Makita “Panel-size” Mini Circular Saw
I have had the Makita BSS501 panel saw for two years now. This is a scaled-down, cordless circular saw. It uses the 18V Li-Ion batteries.
In another thread I had opined that this saw handled 1/4″ plywood just fine. I must have been feeling generous that day.
My verdict: The only thing this tool is good for is providing spare batteries for other Makita tools.
Today’s task was making some trim cuts FRP-covered 1/4″ luan. Saw continually bogged down. Even minor cuts resulted in the battery getting HOT. A 48″ straight cut required two batteries.
Regular readers will know I generally like Makita’s tools. With that in mind, I have to wonder about the utility of ANY cordless circular saw, of any size.
I will concede that the saw cuts were smooth, and there was no tendency of the material layers to separate. This speaks to the quality of the blade.
I have a few more cuts to make on this material – and I’m switching over to a corded saber saw for them.
Replies
Sounds like you may have a dull blade or a battery going south.
+1 for the blade
I have a Crapsman 'Trim Saw', the same config as yours. I too thought it was a waste of time, until I changed the blade and upgraded to the Li-ion battery. It now performs vastly better than before and has become a worthwhile tool for thin sheets goods and other trim. The blade which came with it was a true POS.
Good luck.
Sorry for the late response ... my, how time flies!
With a very unexpected late start to the summer here, I've been pushing to get things done before the heat sets in. Looks like yesterday's rain brought summer with it- at last! Likewise, the mosquitoes rose en masse from the ground last Wednesday - a good month later than usual.
As for the saw ....
Makita always surprises me with the excellence of their blades. This one seems to continue the tradition.
Batteries? While some have alleged a serious drop in the performance of Li-Ion batteries over time (10% per year?), I don't yet believe them. Both batteries perform similar in the saw.. I have not seen a similar drop with other tools using (different) Li-ion batteries.
Heck, my Worx weed whacker has not seen any noticeable decline in its' performance, over the same time frams, with its' decidedly tiny Li-ion batteries.
My house re-build has led me to purchase several tools. Ironically, the new tools tend to be either corded, or be specialty tools with unique batteries. Most of my cordless stuff is still Ni-Cd and made of yellow plastic. Go figure.
No, I'm convinced this is a flawed tool. It has never impressed me well. This latest effort just set thge hook: Thumbs Down!