OK, if you are a serious user, then you shouldn't be looking at Black and Decker to begin with. But, if you are like most of us weekend warriors, then this saw fits the bill nicely. There are a lot of nice features like a front and rear handle. You can raise the blade guard during use without putting you fingers as near the blade as the older models, as well as many new ones. I still have all 10 fingers. It is quick and easy to change depth and angles. Once use to the laser guide, you'll always want one. It made a long project this summer much for enjoyable after bucking my older, better saw for 30 years. Under heavier use, I gave it some breathers, as it isn't an upper end saw, but for the money and features, it is hard to beat.

As another reviewer mentioned...this likely isn't going to be found on many construction sites being used day in and day out, but for the handyman, weekend warrior, or occasional craftsmen, this is a great product. I was compelled to purchase after the "cut center" at one of the big box stores left my custom closet shelf eaten up due to a badly dulled blade...30 minutes later, with this saw I was making beautiful clean cuts guided by the laser. For the $50 this saw will set you back you will have a reliable, safe, nice cutting product.
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the 1030l replaced the 1040 model.
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br /the obvious differences are a drop from 14 amps to 13 amps, if this was it then no problem..... unfortunately it's not!!!!
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br /the 1030l is a much lesser product that they have obviously reduced the cost of build (even though retailed at the same price).
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br /The first thing is they dont include the ripguard on the 1030l - FFS it's a 10c piece of metal, why would they not include this.
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br /The second thing is that the 1030l doesn't include the spin lock button - basically this prevents the blade from spinning when you change the blade (among other things).
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br /Anyway, like i said it's still priced about right but dissapointing they removed basic things like this.
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br /Dean

Can't emphasize the utility of the on board laser. This allows you to rip a 4X8 plywood board with ease! Makes this tool as easy to use as a jigsaw. Nice feature is that the laser is powered by the cord rather than batteries!

I have really enjoyed this saw, and it has worked perfect. Highly recommend it.

I bought this to cut laminate flooring that we were laying in our home. It arrived in good shape, and everything was easy to put together. It did a great job on cutting on the flooring, and it was very easy to get the hang of. I am really happy with the purchase and would recommend it to anyone doing handywork around the house. I'm not sure how it will hold up with massive construction needs, but for a smaller project like ours, it was great.

Have only used it a few times.
br /A powerful saw and the laser helps to make a good cut

I bought the grandfather of this saw thirty years ago, and hope this one will last me just as long. The old saw gave good weekend service year in and year out. It still works, but the safety switch is finicky and I can hear a bearing failing. So, I've bought the newer version with high hopes. It has nice new features. Another 30 years should about do me - think it will make it?

I used this Black Decker circular saw for four days. I used it to cut 2x4 pieces of wood to frame out a wall. On the fourth day when I was almost finished, the head of the bolt that holds the blade in place fell off. At first I thought it had gotten loose and fell off. When I picked it up I realized that it had actually broken off, the other half was still in the saw. Of course the saw was useless at this point. Luckily I only had a few more pieces of wood to cut, by hand. Bottom line is I will not be buying a Black Decker product again.

iam a girl and so not very tool savy,i could'nt get this to work!it may be fine for some but with me i needed a more user friendly tool.

After waiting until it was almost Christmas for my husband to tell me what he wanted, he finally blurted out that he wished he had a circular saw. I found a great deal from target.com through Amazon.com. And the package arrived 2 days earlier than expected. My hubby was very surprised and excited!

I have used this saw very little as yet. So far I am very pleased.