SKIL CR540601 Review

In a competitive class of circular saws, the SKIL CR540601 cuts out a place for itself as an affordable machine with above-average performance. The saw's standout features are its battery and sightlines. It has one of the longest-lasting batteries that we've seen, and its unique sightlines make lining up cuts a cinch. Our chief complaints are that it's a little underpowered and a little awkward to make bevel adjustments. That said, it can handle long rips and full depth crosscuts. Moreover, this saw comes at a price that is accessible to those who are not making a living with their tools.

Ease of Use

The ease of use metric covers every aspect of saw performance aside from cutting power and battery life. The SKIL earned an average rating in this analysis.

The SKIL's bevel settings are stamped into the metal components of the shoe, which aren't the easiest to see when the saw is covered with dust. The bevel is secured with a threaded knob that works okay, but depending on the bevel setting, the knob can be hard to grip. In contrast to the bevel, the blade depth is secured with a lever that is easy and effective, no matter where it is set. Also, the depth markers are raised, making them much easier to see.

Like the blade depth, the sightline system is very effective and easy to use — especially for the uninitiated. We will admit that the plastic window is unusual; however, we found it to be dead-on accurate and intuitive. We were less than impressed with the blade removal, mostly because the blade lock button is a bit hard to reach. That said, we have definitely seen worse. Finally, the SKIL comes in at 5.8 lbs. (without the battery) — that's pretty light for the class.

All in all, the SKIL's ease of use evaluation rendered middle of the road results with some notable bright spots.

Cutting

The SKIL is below average in this evaluation, but that doesn't mean it's incapable of effectively cutting lumber.

Cordless saws have a limiter that will cut power if the motor is at risk of overloading. So, we want to push the saw right up to that point, but not beyond. Making a quick cut is a good measure of a saw's power — or, more specifically, its torque — because the teeth of the blade are taking deeper bites into the wood the faster the cut is being made. We repeated each of our cutting tests twice (once for each tester), and it's safe to say that the SKIL does not like to be rushed. The motor takes on a jerky, uneven character when pressed. However, the saw will continue spinning, working its way through the cut.

Battery

Battery longevity is one area where the SKIL shows itself to be a great value because it can keep up the cutting for as long as high-end saws.

The SKIL impressed us by making 40.5 rips on an 8 foot sheet of plywood — that's 324 linear feet — before giving up the ghost. Few saws, at any price, can claim such a capacity for repeated cutting on a single charge.

Value

We find the SKIL CR540601 to be a fantastic deal. The saw is accurate, fairly easy to operate, and powerful enough for most users. More to the point, it's all of these things while remaining very affordable compared to its peers.

Conclusion