The Straight Flush Saw is something new to the market. In fact, it seems to still be getting to the market. In any case, the tool is a remake of the circular saw in such as way as to facilitate both deeper cuts, and more importantly, cuts that allow completely flush positioning against studs, posts, headers, and more. The idea is that the new Flush Saw can be a single tool that would replace the necessity to use a standard circular saw and finish with a recip saw. It also keeps you from using a reciprocating saw for a job that would be much cleaner with a high-speed circular saw cut.
Cuz-D Flush Cut Saw
Owner Jake Cuzdey claims that the Cuz-D Straight Flush Saw will handle an estimated 50% of the work you’d typically do with a reciprocating saw. After seeing the demo, we thought it had potential…and we quickly requested one for a full hands-on review. (Note: After it arrived in late 2016 the top handle broke almost immediately. Based on that and the weight of the tool—over 14 pounds—we sent it back and declined the review.)
Jake isn’t just a 25-year construction industry veteran, he’s also the CEO – and that means he’s a businessman. That side shows in the rough calculations on cost-savings he claims the Straight Flush Saw will achieve. He calculates that the Straight Flush Saw will save approximately $5,000 on annual blade replacement costs based on an average construction team of 32 staff members. It will also replace an estimated 50% usage of a beam saw. He might be right. In our opinion, we just love a job well done and anything that makes that job easier and better is a tool worth looking into.
A Flush-Cutting Circular Saw
But what’s truly unique about the saw is how it cuts nearly flush to any barrier you put it up against. It has virtually zero clearance thanks to a recessed mounting point for the blade. Cutting out windows, trimming beams, and cutting in doorways all look like jobs that would become much simpler, and definitely faster with this tool.
Of course, the zero clearance of the blade also makes it look extremely dangerous, but our response to that is simple: If you’re a girly-man, then don’t use it. On top of that, there are plenty of saws on the market with exposed blades that rotate at high speeds, including products from RotoZip, Dremel, etc. This is nothing new—it’s just a tad bigger and more powerful. In fact, the Straight Flush Saw’s safety features include a trigger actuated lower guard, so you can retract it safely without having to use a wedge. The saw also features a quick stop motor brake that halts the spinning blade almost immediately when the trigger is released. This reduces the risk of the saw “jumping” due to the blade remaining in motion after the trigger is released.
Uses an 8-1/2 inch Saw Blade
So, in addition to the flush-cutting capabilities, the saw also uses an 8-1/2″ blade, meaning that it can slice through two stacked 2x boards. No current circular saw we know of can do that – and it’s an impressive feature indeed.
The use of standard blades would have been nice. Still, the extra depth afforded by the larger blade actually makes a lot of sense. Cuz-D made it one of the primary design goals with the tool. The forward positioning of the blade to the shoe also impresses. This lets you get up into corners at a maximum depth of 1-9/16 inches. Finally, the unique shoe itself folds up to allow for vertical use of the saw and facilitate close corner cuts.
Cuz-D is planning to include a Lifetime Limited Warranty with a comprehensive return policy on any manufacturing defects. Pricing has yet to be determined.
UPDATE: After quite some time (several years, in fact) we received a Cuz-D Flush Cut Saw for review. Upon taking it out of the box and using it for a very short period of time the top handle broke. Our Pros also said the weight was “excessive”. As a result we declined to finish the review and sent it back. Hopefully Cuz-D can execute some design changes in a future model and we can give it another try.
If you’re still interested in this $420 saw, you can check it out at Amazon.
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