With Father’s Day on the horizon, it’s a great time to look at the new Ryobi P507 6-1/2″ Circular Saw. No one wants to lug a cord around unless they absolutely have to. Ryobi’s One+ 18V line puts those tools in our hands that are easily affordable whether you’re a DIYer, tradesman, or pro. One of the most popular products for 2015 is going to be the Ryobi P507 Circular Saw. It’s got some significant upgrades from the previous model and we’re excited to take a closer look.
The most significant changes over the previous Ryobi P506 Circular Saw start with upsizing to a 6-1/2″ blade from the 5-1/2″. Product managers also ditched the laser from the older model. They claim that the Ryobi P507 6-1/2″ One+ Circular Saw has increased in power some 40% over the P506 as well. There are slight changes to the front pommel design and the aforementioned rubber overmold. Bevel capacity us up to 56 degrees, weight is down to 5 pounds, and the no load speed remains at 4700 RPM.
First Impressions
The first thing I noticed when I unboxed the new Ryobi P507 was the left oriented blade design. This is supposed to help with line of sight for most folks. Having a right side blade on my other circular saws, I’ll keep an open mind and remember that just because it feels different doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Of course this means that the arbor lock threads are reversed from what you’re used to. It also means that most blades are going to be installed with the print on the inside of the saw, though the stock blade from Ryobi is printed to be on the outside.
There’s a “new and improved” Gripzone overmold that I’m also not sure about yet. It feels more dense than the previous style and seems to slip more as well. That’s against my bare hand though. I’ll withhold judgement until I’ve put it under load with proper gloves.
Although it’s not a deal breaker or maker, I love the blade change wrench placement. It’s on the back of the housing indented with room for your thumb to easily take it out. I’ve had some saws where it was a challenge to find where they decided to hide the wrench as if were an unsightly inconvenience. I like this placement and design much better.
I’m going to let my inner redneck out a little bit here. The arbor washer features the text “TURN TO TIGHTEN”. reminding you that its held on by a reverse threaded bolt. What I love about it is that this western looking font reminds me of the stamped text you’d find around the edge of a Winchester bullet casing. Yeah, they could have made it boring, but Ryobi made me smile with that small consideration.
Ryobi P507 6-1/2″ Circular Saw Specifications
- Power Source: Ryobi One+ 18V Battery Pack
- Blade Size: 6-1/2″
- Arbor Size: 5/8″
- No Load Speed: 4700 RPM
- Max Cutting Depth: 2-1/16 @ 0 degrees, 1-7/16 @ 45 degrees
- Bevel Cut Capacity: 0 – 56 degrees
- Weight: 5 pounds
- Price: $69.00 at The Home Depot
- Warranty: 3 years
Performance Testing
I needed to cut a piece of pressure treated 2 x 12 down to sizes that I needed for some shelving, so I decided that it would be a good test for the Ryobi P507 to cut it’s teeth on. Rather than just making a couple of cuts to get the pair of 36″ boards I was shooting for, I decided I’d shave off a little bit at a time and see what kind of run time I could get out of it using a 4.0 18V One+ battery at the same time.
To take the drama out of it, I was able to make 69 complete cross cuts; not bad at all. While I did give the saw a rest every 10 cuts, normal use will likely see a few more cuts out of a single charge. I was surprised to find that neither the saw nor the battery got very hot during the testing which is something that the higher powered saws in our 7-1/4″ Cordless Circular Saw Shootout had to deal with.
For a saw in this mid-range class, the cuts I was making with the stock blade were satisfyingly confident. I did bind up the blade a couple of times. However, for the most part if you just let this saw do the work, you’ll be rewarded with smooth, easy cuts. Pairing the Ryobi 6-1/2″ Cordless Circular Saw with a premium blade should make this even better.
During the cut, the Ryobi One+ Circular Saw was able to keep light amounts of sawdust blown away from the guide. It wasn’t quite as good as the blower on Milwaukee’s M18 Fuel Circular Saw, but it’s enough to keep things clear when you’re not making cuts a 1/2″ away from each other.
Coming back to a couple of points that I questioned before testing… The new GripZone is definitely not a detriment to grip even though it felt like it slipped more with a bare hand. I tried a few cuts bare handed before donning gloves for the majority of the test. The grip in both cases felt secure. I really don’t feel like this is any better or worse than the previous overmold. If the rubber is a denser design as I suspect, it will help it hold up better over time.
I also wasn’t sure about the left side blade orientation. It didn’t take long before viewing my cut line from the opposite side became natural and even preferred. Where things got awkward was when I started making some beveled cuts. It will take some time for my hands to get used to tilting the opposite direction.
I ran into a couple of issues during testing. There seems to be a “hump” that I had to overcome when getting a few inches into the cut. It turns out that there’s a little bit of resistance to move past the blade guard’s midpoint as it slides out of the way. You can easily move beyond this by lifting the saw slightly, which is what makes it feel like you’re going over a hump. You can also push through it. This is going to be the norm for beveled and max depth cuts.
I also had the handle for the guard catch against my left wrist when I let it drop while getting a better look at my cut. This is just something that I will correct naturally as I use the Ryobi P507 more.
Conclusions and Final Thoughts
You’re not going to find a lot of features like lasers, front blowers, and rafter hooks on the Ryobi P507 6-1/2″ Circular Saw (though it wouldn’t hurt my feelings to have a rafter hook on the next model). The basic design is solid and the saw preforms well. The left side blade design does improve line of sight, though beveled cuts will take some getting used to. The minor issues that I found with the blade guard are worth putting up with considering the cutting performance that I experienced.
Compared to other models in this class and price point, I don’t think you’ll be able to find a better performing saw. For current Ryobi One+ 18V owners, adding this one is a no brainer. For those looking to get into a cordless platform without getting into top tier prices, Ryobi continues to impress me with the quality they bring to the table at an excellent price point.
