Okay, so I am searching for a new cordless circular saw. I’m not committed to any one brand, and am considering Porter Cable, Hitachi, Dewalt, Makita, and Milwaukee’s product offerings. Up until last night I was very strongly considering Makita, but that has since changed.
So why the sudden change of heart? Because Makita has made it very difficult to make an educated purchase. You see, they offer two 18V LXT cordless circular saws, the BSS610Z, and the BSS611Z. I tried and I tried, but I could not find any clear difference between the two saws other than the two LED lights that only the BSS610Z model has. So that’s the only difference, right?
Wrong. Taking a quick look at the respective parts breakdown diagrams confirmed that the BSS610Z has an LED module that the BSS611Z does not have, and that it also has an additional “stopper” knob. HOWEVER, seeing as how there is a huge price difference between the two tools – $100 street price vs. $150 street price, surely there must be another difference!
Well, there is another difference. It took looking at both tools’ owners manuals to see that the BSS610Z has a blade brake and the BSS611Z does not. You would think that Makita would take more care to mention this feature!
While this is the major issue detracting me from choosing Makita, there is at least one more minor example. When trying to determine which battery and charger was required, I noticed that Makita also fails to differentiate between the DC18RA and DC18SC chargers. Not only that, there is no explanation as to why one charger is required for 1.5 amp-hour 18V batteries and the other for 3.0 Ah batteries. A minute of searching suggests that the DC18SC was replaced by the DC18RA, but it would be better if this were confirmed by Makita on their website.
If I’m going to spend my hard-earned money on a power tool, I want to be able to quickly make an educated decision. Companies that hinder this process by providing inadequate or confusing information will not see my business.
Since Makita’s cordless circular saws are so well regarded, they’ll remain on my short list for now. Even large international companies are entitled to make mistakes from time to time, and there is no indication that the aforementioned confusion was intentional or resulting from a lack of effort. If anything, it looks like a lack of communication between tool experts and marketers, but it’s nevertheless oh so frustrating.
Makita BSS610Z Cordless Circular Saw (Amazon)
Makita BSS611Z Cordless Circular Saw (Amazon)
Additional Info (Makita)
One thing I find very aggravating with my Milwaukee cordless is the fact that you have to return the battery (V-18) to the charger to reset it’s internal overload protection circuit. I am sometimes far from my charger and this becomes a major hassle. It is a real pain to have to come down off the roof or out of the woods when you hit a knot or otherwise bind the blade. The Makita LXT battery resets itself after a short time out. Something else you may want to consider when buying tool.
I often find it helps to download the owners manual and review the operating procedures before making a purchasing decision.
As to Makita offering two saws, I believe they are just working off the new old stock while offering their new model for sale also.
That’s a very good point – thanks for bringing it up, and I will be sure to keep it in mind.
I don’t think that it’s a simple as old stock vs. new stock. It looks like the BSS610Z may be intended to be a more featured add-on saw while the BSS611Z is the “value” model.
I checked out the various cordless combo kits that Makita offers that include a circular saw, and the BSS611 is always the bundled model. Other brands will sometimes do this, of course, but the differences between bundled and add-on versions are usually easier to find.
Did you end up buying one of the Makita saws or something else? I noticed that Ridgid wasn’t on your short list. What do you think of them, as a brand? Thanks!
Well, I didn’t see any cordless Ridgid saws in-store at Home Depot and I didn’t see it online at HomeDepot.com or elsewhere. According to Ridgid’s website, the saw exists, but apparently it’s not sold anywhere, and if it is, it’s proving difficult to find.
I have MOSTLY Makitas. They kick ass, and the Makita Li-Ion batteries are the best value on a Wh/$ basis. Only gripe with the Makita Li-Ion batteries is they have no fuel gauge on them, which is annoying.
I tested a ton of tools from different companies, and based on both that and tools of the trade reviews, I chose Makita for everything EXCEPT my circular saw. I wanted a cordless circular saw that kicked ass, and the best rated one (proved out in some side-by-side testing I did) is the Bosch 36V. Refer to Tools of the Trade online testing.
BUT… the Bosch has a different battery and charger. Ugh. So I avoided that by taking an old 36V Bosch battery casing (don’t ask how I got that…), cut apart two Makita lights (cheap at $18 each), used the battery locking mechanism from those and attached them in series on the battery attachment component from the Bosch. Basically, I now have a slim adapter that lets me run the 36V Bosch cordless circ saw (and any other 36V Bosch tool) from two 18V makita batteries. Thus, I have the best rated 18V drill, great recip, etc, and the best 36V circ saw, but only one set of batteries and one charger. Have a pic I can send if you send me an email address.
Kenz,
That’s a very interesting project, creating a Makita battery powered Bosch circ saw as you described. Not a project that I would likely undertake myself, but it seems very doable, granted that one is able to acquire empty battery casings of their own.
I don’t have anything to add to your comments, but do enjoy reading
all that you folks have to say about different tools.
Thanks for all your reviews and great comments.
Thanks, Bill!
Hey KenZ – Can you send me your picture of your rigged up the 36V Bosch to run on two Makita 18V batteries? And any instructions that might help me do the same thing? Thanks. rhall@pobox.com
Thanks for doing the research on this. I had the exact same questions about the differences between these two saws and you nailed it. Nice work!
You’re very welcome, I’m glad that this helped you out!
The BSS610Z model also has a blower to keep the cut line clear.
I came across this post while searching to find a difference myself. After your findings did you figure out which of the two was the better buy? I would like to go makita personally because I already have a makita kit with batteries and chargers.
Thanks!
I assume the 610 because of the break
Well, BSS610Z is more featured, but BSS611Z is 45% cheaper. Personally I prefer cordless circular saws which have blade brakes.
Nearly everything else looks identical between he two saws. If one had an aluminum or steel base plate and the other magnesium, I would be a bit more understanding about the price difference.
OK, I give. What is the difference between the Blue tools from the White tools?
Other than price and the capacity of the battery?
The blue 18V tools require 3.0Ah battery packs, the white 18V tools can be used with either 1.5Ah or 3.0Ah battery packs.
If the above comment is correct, then why does Makita make Blue
Power drills that look the same as the White ones and with a healthy
price difference?
What is the difference between the DC18RA and DC18SC chargers?
The above info suggests that the DC18SC is for the 3.0Ah battery.
However, I see on the web that the DC18RA charger is being sold
with the 3.0Ah batterys. I gather from other information that the
DC18SC charger also works for NiCad and/or NiMh batterys.
Another confusing thing is if the chargers work with 220/240VAC? Most electronic equipment that have power factor control (required by the EU) work on any voltage between 90 and 260VAC (50/60Hz). I never see input voltage mentioned by the charger data sheets. I live in two countries, one 120VAC/60Hz and the other 240VAC/50Hz and would like to use the same batteries in both.
Whoever does Makita’s advertising does not seem to have a clue on
what their products do.
Regarding the blue vs. white tools with identical designs and specs, I really have no idea what’s going on there.
I checked a DC18RA charger, and it’s 120V-input only. But to be fair, most manufacturers’ chargers have a similar limitation. I imagine that it’s to cut costs on their end and for buyers since very few users actually need a dual-input universal charger.
Important to also note the two saws are different in dimensions, (one is smaller), and most importantly one, (the cheaper of the two saws), allows for up to a 50 degree angle of cut compared to just a 45 on the more expensive model. Every one should know the importance of this if one is even remotely familiar to real world outside corners and the such.
In reviewing the comparison sheet from Home Depot it seems the less expensive saw is also the more compact one. So that’s two huge advantages for BSS611Z – Greater angle of attack and ability to cut farther in confined spaces.
The disadvantages are no electric brake, (this is debatable as there is also no sudden kick when stopping the blade in mid-cut ), and decreased stability from having a smaller cut bed traversing the work. There is also some difference in the the safety around the trigger although, from looking at home depot’s comparison sheet, I can’t discern what exactly it is.
Use the comparison feature at Home Depot’s site to confirm these things for yourself. The big difference for me is the one saw cuts up to 50 degrees and the other only to 45.
I haven’t seen the Home Depot comparison sheet, but checking Makita’s spec sheet shows that both the BSS610Z and BSS611Z are 13-5/8″ long and that both feature 50° max bevel cutting capacity.
Looking at both saws on Home Depot’s website also show the 50° max bevel.
The BSS610Z might very well be slightly more compact than the BSS611Z, but that’s not something I can determine without both versions in front of me.
Your point about the electric brake is also a very good one. Personally, I do prefer brakes, but can see how some might actually prefer saws without this feature.