MasterMind 800344 Compact Precision 3-Inch Circular Saw

This was just the tool I needed to trim off a small section of my laminated kitchen counter top. After scoring the laminate top with a stanley knife the Mastermind compact precision circular saw made short work of trimming the 1 inch strip from the edge of the counter - allowing me access to be able to open both doors of my side-by-side refrigerator for the first time since I had bought it! Yes, that's right - the refrigerator was sized to just fit the available opening - but I had not factored in the pivot needed for the doors to open. Removing that 1 inch made all the difference and everything is neat and trim! A great little tool for those fiddly jobs.

This is a rugged tool that has stamina, decent accuracy, is easy to use, relatively quiet, and has terrific bells and whistles. No powertool is perfect, of course, so here's the nitty-gritty...I've been cutting primarily 4'x8' panels of 3/8" plywood -- low grade, riddled with knots -- and the saw performed like a champ. The cut line was not much wider than my pencil line (if at all), and the edges were pretty clean.My biggest issue is with the spring-loaded platform that drops into place when the saw is not in use. To cut anything, you have to trip a latch and press down on the saw, which forces the platform upward and exposes the blade. As a safety feature, this is actually not bad. However, it does mean that you can't see where the blade is hitting the wood (there are markings to go by -- see below). And there's a bigger problem in that you have to press down on the edge of your workpiece with the front edge of the spring-loaded platform when you initiate a cut -- a procedure I found fairly awkward. You can work around this if you initiate every cut as a plunge cut, but the platform still complicates things, at least a little.Despite these negatives, there are advantages. The platform makes plunge cutting very straightforward. Though you can't see the blade, there's a V notch at the front for aiming your pencil line (reasonably, though not perfectly, accurate), and rulers along either side of the platform indicating where the front and back of the blade will hit according to the depth of cut you've selected. Also, the platform gives you two smooth, straight edges on either side of the blade for running against your own jury-rigged edge guides. And when the saw is not in use, it stands nicely upright on the platform.As for the bells and whistles, there are two embedded lights -- a laser and an LED. The laser is accurate and very useful, but the switch is problematic. It's a three way deal -- LED-OFF-LASER -- and at least on my unit, the thing was way too loosey-goosey. As for the LED, it's a rather modest spotlight that falls just ahead of the V notch. Enough to illuminate your pencil line, not enough to illuminate the entire work area.The vacuum attachment worked a charm, even using an old Eureka upright. Also included is an edge guide that was great for shorter trims, as well as a couple of plastic pieces for scratch-proofing the bottom of the platform. The manual, by the way, is excellent. The impact-resistant case is pretty decent, too.Bottom line: if you absolutely have to see where the blade is touching the wood, or you need to bevel your edges (maybe possible with this saw, but I don't see how), or you require cuts deeper than 7/8" (I never went much beyond 3/8" and can't vouch for the deeper settings), this may not be the tool for you. For my own applications, I found that it lived up to my expectations and even exceeded them, and I don't hesitate giving it a five star rating.

Thought is would be the end all for small short cuts n wood. But, it is not all that easy to operate. Hard to follow a marked cut line due to the blade cover.

During the recent tropical storm Lee I got flooded and had a crew tear out walls and sanitize. The walls were cut out crooked and used this saw to cut a level line so I could repair just what was ruined in the flood. The vacuum attachement helped keep dust to a minimum. It is a little awkward trying to hold the vacuum line while using the saw but I got the hang of it and I am very happy with how it worked out.

I purchased this product and the minute I used it I have been very happy. It cuts through anything very quickly. People say you have to use two hands and that is not true. You do have to releave the safety lever right before cutting , which I think that is what they are talking about. I dropped this saw while cutting up a wall and back to work a second later . This saw is awesome. I am very pleased and was well worth the money. I cant wait to try to tile cutting blade which is on its way to my house . The red laser makes a nice addition to cutting straight. Using the depth for this saw is the best feature to this ! LOVE IT!Update 8/1/12. I used the tile saw blade and it worked perfect. It takes a little arm to get it through the tile but the great part is I did not have to use water! I did my whole bathroom cutting corners and lines. One flaw is the laser to follow the line is covered up where the saw blade cuts so you cannot see where you are exactly cutting as the blade is hidden under the protective shield. Still worth the money!

Wow! I think this is a great little saw. My in laws have a small house on one of the barrier islands in New Jersey. They were lucky and only one room was flooded with about 4 inches of sea water. So I had to remove the floor and the wall covering up to the windows to remove the mold. This saw was all I used for removing the flooring to the floor joists and the dry wall and paneling to the studs. I the used this saw for the under layment and the laminate flooring. Also used it for the dry wall and paneling. Worked like a charm. Very easy to follow chalk lines. The plunge cut makes cutting out for outlets easy. Also makes fixing squeaks simple and easy. Plunge no mor rubbing no more squeak! Could not bring it home in carry on luggage so I am driving out to New York from Illinois so I can bring it home?

bought this saw for flooring work, saw is a specialty saw but can find it for other uses than flooring. can't see the blade on cuts so you would need to practice to get the hang of where the blade is during your cutting. this is a handy little saw with lots of power to cut through the hard woods and it does not throw a cloud of saw dust during the cuts....perfect for on location in the house use. recommended for the professional contractor.

A good product for versatile cuttings. However, these are my concerns.1. You need to spend extra time for a precise cut because you cannot see the blade2. The vacuum head keeps falling off during the cutting. It may sidetrack your focus.3. The 3" blade is not generally available on the market.4. If you want to get this saw to do the floor, consider floor saw instead.Hope my experience helps.