Bosch CS20 15 Amp 7-1/4 Inch with Direct Connect Circular Saw Review

We can’t tell if the Bosch CS20 15 Amp 7 And A Quarter Inch with Direct Connect circular saw is supposed to be the step up or step down from its brother Bosch CS10 model. Looking solely at the price we’d think it is a step up. But looking at the features, in our not so humble opinion, it’s a step down. The composite base makes the saw lighter weight, but there are questions about the composite base’s strength. The saw doesn’t have a cord, instead requiring you to plug an extension cord directly into a male plug on the saw. We hate this feature. We write more on these issues in this review.

Table of Contents
1. Motor Power
2. Blade and Bevel Capacity
3. Base Plate and Guard
4. Adjusters
5. Cut Line Visibility
6. Power Cord
7. Handle
8. Carrying Bag
9. Rafter Hook
10. Shortcomings
11. What Others Are Saying
12. Bottom Line
13. Price

Motor Power

Power is not an issue. The Bosch CS20 has a 15 Amp motor. It does the work when cutting. Just let the saw do the work. At no load, the blade will turn at 5,600 RPM . We do not find it wanting for power. It starts and revs up very smoothly. All this is pretty typical for circular saws in the same class as the Bosch CS20.

Blade and Bevel Capacity

This saw has a 7 1/4″ blade diameter.  Just like the Bosch CS10, the included 24 tooth blade is adequate, but you’ll probably want to upgrade when using the saw for serious cutting. We love that this saw has a real blade wrench for changing the blade, which is a plus considering many circular saws only provide hex wrenches to use for blade changes. The wrench easily and securely fits over the hex nut that holds the blade to the shaft. We wish all saw manufacturers used real blade wrenches like this. The saw has a shaft lock for easier blade changing.

The saw will bevel to 56°, and cuts to a depth of 2 7/16″ at 90° and 1 7/8″ at 45°. This saw has positive stops for the bevel at 22 1/2° and 45°, making it easy to do beveled cuts at those common angles.

Base Plate and Guard

The base plate/shoe is one of the areas of this saw that’s a potential concern. The base is made of a composite material. It’s lightweight and feels sturdy. Perfect combination, right? However, in researching this saw we read several reviews that complained about the composite base warping, bending and flexing after using the saw over an extended period of time. This deformation can cause the saw to come out of alignment and not be able to cut square any more. We haven’t used the saw long enough to experience this, so we’re relying on review testimonials. There are enough of these testimonials to make us hesitant. Regarding the blade guard, it operates smoothly.

Adjusters

The depth control and bevel control are levers that are okay. The plastic levers lock down with minimal effort. The numeric indicators are stamped into the saw, so there’s no chance of them rubbing off.

Cut Line Visibility

Like the other Bosch sidewinder circular saws, cut line visibility is very good for both left and right handers. This saw does an outstanding job of removing the sawdust from the line of sight on the base of the saw. Bosch has the best circular saws out there for clearing out the sawdust. The downside is that the sawdust is shot out like a laser beam and gets all over you if you’re standing in the wrong place. This happens with other circular saws too, but with the Bosch the effect seems amplified. Bosch makes an attachment that you can put on the saw that will direct the sawdust into a hose from your dust collection system, but to us it seems like a pain to have to deal with a hose attached to the back of your circular saw. Wear a filtering mask and sweep up afterwards.

Power Cord

As we mentioned at the top of this review, the Bosch CS20 does not have a power cord. There is a male plug in the saw housing that you plug an extension cord into. You’re supposed to loop your extension cord around a tab on the bottom of the saw to give it enough slack so that you don’t accidentally pull the extension cord out of the plug. How many people who use the saw actually do this looping we wonder? When you need to unplug the saw to do a depth adjustment you must unplug the extension cord from the saw or the wall. If you did the loop as instructed you must re-loop the extension cord to plug it back in. Are we painting the picture that this is a pain in the rear? We prefer a cord that you can plug into an extension cord. We’ll accept the risk of cutting the saw cord and having to replace it.

Handle

The rubber coated and cushioned handle is comfortable and provides some grip even when your hand sweats. The handle is more than adequate.

Carrying Bag

There is a carrying/storage bag included with this saw. It’s not a hard sided plastic case, which we prefer. We know that some people prefer the bag to the case, so just be aware of this.

Rafter Hook

This saw has a rafter hook which makes it easy to hang out of the way when you’re at a job site and is great for framers and roofers. The hook is less of a benefit for the casual do-it-yourselfer.

Shortcomings

We’ve talked about the base plate and cord issues with this saw. It also lacks an electric brake and dual switches, but many circular saws of this class do.

What Others Are Saying

This saw gets middling reviews. Surprisingly for a Bosch product, Amazon and the big box websites have both very positive and very negative reviews. There are a number of glowing reviews, but we also found too many that are negative on the composite base plate for our liking.

Bottom Line

The Bosch CS20 15 Amp 7 And A Quarter Inch with Direct Connect circular saw is an okay circular saw, but not one we’d recommend without testing over a long period of time (at least a year). 3 out of 5.

Price

Amazon puts a lot of effort into keeping their pricing competitive. As of the date of this review, the price was very attractive and they offered free or discounted shipping. Click to check today’s price and see if that’s still the case: