Festool 561730 TSC 55 REB Li Basic Cordless Circular Saw

Cordless Performance

This most recent Festool 561730 TSC 55 REB Circular Saw by Festool, surely a more expensive brand than Milwaukee, Makita, and DeWalt because of the greater value, is a powerhouse of innovation. Such a reliable system produces the most precise and versatile cutting performance, which means you can take it wherever you go (thank goodness it’s cordless then!)

TSC 55, despite being cordless, has the ability for zipping through as thick as 100 meters (or 320 inches) of sheet in just a single charge.

This is a battery-powered sidewinder circular saw with the motor positioned at the side of the body. What does that mean? You can create a shorter and wider profile, unlike the case of the worm drive type of circular saw. Another benefit of a sidewinder is that it’s also lighter, thus more manageable to use than worm drive.

The more compact design, because of both cordless and sidewinder, enables more convenient handling, which sounds like the best news if you’re a woodworking newbie. So you don’t really have to be a highly experienced user for choosing Festool’s TSC 55 REB Cordless Circular Saw.

Power Output

After all, this cordless circular saw, as the brand claims, delivers the most precise and versatile cutting mechanism. So where’s the proof of that? To be completely honest with you, cordless models like these are no more lacking as far as performance, power output, and factors like these are concerned. They’re just as competitive as the corded version now.

Battery technology, especially with top brands like Festool, DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee, etc., has soared to new heights. Therefore, both corded and cordless power tools now perform on the same level. And this Festool’s TSC 55 RED Cordless Circular Saw is no exception with its 5,200 RPM power rating.

Most cordless options these days have a power rating that starts from 4,000 RPM (standard) and reaches as high as 5,000-5,200 RPM (high-end choices of course). This certainly proves that the current cordless circular saw is an expensive, high-performing unit. Higher power output automatically implies greater cutting power.

Battery Capacity

Firstly, I think you should know that the product here doesn’t come with a charger or battery. You have to buy those separately.

Moving on, since Festool 561730 is a cordless tool, it’s equipped with a rechargeable battery of course. In this case, rechargeable lithium-ion, 18-volt battery.

Now a lot of people get confused whether to go for a 20-volt or 18-volt corded circular saw. In the end, it all boils down to which model is more powerful. It might seem like 20-volt is packed with more power but the matter of fact is that 18-volt is equally powerful.

Brushless Motor

You’re looking at a corded circular saw with a brushless EC-TEC motor furnished with bigger punch lithium-ion batteries and a power rating of 5,200 RPM. Just so that this cordless version can deliver performance like its corded counterpart!

The brushless motor, in particular, seems like one of the most appealing characteristics here with Festool TSC 55. Simply because the brushless kind of motor generates less friction in comparison to the brushed version. In the department of efficiency, the brushless motor of Festool TSC 55 achieves 85-90 percent. While brushed motors offer not more than 75-percent to 80-percent efficiency.

The difference between the two seems to matter even more in the case of battery-powered circular saws. Less power tends to deteriorate to friction when the circular saw has a higher rating of efficiency. So the power saved is utilized directly by the blade of the tool to maximize its usage per single battery charge.

No wonder the majority of cordless circular saws available today are outfitted with such brushless motors. So their rechargeable batteries are able to generate more power for a higher RPM rating as well as more torque.

At the same time, you should know that friction affects energy along with producing more heat. This means a brushless motor is NOT AT ALL prone to overheating, all thanks to less friction.