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Black & Decker SC500G Navigator Saw with Gel Grips | List Price: $75.71
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Brand: Black & Decker
Binding: Tools & Hardware
Features: - Powerful 3.4 amp motor for controlled cuts in a variety of materials
- Converts from powered hand saw to jig saw
- Patented tool free blade change for quick and easy changes
- Compact design with contoured handle and soft grip for comfort and control
- Scalloped front end for visibility to blade and cut line
This is a decent little saw! [Posted on 2004-11-29]
I just bought this saw for an incredible price at a day-after-Thanksgiving sale (Menards). In fact, the $19.50 I paid is 1/2 the normal price in the local hardware stores. As for the saw's performance, I have some mixed feelings.
My motivation for buying this saw (other than the incredible price) was to use it with various blades to cut 4" pvc pipe, tree limbs, etc. instead of using handsaws. It does all of this fairly well, but it would perform much better if B&D came out with a wider assortment of blades. At just 3.4 amps, this saw is not overly well powered and thus it should have an assortment of blades available so as to maximize the efficiency of the cutting action. For instance, the wide woodcutting blade has teeth that are fairly fine - which is good for precise cuts in material such as pvc pipe and lumber, but not so good when cutting tree limbs or any other situation where you want an agressive cut. All I got with the saw was a wide woodcutting blade (the blade that is normally pictured in the saw) and a narrow blade to use for cutting metal pipe. In my opinion B&D needs to come up with some more blades!
Having said all of that, I really like the ingenious design of this saw. The gel grips are great for preventing hand fatigue. Although I will probably never have a need to "convert" this saw to its jigsaw configuration - I have much better jigsaws for that - I think that this feature might be handy to the novice weekend warriors out there.
If you can find this saw at a bargain price I recommend it as worth the money!
This is an orange blob of frustration [Posted on 2004-12-01]
I got an older version of this saw (two years ago) and unless there have been significant improvements, save your money. The gel handles are probably a good idea as the unit we have did equal damage to what's being cut and the person doing the cutting. As for the damage it does to whatever you're trying to damage, the word minimal comes to mind. Out of frustration I've turned it off and tried to use it as a standard saw but the blade is too short to be useful. I take it off the shelf every once in a while thinking it can't be as bad as I remember... it is. Each time I've tried it I end up thinking it would be faster to just bludgeon the piece I'm trying to cut but, unfortunately, it's light weight makes it fairly useless as a hammer.
I tried to slip it into a friend's truck after he helped me build a deck. He found it, uttered a few choice words, and threw it back. When a guy turns down a free power tool, that's saying something.
Can't think of one redeeming feature of this tool. I give it one star because zero isn't an option.
Buy something useful with your money like a pet rock.
Bad quality [Posted on 2005-04-03]
The tool idea is good, however the power and quality of materials is inferior. Mine is already making an awful noise and "freezing". I used it to cut 2x4's during a room's renovation. I'll never buy black & Decker garbage again.
Worked great. . . until it broke. . . [Posted on 2005-11-19]
We bought this saw for tree trimming. First time we used it it worked great, sawed right through tree limbs 3" and smaller, also worked great trimming the fronds off the palm trees. But during the second use an internal part broke and the blade no longer stays in place, making the saw useless. Can't find the receipt, so we are stuck with it. Our next saw will probably not be a Black & Decker.
Black and Decker tools suck [Posted on 2005-12-30]
Got two Black and Decker tools for Christmas and had to take them both back. One was a recepercating saw and only one of the blades would go in. The other one was the NaviGator powered handsaw/jigsaw. Used it one time and could not get blade out to replace with another blade. The idea of this saw is very good, I just wish some other company made one. I have never had much luck with Black and Decker tools.
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