Fired Up
Ridgid’s 6 ½ R3203 6 ½-inch bladed Fuego circ saw is a new breed. It’s small, fast—and yes—furious cutting wood on the jobsite.
- Ridgid’s 6 ½ R3203 6 ½-inch bladed Fuego circ saw
Power
Small and powerful go hand-in-glove for this 8-pound fireball. It rips through framing without ripping my arm out of my socket when I pick it up. I buried the Fuego’s blade in pressure treated lumber and it blew through. Sizing 2×12 framing…fughhetaboutit. And long rips—for sizing 2-by, OSB, plywood and cutting deck and fence boards—no fuss, no muss.
Sight Lines
I like to see what I’m cutting and where I’m pointing the saw during a cut. A guide-line or notch on the front of the blade shoe works for very rough-cuts where I don’t care what side of the line I’m on, but for cuts that matter I like to see the blade hit the work. Even though Fuego’s saw body is small, Ridgid designed “air” into the machine such that viewing points between me and the pencil line are in all the right places. This is an ideal feature for doing accurate work, even with a framing saw.
Adjustments, Blade Guard, and Dust Ejection
Like other Ridgid tools I’ve used, the depth and bevel adjustment handles are nicely designed. These handles are easy to grab and the action is smooth enough. The handles lock down securely. This is infuriating, by the way, when it doesn’t work or needs constant adjustment.
The blade change works well. The arbor lock is easy to find and depress and it stays the blade. Fuego has an Allen key instead of a wrench, which is OK; I’d rather have a wrench but I’ll live. Allen key lives on board and stays put. Nice.
The blade guard worked everywhere I used the saw from fencing to framing. The dust ejection port, however, was small. It clogged somewhat and it was easy to get dust blowing back at me from various cuts, whether solid lumber or OSB sheeting. It wasn’t a game-changer, though. Nevertheless, I think Ridgid needs to look at this on Fuego 2.0. It appears to me like all that’s needed is a little larger opening so the dust can stream out more cleanly.
Tough—But Comfy
The ABS plastic shoe is the kind that tends to last. It’s hard to break and doesn’t deform like aluminum can yet it’s flexible enough to withstand drops—a great feature for anything on a framing site. Oh, and it’s light. We like light.
I think every circ saw should have a blade brake so it’s no demerit that this one doesn’t—most don’t. And with a 6 ½ inch blade it builds less momentum than a 7 ½ inch blade so it does stop a little quicker. And not only does this provide a little safety in my book, but I don’t have to listen to the blade whir any more than is absolutely necessary.
The overmolded rubber handles and trigger assembly are nice and are comfortable to use. With and without gloves, the trigger depressed and released firmly. Nothing got caught in the action—very nice.
The Fuego is a right blade saw, just like a regular sidewinder, but I wish there was a left blade version. I’m a worm drive user typically (yes, even though I like light tools!) and one of my favorite wormdrive features is that I can really see the blade without having to look for it or crank over the saw to find it. I think a left-blader will really turn some heads in worm-drive world.
Bottom line: all the pieces are here, plus Ridgid’s bulletproof Home Depot warranty action. Blades are more expensive for 6 ½ inch saws in my experience but I’ll pay the premium to move light and fast but still run hard.
