During my ongoing home renovations, I’ve needed a small circular saw to make many types of cuts, usually in trim work for fitting around existing structures, window casings, frames or objects. Although seemingly costly, the Makita 5094DWD proved to be well worth the investment!
Makita Cordless Circular Saw
This saw is really a trim saw. It is small, lightweight, fairly compact and suitable for small cuts on thinner material. Its slow blade rotation of just 1,000 RPM seems like it wouldn’t cut much at all, but it readily plows through just about any wood species with ease thanks to the very thin kerf 3-3/8” diameter blade fitted to the saw. It takes a little longer to make a cut, but the results are pleasing with a fine finish. Its maximum cutting depth is just under an inch (15/16”) at 90 degrees, while at 45 degree bevel setting, it can cut material 11/16” thick.
The base plate is sturdy enough for the weight of the saw above it, and there is no real flex to reduce accuracy, which is good. The saw can be beveled to 45 degrees as well as raised for finer, shallow cuts or plunge cutting into the middle of trim material (if needed).
Battery life is good, thanks to the higher capacity 2.6Ah 14.4v battery that comes with the kit, which is of Nickel Metal Hydride construction. The NiMH battery has the advantage of no memory effect and good consistent power delivery all the way to near depletion. The included battery charger charges the battery in a few hours. One battery is included in the kit.
Blade changes are easy thanks to the included hex wrench and spindle lock, however, only one blade is included so be sure to grab some extras when you buy the saw as blades these small can be hard to find in the more generic brand names or at general hardware stores.
There are no rubber overmolds on the gripping surfaces of this saw, but control is not a real problem because it’s small and lightweight, . It would have been great to see them included for the comfort factor, but they are not essential. The barrel style body fits into the hand very well regardless. A safety trigger release is included to help avoid accidental saw startup.
Overall, this is a very handy tool to have. Despite its size and slow blade rotation compared to regular circular saws, the Makita 5094DWD performs very well. It will easily handle almost any trim cutting or slicing needs, and will also work well on thinner sheet goods like plywood, chipboard, melamine or masonite, and makes an ideal saw to cut these large materials down to more manageable sizes. Once you have one of these little pocket rockets, you seem to find more and more uses for one each and every day. I would readily buy another if and when my current 5094DWD bites the dust, but I don’t expect that to happen for a long time yet.
