There’s another, much longer video on YouTube which I just watched. I’m a committed Hilti user with seven of their tools, three of which are corded and four which run on their 22-volt battery platform (5.2Ah and 8.0Ah). On first showing, there’s not enough on this saw to make me think about changing from my bombproof DeWalt 780. Specifically;
1 It doesn’t appear to do anything the 780 doesn’t do. It actually looks like they’ve benchmarked the 780 as part of their design - multiple things on it look very, very close to the DeWalt. Sure, there are some small features which are an improvement, but nothing which I've ever been especially been frustrated by. The presenter is freaking out about the 'genius' variable speed - my 780 has it and I thought other saws did, too?
2 The ‘back to the wall’ feature is great for use in a small shop where every square inch of floor space counts, but that doesn’t represent an advantage for me in my situation. The position of the extractor hose would limit how close you could get it anyway.
3 The machine uses the new Nuron battery platform and (like almost all recent Hilti offerings) isn't available in a B22 version. Long-term B22 users like me (with a very considerable investment in batteries and chargers) are excluded from all of these new tools unless we junk everthing we've bought and start over. I'd freely admit that leaves somewhat of a sour taste.
4 The stand only extends to 8 feet (just over 2400mm). My DeWalt stand pulls out to 4900mm (16 feet) which is important to me because almost all of the material I buy comes in 5.4m, 4.8m or 4.2m lengths. But above all;
5 I can virtually guarantee that the price will be astronomical. They’re charging £1500 in the UK just for their 190mm circular saw with a case, a charger and two 5Ah batteries, so I’m anticipating a cost in the stratosphere. That 12Ah battery in the video costs £400 just on its own. The tools are fabulous (as is their warranty and customer service), but I’ll almost certainly be staying with the tried-and-trusted black & yellow which has been tortured over thousands of hours of almost-daily site use, but which still works as well as the day I bought it 8 years ago. I've also very much started to feel that whereas once upon a time, the additional initial cost of a Hilti would be worthwhile given their legendary robustness and reliability, several recent experiences have made me feel that the balance between short-term cost vs. long-term value has now tipped way, way too far towards the former - especially considering that much of their smaller equipment is now made in China and the quality's definitely deteriorated. I'll call my local rep and have him bring one over for me to try out when it becomes available, though. It may have hidden depths which the short video didn't expose.
And as for their release of a track saw - how are they possibly going to better a TS55 or a TS60?
