BoschCS5 120-Volt 7-1/4-Inch Circular Saw, Bosch Blue

A couple years ago, working on a small barn that was pretty far from any power I made heavy use of my 18V Dewalt cordless saw. I got into the habit of holding a speed square in my left hand against the small lumber and running the guard down against the square. It was easy, my cuts were fast and always straight.And then, I tried using one of my other saws, and was instantly frustrated by having the motor in the way of the square. So I bought this.Compare to other 7-1/4 inch saws I've owned from other quality tool manufactures (Dewalt & Porter Cable) the overall quality and power seems to be pretty similar. It seems I may have paid a little bit more for this saw and not quite sure there's really any reason for it to cost more, but I wanted the motor on that side, so I paid. Bosch definitely makes very good tools, but if this is really better than any of the competitors, I'm not likely to notice the way I uses it, small projects here and there, occasionally cutting through something pretty hard (hardy board) but generally I take pretty good care of my tools, and don't need them to handle excessive abuse.Overall, it's a nice saw, if you want the motor on this side, one of few choices. It seems as good as any of the competitor, regardless of which side the motor is on, but possibly a bit more expensive.

Oh man, this thing works great, I actually love giving my other Bosch tools 5 stars, and all but one aspect of this saw takes 5 stars but one.Let me start with the good.Power. Lots of it.Comfort.Splendid line of sight with the blade on the left!I bought the battery version of this "left" circular saw and decided I needed more power for the multiple (over 50 sheets) of 3/4 plywood and OSB to cut. ( I know, very unrealistic and naive from my part) and got the Cs10 (blade on the right and hated it. You can't see what the blade is doing, or if it's flexing or anything, just like with every other saw I guess! But not with this one.It is heavy enough to guide you well and light enough to let you handle it comfortable.I would give this one 4 stars just because all the dust shoots towards you if you are not a lefty, which if you were, would leave you with the blind line of sight like the other circ saws for righties. But my complain is more for it not having a way to attach a vacuum hose at all to avoid this issue.I know I am complaining on an issue on a product that is intended to be used by lefty people, but it is such a good product for everyone that is a shame this dust shoot issue is not addressed for mankind's sake! ;)

This saw gets the job done! Lots of power and being able to see the saw is nice. Main reason I got this was for the weight, the Skil worm saw i had before was a lot heavier and after using it all day made my arm sore, must be getting old!! The only suggestions I have are the following: The little wrench that comes with the saw to change out the blade is stored between the bottom plate and the motor and if you're not careful when adjusting the bottom plate for max cut the plate can twist a bit and produce a surface that's not flat. I threw my wrench in a drawer since it's not used often. The thing is this saw didn't come with a spacing glide, not a big deal but all the saws I've purchased in the past usually came with one. All in all, a great saw for the money. I was surprised that the delivery was so quick, and it was delivered on a Sunday, very cool!! Thanks!

As a deck builder, I use this saw EVERY day, cutting extremely hard woods like ipe and garrapa. This saw, like all 15amp, circular saws can handle the wood and any kind of cut. I use only top quality Diablo blades, and regularly perform finger rips and compound miters without any issues with the motor bogging down and blade deflection. I also regularly have to rip wet PT wood, and this saw handles it all fine. This is a great saw and a great price, the blade-left design provides excellent line of sight when cutting with your right hand. Very lite weight and powerful, with all cast-metal parts and a tape on the foot. I'd like a detent at the common bevel cuts (22.5 and 45) but it's fine without it. Unfortunately, it requires a lot of strength to get the plate back to square (0 degree bevel)UPDATE; I've been using the saw daily now for 2 months and I really like cutting with it. I'm a deck builder and this is a primary tool for me, it's held up well so far.UPDATE; 6 months in of daily abuse and the saw has held up pretty nice. I did bend the foot some in a fall but it's pounded flat now and is cutting fine.UPDATE; 9 months in and all I can say is that the saw is holding up really well. The plate bevel is still a bit tough to square up and I'd like to find one with an electric brake. Otherwise, great quality saw that has seen tons of use and abuse and stood its ground.One real complaint; when you're cutting right-handed, the dust is directed right into your shoes and nailbags. The blade-left saw doesn't have a Bosch dust chute accessory available, and this saw really needs one. When you're cutting a post from right to left, the dust is projected straight up, into your face and eyes. Bosch needs a dust chute for the CS-5. I tried the dust chute for cs-10 and cs20, but it doesn't really attach to the CS-5 without major modification. It's a short-coming.Recent experience; the blade-right Milwaukee's have a giant view of the line and blade for righty's. I recommend them.