I’ve been putting Festool’s new 18v 5.2-Ah cordless 6-1/4-in. circular saw and its companion guide rail to work doing framing and exterior finish for the past month at the ProHOME project. I’m always impressed with Festool’s products, but for my work, this saw setup is outstanding on both the design/engineering side and the performance side.

The new Festool saw looks and operates like a regular sidewinder circular saw — much different from the Festool track saws most carpenters are familiar with. And that’s a good thing for carpenters whose work ranges from framing to remodeling to finish; they’ll get the most out of this saw system.

First the saw: I’ve used a bunch of cordless saws, but this is the first that can replace my corded saws for 85% of the work I do. The power and battery endurance can stand up to repeated 2x cutting and sheathing cutting for what seems like hours — and with a two-battery kit and fast recharge rate, I can go all day without a corded saw.

The saw directs almost all of the dust through the swiveling discharge port rather than spewing chips all over. And when connected to a vacuum, the saw makes practically no mess. The depth-of-cut adjustment is a simple squeeze lever at the rear, and the indexing scale is precise. I set the depth at various sheathing thicknesses and noticed that the blade just skimmed the spacer board I slipped beneath; that figures, since most sheathing is just a whisker under the nominal thickness.

The HKC 55 makes plunge cutting a breeze with its hybrid function plunge-cutting feature. Along the inside edge at the top of the blade guard is a lever that releases the saw base and springs it downward (or the body of the saw upward depending on how you are holding the saw), hinging at the front. The blade guard still covers the exposed part of the blade at the rear of the saw, but it doesn’t extend below the base. And the base extends below the teeth, so the saw can be positioned without interference. When the saw is located precisely over a cut, you just start the motor and lower the saw into the workpiece. The depth will stop and lock at whatever depth setting you indexed.

Festool simplifies retracting the blade guard with a front-mounted lever. Light pressure raises the guard for easy cut entry of other times when you need to retract the guard.

There’s another feature on the guard, too: a riving knife, a narrow fin on the guard that tracks into the kerf. Not only does this help keep the kerf open during a cut, but it also helps guide a straight cut.

I’ll review the FSK guide rail in another post, but it’s important to point out here that the HKC 55 works with the Festool guide rails (tracks) that you may already have. That makes this saw extremely versatile for cutting panels and other work where precise cuts are important.

There are loads of other features that make this saw outstanding, such as the top-mounted trigger lock, the blade-lock lever/key holder, the front knob, and the rip guide, but I’ll pick up on those features separately.

And there’s a corded companion to the HKC 55 , the HK 55, and it has all of the same features and functions.

The HKC 55 with two batteries and charger list for $570

Festool UK has a basic feature video that shows off the saw and FSK guide.

For a longer video, check out this one by David Stanton. He covers all the functions and features in about 20 minutes.