Customer Reviews for Milwaukee M12 FUEL 12V Lithium-Ion Brushless 5-3/8 in. Cordless Circular Saw (Tool-Only)

DIY projects, bird feeders, bird houses, home repairs!

This is a great little saw, it's quiet and light weight. I used it to cut starboard for a project on my boat. It's very powerful bright LED light. My only negative is that it didn't come with a guide or maybe they forgot to put it in the box. Hope to have long use with it like my other Milwaukee tools...

Started collecting Milwaukee tools for my kitchen renovation

Very nice saw. I really like the light weight and ease of use. This saw has plenty of power and will still cut a 2x4. I build furniture and this saw makes cutting large pieces of 1by lumber very easy. I do like having the blade on the left side. It does take some time to get used to being so lightweight. When cutting without a guide you need to pay attention since the saw will move and cut off your line very easy if you twist it at all.

I wanted a light weight, battery operated, circular saw and drill to replace my aging corded circular saw and battery operated drill. I selected Milwaukee's 12 volt family of tools over 18 volt systems because of their light weight and compact size. I have not been disappointed with my choice. The M12 FUEL 5-3/8" Circular Saw with a 6 amp hour battery will run all day for my DYI projects. In fact, I used it to build a deck for my daughter and son-in-law and had no issues with it. It cut through 2 X lumber with ease.

I bought this saw to cut down my older entertainment center. It was light weight and did the job without effort. Being a righty, it was odd using a saw completely opposite from what I was use to, but the weight helped me stay on course. Very happy with the results. Now I only have to add paint to complete the reworking of my old entertainment center. It was lowered 22"..

Use it the help build this cabinet! It was a quick and easy way to work with

I break out the M12 Fuel 5 3/8 circular all the time to cut up pallets and for cutting plywood sheets. It's got plenty of power for what I use it for. The cuts are perfect every time. It's nice and light which makes the cuts smoother and puts less stress on my arm. Overall, a really great saw!

Perfect for my job. Light weight and easy to handle, yet with the power I needed. Used it to cut down my older entertainment center. Now it is ready for a bigger tv on top! Nice clean cut took 23” of the top and took a good, but dated piece of furniture and made it usable again. Great alternative to a new piece at less than a quarter of the price.

First time I ever used a Circular saw and It was good experience, I built a nice bench and I learned to be aware of things like kickback. I let the saw do the cutting and I did not try to force the cut as it can be dangerous if it binds. the saw was plenty strong even when it was cutting some large pieces of 2x12. The saw did bog here and there but it was mainly user error, for example I was still learning to cut a straight line so I would have to stop and restart. This is a great DIYer product, I would buy it again.

I not a contractor I am a do it yourself kind of guy. I considered going with M18 but I decided on the M12 because I have extra batteries from other M12 tools. I am very pleased with the performance of the saw. I am in the middle of building a deck and I have had no issues with the saw.

Excellent small saw, I cut up 2 junk pallets last weekend and this saw handled it wonderfully. I think the only drawback is the OE blade is ok but not great. I used a 4.0Ah battery that was slightly used, still had 4 lights when I started and 2 when I was done, with no noticeable loss in performance. It cut out the slats and cross cut the supports (2x4s) no problem. I wish I had this a few months ago when I replaced some of the sub-floor in my house, I like not having the cord of my other saw in the way.

Only have two outlets in my "shop" (Patio), so need as many cordless options as possible. This suits my needs perfectly: cuts through 2x lumber with no problem and have also ripped through 3/4" plywood and it hasn't bogged down once. A little pricey, but you get what you pay for and this is a winner.

I'm already a big fan of the direction Milwaukee is taking their M12 line, but this saw alone is an absolute breakthrough. I can't believe the power and runtime they've managed to squeeze out of the M12 batteries. I put this saw through its paces, and it ate up everything I threw at it, as you can see in the video I included. Milwaukee's biggest accomplishment for this saw was the cut capacity of 1-5/8". There's no mistake that the ability to cut 2x dimensional lumber in one pass was the driving factor behind this design. Other manufacturers have had 12V saws out for a few years now that have a 1" cut depth, but I've got to hand it to Milwaukee for holding off until they could deliver a tool that's truly useful, instead of aiming for a niche market. They didn't compromise on performance either - the saw doesn't feel underpowered, and offers a pretty decent cut speed. One of the first things I noticed was that the overall weight is very low, at just 5.35 pounds. That's less than half the weight of my full-size corded 7-1/4" saw, and the difference is very obvious. One handed operation is a breeze, and I still felt like I had good control of the saw the entire time. I found the battery life is surprisingly long too. Using the lowest capacity M12 battery at 1.5 Ah, I managed 52 cuts in a standard pine 2x4 on the first try, and 66 cuts on the second battery. That's right in line with Milwaukee's claim that the saw can achieve 170 2x4 cuts using the 4.0 Ah XC battery. I squeezed a few more cuts out on the second run by letting the saw do most of the work instead of forcing the cut, and by paying attention to minimizing saw runtime while I wasn't actively cutting the lumber. On each run, the fuel gauge started flashing its low power indication when I got to about the 5th from last cut. The saw ate through 1/2" MDF like a proverbial knife through butter. I ended up having it bind on me halfway through the 4' cut in the video, but I'm pretty sure the cause was my failure to support the end of the work piece. The biggest wow moment I had with the saw was cutting through two stacked sheets of 3/4" plywood. The going was a little bit slower than with a corded saw, but it just kept chugging along the 18" cut without bogging down. The included 1/16" kerf blade helps minimize the torque requirements a wider blade would have too. The safety features are well thought out, and include an LED light for illuminating the work piece, an electronic blade brake, and an ambidextrous trigger lock. When the trigger lock is depressed, the LED lights up. After the trigger is pulled, the trigger lock can be released and the saw will keep running as long as the trigger is depressed. When the trigger is released, there's no spool down time, as the blade stops almost immediately. One issue I did run into was the saw kicked some chip out right into my safety glasses a total of four times while I was running the endurance test. I don't know if the cause was the saw design, the blade design, the particular board I was cutting, or the position I was standing in. I'm still getting used to using the left-hand saw blade configuration, so that may be a contributing factor. Just know that you should most definitely wear safety glasses while cutting with this (or any) saw. Applications I can see myself using this saw for include cutting dimensional lumber for framing, and putting up and repairing privacy fences. It's really nice to be able to rip a fence slat at the point of installation without having to lug a power cord out or bring the slat back to the garage for ripping on the table saw. Even if I'm cutting 4x4 posts, a full size 7-1/4" saw still needs two passes, just like this M12 saw. There are a few situations that a 6-1/2" saw or a 7-1/4" saw has the advantage, and for this reason the M12 Fuel circular saw isn't a complete corded replacement solution. The 5-3/8" blade can't cut through 2x material at a 45° bevel, and a plywood straight cutting jig that lays on top of the work piece can't be used for 2x material. I could also see it having a little trouble cutting 6/4 hardwood lumber, but unfortunately I didn't have any scraps that I wanted to sacrifice just for the sake of a test. In summary, this is a great little saw. I'll definitely be reaching for it as my first pick on projects due to its cordless convenience and lightweight ease of use. My poor corded saw will likely languish in the bottom of my toolbox until I need to make a cut deeper than 1-5/8." I only have one question: Can I give it 6 stars?

Awesome for sheet rock and trim! Ramalamadingdong you rectal retentive laborers. This is the tool for small kits and electricians. Eat it plumbers you wouldn’t know how to use it youd look like our version of Jerrys kids valey electric

Good saw doesn’t eat the battery as fast as I thought it would

Cuts like a corded tool but lighter. High quality product again, well built and a professional trades tool! Nothing but the best from this company and Milwaukee knocked it out of the park!

You got to get used to the thumb button as you hold the trigger button to turn it on but it cuts pretty good for a battery operated circular saw but recently when I press the button the light came on but no power to the saw it said check the ignition switch so I did and I ordered a new one and installed it and the same thing and now I'm like overwhelmed baffled and don't understand it and it's been sitting for like 4 months already so any suggestions

This thing rocks! Cut through a standard 2x4 like butter!

This saw is great for 2x material, plywood, etc. It's not going to be the best saw for framing a whole house, but for what it is, it's good. Great for me as an occasional user, light and easy to use. I like the blade being on the left so I can see the cut better. I like the saw, but my corded 7" saw is still here to stay for the big jobs.

Great tool and the perfect price for the Milwaukee brand, es muy buena herramienta , perfecta para cualquier trabajo

Powerful saw, a lot quieter than other brands. Cuts like a champ!

I had reservations about a 12v 5-3/8 blade but due to a shoulder injury lack of range and strength were issues that influenced my decision and were in the process of remodeling our kitchen. But once work began I realized that my worries were for nothing in the time of doing the work it was more than capable and more I didn’t see any problem with the size or the ability of this saw and the rest of the 12v line tools that I purchased. I have been able to do the work without any straining my shoulder. In the end Milwaukee 12v is a awesome line of products that are more than capable to handle the job at hand and will buy them again.

Another great Milwaukee Product. Great for all 2x nominal lumber!!

Huge fan! I love the M12. As an rv tech this is perfect for my roofing needs

This 12V saw has "NO" torque and won't even cut 1/4" plywood. I own many Milwakee products and other than the fact that their batteries don't last very well I like their stuff. This saw however is a dud.