Black+Decker BDCCS20B Review

The 5-1/2" Black+Decker tested at the bottom of the class in most of our evaluations. This outcome is primarily due to this saw competing with framing saws. The Black+Decker is a light-weight, light-duty tool that, when used in the proper context, will be a beneficial addition to any tool kit. That said, the saw's limitations relative to the other members of the class are severe. The saw blade is small, and thus, it doesn't penetrate very deeply into a cut. It has a pretty weak motor, too. Additionally, this saw lacks nearly every ease of use feature. These shortcomings hurt this saw's standing in the overall ranking.

Likes

The features that we like in the Black+Decker's design are some of the same things that one might criticize the saw for if purchased with unrealistic expectations. This saw is small, light-weight, and inexpensive. While it's not powerful, it is a nice little tool to have in the kit for odd cuts and light finish work such as cutting molding or trim.

This saw is also a good choice for those who do or want to do light carpentry tasks around the house and don't want to use a hand saw. This saw doesn't cost too much more than a handsaw, so it's a natural choice when comparing the two.

Dislikes

There are a lot of ease of use features absent on the Black+Decker. However, this is to be expected on a saw in this price range. First off, the shoe is a little flimsy, and the adjustments for saw depth and bevel are hard to loosen and tighten. The markers for these adjustments are also hard to read. Additionally, the saw blade is relatively difficult to change. That said, this saw isn't terribly hard to use — it's just very basic.

The Black+Decker is not a powerful saw. It bogs down in deep cross cuts, and it isn't the best at making long rips of lumber or sheeting. It will make these cuts, however. That is, while the battery lasts. Yes, this saw also suffers from a very short battery life. However, longer amp-hour batteries are available for purchase.

Value

Despite all of this saw's deficits relative to the higher-rated saws in our review, we think the Black+Decker is a good value. If you've been making cuts by hand and you picked up this little circular saw, we think you'd agree. The saw just doesn't cost that much, and yet it performs at a reasonable level. Our value assessment comes with a caveat though: if you have heavy cutting work in mind, don't invest in this saw. It's not the right tool for the job.

Conclusion