Wow, make me feel old, I still remember drooling over the 50th anniversary saw (1987), the one they did in gold with black trim. Incidentally, whatвЂ™s your favorite circ saw and why? Skil, how вЂ™bout a good story? WeвЂ™re up for it! One objection, though: despite creating a cool-looking custom product site and commissioning yet another corporate-themed chopper, we didnвЂ™t find much at all about the sawвЂ™s long history in the product literature. I mean, youвЂ™re probably gonna be lookinвЂ™ at the thing for another 20-30 years, right? Considering that the standard model sells for around $170, it might be worth a вЂњwhat the hellвЂќ drop of a $20. We found the anniversary model (the #MAG77-75 as opposed to the standard #SHD77M) for $190 online. And if you happen to be in the market for one this year, Skil offers a вЂњlimited edition anniversaryвЂќ model, which adds a custom black fleck paint finish, a chromed aluminum foot, a commemorative placard, and a commemorative blade. We understand that the basic Model 77 still sells quite well. Then I looked up the difference: less than a pound. When I built the shelves I wrote about a while back, I used two different circs to cut the shelf notches, and even after cutting only 60 notches, I could tell that one was heavier than the other. Even a small weight reduction makes a difference when you pick up a saw hundreds of times a day.

Sean, for example, is a big proponent of sidewinders, and I have to admit that I see his point. Of course, a lot of folks prefer the simpler, cheaper, and certainly lighter sidewinder design. Note that the anniversary model 77 pictured above is loaded up with one of SkilвЂ™s titanium carbide blades. In the last few years weвЂ™ve seen significant improvements in circ saw blade design specifically, for a number of reasons: to handle the new materials, to increase battery life in cordless circs (since battery tech has finally caught up enough to make them somewhat feasible), and to improve life and performance. Most of the innovation seems to have come in materials or design, which has led to some significant improvements in blade technology. We still build houses in much the same (basic) way we did 50+ years ago, at least in terms of framing. I suppose a lot of this is due to the fact that the role the circular saw fills in the construction business isnвЂ™t as different as it might seem.

Certainly the Model 77 has seen a bit of innovation over the years in terms of motor and material technology, but it remains essentially the same in shape and function - and itвЂ™s still a pretty popular model, despite lots of heavy competition. Think about it: Since 1937, mankind went from early aviation to jet flight to the moon. I know thereвЂ™s a marketing blitz behind this, but I canвЂ™t help but enjoy the idea of a tool that survives without major functional changes for most of a century.

Skilsaw model 77 50th anniversary