I am actively involved in timber framing for myself, and have been looking for the right mid-sized circular saw for a while. I came dangerously close to ordering the Milwaukee 10-1/4" until I read a very helpful review on this site about the paper thin foot that easily bent. I already own a 16-5/16" Makita, and it is a beast, with a maximum 6-1/2" depth of cut at 90 degrees. I needed a saw that could cut 3" deep---this saw is advertized at 2-15/16", and it does every drop of that! The foot is extruded aluminum, about 1/8" thick, very stout. This saw feels no different than a normal 7-1/4" to me. The depth adjustment knob is fantastic, and the angle adjustment is a breeze. Be sure and check it when you first get your saw though. Mine was off almost two degrees. This saw will rip 3" thick SYP with the blade that comes with the saw! It is as strong as you would ever need it to be!...

Simply put, this saw has a lot of power and is great for framing and ripping 2x4's. I used this saw to rip 3x10's and it handled the job with ease. I would have to recommend this saw over the 7-1/4 types. If you only can afford one saw, this is the one to buy. 7-1/4 inch type saws are lighter and easier to handle all day long, but they won't cut like this one. I own both types of saws and I usually go for the 8-1/4. They really should make a case for this thing. Mine didn't come with a case. I have to pull the blade guard back in order to store it in the 7-1/4 saw case. The 7-1/4 saw now sleeps on the floor.

I had several saws before , but this time I decided to spend the bucks and buy a good one that would be worth fixing if the bearing went out.br Well this is everything I thought it would be and more, The only draw back is that this baby has some weight to it, My wife helps out alot and she complained the firest time she picked it up so if your not a strong arm person , this is not the saw for you.br keep in mind the 8 1/4 blades are not cheap when they can be found , but you can use the 7 1/4 if the size is not in demand.

I'm cutting a timberframe and needed a saw to make accurate 3" deep cuts. I own the big Makita, but that 16" blade tends to wander a bit with the grain. Plus, the base on that saw is very flexible. It's difficult to get dependable 90 degree cuts with it. I was hoping the Dewalt would give better results. Unfortunately, the Dewalt was a big disappointment.
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br /The biggest problem was the obstructed sightlines. The housing extends so far around the blade that it's practically impossible to see the front edge of the cut. By the time you contort far enough to see the cut, you're practically standing on your head! It's very difficult to control the saw with your balance so far off. To make matters worse, I can see no reason for the over-sized bonnet. It seems like the designer simply had no idea how to use a saw!
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br /NOTE: I know a lot of folks use the notch in the base as a guide. I've found that to work well if you want a straight cut that's somewhere near your line. If I want to cut TO the line, I have to see the cut.
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br /In an effort to get an accurate cut, I resorted to using an edge guide. (I hate to do that. With the dozens of cuts I make in an average day, the extra setup time is unwelcomed.) But here again, DeWalt let me down. The base is out of alignment with the blade by over 1/8". This seems like a common complaint with modern circ saws. I know these companies are driven to keep prices down, but how much would it take to align the base???? My Porter-Cable is aligned to within a couple of mils (.002")!!!
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br /This saw does have great power and provides a good depth of cut. The overall quality of construction (aside from the base misalignment!) is average to above average. The functionality - if you want to make an accurate cut - is extremely poor. Seems to me that, for $200, Dewalt could have done MUCH better.
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The 384 is the exact replica of the old BD/ sawcat,one of the best.I would like to se it offered w/carry case rip-guide.An absolute must for the framer.

This saw is being presented as the replacement for the earlier Black Decker 8-1/4" Sawcat. If only that was true. I purchased not one but two of these saws and found both of them to have the same defects. There was severe blade wobble with both saws, that resulted in a 3/16" and wider saw cut while using a thin kerf blade! Three brand new blades were tried to assure that the problem was not with the blade. It wasn't. The height adjustment is very rought due to crude castings and rough metal to metal slide. The supposed electric brake doesn't really perform like a brake at all but merely a slow down of sorts. This saw in no way compares with the Black Decker Sawcat of the past, and anyone expecting that will most assuredly be greatly disappointed just as I was. I also feel that for the cost of this saw, a rip guide should be included, but it isn't. Neither is a carrying case. The smoothness of the armature bearings seems very crude and it's doubtful that this saw would perform as flawlessly as the BD Sawcat did over the many years I owned it. What a shame, and my search for a replacement saw will continue.

I needed an 8 1/4" saw. I shopped the site, checked reviews and price. My gut told me that I should buy the Mikita because I really like their saws. But, have always had good luck with Dewalt tools, so I decided to save 40 bucks and buy the Dewalt. Wish I had of listened to my gut feeling. The Dewalt is heavy duty and has great power. But, I am cutting through 2 1/2" of foam with poly straps in it (ICF forms). The Dewalt is heavy to use cutting horizontally on a wall. You can't grip it very well so as to hold back the blade guard when doing a plung cut. It just isn't ergonomically correct. I will probably love it when cutting timbers on my next job though. It is meant to be a beefy wood hog, not a cut out opening in ICF walls saw. Reminds me of a Black and Decker I used framing many years ago.

I bought this saw because my table saw was struggling to get through the 12/4 hard maple I use to make furniture. 12/4 maple is so heavy I wasn't getting clean straight cuts with my table saw because the board is so clumbsy. Now with this 8-1/4 circular saw I don't have to wrestle with the board, I can move the tool instead. I also got the DEWALT DW3278 Circular Saw Rip Fence. Now I can rip perfect identical legths of 12/4 hard maple with ease. This saw works better than I expected it to. The thick hard wood doesn't bog down this saw like I expected it to.

I used this babe for over two years, and have been the best saw than I own. Very well build tool have also the safety feature of an electric brake than stop it in less than two seconds when you release the switch. Very easy to adjust the zero point (kerf indicator) and parallelism between the blade and the shoe. Surprising for me was the oustanding balance and plenty of power for the hardest of the tropical woods (Use carbide tiped blade...please) Also have a cord keeper for place the cable away in some chores. The only drawback than I see, is no metric conversion kits available for the people like me than not use inches!