Best circular saws UK 2023: corded and cordless models for DIY

Feb 01, 2024

Be it corded or cordless, there’s a circular saw out there to suit your DIY needs. Our expert tests the best and recommends

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Owning a decent circular saw can transform your DIY skills, saving you considerable time and effort besides making your cuts cleaner and more accurate. It’s important to choose the right kind of saw for the projects you’ll be undertaking, considering the power you’ll need for the work it needs to get through, to the type of cuts and accuracy required.

To give you a head start when choosing, we’ve picked out some of the best saws on the market and highlighted the kind of work they’re best suited for, but before checking out our recommendations, here are some general considerations you’ll need to make.

One of the first decisions you should make is whether to opt for a circular saw that plugs into the mains, or a cordless model with rechargeable battery. Cordless tools offer greater portability and safety and, with rapid advances in battery technology, you’ll find they can offer perfectly adequate power for most DIY jobs. These days their biggest drawbacks are price and longevity – some older battery packs can become obsolete.

In this list we’ve tended to favour cordless models, but many of the manufacturers will also provide a similar model with cord attached at a lower price, so check to see what’s available before buying.

‘Brushless’ refers to the motor used within a power tool. Without going into the technical aspects of how brushed and brushless motors differ, the latter tends to suffer less from wear and tear and gives you more power, efficiency and control. Inevitably, it also makes your power tool more expensive.

A circular saw is a handheld saw with a rotating blade that you push through the wood to make cuts. Although a miter saw also uses a rotating circular blade, the tool itself is stationary and the blade is pulled down onto the wood. The miter saw increases accuracy, particularly if cutting wood at specific angles, and will likely cost you more money.

For the beginner or occasionally DIYer, standard circular saws are often preferred. Besides the cost saving their portability makes them much more flexible for where, what and how you cut. The majority of saws in this piece are circular saws, although we have included a few that provide other specialist cuts.

Other things to look out for are weight and comfort of your tools – the more you use them, the more this will become important. Make sure the saw is capable of making the cuts you need – such as angled or bevelled cuts – and check that its maximum cutting depth meets your requirements. If you want to cut anything other than wood then find out if you can buy a compatible cutting blade to suit the task.

It’s also worth knowing your basic wood cuts when attaching the right blade. A ‘cross cut’ works against the grain and the blade usually has around 60 to 80 teeth. A rip cut goes with grain and uses a blade with fewer teeth (usually 24), and your saw will require more power to get through it.

To save you some valuable research time, we’ve done some research for you with this list. Pitched towards DIYers, including beginners, we’ve picked out some of the most respected brands on the market and highlighted the qualities that we think makes their circular saws stand out. We’ve consulted some expert tradesmen for their opinions and tested numerous saws ourselves, so whether you’re after a simple saw to save you on elbow grease, or have aspirations of DIY greatness, then there should be something here for you.