Having a cordless circular saw is like having the keys to yourย parentsโ sports car and a full tank of gas when youโre 16โฆ You can do just about anythingโฆ within reason. With the Milwaukee 2630-22 Circular Saw, you get the same excitable feelingโfrom a 6-1/2โณ cordless sawโplus itโsย even got that sporty red color. This was also the first 6-1/2โณ cordless circular sawย we had tested that was based on a lithium-ion 18V platform, and it both worked well and lasted a long time.
Editorโs Note: Check out our best cordless circular sawย article and our review of the full-size Milwaukee FUEL circular saw.
The trigger mechanism requires that you push down on the triggerย lock with your thumb. As far as safety systems go, this one is prettyย easy to use and intuitive. In fact, we tended to keep it down during cuts rather than let it go once we started. This is a much better system thanย others weโve seen where you must press in sideways in a veryย unnatural manner.
Milwaukee 2630-22 Circular Saw Power
The circular saw gets up to speed quickly and we noticed a couple ofย stand-out features right away. The shoe is made out of 1/8โณ thickย aluminum and is deeply etched so that the embedded ruler markings will remainย easy to read, even when they become powdered with sawdust. Theย site lines were spot-on and there was even a secondary line for liningย up 45-degree bevel cuts. The top and bottom blade guards are made ofย Magnesium, making the tool a tad lighter than normal.
We found the depth adjustment level to be extremely easy to use (the bevelย was more difficult, but that didnโt present any real problems). We measured the rotationalย speed as 3220 rpm (about 92% of the rated spec) and the noise output was anย amazingly quiet 81 dB at 3 feet away. Donโt worry, when you cut intoย the wood weโre still going to recommend hearing protection as it will jump, on average,ย over 15-20 dB as soon as the blade makes contact with the work material.
Using the Milwaukee 2630 Saw
Using the tool was a comfortable experience and we especially likedย how easy it was to swap out blades. Milwaukee included a hex wrench thatย stores neatly (and securely, I might add) in the front handle and makesย it simple to remove and change the blade. Not having to hunt downย a wrench, and the presence of a spindle lock button eases this process considerably. The 5/8โณ arbor means that this tool can accept bladesย from an almost endless number of third parties in addition to Milwaukeeย blades.
One of our tests included using it on a 2ร4 test piece of old-growth โheartโ pine. Primarily, we were just curious as to just how long it wouldย last. After 35 cuts through this rather dense hardwood, the batteryย still registered 3 bars (out of 4) โ and we quickly realized the toolย was going to outlast our patience.
If it can make that many cuts through even this tough wood, thenย itโs perfectly suited to go the distance on your typical framing, flooring, or projectย application. The saw was also excellent at failing to bind up, evenย when we took off the Swanson Speed Square and allowed the tool to twistย a bit during cuts. Using the tool on a piece of 3/4-inch plywood, weย found that it sliced through the wood like butter and the nearย full-sized blade made this type of work almost enjoyable.
Final Thoughts
For thoseย remote jobs, this can really save a lot of hassle when moving fromย place to place within a jobsite. Forget cords, the Milwaukee M18ย cordless circular saw really is that perfect ratio of power-to-weightย that gives it pro-level performance in a very portable package. For this reason, we gave it a Performance rating of 8/10. In terms of Value, the M18 2630-22 Circular Saw has a lot of stiff competition, but as it is still an above-average product we gave it a 7/10 rating. We definitely recommend any serious contractor check out this tool.
