Customer Reviews

Black & Decker CS144 14.4 Volt FireStorm Cordless Circular Saw

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

If you're looking for a cordless saw for acurrate light/medium cutting around the house,this is it.I originally got mine to take some strain off a sore arm. I wanted something quick & easy to use and not get too deep finacially into it. This filled the bill and now I use it over all my other saws. It's really nice not having a cord trailling behind you especially when cutting plywood sheets. The gauge for angle cuts is quick and very accurate to use.It worked well for me when I did a floor moulding project. I don't think it would be suitable for heavy professional use but it kicks but around the house.There's two drawbacks...one,the blade turns backwards,it comes thru the wood and up at you in the front of the cut. No big deal but if you buy other manufacturer's blades you need to put them on in reverse. The other is the cost of additional blades and backup power packs.They're expensive.

I got this as part of a combo pack with the FireStorm drill, and to be honest, I almost took it back before I'd used it because I thought maybe I wouldn't use it enough to justify the cost.

Wow, was I wrong! It's great - it handles most home cutting chores and the fact that it's cordless means it gets used most often now. If I need to cut something, this is the tool I'm most likely to grab.

It's surprisingly easy to make smooth, straight cuts with, although a bit more precision (and detents?) in the angle settings and an edge guide would be welcome additions.

Also, at least in the combo pack, it comes with a blade that's a bit on the rough-cut side. It produces good cuts, but I wouldn't mind a few more teeth. Fortunately, like its drill sibling, it's DeWalt compatible, so I'm planning to buy a nice blade for finish work. The little spring loaded window cleans with a flick and may be the reason why I can cut so well with this thing.

Honestly, at first I kind of thought this saw was a gimmick, but I've used it much more than I ever would have imagined, and better yet, I'm doing things I would have put off if I had to lug out the circular saw and an extension cord.

It's not the right tool for everything, but it's the first sub-7" circular saw I've seen that's worth beans. The fact that it works with the rest of the FireStorm gear is icing on the cake. (Remember that FS 14.4V battery packs are interchangeable with the popular DeWalt 14.4V battery packs, so I expect they'll be available for a long time to come, unlike most cordless tools which have a useful life of only a couple of years.)

I purchased this to remove cedar siding for trimming exterior windows and doors. It performed well, albeit the factory battery is virtually useless. DeWalt 14.4 batteries fit the B&D although not perfectly. The lock tabs on the Dewalt batteries are slightly shorter so you need to finagle them a bit. Once locked, you're good to go with power to spare. Bottom line, for the money this is an excellent little saw if you already own a DeWalt 14.4 tool which enables you to interchange the batteries. Otherwise, the money you thought you saved on the saw itself will certainly be spent buying aftermarket batteries and a one hour charger to make the tool usuable. BTW, it comes with a 14 tooth carbide blade which cuts well.

I have only had this saw for a few months but find that I am grabbing it way more than I thought I would. The strong, well built design is very comfortable to use. The 14.4 volt power pack provides plenty of "umph" for plywood and gave me no problem cross-cutting a 2x6. I like the small blade viewing window, though it gets caked with sawdust fairly quick, due to the "reverse" direction of the blade (What were they thinking?). This great little saw added some versatility and color to my woodshop!

I bought the firestorm circular saw because I already owned the 14.4 Volt drill (which is a great product). The design of the saw is good. It is easy to make straight cuts. The flaw it the saw is the lack of power. The battery runs down quickly. The battery dies after cutting about 12 feet of 3/4 inch partical board, then needs to charge for 3 hours. Luckly I have two batteries which came with my drill and the one which came with the saw. Even so, I am unable to complete a project without long delays charging batteries. The engineers who designed this saw were not thinking too well when they coupled it with a 14.4 volt battery. Were they intentionally trying to jip me or were they just stupid. The saw would be just fine for cutting a board or two, but running out of power every five minutes is a little lame. I will nowhave to go out and buy another saw just to complete my project. I'm very disapointed..

I got this saw for Christmas from my family, and have already put it through it's paces. It is very strong and durable, and should give you years of trouble free service. It's features make it the best. The easy to use safety switch protects you, and people in the vicinity from accidents, as does the fast electric brake. I didn't like this feature at first, but now I see its usefulness. It is a great saw, because it walks through a 2x4 like a knife through butter. Nothing seems to stop it on a full charge. You will be very pleased with this purchase. But don't expect more from it than what it promises. It is a household cordless saw with limitations. Want more? Look at some of the new 24v cordless tools. They give more than you need, but I would trade them all for my Firestorm.

For the money this little saw can't be beet.I've used it to build a patio cover,a partition wall, and closets etc.It has all the power I need to cut easily throught 2x lumber. It even cut through the roofing nails on my roof sheathing.The batteries and blades are interchangeable with Dewalt so you don't have to worry about not being able to find what you need to do a job.

This would have been a great tool if the battery lasted. Even though I have four batteries from other Firestorm tools, I still ran out of power very quickly. I ended up having to use my regular plug in circular saw all the time and now I don't even carry this tool in my truck.

I read many of the reviews that pertained to this item before I perchased it. Although many of them stated that the battery that came with the saw wasn't up to par, it wasn't a problem for them because they owned some 14.4V DeWalt tool and the batteries were interchangeable so they would use the DeWalt battery and the saw preformed fine. I own two 14.4V DeWalt drills, one 3/8 in. and one 1/2 in. chuck. This gave me four back-up batteries. It was because of these reviews that I purchased this saw, based on the fact that I could use my other batteries as needed to do a job. Well, the batteries are not interchangeable. They are completely different. I guess Black & Decker has changed their design or something, but they are not the same. My beef is, your picture shows the older style. One with a battery that might interchange with DeWalt. Your pictures and review information is misleading. I also read on my invoice that I can return the item, no questions asked, in its new, unopened container. I didn't (couldn't) descover the problem until after I had opened it. Needless to say, I wasn't happy with my purchase.

the battery life makes this saw useless. it makes only 2 or 3 cuts before you notice it loses power. that's absolutely ridiculous. i wasted my money on this tool.