Best Circular Saw 2026: 10 Ranked, and Why the Page Price Isn't What You Pay

It leads on what £58.95 buys: a 1,600W motor at 3,900 RPM, a 185mm 20-tooth TCT blade, and a depth of cut that adjusts from 0 to 64mm. Across 1,118 ratings it holds 4.6, and 93 of the 100 scores in its histogram sit at four or five stars. Crucially, no other saw in this top ten claims to cut mild steel, aluminium, plastic and wood with embedded nails using the blade in the box — which is what makes it the best circular saw here for mixed materials.

In practice the 0-60° bevel and 64mm depth cover skirting, shelving and 45mm timber in one pass. The channelled air blower and integrated vacuum port keep the cut line visible, and the gearbox is built around the blade system, which Evolution says extends motor and blade life. It is an electric circular saw corded to a 230V socket, not a site tool running on a pack.

The catch is in the small print: this model is not compatible with tracks or guides, and the listing points buyers to its track-compatible siblings. So if you already own a guide rail, this is the wrong version. At the same time, 4.9kg is the heaviest tool here, and anyone cutting sheet goods to a pencil line will be paying for multi-material capability they never use.

It sits second because 4.8 from 1,248 ratings is the highest score in this ranking. The tool is a 165mm blade with 24 carbide teeth, a 55mm maximum depth of cut, a 3,700 RPM motor and a 2.9kg body — the best circular saw here on owner satisfaction rather than on features.

The design is sensible rather than showy: an ultra-thin 165mm kerf for faster cutting, keyless bevel and depth adjustment with an easy-to-read scale, an intelligent trigger, a lock-off switch and an electronic motor brake. That brake is the part you notice on a bench where the blade has to stop the moment you release the trigger.

However, the listing contradicts itself. The saw runs on 18V, yet its wattage field reads 9W, while the other DeWalt 18V saw in this top ten reads 750W. By contrast, the depth of cut is stated plainly at 55mm. It is also a bare unit: one lithium-ion battery is required and none is supplied, which means £95 is the entry price, not the total.

At £46.47 it is the cheapest saw in this list, the only 185mm circular saw under £50, and it sits on 1,812 ratings with a 4.4 average — the largest review base here. On paper you get a 1,300W motor at 4,500 RPM, a 24-tooth blade, 65mm depth at 90° and 45mm at 45°, plus a parallel guide, a hex wrench and a vacuum hose.

In practice it is a straightforward saw for wood: the two-metre cord, the graduated rip guide and the aluminium guard cover most jobs a DIY buyer will meet. The safety switch and the dust hose are details usually left off a cheap tool. It weighs 4.75kg, so roughly the same as the corded Evolution at number one.

Even so, the specification is the shakiest here. The cutting angle field reads '4590 degrees', which looks like 45° and 90° run together. The blade material is listed as high speed steel even though the blade supplied is described as a 24-tooth saw blade, and the blade length is given as 18.5 centimetres rather than 185mm. Fourteen of its hundred review scores are three stars or lower. If you need repeatable accuracy on sheet goods, pay more.

It earns fourth place on battery efficiency: Bosch claims 33m of cutting in 19mm chipboard per 2.5Ah charge, the only runtime figure in this top ten that can be checked against a real job. The 160mm Optiline blade has carbide teeth, the saw cuts 53mm deep, and it is compatible with the Bosch Home & Garden guide rail system for straight and bevel cuts.

At 2.93kg it is mid-weight for a cordless saw, and the 53mm capacity covers kitchen carcasses, shelving and doors. In theory the bare body is the cheapest way into a cordless saw; in practice the battery is the expensive part, and the listing is explicit — 'without battery' sits in the product name.

Here is the oddity: the specification field says one 'AAAA' battery is required. That is a catalogue error, not a power source, and it is the second Bosch listing here with a battery field that does not describe the tool's real 18V system. Meanwhile, if you do not own Bosch 18V batteries, £85 is a deposit rather than a price. Anyone on a tight budget should look at the £75.19 saw further down that includes a battery and charger.

It sits mid-table because it brings the largest blade of any corded saw here: 190mm, giving a 66mm depth of cut at 90° and 50mm at 45°, from a 1,250W motor at 5,300 RPM. At £65 it undercuts the Evolution at number one and carries a 24-tooth blade of its own.

The on-board laser is the practical difference — it projects a line on the workpiece, which helps on long sheets where a pencil line disappears under the saw. Rise-and-fall depth setting, a safety lock-off to prevent accidental starts and dust extraction ports round it out.

That said, the numbers on this listing do not agree. The bullet says a 190mm blade allows a 66mm depth of cut; the specification field then gives 'Blade Length: 66 Millimetres', which is the depth, not the blade. The weight is listed as 2kg, which would make it lighter than every cordless saw in this ranking. If you are buying for the laser, check it is bright enough for the light you work in.

Ryobi's own bullet list names kitchen worktops, doors, windowsills and timber sheets, and at £72 this is the cheapest cordless saw in the top ten. The numbers behind that: 4,700 RPM no-load, 0-56° bevelling, a 10mm bore, 45mm depth at 90° and 32mm at 45°.

In practice the 150mm 18-tooth carbide blade is sized for sheet goods and trim rather than deep rip cuts, and 3.13kg in the hand is manageable at the end of a long worktop. It shares the ONE+ battery with the rest of Ryobi's home and garden range, so the marginal cost of a second tool is the body only.

However, the box contains a blade, a hex key and a side fence — no battery, no charger. The listing says so plainly, and it also says one lithium-ion battery is required. As a result £72 becomes £72 plus a battery and charger unless you are already on ONE+.

It lands seventh because two Bosch saws sit within two pence of each other here, and this is the one with the brushless motor: £84.98 against £85.00 for the UniversalCirc. For that you get soft start, a brake function, a redesigned dust extraction port and a compact 2kg body.

This is a circular saw for wood first: the supplied blade is a 140mm Eco for Wood, and the brushless motor means fewer wearing parts and longer runtime than a brushed equivalent. The soft start stops the tool twisting in your hand on switch-on, which matters on second-fix work where the blade meets the timber immediately.

Worth noting what is not in the box. The scope of supply lists the saw and a 140mm blade only, so the battery and charger are on you. The blade is also the smallest in this top ten at 140mm, and no wattage figure is given at all. If you want the deepest cut or the largest blade, two other saws here beat it.

It is eighth on price as much as power: £134.95 is the second-highest here, and it buys 750W, a 4,950 RPM brushless motor, a 165mm blade and a 50° bevel. That makes it the best circular saw in this list for repeated cutting in thicker timber, provided you are already inside DeWalt's 18V XR system.

In practice the details aim at visibility and control: a dust blower and an LED work light so you can see the cut line, a cast aluminium base for accuracy, and variable bevel adjustment to 50°. At 2.8kg it is lighter than the 3.2kg Ryobi 184mm saw, and the brushless motor is rated for longer runtime between charges.

Two things to weigh first. The wattage field says 750W while the other DeWalt 18V saw in this ranking says 9W — the same platform, two numbers that cannot both describe the same motor. And the warranty field reads 'No warranty', which sits oddly on a £134.95 bare tool. At this price you are buying into a battery system, not a complete saw.

It is ninth because £138 is nearly twice what the other Ryobi cordless saw here costs, and the difference is mostly blade size and motor type: 184mm instead of 150mm, brushless instead of brushed, 56° of bevel and 3.2kg of tool.

In practice tool-less depth and bevel adjustment is the feature you feel every day — no key, no hunting for an Allen wrench between cuts. The diecast upper guard takes the knocks a site saw gets, and the integrated dust port accepts a vacuum hose to keep the work area clear.

Even so, it is a bare tool at £138: no battery, no charger, and the listing still shows one lithium-ion battery as required. On the same ONE+ platform, the 150mm version costs £72. If your work is sheet goods and trim, the smaller saw does the job for half the money; if you are regularly cutting thicker stock, the extra blade earns its keep.