Best Circular Saws (2026): 12 Compared (21 Sources)

What are the best circular saws in 2026?

Summary

Three hands-on tests from 2026 carry this card, and they answer different questions. Pro Tool Reviews' 2026 head-to-head timed 12 cordless sidewinders on a weighted test track, each fitted with the same Diablo 24-tooth blade and its maker's largest suitable premium battery, and scored them: Milwaukee 2834 95, Ryobi PBLCS302 88, Makita GSH01 83, DeWalt DCS578 82, Metabo HPT C3607DB 81, Skil CR5440B 77, Hilti SC 30WR-22 76, Craftsman CMCS551 75, Ridgid R8657 72, Flex FX2141 71, Kobalt KXCS 124B-03 70 and Bosch GKS18V-25N 66 [src1]. TechGearLab scored ten corded and cordless saws on bevel cuts, crosscuts, rips and metal cuts, named the corded SKIL 5280-01 the best circular saw for most people, and gave its highest score, 88, to the Skilsaw SPT77WML-01 worm drive, its pick for professionals [src2]. Popular Mechanics' 2026 guide, built on timed rips and crosscuts in plywood and 2x12 lumber, names the corded Makita 5377MG hypoid saw best overall and the SKIL 5280-01 best value [src4].

The top pick is the cordless winner. Milwaukee's 2834 was first through Pro Tool Reviews' double-stacked OSB rip at 9.76 seconds and second through its full-depth rip in four layers of 3/4-inch OSB at 17.41 seconds, behind the Metabo HPT's 16.37, and it took full marks for stake cutting, dust collection, guard action, sight lines and shoe friction; Pro Tool Reviews found "no significant drawbacks" [src1]. It succeeds the M18 FUEL 2732-20 that this card named until now, which was TechGearLab's best cordless circular saw in its 2024 test [src3] and which Milwaukee's page listed as no longer available when we checked on 2026-10-14 [src13]. Tool Box Buzz put the 2834-20 beside the older saw and found the new one "much smaller and lighter" [src6].

For most people who do not need a cordless saw, the outlets point at one corded model. TechGearLab calls the SKIL 5280-01 "a great all-around saw for both wood and metal cutting projects at a competitive price" [src2]; Popular Mechanics, which names it Best Value, ran it "through full-depth lumber rips and crosscuts without hesitation" [src4]; and Bob Vila, which tested ten saws, gives it Best Laser Guide [src5]. It has no blade brake [src2], and Bob Vila calls it "not for heavy-duty sawing" [src5].

The outlets disagree about a single best saw. Bob Vila's best overall is the Makita XSH06PT, a 36V kit that runs on two 18V batteries [src5]; Popular Mechanics picks the corded Makita 5377MG, which this card does not list [src4]; TechGearLab's highest score went to a corded worm drive [src2]. Read the top pick as the best saw in Pro Tool Reviews' 12-saw cordless test, not as the only defensible choice.

Read every price with its configuration attached: a bare tool comes without a battery or charger, a kit includes them. The table at the top carries today's price for each listing we link; the prices in the sections below are the outlets' list prices and say whose they are. Pro Tool Reviews ran each saw on its maker's largest suitable premium battery [src1], and the battery matters: in its earlier test of the DeWalt DCS573B, the saw ran its test track in 2:52 on a 20V MAX 5.0Ah battery and in 1:43 on a 6.0Ah FlexVolt [src15].

This revision also corrects the earlier version of this card. The current Pro Tool Reviews test does not name the DeWalt DCS578B most powerful — it placed fourth with 82 points, eighth through the double-stacked rip and fourth through the full-depth rip — and it gives no "best for the money" or "best for homeowners" awards to the Skil and Craftsman saws [src1]. Makita also lists the XSH06PT kit at 10.5 lbs with its batteries; the earlier version said 12.0 [src19].

Top 12 Models Compared

Speeds, depths, bevels and weights are the maker's or the named outlet's figures; the line under the table says whose. The Price column holds the latest Amazon price this card checked; a dash means no current Amazon offer, a listing new to this card, or a saw not sold on Amazon. PTR is Pro Tool Reviews.

Spec sources: PTR's 2026 head-to-head for every weight marked PTR except the DCS573B's and the 2521-20's, and for the Ryobi, DeWalt DCS578B, Skil CR5440B-10 and Craftsman speeds, depths and bevels [src1]; PTR's review and Tool Box Buzz for the Milwaukee 2834-20's depth and bevel and Milwaukee for its speed and 7.9 lbs [src7, src6, src12]; TechGearLab for the SKIL 5280-01's and the Skilsaw's measured depths and weights and the Skilsaw's bevel [src2], Bob Vila for the 5280-01's bevel [src5] and Popular Mechanics for its speed, amperage and 8.8 lbs [src4]; Makita for the XSH06PT [src19] and the 5007MG [src21]; Metabo HPT for the C3607DBQ4's speeds, depth and bevel [src11]; PTR's DCS573 review for the DCS573B [src15]; PTR's 2521 review for the 2521-20 [src16]; PTR's guide for the Skil kit's contents [src18]. PTR's 2026 spec table lists a few depths and bevels differently from its saw-by-saw lists (2-9/16 inches and 53° for the Milwaukee 2834, for example); this table follows the saw-by-saw lists and the makers' pages.

Best for Each Use Case

Top Pick: Milwaukee M18 FUEL 2834-20 (bare tool) — See at Milwaukee

The 2834-20 is the third generation of Milwaukee's M18 FUEL 7-1/4-inch sidewinder, announced in 2024 to replace the 2732 [src6, src7]. In Pro Tool Reviews' 2026 head-to-head of 12 cordless circular saws it scored 95 points, the only saw above 90: first through the double-stacked OSB rip at 9.76 seconds, second through the full-depth rip at 17.41 seconds, and full marks for stake cutting, dust collection, guard action, sight lines and shoe friction [src1]. Pro Tool Reviews calls it "a design with virtually no flaws", weighed it at 8.43 lbs bare and 10.81 lbs with an 8.0Ah FORGE battery, and lists it at $279 bare and $449 as a kit [src1]. Its earlier review of the saw found that it "outpaced its predecessor, the 2732, by a significant margin" in 8-foot rips through three stacked sheets of 3/4-inch OSB, and lists a 2-5/8-inch depth at 90°, 2-1/16 inches at 45° and a 57° bevel [src7]. Tool Box Buzz tested it beside the older saw, rated it 4.5 of 5, and singled out the lock-on button that replaces the old thumb safety, depth detents at 1/2, 3/4 and 1-1/2 inches, and a metal bevel lever in place of the old plastic knob; one of its crew said it cuts "like a hot knife through butter" [src6]. Milwaukee rates it at 6,000 RPM and 750 cuts per charge on an M18 FORGE HD12.0 battery, with a 5-year warranty [src12]. Pro Tool Reviews notes a One-Key version, the 2835, which adds tool tracking, wireless vacuum activation and AutoStop kickback control [src1]. It is a bare tool: without M18 batteries, budget for a battery and a charger, or buy the kit.

Best Value: SKIL 5280-01 (corded) — Check price

TechGearLab names the 5280-01 the best circular saw for most home and DIY users — "It's powerful, lightweight, and affordable" — and scored it 77, with 8.0 for ripping and 7.0 for metal cuts; its testers measured 8.1 lbs and a 2-1/3-inch maximum depth, and its complaints are no blade brake and angle markings only at the common angles [src2]. Popular Mechanics names it Best Value: its tester ran it "through full-depth lumber rips and crosscuts without hesitation", liked the easy depth adjustment and the power indicator light, and found it easier to cut without the laser guide [src4]. Bob Vila, which tested ten saws, gives it Best Laser Guide — the laser stayed visible for more than 2 feet outdoors on a mostly sunny day — and calls it "a good choice for making straight and angled cuts on plywood and dimensional lumber" but "not for heavy-duty sawing": the motor got warm to the touch after about 45 minutes, and several components are plastic [src5]. TechGearLab lists it at $70 [src2]. For framing and all-day professional use, see the Makita 5007MG below, Popular Mechanics' Best for Framing [src4], and the Skilsaw SPT77WML-01, TechGearLab's pick for professionals [src2].

Cordless Runner-Up: Ryobi PBLCS302B (bare tool) — See at RYOBI

The PBLCS302B is RYOBI's second-generation 18V ONE+ HP brushless 7-1/4-inch saw [src20]. In Pro Tool Reviews' 2026 test it scored 88 points and finished second of 12: third through the full-depth rip at 17.85 seconds, a result the testers called "one of the biggest surprises", and sixth through the double-stacked rip at 14.10 seconds [src1]. Pro Tool Reviews says it "outperformed quite a few Pro models in our tests", but its dust collection scored 1 of 3, the 45° sight line and the guard on left-hand compound cuts leave "a little room for improvement", and its plastic lower guard marks it as a saw for serious DIYers and prosumers [src1]. Pro Tool Reviews' earlier review lists 5,000 RPM against 4,300 for the PBLCS300 it replaces and, unlike the head-to-head, found its redesigned port collected nearly all the dust with a vacuum attached [src8]. RYOBI lists a 2-9/16-inch depth at 0°, 1-27/32 inches at 45°, and bevel detents at 0, 15, 22-1/2, 30, 45 and 56° [src20]. Pro Tool Reviews weighed it at 8.26 lbs bare and lists it at $139 bare and $199 as a kit [src1]; RYOBI's own store showed $139.00 when we checked on 2026-10-14 [src20]. We link RYOBI's page. Of the outlets we read, only Pro Tool Reviews has tested it, which is why it sits below the two picks.

Best Dual-Battery Kit: Makita XSH06PT (kit) — Check price

Bob Vila's best overall circular saw of the ten it tested [src5]. The XSH06PT runs on two 18V LXT batteries for 36V, and the kit includes two 5.0Ah batteries, a dual-port charger, a blade and a tool bag; Makita lists 6,000 RPM, a 2-5/8-inch depth at 90°, a 0-56° bevel with stops at 22.5°, 45° and 56°, and 10.5 lbs with batteries [src19]. Bob Vila's testers made repeated straight and bevel cuts in plywood and dimensional lumber over an hour; the saw "powered through smoothly with no torque loss, even after the battery indicators showed less than half a charge", and they praised its magnesium shoe and blade guard but found that "quite a bit of sawdust" escaped the dust port [src5]. Its tester: "If I could only choose one circular saw for most nonshop situations—either a corded 7¼-inch model or the Makita XSH06PT—I'd choose the Makita" [src5]. Pro Tool Reviews' 2026 test included a different Makita, the 40V max XGT GSH01, which placed third with 83 points [src1].

For DeWalt FlexVolt Owners: DeWalt FlexVolt 60V DCS578B (bare tool) — Check price

In Pro Tool Reviews' 2026 test the DCS578 scored 82 points: fourth through the full-depth rip at 19.52 seconds and eighth through the double-stacked rip at 15.53 seconds, with full marks for guard action and stake cutting [src1]. Its verdict: "For Pros who want the best performance from a DeWalt sidewinder, this is your saw" [src1]. Its biggest complaint is shoe friction — "The coating on DeWalt's circular saws doesn't glide nearly as well as others" — and the vacuum adapter is sold separately [src1]. Pro Tool Reviews lists 5,800 RPM, a 57° bevel, 8.33 lbs bare and 11.53 lbs with a 9.0Ah FlexVolt battery, and $299 bare [src1]. If your DeWalt packs are 20V MAX rather than FlexVolt, the DCS573B below takes both [src15].

Fastest Full-Depth Rip: Metabo HPT C3607DBQ4 (bare tool) — Check price

Metabo HPT's 36V MultiVolt saw with Torque Boost was the fastest saw through Pro Tool Reviews' full-depth rip at 16.37 seconds and second through the double-stacked rip at 10.10 seconds; the testers say it "went back and forth with Milwaukee at the top of our cutting performance tests" [src1]. The bigger issue, in Pro Tool Reviews' words, was the guard: it gave trouble on right-hand compound cuts, scoring 1 of 3, which the testers call "a real issue" for stick-framing hip roofs and dormers [src1]. Its dust collection could not be tested — the manual lists a vacuum adapter, but the testers could not find one for sale — and that did not count in the score [src1]. It can also run from a wall outlet through an AC adapter; Pro Tool Reviews weighed it at 8.35 lbs bare and lists it at $209 bare and $379 as a kit [src1]. Metabo HPT lists 6,000 RPM, or 4,300 in the high-torque mode, a 2-7/16-inch depth at 90°, a 55° bevel and 7.9 lbs for the tool body, says it is "More than 25% faster and 40% more torque than previous model", and covers the tool body with a lifetime warranty [src11]. Pro Tool Reviews names it the C3607DB; the listing we link is the tool-only C3607DBQ4.

Cordless Kit for DIYers: Skil PWRCore 20 XP CR5440B-10 (kit) — Check price

In Pro Tool Reviews' 2026 test the CR5440B scored 77 points, sixth of 12: ninth through the double-stacked rip at 16.70 seconds and last through the full-depth rip at 28.05 seconds, though it finished the cut; its sight lines scored perfectly [src1]. Pro Tool Reviews: "Pick this one up if you're a serious DIYer or handyman who doesn't have a Pro budget but wants decent performance and a durable, Pro-inspired design" [src1]. It weighed 7.29 lbs bare, second-lightest in the test, its battery charges over USB-C, and Pro Tool Reviews lists it at $139 bare and $169 as a kit [src1]; its guide describes the kit as the saw with a 4.0Ah battery and a charger [src18]. Pro Tool Reviews' 2024 review gave it a Value Pick and noted that its 2-5/8-inch depth lets it rip three stacked sheets of 3/4-inch plywood [src10]. It was this card's value pick until this revision; the 2026 test no longer supports that: at the same $139 bare-tool price Pro Tool Reviews lists, the Ryobi above scored 88 to its 77 [src1]. It stays as the cordless saw for a buyer who has no batteries yet.

Lightest Saw in PTR's Test: Craftsman V20 RP CMCS551B (bare tool) — Check price

"This is the lightest saw in our test group," Pro Tool Reviews says of the CMCS551: 7.26 lbs bare and 8.81 lbs with its 6.0Ah battery [src1]. It scored 75 points, with perfect sight lines but tenth through the double-stacked rip at 17.67 seconds and eighth through the full-depth rip at 23.41 seconds; its shoe drags more than most — "Like its Pro cousin, DeWalt, the shoe doesn't glide as easily" — it has no rafter hook, and its vacuum adapter is sold separately [src1]. Pro Tool Reviews lists only a bare-tool price, $189 [src1]. In its 2024 review the saw came third of 14 in a power-to-weight rip test, and the reviewer gave it "an A+ from a comfort standpoint" [src9]. Buy it if you already own Craftsman V20 batteries and weight matters more to you than speed.

For DeWalt 20V MAX Owners: DeWalt FlexVolt Advantage DCS573B (bare tool) — Check price

The DCS573B takes both DeWalt 20V MAX and FlexVolt batteries and gets more from the FlexVolt pack: up to 77% more power, according to DeWalt [src15]. Pro Tool Reviews ran it over its test track in 2:52 on a 20V MAX 5.0Ah battery and in 1:43 on a 6.0Ah FlexVolt, "just 4 seconds off the pace" of DeWalt's second-generation FlexVolt sidewinder; its complaints were the sight line to the blade and some guard hesitation at 45° bevels [src15]. Tool Box Buzz's crew used it on deck jobs, cut forty 2x10 joists on one 6.0Ah FlexVolt battery, then switched to a 20V 8.0Ah pack and "noticed the decrease in power and speed"; it rated the saw 4.5 of 5 [src14]. Both reviews date from 2020, and none of the 2026 tests we read includes it. Pro Tool Reviews lists 5,500 RPM, a 2-9/16-inch depth at 90° and 8.2 lbs, and priced it at $199 bare in 2020 [src15].

Corded Worm Drive for Pros: Skilsaw SPT77WML-01 (corded) — Check price

TechGearLab's highest-scoring saw at 88 and its pick for professionals: "This worm drive saw is a leader in the class at ripping dimensional lumber and crosscutting at the blade's full depth," its tester said, and it scored 9.8 for ripping [src2]. TechGearLab praises its lever adjustments, its 0-53° bevel with a 45° stop and sight lines that are "spot-on accurate at 0 and 45 degrees"; the downsides are price, weight — 11.6 lbs measured — and the cord. It is blade-left, and TechGearLab lists it at $199 [src2]. Pro Tool Reviews' guide recommends it to anyone who wants a corded worm drive rather than a cordless rear-handle saw [src18].

Corded Sidewinder for Framing: Makita 5007MG (corded) — Check price

Popular Mechanics' Best for Framing: "I think I've seen Makita's 5007MG circular saw on more construction sites than any other saw by an order of magnitude," its reviewer writes, calling it a "framer's framing saw" that "tracks incredibly well over plywood and paneling"; it notes the two onboard LED lights and the dust blower, and the cord as the trade-off [src4]. Makita lists a 15-amp, 5,800 RPM motor, magnesium components, 10.6 lbs, a 2-1/2-inch depth at 90° and a 0-56° bevel with stops at 22.5°, 45° and 56° [src21].

Compact 5-3/8-Inch Saw: Milwaukee M12 FUEL 2521-20 (bare tool) — See at Milwaukee

The 2521 is the second generation of Milwaukee's M12 FUEL 5-3/8-inch saw, replacing the 2530 [src16]. Pro Tool Reviews lists 3,850 RPM, a 1-1/2-inch maximum depth, a 50° bevel, 4.7 lbs bare and 5.6 lbs with a 5.0Ah battery, and found it handled cross, miter, bevel and compound miter cuts "with relative ease"; it is blade-left, and the right-handed reviewer found the 90° sight line slightly obscured by the upper guard [src16]. Milwaukee rates it at up to 190 cuts in 2x4 on an M12 HIGH OUTPUT XC5.0 battery and pitches it for cuts in small spaces and overhead [src17]. Pro Tool Reviews priced it at $159 bare and $259 as a kit in 2024 [src16]. We link Milwaukee's own page. Of the outlets we read, only Pro Tool Reviews has reviewed it.

Key Market Trends (2026)

• Milwaukee's sidewinder changed generations: the 2834-20 has replaced the 2732-20, which Milwaukee's page listed as no longer available when we checked on 2026-10-14 [src13], and the new saw won Pro Tool Reviews' 2026 test, as the 2732 had won the previous one [src1].
• A prosumer saw finished second: the Ryobi PBLCS302B scored 88 in Pro Tool Reviews' 12-saw test, above the DeWalt, Makita and Hilti saws; the testers say it "outperformed quite a few Pro models" [src1].
• The testers disagree about corded power: Pro Tool Reviews writes that "many brands easily outperform 15-amp corded saws with their flagship brushless models" [src1]; Popular Mechanics says corded saws "are almost always more powerful than cordless options", while noting that battery advances have "significantly narrowed that gap" [src4].
• The battery changes the result: Pro Tool Reviews ran each saw on its maker's largest suitable premium battery [src1], and its DCS573B review cut the same saw's test-track time from 2:52 to 1:43 by switching from a 20V MAX 5.0Ah battery to a 6.0Ah FlexVolt [src15].

Important Caveats

• Today's prices are in the table at the top of the page. Prices in the sections above are the outlets' list prices at the time they wrote — Pro Tool Reviews' 2026 test, TechGearLab's 2026 guide, and Pro Tool Reviews' reviews from 2020 to 2025 — or RYOBI's own page. A bare tool comes without a battery or charger; a kit includes them.
• Eight of the ten alternatives rest on one outlet's testing: the Ryobi PBLCS302B, DeWalt DCS578B, Metabo HPT C3607DBQ4, Skil CR5440B-10, Craftsman CMCS551B and Milwaukee 2521-20 on Pro Tool Reviews, the Makita XSH06PT on Bob Vila, and the Makita 5007MG on Popular Mechanics. The DeWalt DCS573B's two reviews are from 2020.
• Pro Tool Reviews' times come from one blade, the Diablo 24-tooth framing and demolition blade, and from each maker's largest suitable premium battery [src1]; Pro Tool Reviews' own DCS573B review shows a smaller battery slowing the same saw [src15].
• The Ryobi PBLCS302B, the Milwaukee 2834-20 and the Milwaukee 2521-20 link to the maker's own page rather than Amazon. RYOBI's page showed $139.00 when we checked on 2026-10-14 [src20]; Milwaukee's pages send buyers to its retailers [src12, src17].
• The Milwaukee 2732-20, this card's previous top pick, was listed as no longer available on Milwaukee's page when we checked on 2026-10-14 [src13]; a listing for it is not a listing for the 2834-20.
• Cut depths and bevels are the makers' or the testers' figures; real depth falls with blade thickness and wear.
• Blade side is a matter of preference; try both if you can before buying into a platform.