Homebuilding Verdict
If you don't own a cordless circular saw or want to upgrade your old circular saw, the Einhell Professional Cordless Circular Saw TP-CS 18/190 Li BL is worth serious consideration. It's aimed at the more serious DIYer, who will get good use of it. It's well built, well-balanced, and works well, producing accurate, clean cuts. Admittedly, it doesn't come with a battery, charger or case, but the bare tool is well worth it if it fits within your budget.
Pros
- +
Brushless motor
- +
Locking button for extra safety
- +
LED light for illuminating cutting edge
- +
Parallel stop included
Cons
- -
No spare blades
- -
No carry bag or case
- -
Battery or charger not included
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A circular saw is an essential addition to any DIYer's tool collection. It's the perfect companion for crosscuts and getting neat, straight edges on wooden boards. It makes labour-intensive sawing quick, easy and accurate.
A cordless version like this Einhell Professional Cordless Circular Saw TP-CS 18/190 Li BL will sit neatly alongside a jigsaw and the other types of power saws in your collection. Having a variety of options means you have something to tackle whatever DIY or home renovation project you're working on now, or in the future.
Read on to find out how good this model is, if I'd recommend it, and more importantly, if it sounds like one you need to add to your tool kit.
SPECS AND FEATURES
- Motor: Brushless
- Bore size: 20mm
- Blade size: 190mm
- Weight: 3.4kg
- Cutting depth (90 degrees): 65mm
- Cutting depth (45 degrees): 45mm
- Blade thickness: 1.6mm
- Warranty: 10 years
- Features: 1 x parallel stop, LED light, tool for removing blade, locking button
UNBOXING & FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I've worked with various circular saw brands, and used other Einhell power tools, so I was intrigued to see what the EEinhell Professional Cordless Circular Saw TP-CS 18/190 Li BL had to offer.
The recyclable cardboard packaging gives a quick window into what lies ahead, including a clear image of the tool, blade size, cutting depth and brushless motor. But the battery sticker is more prominent; it tells you the saw uses an Einhell PXC battery, and that the battery and charger aren't included. While I wish it had them, at least it's clear from the start that you can't unbox it and use it straight away.
Inside the box, the saw sits neatly in a cardboard insert that holds it in place, with a cutout for the already-attached blade, so that it sits securely. After removing the Einhell circular saw, I was curious if anything else was in the box.
Under the insert, I found the shiny and sturdy metal parallel stop (also known as a rip fence). This had incremental measurements up to 20 cm and seven inches. It fits easily, though I would have liked to see millimetre marks between the whole and half markings.
Now to the best bit: the saw itself. Picking up the unit, it felt well-built and well-balanced, with and without a battery. It wasn't the lightest, but the soft-grip handle felt secure in the hand. The aluminium soleplate looked solid, and the plastic blade guard felt sturdy and up to the job.
Finally, I tried the locking lever for cutting depth, the locking screw for the parallel stop and the locking lever for the mitre setting. These were all plastic, and while sturdy enough, I can't help but wonder how long they will last.
SETTING UP
As a cordless tool, the Einhell Professional Cordless Circular Saw TP-CS 18/190 Li BL is easy to set up, and like the other best circular saws, there are a number of uses for a circular saw.
To start, I left it at the default settings: max cutting depth and 0 degrees on the soleplate for 90-degree cuts to ensure I got straight cuts. All I needed to do was slip in the battery.
When I did make a few adjustments, I removed the battery. A lock button ensures the ON/OFF trigger cannot be used, as an extra precaution. But after my previous experiences with circular saws, I always remove the battery.
The Einhell Professional Cordless Circular Saw TP-CS 18/190 Li BL has a TCT 190mm blade (the largest you typically find on consumer circular saws) with a 20mm bore hole and 24 teeth, which is pretty standard for most circular saws aimed at DIYers. If you want a more subtle cutting blade. It's easy to change the blade.
A neat feature is the saw blade wrench that's integrated into the saw body. I didn't spot this immediately, but thankfully I did before I started testing the blade-change feature.
To keep the wrench company, a spindle lock sits on the front of the body. You need to engage this before changing the blade. This wasn't the easiest feature to use. It took a few tries to get comfortable, and it needs some muscle to hold the button in place.
Once I did, removing the spindle was simple enough. To finish, move the blade guard out of the way and take out the blade. I did this purely to test the feature. I replaced the blade, ready to start testing.
How well did the Einhell perform?
As I've already mentioned, the Einhell Professional Cordless Circular Saw TP-CS 18/190 Li BL doesn't come with a battery or charger. For testing, I used an Einhell PXC 4.0Ah Sealed battery and an Einhell 2.0Ah Power X-change battery (available from Toolstation) as I already owned these.
The saw comes with a TCT 190mm blade with 24 teeth already installed. So the quality of the cuts in this test are based on this blade. For smoother cuts, consider a blade with more teeth like this Saxton TCT19080T20B TCT Circular Wood Saw Blade from Amazon.
The first test involved some simple crosscuts and straight long cuts with the parallel stop on 18mm plywood. For the crosscuts, I went freehand, which was no problem. The cuts were straight and cleaner than I expected, and were almost good enough for more jobs that need more finesse.
Next, I did the same again, but this time on some 9mm MDF and 27mm hardwood. The results were similar – clean edges and cuts, though not so much on the MDF. The parallel stop was sturdy and easy to use, with a max of three slots to help steady the stop. A minor niggle was that tightening the locking screw shifted the stop slightly.
Next up, it was time to test the cutting depth. By default, the saw is set to the max cutting depth of 65mm. This gives the opportunity to try anything in between. The measurement marker has 5mm increments, which is ideal for most DIY projects. However, if you needed something in between, such as 18mm, it required a bit of guesswork. I tried 10 and 15 mm, and both were pretty accurate. A sturdy plastic lever made it simple to choose a depth.
Next, I tested the mitre settings. Located near the front, it has 5 degree notches and a maximum angle of 50 degrees. The plastic lever to release the mitre feature was sturdy enough, but it was loose-fitting on the metal spindle underneath.
What I did like about the lever was that I could lift and move it on the spindle so it was always in a position to ensure a tight fit. I tested 15, 30 and 45 degree cuts, all giving clean, accurate results. I continued using the Einhell Professional Cordless Circular Saw TP-CS 18/190 Li BL until the battery ran out, which was over 100 cuts, and each cut was very similar to the first.
One final point to make is the noise level. The saw isn't particularly loud, but you should still wear ear protection, especially if you use it for extended periods. This Site SEP313 Ear defender with Adjustable headband from B&Q is worth considering.
BATTERY LIFE
Although the Einhell Professional Cordless Circular Saw TP-CS 18/190 Li BL isn't supplied with a battery or charger, as I already owned an Einhell PXC 4.0Ah Sealed battery (available on Amazon) and an Einhell 3A Power X Charger (available from B&Q), I was able to use these to get the saw up and running. Alternatively, you can purchase both together when you buy this Einhell 18V 4.0Ah Plus Lithium-Ion Battery and Charger Set from Amazon.
The official runtime for a 4.0Ah battery (according to their website) is around 68 minutes. Obviously this depends on usage; thinner boards use less power than denser, thicker boards. So while battery life isn't an exact science, this one definitely made it past the 60-minute mark, so pretty close to the manufacturer's suggestion.
For comparison, I used my 2.0Ah Power X-change batteries that came with my Einhell cordless drill. These lasted around 15-20 minutes. So, as expected, more power equals more minutes.
As I mentioned before, I have an Einhell Power X-Charger 3A; this took around 70 minutes to charge the battery. The charger is straightforward to use. Red and green LEDs indicate whether the battery is charging or fully charged. The battery has a trio of lights to show the current battery level.
If you want more power for faster charge times, you can try the Power X-Fastcharger 4A, available from the Einhell site for £30.
FINAL VERDICT
A decent circular saw is definitely a smart addition to any DIYer's tool collection, and that is exactly what you get with the Einhell Professional Cordless Circular Saw TP-CS 18/190 Li BL. Admittedly, it doesn't come with a battery or charger, which will add to the price, and it's not the cheapest on the market. However, you are getting a quality circular saw that is well-built, sturdy, and packed with features that work well.
It operates smoothly, feels secure in the hand, has a handy lock button, and is relatively quiet (compared to some circular saws I've used). Cuts were neat and accurate, and I found no problem sawing through softwood or hardwood. I have to say, there's little I didn't like about the Einhell, and I'd definitely add it to your to-buy list.
If you do decide to add this one to your collection, find out more of my tips in getting the best out of it, in how to use a circular saw.
