Sometimes we don’t think anyone is listening, other times we think perhaps they are. We previously posted this Cordless Circular Saw Article comparing the 18Vx2 Makita 7-1/4” with the M18 Milwaukee 6-1/2” cordless circular saws and gave props to the Makita because we found professionals demanded a full 7-1/4” saw which could use the 7-1/4” blades they’ve got piled up on the jobsite. Perhaps they listened or more likely they saw sales leaving to the Teal Team, regardless Milwaukee now has an answer in the 2731-20 ($219), or 2 battery kit 2731-22 ($429) and it’s a pretty compelling answer.
The new Milwaukee M18 FUEL Circular Saw however isn’t really up against the Makita cordless saw in our minds, both face a much bigger hurdle in changing people’s view that any cordless circular saw has the power or run-time to do the work of their corded counterparts. Circular saws are high AMP tools that have for years been constant disappointments in cordless form so it’s no wonder pros don’t even want to give them a chance. The new Milwaukee Circular Saw Kit 2731-22 will definitely make people give cordless a second look because it is actually claiming faster cuts than the 2 most popular pro circular saws on the market. In consistent speed tests (conducted by Milwaukee) where a 10lb weight is attached to saws as the only force applied and they cross cut down through a 2×10 the M18 Milwaukee 2731-22 made the cut in 2.25 second where the corded Dewalt DWE575 and Makita 5007 both took over 2.6 seconds. If they can convince people the saw has the power to outperform these popular corded models you may at least get their attention. Milwaukee also tested against the Makita cordless saw XSH01Z and found their cordless saw to be equal or faster to the corded saws as well making it clear both cordless saws can get the job done.
Of course the next question after you’ve determined it has the power is how long will it last. A cordless circular saw doesn’t provide much benefit on a rooftop if you’ve got to climb down every few minutes to replace the battery. Milwaukee’s testing claims a single charge of the provided 4.0Ah M18 batteries will make an average of 233 cuts in standard 2×4 material. That is a ton of cutting per charge which Milwaukee credits to their high performance brushless FUEL motor as well as their Redlink electronics system. When compared to the Makita Circular Saw Kit XSH01X ($429) which currently includes the Makita 3.0Ah batteries (these kits will be upgraded to 4.0Ah very shortly) Milwaukee is claiming in the same test the Makita only makes 164 cuts per charge.
If you were to use the 35% increase typical going from 3.0 to 4.0Ah that would still put the Makita saw slightly under the Milwaukee per charge performance with the Makita using two LXT 4.0Ah batteries. Again this is all according to Milwaukee testing which we have found to be pretty fair in the past but we haven’t done ourselves. That is in additional to being 1.5 lbs lighter than the Makita, which is several lbs lighter than the corded competition. If these are in fact accurate numbers it would be reasonable to assume the better runtime of the Milwaukee FUEL saw can be attributed to more efficient brushless motor vs Makita saw which is a using a brushed motor. No doubt Makita is already working on a brushless version of this saw as well.
What makes us very happy about this tool launch and continued advancement in cordless circular saws is that again we are seeing the cordless tools outperforming and the runtimes getting long enough to make them very viable alternatives to corded. With 5.0Ah either available or coming soon from most vendors and 6.0Ah probably not far behind it’s not hard to imagine corded saws being a rare sight on jobsites in only a few years from now. For more information on any Milwaukee M18 Tools contact the pros at Ohio Power Tool 800-242-4424 and they will be happy to answer any questions. For additional information on the M18 Circular Saw 2731-22 see the full Milwaukee Press Release below.
