Customers Are Loving This Affordable Harbor Freight Saw

If you're looking to improve your options for DIY woodworking, you might be asking yourself, "Who makes the best circular saw?" Asking this question is fine if you have a big budget for this tool and want a major brand name like Milwaukee, Makita, or DeWalt. However, such tools frequently cost $200 and up. If you have a far more limited budget, you may want to check out the Drill Master 10-Amp 7.25-Inch Circular Saw at Harbor Freight, which costs only $39.99.

If you're worried about the quality of the tool, you can relax a little based on customer reviews on the Harbor Freight website. Across more than 1,600 customer reviews, the tool has a 4.5-star rating out of five. According to the website, 94% of customers would recommend purchasing the Drill Master saw. Compare that to the Warrior 7.25-Inch Circular Saw, which costs more than twice as much but has only a 4.4-star rating on the Harbor Freight website with a 90% customer recommendation rating. Harbor Freight customers give the corded Drill Master circular saw a favorable rating, headlined by its price, value, ease of use, and quality. One Harbor Freight customer reviewer who gave it five stars summed up the sentiment of dozens of reviewers. "It gets the job done at [an] affordable price."

You'll only find Drill Master-branded power tools at Harbor Freight, as the discount hardware retailer owns the trademark to the Drill Master name. Harbor Freight's business model for obtaining tools means it doesn't have to pay middlemen, which helps it offer cheaper tools. With such strong customer reviews, the Drill Master would fit on any list of Harbor Freight tools under $50 that are worth buying.

One Harbor Freight customer reviewer says the tool's price was too hard to pass up. "The price is the selling point here. For simple jobs around the house or even [at the] job site, this is a great, very affordable saw." Another reviewer said its quality and price make it an ideal tool for DIYers who only need to use it occasionally. Several reviewers did note that a universal 7.25-inch blade is sold separately, so you'll have to spend another $7 to $18 for a standard wood blade at Harbor Freight.

The $39.99 Drill Master saw is the cheapest 7.25-inch circular saw available on Harbor Freight's website, where other models cost $89.99 or more. Within the past few years, Harbor Freight has offered this saw for as little as $24.99 with a coupon, though, so you might find it even cheaper if you time things just right. 

Considering the Drill Master saw's low price, you might not expect it to be of high quality. Some customer reviewers on the Harbor Freight website mentioned poor quality as a reason for giving it a 1-star rating. However, only 4.3% of all the reviewers gave it a 1-star rating.

Far more customer reviewers were pleased with the quality they received. I "was a bit skeptical since the price point was low, [but] it worked better than expected," one customer reviewer says. A few other customer reviewers say they would not recommend using it for everyday carpentry work, but it delivers good results for light-duty DIYers.

As a corded electric saw, the Drill Master doesn't have the extra weight of an attached battery to deal with. It weighs 6.65 pounds, and several customer reviewers like the tool's weight. "The size and quality of [the saw] are good for small-to-medium projects," one customer reviewer says. Another reviewer was impressed with the power it delivered, especially considering its size. Considering its level of power, if you're interested in buying this Drill Master power tool, you should pay attention to safety tips to know before using a circular saw, because this can be a very dangerous tool when used improperly.