Replies

1. 
   DougU | Jul 01, 2007 03:05am | #1

   yea, my Milwaukee circular saw, have had it for 30 + years and still going strong! :)

   Of course I dont know how old it really is, I bought it used in about 1974ish.

   Doug

1. 
   ptp | Jul 01, 2007 04:37am | #3

   I was looking at the newest model at Home Dimwit the other day and it looks even better than the 5007NBA I'm using now. It has positive stops and the fence can go all the way to 56? degrees. Nice and solid feeling with a thicker fence, like the Porter Cable has.

1. 
   bubbajames | Jul 01, 2007 05:56am | #4

   Home dimwit-Thats Hillarious!

2. 
   wood4rd | Jul 01, 2007 04:27am | #2

     The first Makita circular saw I bought was in the early 80's.
   It is weird because it has a red body instead of the Makita blue you see now.
   I asked a Makita rep about it at a tool show, and he said they had a agricultural line back then. The funny thing is , I think the saw is older than he was. The red one still works and has been used for cutting stucco and other dirty jobs. I have a couple other Makitas and they just wont die either.
     I do have a Porter Cable I use mostly now, but Im still undecided about what my next saw will be. 

1. 
   NickNukeEm | Jul 01, 2007 06:46am | #8

   I have a 1/4 sheet sander from Makita, red body.  I bought it July 5, 1986, as a bonus the day after my kids (twins) were born.  Haven't seen another red bodied Mak since.  Kids now have one more year in college (plus 6 months for my sons double major of computer and electrical engineering) and the sander continies to kick up the dust.

    "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul."  Invictus, by Henley.

2. 
   bobbys | Jul 01, 2007 08:37pm | #18

   i had a buddy who had a whole set of red ones, he had a little red miter saw that was way cool, i kept trying to buy it off him, I had one red drill

3. 
   gordsco | Jul 01, 2007 06:15am | #5

   I still like the Makita. I remember the old ones, after a short while they would sound like they were full of marbles. Noisy as heck, and they just kept cutting... for years and years.

   I can't remember what happened to my old Makita, but I replaced it with a rear pivot 7¼" DW364. After that was stolen, I replaced it with another DW364. Nice saw, heavy in comparison, but very solid.

   View Image

   I also have a Hitachi 7¼" C7-YAK with dust collection, which is nice when cutting inside on a remodel, the bag works suprisingly well, a vacuum easily hooks right up to it.

   View Image

    

   Gord

                           

    

    

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   Edited 6/30/2007 11:16 pm by gordsco

   
   

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   Edited 6/30/2007 11:17 pm by gordsco

4. 
   grpphoto | Jul 01, 2007 06:40am | #6

   Yeah, I think so. I have an old Makita circular saw. It was always just a little wobbly, as if the base was a bit flimsy. I bought a Porter-Cable left-hand model (they come in handy for ripping stuff on the job), and was very impressed. Now the Makita is permanently locked into a plywood cutting jig and I own two Porter-Cables for the usual work.

   George Patterson
1. 
   grpphoto | Jul 01, 2007 06:44am | #7

   One other thing about the Porter-Cable saws. Mine don't have the "safety" button that most other saws have. So I just set it in place an pull the trigger, without having to wrap my thumb into contortions. It makes it easy to use the saw in positions which would be very difficult with my Makita.George Patterson

5. 
   IMERC | Jul 01, 2007 07:19am | #9

   Milwaukee...

   gotta be over 30 years..

   Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming

   WOW!!! What a Ride!
   Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

6. 
   slykarma | Jul 01, 2007 07:43am | #10

   The Makitas design is venerable but well made. Yep they're tough all right. But theyears of hard work take their toll and eventually the shoes gets too bent for the saw to be accurate any more. I still keep a 15-yr old Makita for dirty jobs like cutting stucco when the need arises, but a Porter Cable has been my weapon of choice for a couple of years now. Big commerical outfit I used to work for had dozens of saws and over the years they tried them all, so I got a good amount of time on all the major brands. The PC felt better in my hand than any other. Really don't like rear-pivot saws like Sawcats and some DeWalts, they have awful sightlines and are hard to direct when making shallow cuts. I'm a lefty so that will no doubt have a lot of bearing on things.

   Lignum est bonum.
7. 
   alrightythen | Jul 01, 2007 07:51am | #11

   Tough as nails saw....cept for the base plate.

      View Image                                          View Image    
8. 
   dieselpig | Jul 01, 2007 02:57pm | #12

   Makita sidewinders and Estwing hammers always seem to go together.  No frills and they get the job done.  But I hate 'em both personally.

   View Image
9. 
   Piffin | Jul 01, 2007 03:50pm | #13

   Half of what is one the market is better.

   Mak has a good strong otor, but the base and frame is crap

    

    

   Welcome to the
   Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
    where ...
   Excellence is its own reward!

1. 
   Snort | Jul 01, 2007 05:12pm | #14

   A new Makita is great, but after a few years of gorillas raising and lowering the base plate the dang pivot arm spreads so far the only thing it's good for is pocket cuts<G> Someone's got it in for me, they're planting stories in the press

   Whoever it is I wish they'd cut it out but when they will I can only guess.

   They say I shot a man named Gray and took his wife to Italy,

   She inherited a million bucks and when she died it came to me.

   I can't help it if I'm lucky.

2. 
   McDesign | Jul 01, 2007 05:32pm | #15

   <Mak has a good strong otor>

   Maybe you dropped it in something?

   Forrest

    

1. 
   Piffin | Jul 01, 2007 06:15pm | #17

   The M on my motor is worn out.A lot of their base plates never are accurate from day one. I see so many coments here how they wear out too soon, but I was never impressed with the first one. 

    

   Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

10. 
    bubbajames | Jul 01, 2007 06:05pm | #16

    I use a Makita 5740  and am very impressed with it for such a lightweight saw, and having only 10.5 amps...

    I use the hypoid saw for the heavy duty stuff.

    plus I have the 14.4 cordless saw.

    All three are good quality saws, none of which cost me an arm and a leg.

11. 
    zak | Jul 01, 2007 09:49pm | #19

    I want one of these:

    http://www.heavydutytools.net/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=542

    zak

    "When we build, let us think that we build forever.  Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone." --John Ruskin

    "so it goes"

     

1. 
   slykarma | Jul 02, 2007 01:25am | #20

   ^ looks like the PC but without the handy toolless blade change.Lignum est bonum.

1. 
   DustyandLefty | Jul 03, 2007 07:15pm | #21

   I've used a Makita (blue) for 20 years, and it is still going strong.  I bought a second one with a cut cord for parts at a yard sale, fixed it, didn't need it, and gave it to a friend.  Good basic no-frills saw.  I reach for it rather than my Skill 77.

   Still Dusty and Lefty