Customer Reviews
Seems to struggle... 
2002-12-26
I've had this saw for about a year now and it I'm very dissapointed with it. It behaves as if the saw doesn't have enough power. As I'm cutting, the saw gets bogged down almost everytime I cut something substantial. I'm not talking about oak or any other hardwoods here, just regular old 2X4's! I'm stuck with it now, but wish I had bought the skil after hearing the raves about it. My old refurbished skil I bought for $29 in high school(1984) is still far superior and now this one sits and collects dust. If you're thinking blade, I tried that, doesn't seem to matter.
Good luck with whatever you decide upon.
I hauled around a worm drive 
2002-11-26
Back when I framed I hauled around a SkillSaw worm drive. As soon as I could I sold it to someone younger and stronger. I have known 2 people that framed their houses with the Saw Boss. I just finished building my shop with this and I still like it. If you have to get on the roof with a saw you sould have this one.
Lightweight but does the job. 2002-08-27
The saw is well worth its price. It will rip through PT without slowing down. One of the reasons that I bought it was because the blade is on the left side of the motor and I really like that feature. The blade's cut is visable without craning my neck. The angle and depth for the blade adjustment are a snap to use and changing the blade is easy enough too. The little sawdust shoot has clogged up a couple of times, but it was simple and quick to remove and clean out. I am a woman, so the weight of the saw was an important detail. This saw handles beautifully. It is lightweight, but does the job.
Yow! 
2002-06-28
Nice little saw. MUCH easier to handle than my 7.25" B&D. I don't miss the difference in cutting depth since I really only cut sheet goods and 2x4's with it. The thin kerf blade really zips through 3/4" plywood with little tearing. The stamped sheet metal base is a little wimpy--would have preferred cast aluminum--but it works fine, really. All adjustments are easy and precise. The dust collection pipe works well, too. I would buy it again. Minus one star for the base--picky, picky.
Great Saw 2001-02-13
I love this saw ,the dust nozzle is a great feture , this saw combines all the good features that you need , you have more them ample power, blade on the left for increased cutting accurcacy and compared to all the other skil saws ive used this saw is very lite wieght, espically compared to the mag77 and older skil profesonal with all steel housing and shoe
Clean, Light, and Powerful 2005-12-16
In 1992 after finally realizing that a cheap circular saw wasn't worth the bother, I bought a Makita 5007NB which was great for pretty much everything. Then I learned about Porter-Cable and how well they design their power tools, especially for the professional woodworker. When I found out about the Saw-Boss I was impressed with the built in system for dust collection, its lower weight, and how well it cut with its 9 Amp motor. Porter-Cable chose the 6 inch blade as the smallest size which would still cut 2X lumber through at 45 degrees. And who else would give you an anti-splinter insert, lever locks, and angle zeroing screw as standard? When Bosch wanted $30 for a rip fence for my Model 1654, the Saw-Boss fence was available for less than $10 at my local Home Depot.
I went in to cut off eleven closet and bathroom doors in a luxury condo where the owner had put in extra thick padding with new carpeting and couldn't move any doors at all. Because I had my Saw-Boss with dust bag, I was able to get the work done without spending two additional hours cleaning up all the wood dust. And it saved me from considering the task of hauling all eleven doors thirty flights down to the outside where I could afford to make a mess. The owner was watching me too, and she was mighty impressed that I was so neat and tidy.
The only drawback to the Saw-Boss is that the premium blade makers have ignored the 6 inch size. You can buy a plywood, 18 tooth carbide, and a 40 tooth carbide blade from Porter-Cable and that's about all. Looking at the bright side, however, these blades from P-C are excellent and pretty much do everything for me that I need.
Porter-Cable quality 2005-12-05
I bought this saw before just prior to starting my house construction project. This saw, like most all Porter Cable products, is a well engineered, powerful tool. It is mid/light weight, but has gobs of power. I notice some reviews that are disappointed with the power of this saw - my guess is wet binding lumber is the culprit. Great saw.
Only suitable for very "rough" cuts 2005-03-26
I've now had this saw for 3 years and can say that it is a poorly designed and very cheaply built tool.
The sole plate is a formed piece of sheet metal that is severely warped on the diagonal. There is no way to square saw blade to the sole plate. Consequently, it is impossible to get a perpendicular cut. The sole plate is formed sheet metal, therefore it has a radius on all four edges. This makes it impossible to use a carpenters square or any similarly thin straightedge as a cut guide. If you try, the radiused edge of the sole plate rides up the straightedge, and you loose use of the guide.
In a full depth cut, the motor sits within 3/16 of the cutting surface. This requires a thin straightedge (carpenters square) if you want a guide for the cut, but the sole plate radiused edge rides up the straightedge. So, it's a catch twenty-two.
The bent metal rip guide is next to useless.
On the plus side: The motor is strong, but loud. The saw is double insulated. The saw blade guard works very well.
one great saw 2004-11-02
I have had this saw for more then eight years and love it even the blade that came with it was very good, some people say it dosen't have enough power but i haven't found that to be true it cuts a 2x4 with out a hitch in fact one time i was cuting 3x4 partical bord on my steel porta horse saw horses and didn't have my cut line off to the side and it cut thru the top of one of them it felt like the blade was binding up untill i saw sparks. any way 2x on top fixed that. also everyone that tries it is impressed i also owen a skill mag worm drive but i seldome us it now. p.s. the blade that cut the saw horse still cut well after that.
Handy and hard working 2003-01-27
I bought my Saw Boss back in 1995 to use while restoring a condemned house we bought in North Carolina. I can't imagine the number of boards I've cut with it. When used on a bench it cut through every piece of wood with ease, as long as I used blades that hadn't already been used to cut through TOO many nails. The reduced power (when compared to a 7 1/4 saw) was a major asset when I had to use the saw in awkward positions cutting away bits of old house. The saw would bog down before anything seriously dangerous happened. Being light, the saw could be used in a vertical position to cut through wall boards, and I even used it overhead with ease. The saw did not have a safety interlock which would have made it impossible to use for some of the cuts I needed to make. I don't know if the newer saws do, but I doubt it since this saw is designed for professionals. I, also, have some complaints with the stamped metal base, but in its favor, I dropped the saw from the roof of the porch once and bent the plate and was able to hammer it back into shape. An aluminum plate would surely have broken.
My point is, this saw really shines when used for construction and remodeling work, for making repeated cuts in a number of awkward positions. You don't get worn out just lugging the saw around. This is a perfect outdoor tool, even coming equipped with an extra-long cord. I can't speak for the shop, since in there I generally use my Dewalt chop box or Jet table saw.
Update a few years later: It is now 2007 and I've had the saw for 12 years. Just used it to build my first boat. Works as well as ever. I used it mainly to rip 8' sheets of plywood. Everytime I do it I thank Porter-Cable for the extra long cord.
A couple years ago I finally got tired of looking at my almost straight base which gets bent periodically when I drop it off the deck or whatever. Had to go to the Porter-Cable folks to order one for $25 or so and put it on by myself. It looks nice again.
