Do you mean Stihl saw as in a petrol saw for cutting paving etc or a circular saw? If the former I have been recommended a K760 Husqvarna though I am told it is important to use their oil. YMMV

I believe Skill made the first handheld circular saws. I have a Makita 1200 watt machine (5704RK I think) works well with no gimmicks just a good workmanlike saw.

I've had a number over the years. Its depends what you want it for and how mush you are going to use it. You can spend as mush as you like but do you really need to.
I have had a Skil, it was rubbish, too much float and wobble in the arbour. A B&D Professional was very good, much better than you would expect. I had a Triton for a long time - strange Aussie machine with clever fine adjustment, also very good but heavy and with a nasty kick when switched on. Have used various Makita and the like too. You can't go wrong with Makita and Dewalt but they are expensive if you don't plan to use them much. However, they always sell well when you no longer need them.
The type that run in a track and really handy for cutting large boards - I have not had one myself but have worked with others who were using them.
I no longer have a hand held circular, getting by with a Dewalt flip over. It's good but limited in ripping width and the extras are far too expensive. Good as a simple mitre saw though, better than the Makita it replaced.

Spend the money on good TCT blades.

I've had a Bosch circular saw for years, hasn't been a problem so far, touch wood!

Posted By: fostertomAmerican chippies use worm-drive saws, in which the motor axis is longitudinal so the whole thing is slim enough to hang from your belt, up on the roof. They just don't use hand saws.

Came up before on another thread, I think the closest thing to that you will find on this side of the pond is the Ryobi "One+" 18v cordless circular saw. I have had one for years and love it, it was very handy up on the roof for cutting battens.

It's pretty small and not particularly powerful so it doesn't suit every job but between it and a larger chop saw I have dealt with every job needed doing on building the house.

You can often find them as part of a multi pack with cordless drill and charger and sometimes some other tools for not much more than the normal price of the drill on it's own. Check around your local DIY sheds.

Might also be worth a walk around your local Sunday market to pick up a 2nd. hand Dewalt or Mikita circ saw at a fraction of the new price.

Count me as another satisfied Makita user. Indoors, I always connect the hose of a good industrial vacuum cleaner.

My father's a builder/carpenter and all his tools are Makita too. Think that probably seals it then. Just wondering if it's worth getting a cordless.

Festool are meant to outperform Makita. Ive seen some amazing work done with their track system

Buy cheap/buy twice. We're planning to do a fair bit of work ourselves on our build - planning to buy top quality tools at the start and look at them as part of the cost. Looked after well there's always the option of selling them on at the end and the best quality stuff always holds it's value better than the mid range.

Posted By: Simon StillBuy cheap/buy twice.

Indeed, but 600 odd squid represents over 1% of our budget!

<blockquote><cite>Posted By: Shevek</cite>Indeed, but 600 odd squid represents over 1% of our budget!</blockquote>

hmm. I'd not actually looked at the price but SWDTWW had decided she was going to have one.

Posted By: GotanewlifeI say buy cheap,

I buy the cheapest unless I can afford the best, always served me well.
I bought a red and solver one from B&Q about 15 years ago, think it is a 1 kW motor, have put one new blade on it in that time. So it can take being left in a shed for years.
Cost 20 quid.

Posted By: GotanewlifeBTW screwfix are offering 'half price' the Evolution Rage hand held circular saw

Got one of these and it has done well. Used the blade to cut up some SS channel for the external ties. Cut 18mm Ply no bother. I will not use it enough to need anything better. I have an old B&D one that is still going strong and a new blade does wonders!

I'm with ST - cheap or best. Just got a Makita cordless screwdriver 18V 3Ah batter £150. The difference between that and my Hitatchi is astonishing.

OTOH I got a cheap chop saw and the thing is a liability as it does not cut square despite repeated attempts to square the guide

I would guess that the cheap Screwfix make Erbauer (spelt incorrectly possibly) offers a 2 year guarantee could be a good buy? The quality is not the best and my jigsaw is RUBBISH. It would give you 2 years worry free use though. My first jigsaw went up in smoke. It was Erbauer. I had just used it and put it down so I could carry on with another job. As I did I heard it rev slightly behind me. I carried on thinking I was working too hard and going nuts when it did it again but this time flat out, smoke started pouring out of it and I could not turn it off. I unplugged the thing and it left through the nearest window (not yet fitted). The lesson is do not leave power tools plugged in at any time. Especially in a new build with nice dry wood kicking around and a smokey jigsaw.
I try to buy Makita or Bosch now but my fathers Black and Decker gear from years ago is still going strong.