DeWALT Worm Drive Circular Saw Review

DeWALT DWS535 Worm Drive Circular Saw

DeWALT recently introduced an all new worm drive circular saw, the DWS535 Heavy-Duty 7-1/4″ Worm Drive Circular Saw. Professional framers have long been fans of worm drive circular saws for their higher torques and better balance. Needless to say this new saw is an attention getter!

DWS535 Worm Drive Features

The new DWS535 features some improvements over traditional circular saws including:

• DeWALT’s Toughcord™ cord retention and protection system.
• Sturdy magnesium shoe and rugged control levers and handles.
• Class-leading 53-degree bevel capacity with DeWALT’s patented bevel detent system, enabling the user to set common cut angles quickly and accurately.
• Extra wide saw hook for modern engineered lumber up to 2 ½” thick.
• Top-access spindle lock that is easy to actuate, engages immediately, and eliminates oil leaks.
• Dual ports in the shoe to work with DeWALT’s new DWS5100 Dual Port Rip Guide for accurate rip cuts up to a 14 ½ ” capacity.

DeWALT DWS535 Worm Drive Review

DeWALT sent us their all new DWS535 Worm Drive Circular Saw to test recently. Our framing crews are no strangers to quality worm drive saws so the guys were eager to put this saw to the test. A quality worm drive saw is only second to a carpenters hammer when it comes to required tools.

Power – The DWS535 has great torque and overall power for cutting through the toughest building materials including today’s demanding engineered lumber products. This saw definitely matches up to all the other worm drive circular saws we’ve used.

Balance – One of the first things we noticed about the new DWS535 is the tools balance. Past experience with similar saws has always produced a lateral twist of the saw at start-up due to the torque (this can stress the wrist quite a bit). However, we were very pleased to see that the DWS535 has very little of the lateral twist due to the saws torque which is a very nice improvement.

Weight – This saw feels as light if not slightly lighter than our other worm drive saw (red brand). These are not light weight saws but the weight is necessary to balance the power and allow the user to cut accurate lines. The magnesium shoe certainly helps keep this saws weight to a minimum.

Toughcord™ – The Toughcord™ chord retention system is a huge bonus. Almost every framer at one time or another lowers their saw down from a ladder by the chord. The newly improved chord system is very strong and ready for some serious abuse.

Rafter Hook – Rafter hooks are a great feature that’s showing up on most new tools. We like the fact that it’s wide enough to handle all the engineered lumber products that we’re used to dealing with.

Product Quality – It’s apparent that DeWALT built the DWS535 with professional framers in mind. Everything from the chord up to the levers are built with quality materials that are built to last.

Overall Thoughts

DeWALT continues to do research in the field which is resulting in well built tools that professionals and home owners can rely on. It’s obviously to us that DeWALT spent considerable time listening to framing professionals needs when they designed this new saw. We’ve been using the saw for several weeks and it’s performed extremely well and compares very well with all the worm drive saws we’ve owned.

If you’d like to buy this new saw then check out this link: DeWalt DWS535.  If you’re going to be in the market for a new worm drive circular saw then we recommend you check this one out.