Customer Reviews

Black & Decker CS1030L 13 Amp 7-1/4-Inch Laser Circular Saw with Soft Grips

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

OK, if you are a serious user, then you shouldn't be looking at Black and Decker to begin with. But, if you are like most of us weekend warriors, then this saw fits the bill nicely. There are a lot of nice features like a front and rear handle. You can raise the blade guard during use without putting you fingers as near the blade as the older models, as well as many new ones. I still have all 10 fingers. It is quick and easy to change depth and angles. Once use to the laser guide, you'll always want one. It made a long project this summer much for enjoyable after bucking my older, better saw for 30 years. Under heavier use, I gave it some breathers, as it isn't an upper end saw, but for the money and features, it is hard to beat.

As another reviewer mentioned...this likely isn't going to be found on many construction sites being used day in and day out, but for the handyman, weekend warrior, or occasional craftsmen, this is a great product. I was compelled to purchase after the "cut center" at one of the big box stores left my custom closet shelf eaten up due to a badly dulled blade...30 minutes later, with this saw I was making beautiful clean cuts guided by the laser. For the $50 this saw will set you back you will have a reliable, safe, nice cutting product.

the 1030l replaced the 1040 model.

the obvious differences are a drop from 14 amps to 13 amps, if this was it then no problem..... unfortunately it's not!!!!

the 1030l is a much lesser product that they have obviously reduced the cost of build (even though retailed at the same price).

The first thing is they dont include the ripguard on the 1030l - FFS it's a 10c piece of metal, why would they not include this.

The second thing is that the 1030l doesn't include the spin lock button - basically this prevents the blade from spinning when you change the blade (among other things).

Anyway, like i said it's still priced about right but dissapointing they removed basic things like this.


Dean

I have had this saw for over two years. At first I thought it was pretty good, until it came time to change the blade. This model does not have a motor lock - meaning when you attempt to loosen the bolt the motor spins. Loosening a tight blade can be done; however, there is no way to properly tighten the blade back on. The motor spins, the bolt will only tighten half-way, and you're up a creek.

The owner's manual says to block the teeth of the blade with a piece of scrap wood to keep it from spinning. This works to loosen the blade, but does nothing to prevent the motor from turning while you tighten the blade back in place.

In effect, this is a disposable saw. Shame on you, Black and Decker.

I bought this circular saw in July and really like it. It's a nice solid and quite heavy piece which comes with a general purpose rip saw blade, laser sighting, height adjustment and angle adjustment for beveling.

I read some negative reviews about the saw and was a little concerned that I may not be able to change the blade. This turned out to be incorrect. For one thing, the blade comes detached from the saw and you have to mount it yourself. Sure it would be nice to have a motor lock down button. In fact not having one, seems a bit of a oversight, but like the manual says, just dig the blade into a piece of scrap wood. It works well enough, and if that isn't to your liking, just use a vice to hold the blade whilst you undo the nut and flange that releases the blade.

I have used the saw a few times and it works very well, so long as you take some time and follow the proper procedures like letting it spin up to speed before putting the blade in contact with the material you plan to cut.

I bought a threshold for my studio door that required the door to be cut with a bevel in order for the door to close properly without distorting the seal and ruining it. The saw did a great job, the site marker on the foot of the saw worked well, but the best thing was the laser sight line which made following my line dead easy.

I found that one of the most important things when cutting is to set the depth of the blade so the teeth just peek through the material you are cutting. This means that you have fewer teeth in the wood so the saw has an easier job of cutting and is easier to control and cut in straight lines. Setting for a shallower cut also gives you more room on the sides of the metal foot, so you can easily create a saw guide or follow a straight edge.

I made a cross cut guide for cutting the laminate floor boards at perfect right angles and found the above tips worked really well. Using masking tape along where I was going to cut stopped the finish from splintering on my laminate. Wish I had known about this when I did the door.

One thing I'd really love to see would be some mounting holes on the metal foot of the saw so I could mount it to board and jury rig a quick saw bench.

Overall I am very pleased with this circular saw. It's the best of about half a dozen I have used over the years. The laser sighting especially makes a real difference.

I took this saw out of the box, found that all the adjustments had been made perfectly at the factory, and proceeded to cut 96 linear inches of 1/8-inch plate steel and make about two dozen angle cuts across 1 1/4" x 1 1/4" angle iron. If this saw is not found on construction sites, it certainly isn't because it lacks the power. The laser has turned out to be a much bigger help than I thought it would because, since it projects well out onto the stock, it shows the slightest tendency of your hand to turn the saw. Since this can be corrected early, the cuts are straighter and the saw runs with less friction on the sides of the kerf, thus more blade speed and less chance of kickback generally. The general weight and balance of this saw, in addition the the locations and configuration of the grips, are excellent. It is a pleasure to use it. I can't imagine why I would pay more for a saw when this is available.

When I got this saw I had three projects pending and was able to complete the projects with the help with this saw, the laser light I enjoy very much because of my eye emparement. I rate this saw with high marks.
Tom

quality built product, perfect for the homeowner. Only thing missing from the saw that wouldve given it 5 stars is a spindle lock for mounting the blade. Other then that, no problems with the unit.

This is a handymans saw.I like the weight and the laser sight.It can take what I can throw at it.However, I am not using it in an industrial capacity.Nice!

Can't emphasize the utility of the on board laser. This allows you to rip a 4X8 plywood board with ease! Makes this tool as easy to use as a jigsaw. Nice feature is that the laser is powered by the cord rather than batteries!