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I am going to be doing a project where I am cutting poured concrete with a diamond blade. I have to invest in a new circular saw anyway, so I am looking for one that is up to this task. By best I mean:
1. Power of the motor to blast through the concrete.
2. Depth of cut- the deeper the better.
why not rent? they definitely have the best tools i cant afford
Renting makes sense sometimes ... large stuff, yeah. If one will be using the tool for more than one project, though, it doesn't make sense.
Heck, there are times in which even for one project, it's cheaper to buy than it is to rent, on the aspect that you're not under any time limitations. In my cases, it certainly was for a wet tile saw ($19 daily vs. $50 for buying a basic one) and drywall hoist ($45/daily; I bought one for $150). If you don't need it afterwards, resell it on craigslist or something. I could easily get $30 for that tile saw, and all $150 back on that drywall hoist.
We've done thousands of lineal feet of concrete sawcutting for control joints, anchor grooves for coatings, or decorative cuts with a Skil worm drive saw and SAWTEC blades, and the saw is still going strong.
If you're going to invest in a saw- don't use it on concrete. That's the only thing it will be good for when your done.
Worm-drive is definitely the torque hog. But it also the heaviest portable saw on the market. It's not a H/O DIY type saw.
As far as a good circular saw, light weight, good quality- Porter Cable (now owned by DeWalt). They have one model- that's two (they reverse the model number digits). One's a left-hand and the other a right-hand. Most circular saws have the blade on the right side (I call this a lefthanded saw- think about it and you'll "see" why), Porter Cable has one with the blade on the left (a righthanded saw)-
I love that saw. I have two.
As far as cutting the concrete- rent a gas powered saw with the 12" blade. With that you have about 5 1/2" of cutting depth, plenty of torque and no damage to a sole plate of a circular saw.
Renting makes sense sometimes ... large stuff, yeah. If one will be using the tool for more than one project, though, it doesn't make sense.
Heck, there are times in which even for one project, it's cheaper to buy than it is to rent, on the aspect that you're not under any time limitations. In my cases, it certainly was for a wet tile saw ($19 daily vs. $50 for buying a basic one) and drywall hoist ($45/daily; I bought one for $150). If you don't need it afterwards, resell it on craigslist or something. I could easily get $30 for that tile saw, and all $150 back on that drywall hoist.
I agree and this job seems to be one of them, like floorsanding, scafolding, carpet cleaners, and time machines
You can always do it the new American way. Just get a cheap wormj drive saw at Harbpor Freight and when it burns out, toss it out. With limited use, it may last a while.
I bought a framing nailer there and have used it for five years. It meets my needs. In fact, when our contractors $800 Hitachi nailer broke, he borrowed mine and used it for a week. It jams a lot more than a fancy one, but for basic occaisional use, it serves its purpose.
I prefer this over renting, becasue it can be really inconveneint to get the tool returned. If I do not finish my project on Sunday, and then am out of town for the next week. I either have to try to get my wife to return the rented tool, or pay for it for a week when I do not use it. I prefer to do the work on my schedule. For me. It is cheaper to buy a cheap tool and use it for one or two projects than to rent one.
Many brands of tool motors are essentially the same, Most of them are made in the same factories in China as the cheap ones. realistically if you want good quality, you have to buy used, but then you might loose some of the benefit of technology. Someone can tell you when, but withing the past ten or fifteen years, the quality level of Dewalt, Makita and Milwaulkee dropped. There are specific dates when they change their manufacturing process and a good tool guy can give you those dates. Buy a tool from before that date and you will get far better quality.
You can always do it the new American way. Just get a cheap wormj drive saw at Harbpor Freight and when it burns out, toss it out.
I don't think they carry one anymore ... it may be worm driven, but its build was still HF. Pricewise, it wasn't all that great either, considering one can get a Milwaukee worm drive from Amazon for $133 (as of this post's date)
As for quality/date of manufacturer ... in the past decade, many have completely moved overseas already, usually with a design change, so I'd venture to say that country of origin is a safe bet. I think 2007 was the transition between USA-made and China-made Skil worm drives. Only time will tell if the recent ones are truly as durable as the old ones.
How durable is durable enough? Well. just recently, my Dormeyer drill conked out. It's over 50 years old.
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