Decidedly a DIY machine, the awesomely left-bladed Ryobi P508 circular saw delivers full-size performance for weekend work.
We’re part of The Home Depot’s ProSpective Program and worked with Big Orange on this blog. The ideas, opinions and observations are 100% MyFixitUpLife’s. For more specs or to buy the Ryobi circular saw reviewed here, click this link.
The first thing to notice is that Big Green’s P508 is a left-blade saw. For right-handers this makes using the saw—seeing the cut line, getting accurate cuts, and feeling a better sense of control over the tool—much easier. Kudos for this.
The blade plate and housing are powder-coated. They kind of look like they might be magnesium, but the plate is stamped steel and the housing is plastic. Make a cut and drop the saw at the end and you’re greeted with the “ringy-dingy” sound of vibrating steel. The plate is nice, don’t get me wrong. It’s wide, flat and the 0-56-degree bevel adjustment works surprisingly well. However, inasmuch as it is stamped steel many professional users would have that thing bent and out-a-whack in short order. At least I would.
But for projects around the house—replacing deck boards, making a playset, or even whacking together a compost bin—it’s plenty of saw with decent power.
You can nab yourself this Ryobi circular saw for $119 at The Home Depot—tool only. If you’re already running the lime green operating system, you’re golden. If you’re just starting out, this is OK too because you have to buy batteries anyway. I’d recommend buying the larger 4 amp-hour battery if you’re buying one. Circ saws take some juice and bigger batteries hold more of it.
I’ll just leave this here: The blade depth adjustment lever is fantastic. I mean fantastic. That black line next to it, that’s the on-board blade wrench. Note for left-blade saws: It’s righty-loosey, lefty-tighty.
I kind of like the nudgy little ridge on the handle. The knurled rubber grip is nice too, but the nudgy thing is more comfortable to use than I thought. I wonder how many hours and how much research went into answering the question: Should we have a nudgy thing on the handle?
Also shown, the depth adjustment lever of awesomeness.
Bottom line: Nice saw. Power and less-than-aircraft-grade parts fully put this baby in the DIY category for me. Overall, a good saw with a lot to like for weekend work.
