Craftsman Professional
Price: $200
Testers found the blade guard on the Craftsman saw worked well even at 45º. And the manual retract level is easy to hold. However, the thin plastic could break easily.
The saw has reasonable power when cutting and features a handy work-area light. The laser light was found to place the cut slightly too far to the right—about 1⁄16"—when the red line is positioned directly over pencil line on wood. Dust ejection is also an issue, obscuring your view of the cut line.
The cast-aluminum shoe moves smoothly, both for depth of cut and bevel angle. The depth-of-cut scale is easy to see, but it’s a sticker that can easily pull off. And, finally, the front-heavy design with a rear-placed handle makes it difficult to pick up and cut single-handed.
Bosch CS5
Price $120
Testers found this saw to have a great list of features and top overall quality. Plus it has one design element that sends it ahead of the pack.
This saw shines when it is doing what it’s made to do: cut. The Bosch saw has a lot of power with a smooth cut, and the left-side blade location makes it the easiest sidewinder to see where the saw is going. (No other sidewinder saw in the test has a left-sided blade.)
The shoe plate design also helps performance; made from pressed aluminum, the shoe plate is large and swivels easily to control bevel angle and depth of cut. However, the depth-of-cut scale is somewhat hard to see since it’s located along the back of the guard, next to the handle.
The tool doesn’t blow dust onto the cut line, but directs it out of an angled port at the back of the saw for easier viewing.
The cord of this saw is made from thick, flexible rubber with a two-prong tip.
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