SKIL 5280-01 Circular Saw review

The SKIL 5280-01 is a lightweight circular saw with dust blowing and laser guide features.

SKIL 5280-01 Circular Saw review
(Image: © Amazon)

Top Ten Reviews Verdict

The SKIL Circular Saw is an easy-to-use and lightweight saw with a good range of features, offering great value for money.

Pros

  • +

    Lightweight

  • +

    Laser guide

  • +

    Good value

Cons

  • -

    No electric brake

  • -

    Short warranty

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The SKIL 5280-01 Circular Saw is an easy to handle saw that still offers good power at a good price. It has a good range of features, including an advanced dust blower and laser guide for accurate cutting. 

Power-wise, it sits towards the lower end of the scale so not the best choice for heavy lumber work, but it would be perfect for DIY enthusiasts or intermediate-level woodworkers. It’s also missing some advanced features that professional users especially would want, but the SKIL 5280-01 Circular Saw is still a great choice, offering well-balanced, accurate cutting without weighing you down.

If you need something more powerful, find other options in our guide to the best circular saws.  

SKIL 5280-01 Circular Saw: Pricing and value 

The SKIL 5280-01Circular Saw is commonly found at around the $60 price mark, so towards the budget-end of the circular saw market. It comes with a good range of features, such as an advanced dust blower for safer and more accurate cutting, as well as the ability to adjust the bevel up to 45 degrees, which is enough to handle most cutting jobs. 

As you would probably expect from a budget model, it’s not designed for professional or heavy work, but the range of features means it’s great value for anyone looking to get stuck into some home DIY tasks.

SKIL 5280-01 Circular Saw: Features 

The SKIL 5280-01 Circular Saw comes with a wide range of features designed for ease-of-use. The laser guide covers several feet ahead of the saw and the advanced blower allows you to cut accurately, keeping sawdust from obscuring your line of sight. Weighing in at just 8.7 pounds, you’ll be able to get stuck into projects without being distracted by fatigue.

Other user-friendly features include a spindle lock and on-tool wrench for fast and easy blade changes, while rear-view depth allows for quick cut-depth changes. The anti-snag lower guard is also a nice feature designed to reduce snags when making narrow cut-offs. A rubberized grip is also a nice extra-touch for easy handling and a wide-foot plate is really helpful for balance.

This circular saw has a cutting depth of 2 7/16 inches when positioned at 90 degrees, while at a 45-degree angle, the cutting depth is 1 15/16 inches. It has a 45-degree bevel capacity, which is lower than other saws, like the Dewalt DWE575.

This power saw’s blade turns at 5300 RPM. While this is towards the slow end of all the circular saws we looked at, it is fast enough to make clean, smooth, straight cuts.

SKIL 5280-01 Circular Saw review

(Image credit: Amazon)

Disappointingly, there’s no electronic brake system so you’re relying on a trigger release mechanism, which won’t stop the saw immediately when you turn it off. Safety-wise, this would be a great feature to have. There is a safety lock and, while it does require both hands to turn it on, it’s a nice feature that stops the saw from starting accidentally.

The one year warranty does feel pretty limited. While these vary a lot across the circular saw market, some in our best circular saw list came with a much better five-year warranty.

Compared to other circular saws towards the budget end of the scale, the SKIL 5280-01 offers a lot in a lightweight package with features, such as an advanced dust blower, that you usually only find in more expensive models.

SKIL 5280-01 Circular Saw: User reviews 

Overall, the SKIL 5280-01 Circular Saw is popular with users, scoring an average of 4.7 out of five on Amazon. The laser guide is a popular feature and while a few users did find it to be a little out at first, they found it was easy to adjust. Users were also impressed with the power, especially from a budget circular saw. 

Quite a few users decided to purchase a different blade to the one supplied for smoother cutting, they deemed the supplied 24 tooth blade to be good but on the rough-side.

Other users actually found the lightweight build to be a downside as they didn’t think it felt very sturdy. One review mentioned that they didn’t think the saw would survive a 2-foot drop. Another was concerned about the safety of the lightweight plastic blade guard as they didn’t feel it offered enough protection. Some reviews also mention noticing some tear out on plywood but weren’t too bothered by it.

Should you buy the SKIL 5280-01 Circular Saw? 

The SKIL 5280-01 Circular Saw is a popular option and good for DIY enthusiasts. While it offers more features than you might expect at its low price-point, it’s not a great option for anyone looking to take on heavy-duty or professional work with a circular saw. For work like that, the Makita 5007MG may be a better option, while it might be more than double the price, it can handle tougher jobs and comes with a much wider range of features. 

Stevie Keen
Contributor

Stevie is a freelance digital consultant, copywriter and photographer. She's worked for brands like the Radio Times and Wallpaper*, and has also written for Amateur Photographer, Clash Magazine and Flash Pack, amongst others. Stevie's bylines cover all things related to the home - from air conditioning units to refrigerators to gas grills (and everything in between).