Makita Max Efficiency Circular Saw Blade Review

Makita already makes some of the best stock blades in the business. They’re one of the few that our Pro team doesn’t immediately swap out when a new saw arrives. When we saw the Makita Max Efficiency Circular Saw Blade, there was no question we wanted to bring it in for some testing.

Pros

Fastest circular saw blade we’ve tested
Greater efficiency than other blades we use
Exceeds the performance of stock blades from other Pro brands
Smoother cutting

Cons

Wanders more easily than thicker blades on tough rip cuts

The Bottom Line

We love the speed and efficiency improvements that we’re getting from the Makita Max Efficiency Circular Saw Blade, but we can’t ignore the wandering on tougher rip cuts. I really like this blade as the primary for a cordless circular saw that you’re going to be making cross cuts and ripping sheet goods with. I’ll stick with a slightly thicker blade for worm drive wor, though.

Makita Max Efficiency Circular Saw Blades

What Makita Says You Can Expect

Up to 70% more cuts per charge
Up to 70% faster cutting

How Makita is Accomplishing the Improvements

Ultra-thin 0.057″ kerf (Diablo uses 0.059″): reduces load
High-grade tungsten carbide tips: greater durability
ATAFR carbide tips – Alternate Top Alternate Face with Raker: smoother, faster cutting
Blade coating: smoother cutting
Engineered tooth assist: reduces load
Reduced swing width: smoother material removal and less resistance
23° top bevel angle: smoother cutting
Slimmer tip bottoms: reduces resistance

Making the Cut

Makita Max Efficiency Circular Saw Blade Review

To test the Makita Max Efficiency Circular Saw Blade, we set up lab tests in the shop and sent a few blades out to our Pros in the field for some real-world feedback to go along with our results. We used the blade in multiple saws, including Makita’s 18V X2 XSH06, and against 3 other competitors on full-depth rip cuts in pressure-treated 4×4 pine.

With the speed tests complete, Makita is clearly the fastest blade of the group. Here’s how it breaks down:

38% faster than Irwin Marathon
33% faster than Milwaukee’s premium carbide framing blade
15% faster than Diablo’s Framing Blade with Tracking Point

To test efficiency, we grabbed some pressure-treated 2 x 12 pine and started making cross cuts. Dropping Milwaukee and Irwin, We just tested it against Diablo since only it and Makita were so far ahead in speed testing. Makita comes out in front here as well:

36% more cuts than Diablo’s Framing Blade with Tracking Point

Additional Field Notes

What our contractors reported back is the same thing that we experienced in our testing – the Makita Max Efficiency Circular Saw Blade does cut faster and more efficiently. They also noted that on tougher rip cuts, the blade tends to wander a bit. It’s something to keep in mind when you’re deciding what saw to pair the blade with, though.

The coating stays on impressively well. After nearly 100 cuts, the coating is in better shape than Diablo’s after close to 70.

The Bottom Line

We love the speed and efficiency improvements that we’re getting from the Makita Max Efficiency Circular Saw Blade, but we can’t ignore the wandering on tougher rip cuts. We really like this blade as the primary for a cordless circular saw that you’re going to be making cross cuts and ripping sheet goods with. We’ll stick with a slightly thicker blade for worm drive work.

$9.99 at Amazon