For the longest time, Ryobi’s cordless 18 volt saws have been in the 5 inch range. Even their model introduced last year came with a 5-1/2″ blade. Things changed this year with the introduction of their latest cordless circular saw the P507 model with a larger 6-1/2″ blade. This newer model is said to have 40% more power than previous models to go along with the larger blade. More on its power delivery in a moment, but first lets go over its features set.
It uses a stamped steel shoe and can bevel up to 56 degrees. It doesn’t have a positive stop for setting 45 degree bevel angles so you must eyeball it and match the arrow to the 45 degree marking. The shoe comes with the common ability to use a standard rip fence for straight cuts although a rip fence isn’t included. Out of the box, all that’s included are the circular saw itself, 24 tooth 6-1/2″ carbide blade, and hex key for changing the blade and it comes stored onto the side of the saw. Ryobi being a DIY brand, it doesn’t offer premium materials as can be seen on the stamped shoe and this saw uses plastic upper and lower blade guards. Not the sort of pro materials you’d find on more expensive models such as aluminum or magnesium but on the upside, they do reduce the overall weight on the saw and keep it low at 5 lbs without a battery. This is a considerable amount compared to similar sized saws that can weigh around 8-9 lbs without a battery making this saw easy to handle. Unexperienced users will appreciate the lower weight. One feature I liked on this model, is the upper blade guard uses a side window to display the blade cutting depth in inches.
Going back to the 6-1/2″ blade capacity, this is a more “traditional” cordless blade size. Blades this size are more common than 5-3/8″ or 5-1/2″ so you’ll have an easier time finding 6-1/2″ blades and varieties. They are more common yet not any where near the vast selection of “full” size 7-1/4″ circular saw blades. Another positive about the 6-1/2″ blade capacity over 5 inch blades is that it offers an increased cutting capacity up to 2-1/16″ depth of cut. And like most cordless circular saws, the blade is located on the left side of the saw instead of the right which is commonly seen on corded saws. Personally I prefer saw blades on the left side as it makes it easy to see the cut line for right handers such as myself but it all boils down to preference.
As for performance, I took this saw out to add another shelf to my storage room. I made several cuts into 2×4’s which would act as the frame for the shelves. It powered through the 2×4’s relatively easy and made quick work of them as can be seen in the above video review. Most cordless 18 volt circular saws can cut 2×4 so it didn’t surprise me that this saw could but I was pleased at the power it had considering it came from a Ryobi cordless saw. It cut with about as much power as other pro brand 6-1/2″ brushed cordless circular saws that I’ve tried out from brands like Milwaukee and DeWalt. Next was cutting a couple of planks of OSB down to size to use as the shelf. I adjusted the blade depth for maximum cutting efficiency and it cut the boards easily. Here I could see that it doesn’t cover the cut line ahead of the saw with dust. Some dust did make its way in front of the saw but the majority was left behind the saw. I also tried it out on a pressure treated 2×12 to see how it would do. As seen in the video above, this is where we can see some of the limitations of cordless technology as I was able to bog down the motor easily with such dense wood. That’s not to say the saw wasn’t able to finish the cut but you have to take it slow and easy so the motor can keep up. And the last test was done cutting a 4×6 piece of regular lumber. It did well with this piece since it wasn’t pressure treated and had to make 2 passes, one on each side to finish the cut all the way through. This is where the added size of the blade worked well as it could complete the cut on a 3-1/2″ piece of wood in 2 passes of course. A 5 inch blade would not have cut all the way through in 2 passes.
So overall, I found this saw to have excellent power and as I was saying earlier, it has power similar to more expensive pro brand 6-1/2″ brushed cordless circular saws. However you wont get premium materials seen on more expensive saws such as aluminum or magnesium shoe or blade guards. The low weight makes it easier to handle, especially for new users.
Specifications
- Blade Size: 6-1/2 in.
- Speed: 4,700 RPM (No Load Speed)
- Depth of Cut: 2-1/16 in. at 0°
- Depth of Cut: 1-7/16 in at 45°
- Bevel Cut Capacity: 0-56°
- Tool Weight: 5 lbs. without battery
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