Hi I am planning on buying tơther half a circular saw for christmas (hint hint its one way of getting him doing some diy). I have no idea on brands...looking forsomething pretty long lasting and reasonably heavy duty. His drills are bosch but ive read people using makita...what do you recommend andwhere would u buy it from to get best price? I am very happy to buy from anywhere any country for best price.
Completely agree with Martin. It all depends on how much you're going to use the tools. I've bought saws, routers, grinders and all sorts of other stuff from Aldi and they've performed perfectly the few times I have needed them. If I were building a house or renovating one extensively from from the ground up, I'd probably go for one of the main brands mentioned by others here. Whatever you buy, make sure the wattage is as high as you can afford.
You've also got to ask yourself how often you'll use it, no point in spending huge amounts of money on a named brand if it's only going to sit on a shelf after 1 job, you'll notice that a lot of tools look identical because they are, you're only paying for the name, besides, a circular saw is only as good as the blade that's in it, sharp blades make even the cheapest of saws work well, blunt blades will make the most expensive ones look rubbish, as well as my Auchan special, I've got a bosch battery saw which is as much use as a window with no glass in it, but that's mainly down to it having no power, the higher the wattage, the better the saw.
I'd look at how often it will get used and what it's being used for, typical example, i've go a cheap €6 orbital sander with no name on, Festool(French) make the exact same sander, just with their name on it, and it's €20.
I am the same as Terry, Metabo and Skil table saw and portable circular respectively. I also have a Ryobi mitre saw with laser guides. All a good price still, done me for several years each. All easy to change blades as well, which counts.
I bought a 2000w saw from Auchan 3 years ago, laser guided, €50, can't fault it, and i'm a chippy.
Me too Terry, Metabo, kit is very good indeed. Corded or cordless Suzanne?
Don't overlook the circular saws that are in Terry's 3rd link that have the track the saw can run in, a very handy addition and a great time saver.
Depends what you want, Suzanne.
like this? http://www.outillage2000.com/Scies-onglets-c-11_134.html
Or like this: http://www.outillage2000.com/Scies-circulaires-portatives-c-11_243.html
I use Metabo tools these days because I find them good value. But they ain't cheap. On the other hand I have a Skil portable circular saw which I've had for so long I can no longer remember when I bought it. And it still works perfectly.