During a four year period a few years back I was part of a three man framing crew. We framed over a hundred homes and during this time we used a variety of tools in all types of weather conditions. The most reliable saw on the job site was my makita. During this time period the saws were dropped (accidentaly), cords were cut, got rained on, were exposed to subzero temperatures and snow, extreme sun and heat, and were generally beat to death. (These conditions are tough on a body, too. Ever meet a retired framer?) I can't imagine a more thorough test to put a tool through than a rough-framing job site. And of all the brands we went through, makita came out on top. The toughest, most durable saw for the money. Lightweight (somewhat) and easy to cut with. The handle is low, compared to a DeWalt or Milwaukee where you feel as if you push too hard, the rear of the saw will lift off the workpiece. And as always, use a quality blade in ANY tool and don't rush the cut and labor the motor. Let the blade do the work.

I've been using one of these saws for the past 17 years. I first bought it when I was building houses in Colorado. I am now using it for building my own house. A few other saws are built as tough and dependable in the same price range, but I have not found any others as comfortably balanced as the Makita. With the Makita, I feel that I have better control while I'm cutting. I've been around a lot of circular saws, but none are as sweet to use as this one. It's durability and strength make it well worth the price.

While this saw is powerful and well balanced, it has several short comings. One of the most aggravating is the ease with which the depth adjustment slips. The depth adjustment's quick lock handle engages a locking bolt that runs in a slot. This bolt has a square section which has stripped out (with minimal use) and the bolt turns in this slot causing the depth adjustment to slip. It is not replaceable unless you completely disassemble the saw.pThe forward part of the base of the saw is not chamfered on the right side of the blade. This causes the saw to hang up when cutting plywood or other rough-surfaced wood, especially when cutting across the grain. pOverall the quality of the saw is only average, not what I expected from Makita

I have used the the Makita 5007 NBK to cut 2x material for a housing framing/renovation project and it has handled superbly in all respects. It glides through straight lumber like the proverbial hot knife through butter. Important to an amateur builder, it is very easy to view the leading edge of the blade as I follow the marked line. Any problems not staying on line are strictly the fault of the operator.pI have no problems with maintaining a consistent depth adjustment. I find it much easier to adjust the depth of cut than on my older Milwaukee 7 1/4" circular saw.pFor ease of use and professional results it definitely rates 5 stars. Do yourself a favor and buy this saw no matter how many others you have in your toolbox.

My brother-in-law does remodeling and as a result, puts his power tools through hell. He's used the same Makita circular saw since the 1980s. It was based on seeing how well his saw still performed that I decided to purchase the Makita. I've never been sorry. I'm not a pro, but I certainly enjoy having a powerful, accurate saw when I need to make home repairs. I haven't found anything I can't slice through with this little monster. I've had it several years and it works like a new tool. The 13-amp motor supplies more than enough power for extended cutting of hard, thick lumber and has the added homeowner's advantage of not causing your 15-amp breakers to trip like some of the larger saws. There's a good reason you see these things all over job sites - they work well and last forever.

Just another favorable review of one of my favorite power tools...pThe weight is right, the handle angle is right, plenty of power, and it works every time. I bought this saw to replace a cheap DIY-special Black and Decker and the difference was a revelation (of course, any professional-quality tool would have been a revelation).pThe saw has lived in indignity under my side bench for years, getting hauled out for a variety of tasks. I am a woodworker hobbyist and amateur household carpenter. I use this saw for the occasional garden shed, rough-cutting sheet goods, and to make sets and furniture for theatrical productions (I married an actress). In my light-duty work the saw is a marvel.pI cannot speak to its suitability for a professional framer, but it works great for me.pAs a side note, I kind of lust after the left-bladed Porter-Cable, but I worry about safety. Is a left-handed blade more dangerous for a right-handed woodworker? You can see the blade more easily, which sounds good to me, but it would put the blade much closer to my left hand (i.e., my movable clamp). Just a question for thought...

Ive been a self employed carpenter for thirty years and used every circular on the market. Skil before after Bosch, BD, Porter Cable before after Rockwell, Milwalkee, DeWalt, Miller Falls, and Sears. Nothing has the feel, power and dependability of this Makita. Even the old worm drive skil, which you need a crane after rafters or stair stringers, has met it's match with the 5007. It is heavy enough not to bounce all over the work as light diy saws do, but light enough to still drink a soda one handed at the end of the day. You can rip all day with it, and it never overheats, nor can you bind it into a stall easily. Only complaint I have is I wish it wouldn't hit you in the face with the saw dust. Good saw buy it. Oh! it is made right here in the USA. brThis is a complaint; I dropped mine down a flight of stairs, and bent it. I replaced it. It is now made overseas, and no longer made in Buford Georgia. No wonder so many Americans are out of work.

Best saw I've ever used. Weight and balance are perfect and the power is non-stopable. The trigger has no extra safety button, so when your ready to cut, one squeeze and it's cutting. This saw is far superior to the Craftsman, Skill, and B D saws I have used in the past. You can't go wrong with this Makita Saw!

I've had this saw for three years now. Not one problem, malfunction, glitch, etc... I've used this thing on all kinds of material: dried, treated, 3/4" plywood, patio blocks (yeah I know, save your breath.)It handles great. It goes where you point it. It has plenty of power. What else do you want. I like that Makita heavy duty plastic and the thick aluminum shoe.

While I can't give a review based upon using the saw on a daily basis, I can praise the saw for the work it does every time I need it. I have used other saws in the past, and this saw has outperformed them all. It's balance is wonderful, and I never been able to follow a line this closely. Oh yeah, it's powered through everything I cut without any problems. I've used it for over a year now without any problems. I highly recommend it.

Before this, I used my dad's 12A Crapsman saw. This one puts it to shame. It's lightweight for its power, well balanced and solid as can be. The kit is nice. The hard plastic case holds 2 extra blades, the saw and the wrench. I like the arbor lock and blade wrench that are included, and the Makita thin-kerf rip blade that's included is second to none. My first impulse was that the Milwaukee equivalent is probably more durable, but probably not worth the money for someone who's not going to use it daily. Also, if you've ever watched Norm Abram, this is his saw. He uses it for framing, general carpentry and even in his woodworking shop. This is probably the best saw for the money. I do feel the slightest bit guilty for not buying American (DeWalt, Milwaukee) though.
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br /Update - Feb 23, 2008:
br /Well, I've had this saw now for 8 years. It is still as good as new with typical woodworking and homeowner use. Even though it is "only" a 13 A saw, it is very hard to find something that slows it down at all. I have just sold this to my brother, for two reasons:
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br /1) 90% Most of the sawing I do with a circ saw is in 3/4" thick material, so I don't need something as big heavy as this. (meaning 7 1/4" size)
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br /2) The edge guides that are available to help make perfectly straight 8' long cuts on sheet goods are also aluminum. (this saw's shoe is aluminum) Aluminum rubbing against aluminum doesn't work well; it binds. A steel, plastic, or magnesium shoe would be better.
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br /I sold this to my brother for $50, with the agreement that I can borrow or buy it back if I ever need the capability. For now, I've replaced it in my own shop with a Skilsaw HD5510, the nice little 5-1/2", left-blade circular saw. It costs about the same and is ever so much more handy. Bigger is not always better!

This is a really great saw. I've used it for plywood with a finish blade, treated lumber with a standard blade and even aluminum with a metal cutting blade. Easy to use, reliable, and solid. I have an old craftsman that I use for ... other projects. No comparison whatever.brIf I had to replace this saw, I'd get another just like it.

I have been using this saw to cut maple ply for cabinets (not cheap stuff to make bad cuts on)and it performs great. I was using an old skill saw and it always seemed to wander and I figured it must be the operator. Most of my mistakes came at the start of the cut but the guide and the excellent visibility of your cut enables even untrained operators like myself perform well. In response to earlier reviews about the depth locking nut coming loose... I have not found this problem. You will be happy with this purchase.

If I have but one complaint about this saw, it is that they need to put the blade on the left side. That's it.pIt has a great feel. Good power to weight. Built tough. etc.pI bought it when my Porter-Cable 753 was out on loan to one of my crewmen. I do not regret making the purchase of this saw.

"I bought this saw after starting a 3 season porch addition on my house. The comments about balance are right on -- it is much easier to control than my previous Craftsman saw. The guide mark on the sole actually is in the right spot. It truly is a pleasure to work with.

Ockay lets start off by saying that the circular saw is probably the second most personal tool to a carpenter second only to the hammer. Let me say this, the amp rating, who cares i can say i have never stalled this saw ripping 2x material, pressure treated or kiln dried. So what the Makita 12" thickness planer, table saw, and their hypoid saw are all 13 amps and they never miss a beat or stall! Look at it this way a semi-truck only makes 200 horse-power but loads of torque and it is all in the gear reduction. The makita is probably the only true-framers saw that is 13 amps because Makita can do with 13 amps what no other can. The saw has a tough rugged plastic housing that is bomb proof, and the same goes for the tough aluminum shoe. i personally like the the normal plate style shoe for this reason, say i drop the saw off of a two story house and i bend the shoe, i can hammer the shoe back into form on and anvil or a hard pice of wood, but if i drop the Porter Cable framers saw which has a plate shoe backed up by a honey-comb construction then what am i gonna do? I would have to go to the dealer and buy a new one. That is a bunch of BS about the depth adjustment being faulty or flimsy, heh i have had this saw for 13 years, almost as long as Makita has been in existance and this saw has never failed me. Just feel the plastic on the makita, quality impact grade perfect for the long fall off of a roof! Anyway if you are still bitchy about the 13 amps use a generator and run the damn thing DC [ you can do this because it is a makita and makita = quality, power,easy service and a liftime of use] p Buy this saw and you will love it, i can also assure you that it will outlive you if serviced once every three years, iam proof my saw still has plenty of life and i can see it goin for another 13 years easily! p And if you would still like to argue about it having no electric brake look at it this way, that is just one more thing to go wrong, Makita doesn't make a "left" blade model of this saw because the sight-line is almost perfect and the saw doesn't shoot the dust at your feet either. Oh yeah did i mention that this is the most popular Circ. saw in the world, cause it is, over 10,000 of these have been sold [that is more than anybody else].p~ MAKITA IS THE NAME IN PROFFESIONAL POWER TOOLS, and if you do buy this saw enjoy!

I needed a replacment for my Black Decker DYI cheapy which died while cutting brick. Got the Makita. Not good. It worked well for several hours. The thin base plate kept slipping under my guide, but the alignment guide alowed me to maitain a relatively straight cut. After a couple days, however, the blade no longer tracked with the alighnment mark. I called a Makita Factory Service Center (closest one was 4 hours away)and asked if there was any adjustment for tracking. They said no, but that they could fix it. I kept going for a few more days, then gave up. After 9 days use I returned it and bought a Porter-Cable. I realy liked the balance and power of the Makita. The base plate is too thin and loads up easily. When loaded up it is difficult to maintain a smooth cut. Bottom line: Not Good, but better than a Black Decker cheapy though.