Every one's Favorite Worm Drive Saw?

[Kent Brobeck]

What is every one's favorite worm drive or hypoid saw? I have the Skil77 and the Bosch worm drive and I like both of them. Bosch owns Skil but they are different saws. What about some of the other saws out there, what do you think?

[Joining_heads]

I learned on and used the Skil but I really like the Bosch w/ direct connect. I have used the hypoid Makitas a few times and although they are really comfertable I feel they lacked the power of the worm. That being said, I only noticed the difference when cutting really wet PT.

[gburnet]

What is every one's favorite worm drive or hypoid saw? I have the Skil77 and the Bosch worm drive and I like both of them. Bosch owns Skil but they are different saws. What about some of the other saws out there, what do you think?

Kent, I started out using a Skil 77, then went to a Skil 6 1/2" worm drive, then a Mag 77, then the Bosch 1677M. All were workhorses, but the Mag 77 & the Bosch were more refined than the others. The Bosch in particular had more features & more power than any of the Skil models.

Earlier this year, I added the newer Milwaukee worm drive to our arsenal. It was a pleasure to use initially & I liked it more than any of the other models I've used. Unfortunately, it didn't have the durability that the others did & suffered a bent arbor after just several months of moderate use. Had that not happened, I would have ranked it above any of the others. As it stands, I'd vote the Bosch the nicest one currently available, particularly in terms of power & durability.

BTW, I've used the Makita hypoid saws in the past. They were nice, but didn't seem to have the power of a worm drive. I've also heard some concerns from heavy users that the hypoid gearing may not be as durable as worm drive. YMMV

[Mark Parlee]

just bought a Rigid
Very nice saw

Bosch in the past

[ThingOfBeauty]

I have a 77 which has been horribly abused at my hands for 17 years--used it as a demo saw to cut roofing for remodeling, and a masonry saw with a diamond blade. No probs.
I have heard from others that Makita, Milwaukee, and DeWalt are not as durable as Skil. It's been years since I saw a Makita or DeWalt on site.
Thanks for chiming in about the Bosch, maybe I'll give those a try if I ever manage to kill off my indestructable Skil.

[newman]

I got the Bosch 1677 - awesome saw.

[Dancing Dan]

My guys and I really like Dewalt's 378G. None of us are particularly fond of DeWalt (in fact the opposite) but this saw (it's a hypoid) has really nice balance, good sight line, and good power.

[chuckwoodchuck]

The Makita 5477NB is a great saw...tons of power. From my experience the hypoid gears will outlast worm drive gears and I'm not so sure anyone really uses true worm drive gears anymore it just doesn't make sense to do so.

http://makitausa.com/en-us/Modules/T...aspx?ID=284294

[TWhite]

My work horse is the Skil 6 1/2". What a great saw!

[Lavrans]

The Makita 5477NB is a great saw...tons of power. From my experience the hypoid gears will outlast worm drive gears and I'm not so sure anyone really uses true worm drive gears anymore it just doesn't make sense to do so.

http://makitausa.com/en-us/Modules/T...aspx?ID=284294

Oh, sure they do- cheaper to make and very durable. Hypoid should be more durable, and should transmit power more efficiently, but since it requires more precision to manufacture there is a greater chance that something will affect the gears. In theory at least. I did burn up a worm drive, but it was the motor, not the drive unit that burned up. A DeWalt Hypoid blew up on me- that one went because the gear was bad, but the saw was only a little over a year old with minimal use, so I'm pretty sure it was a manufacturing defect rather than a flaw in the design.

[kawendtco]

used to be skil 77's but since have switched to the ridgid 7-1/4 worm drives. the pitch change and depth change levers are very smooth and quite accurate. skil in my opinion has gone down hill and their degrees of blade pitch are very inaccurate.have a few of the dewalts, dont much care for their tables or their levers.

[KentWhitten]

I personally feel that since Bosch bought out Skil, that hey have replaced important gear parts with substandard metal. I have bent at least a half dozen gears in 3 years on simple kickbacks. I am not that abusive to my saws. I have dug out one of my old Mag 77's and replaced exterior parts and it still outperforms the new ones, even with a kickback.

Bosch....I don't know...why would you make a so called better worm drive and use a plastic guard lever? That's not improving it. Don't get me wrong, I like the Bosch, but it sits in the "tools to be repaired bin" along with the other new ones that have bent gears as my old tanks are brought out of retirement and brush off the same treatment.

[dave_k]

I'm a long time Skil77 and Mag77 user. I recently bought a Rigid. I really like the saw except for the cord material which is that cheap stiff cord typical of Chinese tools and it's hugely long which makes it that much more frustrating to use. Because of the memory in the cheap cords I've nicked the cord a couple of times. I should see about getting it replaced. That saw with a new cord would be my new favorite.

[abonus]

Skil77's are the main saw at work, but I love using my Makita Mag saw at home or on a sider.
I really appreciate the rubber coated depth and bevel adjustment levers. Most of
the skils at work get adjusted with a hammer !

[proclive]

My guys and I really like Dewalt's 378G. None of us are particularly fond of DeWalt (in fact the opposite) but this saw (it's a hypoid) has really nice balance, good sight line, and good power.

I had the 378G it always felt really top heavy to me. I changed mine out for the Ridgid, which I think has a lower center of gravity.