Prior to getting into the tracksaw world, I used an older Porter Cable 743 for all of my circular saw work. There are only a few appreciable improvements over this older model: its about a pound lighter, the secondary handle is ergonomically positioned, and the adjustment knobs are now easy to use levers (see below, left). There are actually a few things that were left out of this model, that are present on my older saw. For instance, the blade changing wrench is now stored in the case, instead of on the tool itself (see below, right). Another thing missing is the dust bag connector. Now to be fair, they do still make saws with the dust bag connector but I suppose at this price point they needed to sacrifice a few things.

So what more can I say? It appears to be a powerful and capable saw. No bells, no whistles, just a decent quality circular saw at a good price. For a furniture shop, I think this saw would be more than adequate for making nice clean straight cuts using an upgraded blade and some sort of a guide. Would it stand up to the intensity of all-day use on a construction site? Unfortunately, I can’t answer that question, but the body and base of the saw appear to be durable enough. And the fact that its nearly a full pound lighter would certainly make it more pleasurable to use over long periods of time.

Overall, I give it a somewhat unexcited thumbs up. It does exactly what its supposed to do, nothing more nothing less. And it does it for about $90.

Hi Marc, I figured this would be a good time to photograph my shop and send to you since I did a much needed pre-spring spring cleaning.

My workshop is located near Grand Rapids Michigan. It is about 25×25 and was divided in half with a wall which I tore out and installed a large beam to hold the garage up. In the center of the shop is a 10″ Jet contractor table saw with shop built extension wing and out feed table/work table.

Along the south wall is my 14″ Delta band saw, 6″ Jet Jointer, 12-1/2 Delta planer where I store my Delta scroll saw and have a over head lumber rack and keep sheets of plywood against the wall. Along the west wall is where my Delta 10″ compound miter saw lives, Porter Cable 15 gallon air compressor, Delta drill press and where I store clamps on the wall and various jigs. On the north wall is where all my power tools and hand tool are stored. This is the first time I’ve seen my bench top in about a year… lol. Along the east wall is where I store various items, garage heaters and projects in waiting and where my router table is located. Well I hope you enjoyed my shop tour!

Here are the companies we visited:

Leigh, Blum Tool Co., Ex-Factory, DeWalt, Powermatic, Delta, and Laguna.

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