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Makita has released limited information about their new 18V X2 (36V) brushless cordless “rear handle” 7-1/4″ circular saw, but enough for a quick preview/teaser post.
The new Makita XSR01 is hailed as an “industry first,” and has been compared to corded worm drive circular saws.
But it doesn’t look to be a worm-drive saw.
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Yeah, that’s definitely not a worm drive saw.
So why are some calling it a “worm drive” saw? From what I can tell, it’s because Makita designed this to be heavy duty framing saw.
Since there’s no worm drive mechanism, I’m told there’s no “kick on startup.” Plus there’s less maintenance since you don’t need to grease up or oil the gearing.
The Makita XSR01 is powered by (2) 18V Li-ion batteries to provide 36V of power.
Here are some bullet points:
– For users of corded blade-left rear-handle saws, the new XSR01Z offers true freedom from the cord for formwork, framing and more (Andrew Camp, Product Manager).
– The XSR01Z cuts faster than both corded and leading brushless cordless saws when cutting 2×10 SPF.
– In early testing this cordless saw put up big numbers in run-time tests with up to 558 cross cuts of 2×4 SPF and up to 291 cross cuts of 2×10 SPF with two fully-chrged 18V LXT 5.0 amp-hour batteries.
– With a full 2-9/16” maximum cutting depth the XSR01Z cuts 3x lumber in a single pass, an application that leading saws the category can’t do.
It also features an extra large rafter hook.
ETA: Spring 2017
First Thoughts
Makita is throwing around words like groundbreaking, and terms like industry-first. From what I can tell, it’s definitely an interesting new cordless offering.
Price-wise, expect it to cost big bucks, but the same has been true for all of the cordless brushless circular saws I’ve seen.
If the new saw delivers upon the promised power, cutting capacity, and runtime, will it replace your corded worm drive saw?