Customer Reviews

Milwaukee 6405-6 13 Amp 8-1/4-Inch Circular Saw

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4 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have had this saw for 20 years and it is still running great. It will cut through 6x6's with only two passes, one from each side. It will cut 4x4's with a big overlap. I have a Jesada carbide blade in mine now that is a real smooth cutter. I have used lots of other blades over the years, even 7 1/4" in a pinch, but the Jesada is the best.

One caution - make sure you use an extension cord that is rated at or above 13 amps so you won't damage the saw motor. I have always taken this precaution and have never had to rebuild the motor. I use a 10-3 100' cord most of the time. The heavier cord costs less than one overhaul.

This saw arrived today and after ten minutes of inspection, I packed it up and returned it to Amazon. It has one pivot point so the base wobbles even when tightened down hard. The depth adjustment almost automatically overshoots it's maximum depth and then the blade guard overextends and gets caught. You have to take the saw apart to get the base to go up to it's original position. When you take the saw apart, the cheap return spring on the blade guard gets caught on the saw guard and you have to move that out of the way to get the blade guard to retract so you can reconnect the depth adjustment. It also pulls 15 amps, not 13 amps as advertised. It gets worse. The angle adjustment is nearly inoperable and has no detent for 45 degree cuts so you need a try square to be sure you've got it right. If you have a hard time visualizing all of this, it will become crystal clear five minutes after you try to use the unit. I was trying to replace a 30 year old 8 1/4" Black and Decker Super Saw Cat and had trusted Milwaukee with other power tools. There is NO comparison between these two saws and if I can find parts, the old Saw Cat will get a tune up and go back into service or else I'll explore other new saws. Do yourself a favor and skip this Milwaukee circular saw - it's a piece of junk.

I could not find the Saw Cat parts and subsequently bought a Skil Saw HD 77 Mag from Amazon (refurbished). The Skil blows this Milwaukee piece of junk away. It's a bit heavier than the Milwaukee and might be hard to work an 8 hour day with, but it's a total tank. It was also $50 less than the Milwaukee as a reconditioned unit. The Skil Saw is really built and well though out (I really liked the Skil integral joist hanger hook) while the Milwaukee looks like mass market discount store trash. New or refurbished, buy the Skil HD 77 Mag over this Milwaukee piece of garbage.

There's only a single support attaching the saw to the base on the right front corner. The entire weight of the saw rides on this. Just a little pressure on the rear handle and you can make the whole base flex 1/4" or more. If you just need to hack lumber apart I guess it's ok but don't buy it if you want a reasonably clean cut.