Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have been a pro cabinet and finish carpentry contractor for most of 30 years. I bought this saw after my little Makita battery operated trim saw crapped out. I never did like that saw from the start, it was too weak for professional use and kicked back on plunge cuts EVERY TIME unless I held it with a death grip. This Rockwell saw is very well made. Fit and finish are very good. The handle is a little big for me, and I have average size mitts. Nevertheless, it is easy to control. The laser guide is pretty cool, I have never been one to use laser guides before, I almost always set up a straight edge guide for accuracy. I also like the fact the blade is on the left side of the saw like a worm drive. This is completely natural for right handers like me, and you can see your cut a lot more easily. Why "sidewinders" have the blade on the right has never made sense, in my humble opinion. Others have mentioned the carrying bag which is very convenient for throwing a jig saw in with the Rockwell. Very cool. The two "BUTS" I have are somewhat serious. The first is the footplate is spring loaded with a fairly heavy spring which means you have to press the plate down rather firmly to expose the saw blade for cutting. Good safety feature I suppose, especially for plunge cuts, but I would prefer a blade guard similar to the big worm drives. The second "BUT" is you can't make bevel cuts. This really limits the saw's capability. It seems that some engineer was overcome with how neat their footplate mechanism design was and decided to forego the practicality of enabling bevel cuts. All in all I give the saw 4 stars and would definitely buy it again. Another plus is that it doesn't kick up huge dust clouds, it's more like a jig saw in that respect. And I will buy the new improved bevel capable saw when IT comes out! April 23, 2014 Update: Another drawback to this saw occurs when you are cutting 3/4 inch thick or thicker material. The blade, which is very thin, heats up and wanders off your line even with a straight edge guide. I solve this problem by setting the cut at a quarter inch or shallower to start and deepen the cut with several passes. Time consuming and aggravating.