m still undecided. I suppose I prefer right-facing track saws, and that could carry over to circular saws, but I also find left-cutting saws to be easier for making unguided cuts.
This is Dewalt’s 6-1/2″ saw, with a left-facing bladed. Despite brushless circular saws having been around for a while, 6-1/2″ saws are still very popular and are often included in cordless combo kits and bundles. 6-1/2″ saws are also smaller – a selling point for some – and are more affordably priced.
Shown above is the new Dewalt 20V Max FlexVolt Advantage cordless circular saw.
While brushed motor 6-1/2″ cordless circular saws are often left-hand-facing, 7-1/4″ brushless circular saws are right-hand-facing.
Most full-size corded 7-1/4″ circular saws are also right-facing, and so their designs make sense. But, there must be some user-centered reason why 6-1/2″ saws, introduced much earlier, are (almost?) all engineered with left-facing blades.
Then you have cordless rear-handle worm drive-like cordless circular saws that are left-facing.
Shown here is the Dewalt FlexVolt 60V Max rear-handle circular saw.
For a righty, right-facing circular saws allow you to make a cut with your entire body on the opposite side of the blade (motor-side). In theory, this is safer body positioning. Left-facing circular saws give you much better cut-line visibility, but your body faces the blade or is placed directly behind it and with a hand grip that crosses your arms over the blade line.
For a lefty, things are reversed.
Some brands gave you a choice when it came to corded circular saws (such as Milwaukee), offering both blade-right and blade-left sidewinder-style saw options.
With cordless power tools, you don’t have a choice – if you want a particular model of circular saw, you go blade-left or blade-right based on the brand’s design and engineering decisions.
So, generally these days:
- 6-1/2″ saws have left-facing blades
- 7-1/4″ saws have right-facing blades
- 7-1/4″ rear-handle saws have left-facing blades
Which do you prefer? Blade-left or blade-right cordless circular saws?
I supposed I should encourage you to vote, or remind you to ensure you are registered to vote by your state’s deadlines if you wish to vote. You can find more info at Vote.gov.