Most circular saws offer the ability to set the cutting depth and the angle of a bevel by adjusting the saw’s angle relative to its baseplate guide. The depth of a cut will vary according to the angle – most saws will be able to cut more deeply when positioned at 90 degrees to the material, while angled cuts won’t be quite as deep.

Key specs – Weight: 3.37kg; Blade diameter: 85mm; Cutting depth at 90 degrees: 23mm; Cutting depth at 45 degrees: NA; No-load speed: 6,000rpm With the blade to the right of the handle, it’s a little easier for right-handers, but, thanks to the well-positioned two-way release switch, left-handers will have little problem using it. The big decision you’ll have to make is whether to go corded or cordless. Corded circular saws will never suffer from a flat battery, and a consistent 240V power supply delivers the kind of oomph that more powerful saws need. On the flip side, cordless saws offer ultimate portability, away from a conventional power source, and you won’t have to worry about slicing through a cable, especially if you’re working in a confined space.

You lift a lever to adjust the cutting depth, or turn a knob to vary the cutting angle – and both have marks to ensure accuracy. It’s a touch louder than the Makita, in both its no-load performance and during cutting, but its no-load speed is only a fraction behind. For occasional use, the Mac Allister is highly impressive, especially given that appealing price tag. Key specs – Weight: 2.16kg (excluding battery); Blade diameter: 150mm; Cutting depth at 90 degrees: 45mm; Cutting depth at 45 degrees: 32mm; No-load speed: 4,700rpm As a rule of thumb, the more teeth a sawblade has, the neater the cut will be. However, low-powered circular saws often work best with blades which have bigger teeth. Left- or right-handed circular saws? There’s no doubting the quality of the Makita, which goes a long way to explain the brand’s popularity among tradespeople. With the exception of the handle and motor shroud, pretty much everything here is made from metal and it feels like it could withstand an atomic blast, let alone a drop from a workbench.

Key specs – Weight: 3.37kg; Blade diameter: 165mm; Cutting depth at 90 degrees: 55mm; Cutting depth at 45 degrees: 38mm; No-load speed: 5,000rpm With its handle to the left of the blade, it’s easy to use – especially with well-placed trigger and trigger release buttons on the handle – and made short work of our test cuts. We liked the saw’s reassuring 3.8kg weight, and it delivered confidence in operation, but it may be too cumbersome for some uses. It recorded 100dB when running freely, and 108dB while cutting. It’ll cut to a depth of 66mm (46mm at a 45 degree angle), and can easily be adjusted by sliding a lever to tilt the footplate, but there’s no guide, so you’ll have to make your own measurements. The bevel is better – it can be adjusted by loosening or tightening two screws, and there’s a guide to ensure accuracy. The saw comes with a parallel guide, an allen key (which stores in the saw’s handle) and, impressively, a tough, plastic carrying case. If you’re working in a confined space, a mini circular saw can be indispensable and Einhell’s TC-CS is a great example. At just 2kg, it’s light and, with a handle roughly the same size as a grinder, it’s easy to hold. The best circular saws operate at the fastest speeds, measured in revolutions per minute (rpm). And the faster a circular sawblade can spin, the more control you’ll have over the cut and the cleaner it will be. You’ll generally find a correlation between the blade speed and the power rating of the tool, where bigger is almost always better.

The best circular saws you can buy in 2023

This will depend on what you’re planning to cut and how you’ll be using the circular saw. Larger blades will cut more deeply, but they can also be unwieldy. Not all blades will fit on all saws, but you can swap between blades depending on what you’re cutting. We’ve tested the three main types of saws here – corded, cordless, and a mini circular saw – covering all-round useability, the accessories included, the noise when the saw is spinning freely and during a cut, and, of course, its ability to cut wood. Key specs – Weight: 3.8kg; Blade diameter: 190mm; Cutting depth at 90 degrees: 66mm; Cutting depth at 45 degrees: 46mm; No-load speed: 5,200rpm