19
20
Power
Saws
- BEST TILE SAW
Craftsman
CMCS4000M1 $300
Any small tile job can ben-
efit from this 20-volt wet
saw, powered by the same
battery used in Crafts-
man’s other cordless tools.
Our test on ceramic f loor
tiles was conclusive: The
30-pound machine is a
clean cutter and highly
portable, drawing water
from an onboard tank
without the need for a hose
attachment.
20. BEST SMALL CIRCULAR SAW
DeWalt DCS571B $129
DeWalt’s 4.5-inch circu-
lar saw is a spunky little
character powered by
a 20-volt battery. Its
hefty gears, remarkably
large for such a small
tool, translate motor
torque into some seri-
ous wood-cutting output.
We used it to crosscut 2x4
framing lumber and 3⁄4-
inch plywood, and found
that it handled both easily
and efficiently.
of what you’re sanding
means there’s less to grind
into the abrasive pad,
keeping it clean so you get
more use out of it.
- BEST OSCILLATING MULTITOOL
Fein MultiMaster FMM
350QSL $199
Fein pioneered the oscil-
lating multitool category
in 1967, and it still builds
the best ones. The 3.6-amp
MultiMaster does more
cutting, sanding, and
grinding per amp—and
does so more smoothly—
than any other we’ve
tested. And its many
accessories (such as sand-
ing and grinding pads, saw
blades, and a putty knife)
snap easily on and off.
Saws are for cutting. So we used them for just that, taking
the circular saws to Douglas fir of various thicknesses (run-
ning with and against the grain) and hem fir lumber sticky with sap, the metal-cutting
saws to studs, pipe, and rebar, and the tile saws to—you guessed it—tile.
TESTING SAWS
17
18
March/April 2020 63