Skilsaw Wormdrive

[JimboS1ice]

So I am thinking about upgrading to a skilsaw worm drive from my craftsman 15amp professional series. Now I see the there are two models one is slightly cheaper, the more expensive one has magnesium. Other than that I don't notice any differences, I looked at the non mag one the other Day but menards did not carry the magnesium one.

So questions....

Are they the same motor just different base materials?

Is it more beneficial to pick up to magnesium, I have a magnesium base in my saw now but I believe the other is aluminum I think I read somewhere.

What do you guys think?

Jimbo

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[Logan]

If it was me I would go with the one with magnesium

[MikeyB]

They are both really nice saws, I have an old Black and Decker worn drive, would like to sel it one day and pick up a Skil

[Fazzman]

The magnesium one is supposed to be badass. Worm drive saws are more heavy duty.  I have a Porter Cable 15amp HD magnesium that I really like althou a sidewinder would be an awesome upgrade for me.

 

If its something you use often enough you will appreciate the weight difference.

 

the magnesium one isnt the same size as the other,Its about an inch bigger on each dimension.

[JimboS1ice]

Yea I was thinking the mag, why not right?

Jimbo

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[MikeyB]

Yea I was thinking the mag, why not right?

Jimbo

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Absolutely, After all this place is a haven for tool pushers,,,,, lol

[Poisonfangs85]

I cannot say about the motors but...It is worth the extra money to save on the weight. After using it for some time you will notice it. When I have both models on site you can always tell which one you pull out of the gang box without seeing the color.

[JimboS1ice]

Thanks boys, figured the mag would be the answer

Jimbo

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[jeffmcmillan]

From my experience, the big difference with magnesium is how well the shoe holds up.  For a beater saw either will get bent so it doesn't matter, and for a personal shop saw you're going to take care of neither should get bent and you can always true it up if it does once or twice.  The big difference is for a workhorse saw that will be used heavily for years.  Both will get bent over time, but magnesium you can straighten a little bit annually, whereas an aluminum shoe has to be hammered on ever morning to straighten it out.

 

I'm guessing you're in the third situation so go with the magnesium saw and save yourself a lot of headaches.