Skil16-5/16 In. Magnesium Worm Drive Skilsaw Circular Saw - SPT70V-11

This saw is crazy big. Works as advertised

The media could not be loaded. This review is for the SKIL 16-5/16 In. Magnesium Worm Drive Skilsaw. To be clear, I am a somewhat advanced user of home renovation tools, though I'm over 60 years old. I have to admit that buying the saw was somewhat daunting for me, both because of the price and I was somewhat reluctant to handle such a big beast. However, I have now used the saw to do some very heavy duty cutting, starting with cutting through 6" slabs of concrete, using a GRAFF 16" Laser Welded Diamond Blade. Typically, in 5 to 6 passes through very dense concrete, this saw was able to tackle the job without a single foul or kickback. The cuts I was making were through stretches of concrete from 2 ft to 18 ft in length. The saw does spin at a lower RPM than it's smaller siblings and does lose some RPM as it cuts dense concrete, however, the worm drive is very capable at maintaining power all the way through the job, given occasional breaks to allow the blade to spin up. The lesser RPM than it's smaller sibling (the 7-1/4" worm drive) is somewhat deceptive, as the actual speed that the teeth move at is somewhat similar to that of a smaller saw. I find the saw remarkably handleable and can even drop it into a concrete surface with a plunge cut maintaining terrific control; in the many times I've done this, I've not had a single kickback. I've also used the saw for cutting 6"x6" timbers with the supplied skill saw blade and have had great success with handling this very large worm drive saw. Moreover, the accuracy of the angle mechanism from base to blade appears to be extremely good and does not require adjustment with a square, which makes cuts through thick wood or other material more accurate. The magnesium alloy body, platform, and casing makes this saw both lighter and incredibly durable. The saw is not as heavy as it's Makita competition, which I've used, delivers more consistent power by its worm drive mechanism versus the sidewinder, spins at a higher RPM, and is quieter than the Makita as well as its Skilsaw 7-1/4 inch worm drive sibling. One of the features that makes this saw so easy to handle is the placement of the auxiliary handle for added control. The saw also has an excellent stand that comes with it, which makes it easy to store and also easy to change the blade. My single criticism of the saw is that the blade guard is a bit too stiff and can impede moving the saw fully into a cut. Perhaps this will loosen some with time but I do think that Skilsaw should consider putting in a lighter spring mechanism. This would also make retracting the blade guard for a plunge cut somewhat easier. Overall, however, I am very pleased with this saw, which has by its excellent function helped me overcome any reservations that I may have had about purchasing it. Overall, it has saved me hours of intensely unpleasant work, made the work more accurate, and has also saved me the cost of repeated rentals of concrete saws at my local home supply stores! For the money, and in comparison with its competitors, this saw is definitely a cut above, no pun intended.

Excellent 16 5/16 saw for the money . My BF loves it . Worm gear is he way too go not direct drive . Respect this monster saw when in use . Saves time , cuts true , cuts on left side . Better visibility, etc . We purchased ours during Amazon special n ordered an extra blade with it . This saw bad azz , we also own a Bigfoot. Just buy it , but not for wimps ! ... LOL

What a monster of a saw It is huge. Got 200 bucks off on it because the box was ripped. What a buy It slices through 3 1/2 inch oak slabwood like nothing.

great saw for big beams. I like it much better than the Makita. It shoots the saw dust away from you instead of on to you. It cuts better and is more controllable than the Makita. I got rid of my Makita once I had this bad boy.

I bought this saw to replace a Makita beam saw that I picked up used. It is a big improvement over the Makita, mostly because of the design of the shoe. I could never get the Makita to cut reliably square because the shoe was flimsy stamped metal and would flex. The shoe on the Skilsaw is constructed rock solid and will keep the blade square in the cut every time. It is also noticeably lighter than the Makita. I haven’t had any of the performance issues that other people mention - I bury it in tough white oak at full depth and it cuts fine. That said I’m keeping within 1/32” of my cut line so I’m not pushing it super fast. Also I really appreciate the design of the molded plastic saw holder, which has a low center of gravity (less likely to tip over in transit) and bails to lock the saw in place.

The circular saw seems to be O.K. However the box was in very bad shape when it arrived. Large parts of the box were missing. I think that we lucked out this time.All is well that ends well.Thank you, Tom Lusby

I've had the Makita beam saw for over 10 years and have used it enough that I wanted to give this one a try to compare the two. The Makita is not as ergonomically friendly as the handle sits up higher and the blade guard is a pain to get out of the way. The Makita saw needs two hands on it at all times if you want a good cut and I always feel the saw jumps around a lot while it is running.The Skilsaw beats the Makita hands down with ergonomics as the main handle sits low and behind the weight, plus its lighter. I feel comfortable using the Skilsaw with one hand. I thought the worm drive mechanism would be as good, if not better than the Makita as they are both 15 Amp motors but the Skilsaw seems to lack power. I use the saws for ripping a lot and the only way I felt the power of the Skilsaw came close to the Makita was with a heavy duty extension cord and wedges in the cut to prevent the blade from pinching. I have yet to upgrade the blade. With some moderate ripping of pine the worm drive gear box got so hot I can't keep my hand on it without feeling a burn. I also could smell the motor windings more than I would have liked.The foot for the Skilsaw was a great add for the saw as I cut hand holes in my Makita foot. So my take away is I am keeping the Makita for now as I don't know that the Skilsaw will last with ripping boards. For cross cuts you won't have any issues.