Is Makita’s Cordless Wormdrive Saw a Game-Changer?

Can a production-minded West Coast framing crew find happiness with a battery-powered wormdrive saw? To find out, veteran JLC and ToTT tool reviewer Tim Uhler and his crew recently spent a few weeks trying out Makita’s XSR01PT, a cordless inline circular saw that is similar in size and function to the iconic Skilsaw 77. The saw, which has a brushless motor and runs on two 5.0-amp-hour 18V batteries, passed their testing with flying colors. Based on Uhler’s report, it looks like this might be a great fit for deck builders who are looking to cut the cord.