The new 5-3/8″ Skil 18V Circular Saw model 5995 is a homeowner’s dream tool – offering professional quality at a price almost anyone can afford. With an excellent power-to-weight ratio, top quality design, and the latest 18V lithium ion battery technology, this saw is ideal for anyone who already has some compatible 18V SKIL tools and wants to add a portable saw into the mix. This is a great tool for those just starting out with their first home or the seasoned do-it-yourself type.
Skil 18V Circular Saw Features
As we were unpacking the SKIL 5995 tool, one of the first things we noticed was how lightweight it felt in our hands. The saw had good balance, was easy to use, and appeared to be well made. The main body is made of tough ABS plastic with black rubber overmold on both handles. Since this is a bare tool, there is no case and indeed no battery provided – but at less than $65 it’s a veritable steal.
One of the other interesting features of this saw is its use of the PowerPlus battery system that makes the tool both Lithium-ion and NiCd battery compatible. Unlike some other manufacturers that have introduced new battery technology and new battery styles that are not compatible with the older tools, the SKIL 18V tools are backwards compatible with previous SKIL 18V NiCd tools. The new Lithium-ion batteries are supposed to be able to hold a charge for up to 18 months (of course we have not tested this, so for the time being we’ll have to trust the folks over at SKIL on this one). And to make all you “green” people happy, the charger for the batteries is Energy Star rated which means it meets the government standards for energy efficiency.
We gave this saw a big workout. Our project was to put up some 3/8″ thick b-board plywood on the ceiling of a porch. We had ten new 4×8 sheets to install, along with cutting out sections of the old ceiling. To do all the cutting we used only the 5995 Cordless Skilsaw. Now this saw comes with a super thin kerf 5-3/8″ 18 tooth Carbide-Tipped Blade which we think really helped this saw shine. We hope to see these Skil blades on the shelf along with the tools in the stores. After adding up all the cuts that we did, it totaled nearly 100 linear feet. What was even more amazing was that we did it all on a single battery! The saw was very easy to use with great visibility. The patented anti-snag lower blade guard also worked great and allowed us to start the saw with ease, never having to manually lift the guard. As with most cordless circular saws, having a sharp blade designed for cordless tool use will help guarantee better performance and cuts, so make sure to replace it with a new one as soon as you begin to notice your saw’s performance going down.
Conclusion
Basically, if you are out shopping for the best bang for the buck, the SKIL 5-3/8″ 5995 18V Lithium Ion Cordless Skilsaw delivers. We liked the many quality features that were packed into what is a very value targeted saw. While many heavy duty homeowners will like?this tool, we think that budget conscious contractors can also benefit from the performance. For our Performance rating we gave it an 8/10 because of all the quality features that brought the tool closer to what a professional might expect and for our Value rating we gave it a 8/10 because we think it will be hard to beat what you get with this saw for the money spent!
