Customer Reviews

Bosch CS20 15 Amp 7-1/4-Inch Circular Saw with Direct Connect

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I recently purchased a house, and not being a person who has the money to hire someone else to do it for me, I've become my own handyman. Not to mention I was interested in building stuff for my house and garage, as well.

I've never owned a circular saw before. I had never even used one. I went into this completely new to it. I did extensive research prior to purchasing.

My research quickly narrowed it down to three saws - the Bosch CS20, the Milwaukee 6394-21, and Porter-Cable 325MAG. From everything I've read, these are all excellent choices and each have their benefits. The Porter-Cable had the quik-blade change system (no tools required) and adjustable dust port. The Milwaukee had the Quik-lok cord and tilt-lok handle. The Bosch has the quick-disconnect cord and rafter hook (so you can hang your saw from a rafter or something while working). To me, the best way to decide from here was to go to a store and handle all the saws.

After handling the saws, I found that I liked the Bosch best overall and here's why: it wasn't too heavy and felt well balanced. The depth and angle adjustments were EXTREMELY easy to use. I could change them with one hand. On the Porter-Cable, I had to sit it down or support it against my body to change them. Not very ergonomic if you ask me. And finally, the Milwaukee wouldn't even adjust; the handle was so tight, neither me or my friend could loosen it. I also felt that the Bosch had the best line of sight out of all of them. Also, there were detents on the angle adjustment AND the Bosch goes to 56 degrees. And finally, the features - I've read that the tilt-lok on the Milwaukee isn't that great. A friend of mine that owns this model agreed; he set it once and rarely messes with it. The Porter-Cable's features weren't all that important to me. The tool-less blade change would be great but didn't make up for the angle and depth adjustment controls. With the Bosch, the rafter-hook wasn't that big of a deal to me but the quick disconnect was. If I accidentally cut through my cord on the Bosch, all I have to do is go to Wal-Mart and pick up another extension cord and I'm back in business. The Milwaukee has a detachable cord but it's only sold by them meaning you'd still have to order it from them and probably pay an arm and a leg.

So I settled upon the Bosch and ordered it when I got back my tax return. I haven't used it very much yet but so far, it has been an excellent saw. It's without mention that it goes through 2x4s like a hot knife through butter. But I was also impressed with the way it handled 2x6s. The line of sight was also excellent. The saw is easy to handle and doesn't sound to be all that loud. The blade guard is smooth and easy to operate by hand. The trigger also has a nice tactile feedback. The saw as a whole is very easy to control.

To me, this saw is a 5-star in every way. I wish it had a quick blade change feature like the Porter-Cable but it's a minor complaint. Also, the saw, in my opinion, looks as good as it works.

I've always been drawn to Bosch products and this reminds me why - this saw is high quality for the price, looks good and works great. Everything I love about Bosch. And it's made in the good old U.S.A. Can't beat that.

To me, this is the best saw in this price range. Before anyone buys it, though, I recommend you go to your local home improvement store and handle the various circular saws and see which works best for you.

I have used many sidewinder style circular saws over the years, and of them all, this one is the best...

This is a very well balanced saw, and has a very comfortable grip.

It's power is easily as rated, if not better, which is an excewption to the rule as most circular saws seem to be a low less powerful than the manufacturer claims.

Bosch's innovative Direct Connect feature is so smart, it's one of those things that makes you ask "Why didn't someone think of this before?"

I was a little hesitant about the composite foot plate at first, but having broken a mag plate on a saw dropped from only a hight of about 5 feet, I know that while they are more rigid, the additional resistance to breaking that the composite brings is a worthwhile trade-off.

One reviewer said he would have preferred a hard case over the soft case, but in my experience most hard cases are not worth the extra size. I myself tend to buy soft cases for tools that came in ahard case, as they take up less space and are just easier to deal with.

I also found the built-on hanger hook to be especially handy, alowing me to hang the saw from a 2x.

Only flaw I can find is the lack of a built-in holder for the included blade wrench, which would be a very smart addition for a future revision of the product.

this saw is without a doubt one of the best on the market. i work on a framing crew and use this saw everyday. the bosch cs20 has lasted a full year now without any problems. we have tried other ones and they just can't beat the bosch. with the 56 degree bevel it makes cutting rafters a breeze. and the rafter hook really comes in handle. the power of this saw is incredible.
to answer some of the other reviewers complaints...

with the speed square hitting the motor housing of the saw. try flipping it over. i thought the same thing, that i wouldn't be able to use the speed square. but alas. just turn it the other way and it works fine.
and now to the direct connect. anyone who complains about this feature obviousely does NOT use a saw that often. this is the greatest feature to ever be placed on a saw. you no longer have to tie the ends of your cords together. and with that means no more cord snags from getting caught on things. with the cord now gone, putting the tools away goes much faster. roll the extension cord up and your all done. no 5 foot cord to have to wrap around the saw.
as for the bag that the saw comes in. i believe this also to be a better feature b/c those plastic cases that normally come with tools seem to crack and break somehow, some way. this bag is lasting the test of time so far.
also, to those who are wondering about a rip fence for this saw. amazon.com carries it. just look up Bosch model# WD7RIP

i don't think i'll be buying any other brands for a circular saw anytime soon. as long as the bosch cs20 is on the market, this is my saw. A+ to Bosch for thinking up this great tool

This is my second circular saw in 3 months. I originally bought a Craftsman 14 amp and was dissatisfied with the claimed amount of power. I had a medium sized fence project which called for about 300' of pressure treated wood that required a 3/4"x3/4" rabbet cut lenthwise on 2"x4"x8'. While cutting, the Craftsman constantly bogged down. This produced some jagged cuts with an edge guide when it happened. I thought it was the generic blade that it came with so I went out and bought a Makita M force blade for it. It did better, but still bogged down so much that a kickback wasn't even in order. So it was returned and I went after the Bosch CS20. I took it home and paired it up with the Makita blade and it cut the remainder of the 200 feet of PT stuff like butter. Not a single bog to cause a crooked cut while using an edge guide. The wet treated stuff ejected out like shavings instead of splintering like the Craftsman did. The blade speed and power had quite a bit to do with that. I love the direct connect feature that Bosch has on some of their tools. The positive detent stops for depth are an excellent feature also. I have one gripe about this saw though and its the composite base. While it does work well for dry wood, there is a noticable amount of drag on pressure treated stuff ( other saws that I've used that have a standard aluminum or stamped steel base plates are noticably more drag resistant on wet lumber).
This saw does lack an edge guide though and that was no surprise because Bosch makes most items an accessory when other manufacturers include them as standard equip. But I'll let you guys in on a secret. The Porter Cable edge guide fits (can't remeber which model, but it's about 5/8" wide at the slot) and then find a 10-32 threaded bolt with a knob on top and use the tension springs that come with PC quide kit. If you want to get the guide really close to the blade, then shave off the little button on the top of the guide. You'll know what I'm talking about when you see the it. Oh and use a washer where the tension spring comes in contact with the composite base to keep the spring from tearing up the threads. It came out to less than 10 bucks. :)

I am a professional carpenter. I have had my Makita saw for 24 years and wanted a change, The Bosch CS20 looked like it had some pretty good features and the balance was not bad. After 3 months the composite foot plate has warped making for gouged cuts. I cannot cut a true 45deg bevel with it because of this flaw. The detents are not adjustable. My 45deg locks in at 43.5 deg. This is ubsat in my line of work. Bosch is going to send me another foot plate and bevel indicator but its the same material as the one I have. Bosch NEEDS to produce a replacement aluminum plate like all other quality saws have. They have missed the boat big time in this area. Based on this I would not recommend this saw for the serious tradesman.

I have been a carpenter for about ten years now and recently my favorite saw (DeWalt heavy duty) died. On our job site we have used every type of DeWalt, Mikita, and Milwaulki saw over the years. None of them lasted as long as my Dewalt heavy duty so when I went after a new saw that's what I was going for. Becuase of the 56% bevel I changed my mind and bought the Bosch. It has been the best decision I've made in a long time. This is a great saw. None of our guys are using any of the other saws. They keep trying to take mine when I'm not looking. This saw feels as good on long rips of 2x as it does on cross cuts. The blower system is one of the best features on a saw I have ever seen. No more sawdust covering your line on important cuts. I am buying two more so my crew will give me back mine.

Following the recomendations of various reviews I purchased this saw to replace a 23 year old Milwaukee that fell 30 feet off a roof bending the plate badly. In six months of owning it both the angle and depth knobs have broken off, the plate flexes badly when used for a depth cut, and today for no apparant reason the guard handle broke off,just sheared right off the guard rendering the saw useless. I own a number of other Bosch tools and can't say enough good about them. For all the obvious excellent engineering the saw has it's not a professionals tool. I fixed the bent plate and put the old Milwaukee back in service.

I'm going to cut right to the chase in my review of the Bosch CS20 circular saw. I'm a full-time professional carpenter/contractor with over 30 years of building experience, and I have a collection of trade tools that is the envy of many a colleague. When it came time to try an upgrade to the circular saw I was using, I decided to spring for the Bosch CS20 based on a review in a trade publication.

I thought that the ergonomics of the saw and line of sight on the CS20 were good, but had misgivings about the minimalist composite (plastic) base of this tool. Ultimately, those premonitions proved true. Less than three years down the road, the base plate of the saw was so badly twisted that it was impossible to obtain a precision crosscut from the saw. To elaborate, even when using a square as a guide, the saw would consistently produce cuts that were so far out of square as to make the saw virtually unusable.

This is one of the tools that Bosch includes in their "3 Year ProVantage | Maximum Up-Time Guaranteed Protection Plan." By the time I called Bosch to report the defect, I was a few days over the three-year anniversary of my purchase date. They cut me no leeway but offered to sell me a new replacement baseplate. When I asked what their protocol would have been if I had called a week before when the 3 year protection plan was still intact, their response was that I would have had to ship them the saw for evaluation.

As a busy tradesman, my course of action was to stip the saw of its detachable 25' cord, keep the carrying bag the saw came in, and drop off the bare tool as a donation at a local second-hand charity store. Deformed base plates are a theme for the CS20 and have been reported on by others here. I have enough door stops.

As an additional note, I was also unhappy with the adjustment levers on this saw which I found to be too flimsy and lacking in straightforward, definitive function.

I own some Bosch tools, and have tried many Bosch tools. My opinion of the company is that they are innovators who tend to swing for the fence at a good price point. The result seems to be about the same as it is with many power hitters. Plenty of shots out of the park, but an equal amount of infield pop-outs. They seem to be short on patience when it comes to R+D.

The bottom line: this product is simply unacceptable for any level of craftsman from homeowner to master carpenter. I replaced the Bosch CS20 with a Makita 5007MGA which blows the Bosch away. I find it much easier to do precision work with the Makita than any other circular saw I have owned, and I have a couple of colleagues who own the 5007MGA who feel the same.

I bought this saw a couple of months ago. Overall I'm really happy with the decision. It's relatively light and well balanced. The sight line is truly the best that I've came across. Angle and depth adjustments could not be any better. I've had no problems at all. The only gripe is that I wish Bosch would include a case instead of the bag for storage. The bag just doesn't protect the saw that well, and there's no pocket for the wrench.

Update: The direct connect cord system is really a pain in the rear. Its not easy to get a cord plugged in. I've bent the prongs several times. I think the prong will break before the year is over. My suggestion is to get a the model with the included cord and leave it plugged in to the saw permanently.

I shopped around before I replaced my old Makita, and I narrowed it down between a Milwaukee and this Bosch. The Bosch won out because of it's easy to use positive stops for both blade height and bevel. The "direct connect" can be a tad inconvenient if you only have one extension, but if you should accidently cut the power cord you'll be relieved at the ease of replacing it.

Another reviewer stated the he couldn't use the saw with his Speed Square because the motor housing bumped into the square's lip.I came across this too, but simply raised the blade a notch and that solved the problem. Would have liked a hard case like the comparably priced Milwaukee (the Bosch comes with a bag) and an onboard wrench storage would have been a nice touch as well.