I am a student at Univ. of Maryland and we are currently doing tests on this product to see how it compares to its competition. As for battery life, we found that it cuts the same as all it's cordless competitors. The benefit of this unit is that it's well balanced in your hand. Downfalls are it does not have markings on the baseplate, nor depth of cut. We cut 2x4 to test the time it took to drain the battery, we got around 65 cuts out of one battery before it would die. We let the saw stop after each cut, then would restart it. The most difficult feature on this was the battery removal button. The handles were well made and fit the best out of 5 other units we tested.

I am a student at Univ. of Maryland and we are currently doing tests on this product to see how it compares to its competition. As for battery life, we found that it cuts the same as all it's cordless competitors. The benefit of this unit is that it's well balanced in your hand. Downfalls are it does not have markings on the baseplate, nor depth of cut. We cut 2x4 to test the time it took to drain the battery, we got around 65 cuts out of one battery before it would die. We let the saw stop after each cut, then would restart it. The most difficult feature on this was the battery removal button. The handles were well made and fit the best out of 5 other units we tested.

I am a student at Univ. of Maryland and we are currently doing tests on this product to see how it compares to its competition. As for battery life, we found that it cuts the same as all it's cordless competitors. The benefit of this unit is that it's well balanced in your hand. Downfalls are it does not have markings on the baseplate, nor depth of cut. We cut 2x4 to test the time it took to drain the battery, we got around 65 cuts out of one battery before it would die. We let the saw stop after each cut, then would restart it. The most difficult feature on this was the battery removal button. The handles were well made and fit the best out of 5 other units we tested.

This was a bit of an impulse buy for me so I was pleasantly surprised at how powerful and effective it is. There were two projects it really shone on. The first was cross-bracing an attic for hurricane code. As I started to notice, there are a lot of places you want to saw where there is no readily available power or the cords get tangled in the work. An attic is just such a place. Even though I had a light in the attic which I could have plugged the power saw into, (I have a 7.5" Dewalt corded saw.) threading the cord around all of the roof joists is just a nightmare, and if you trip over the cord/s you fall through the ceiling. (I learned the hard way...'nuff said..LOL) The 2nd project was cutting 2x6 deck joists and 5/4 preassure treated deck planking for a deck. 16 foot deck boards and power cords just don't mix, it becomes a tangled mess and since you are walking on the deck joists, once again tripping is a constant threat, especially when working with a team. Using a framing square for a cutting guide I could place the board, elevate the end I wanted to cut with scrap, cut the board within a 1/16th of an inch, pull out the scap and the deck board would fall right into place. My DeWalt cordless drill made quick work of the 3" deck screws and I was on to the next board. Two knowlegable do-it-yourselfers planked a 16x30 foot deck in 3 hours with two saws and drills.You must buy and extra battery for the saw if you are working in a team because of the volume of cutting you will be doing. If the drills and saws share the power packs, stagger the work and use all of the batteries for the saws, then the drills afterwords. Partly because of the ease of use (not dragging cords, etc.) you will be spending more time cutting and a lot less setting up the cut, so the battery gets drained in half an hour or so. For long angled rip cuts I still needed a corded saw and rip fence, but those cuts were very few. Great product! Enjoy!PS: Use Robinson, square headed screws and bits and buy the DeWalt bits. They are bevel cut on the bottom and are much more resistant to popping out. Phillips heads require too much downforce and will blister you thumbs and tire your arms long before the job is done. Screws are about 5 times as strong as nails and won't split the wood. Spend the extra money and get the Osmose screws. The square head is more precise and the bits will 'hook up' much better.

I am a carpenter who builds decks, gazebos and porches. I bought this saw this week (through Tool Crib, by the way!) for use when dragging a cord is dangerous or annoying, or when cutting out of position. This is a 5-star tool under these conditions. For heavy-duty framing with wet/heavy lumber, this cordless tool drops to a 2-star rating. Under heavy conditions, it HAS to be used with the AC/DC converter (not available right now).pIts light weight treated my bad hand (

I received my saw as a gift the winter before I was to use it to build a cabin in the woods of Alaska miles from an electrical hookup. Before I received the saw I was unsure how I was going to deal with cutting the boards, plywood, joists etc. (God forbid it be by hand...). I was a bit sceptical at first, but soon came to understand the true versatility of this tool. I have done everything from quantity-cutting of 2x4's to cutting 4x12s to sawing OSB to cutting aluminum roofing (put the blade in backwards and it works great!) to trimming while dangling from the roof-peak and anything else imaginable. I was most impressed by the ability of the saw to do (reasonably) accurate compound mitres. I would give it 5 stars except that the batteries don't hold power when it gets near freezing outside. I wisely purchased a second battery for the saw and have found that I have enough power to work two full days of cutting and trimming. If I were in a position where I needed to purchase a saw, I would unhesitatingly get this one.

Top quality and features -- DeWalt has a winner here.brPerfect balance(unusual for battery saw):one finger behind the trigger, light weight magnesium construction, arbor lock, electric brake, ambidextrous trigger release(good for us lefties), full 2x cutting depth with 6 1/2" blade, powerful with 24 volts, one hour recharge. Best battery saw I've seen.

this saw is the best ive ever used in a cordless tool . the only down fall is dewalt only gives you one battery . if you use it all the time i sugest you invest in a couple of batterys other than that its the baddest tool on the pla net im looking foward to the hammer drill i will soon purches

I am a long time contractor and worm drive purist so I was a bit skeptical about a cordlees saw. That is until I puchased this one! Many of my jobs are in country settings and electricity is often delayed so we rely on generators to supply power initially. It is annoying and time consuming to fire up a generator just to make one or two cuts. This saw is a great labor saver and is an excellent addition to my tool cache. The only major improvement I would like to see would be to reverse sides with the blade (place it on the left).

I have the entire 24V kit, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I like the AC/DC converter feature, so that when the uncommon dead battery situation happens, you're not left without power. DeWalt: How about a 24V jig saw, plate jointer, miter saw and handheld planer? I'll buy them whenever they come out.