The Makita 16 in. Power Cutter is engineered for convenience and performance. It delivers with faster starting, more power and improved fuel economy in an 81 cc engine with 5.6 HP. The ignition coil with start-support function stores electrical power with each pull for easier start-ups. Enjoy reduced flooding with a carburetor that includes improved decompression valve and metering spring for precise fuel regulation at start-up. The SLR muffler recycles unburned fuel vapor for reduced scavenging loss to improve fuel consumption.
- Includes concrete cutter, universal wrench, Torx key, screwdriver and hose connector
- On-off-choke operation switch on a single lever for convenience
- Microchip-controlled carburetor designed to compensate engine timing according to work load
- 5-stage, foam-paper-nylon system with advance-direction air flow provides cleaner air for better saw performance
- Cutting arm position simply changes from center to flush (outboard) position, allowing cuts directly adjacent to curb edges, wall or directly above the ground
- 4 vibration-absorbing, rubber engine mounts and two mass-dampening systems for reduced vibration
- Aluminum guard and wheel pressure plates for reduced weight
- 1-year warranty
- Includes: universal wrench, Torx key, screwdriver, hose connector
WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including arsenic, which is known to the State of California to cause cancer. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov
Blaze Reinger (verified owner) –
Really good machine, light and powerful
Stewart Kihn (verified owner) –
Was in a pinch an had to get a saw. Chose this one. Great power, easy to start, an very quiet compared to other saws. When it first started I thought something was wrong. Cuts trough asphalt and concrete like butter
Reta Gleichner (verified owner) –
Good saw for the money (less than 2/3 to half the price of Stihl/Husqvarna). Full EK8100 review, read on… It has a little less power than competitors, at about 5.6hp compared to K970 at 6.5hp and TS800 at 6.7hp, so it will cut just a little slower but still a decent cut. Blade depth spec says 5.75″ and that looks about right (Stihl 5.6″ and Husq says a full 6″ but they might be rounding up). It doesn’t have a primer bulb so you need to pull a couple times to start it when cold. The feet are not perfectly square with the blade (off by maybe a couple degrees) so it will bog down in deep cuts unless you hold it perfectly vertical or block one of the feet on one side just a little. You don’t want to cut the full depth unless blade is perfectly square to the ground. I haven’t figured out how to change the alignment but I’m sure it’s possible, probably QC with whoever put on the motor mounts.But yes it will cut the full depth, and I used a combo blade (asphalt-concrete) and it did okay with that blade. If cutting only concrete I recommend getting a concrete-only blade since every little bit helps, and the combo blade is just a little wider/more aggressive than a regular diamond-blade. It comes with a masonry abrasive cutoff blade in the box but it can pull a concrete blade pretty well, so I’d recommend getting a diamond blade. Yes the blades do fit, you just need to figure it out – if having trouble getting a blade to fit just go visit a local tool rental place and they can show you (HD tool rental can probably walk you through it). This can be confusing if you’re new to big-boy saws.It comes with the water line and hooks straight to a garden hose, and I’ve seen this as an extra option on some competitor saws. Remember to keep the connector on the saw when you remove the hose or you’ll lose it. ;)Cutting arm can be moved to one side to make it cut closer to walls, but you don’t want to set it up this way unless you need to – instructions say to leave it in center position as the default.It has an aluminum guard which is a little heavier than the magnesium ones that others have, but it doesn’t add noticeable weight. It can be moved up/down without tools but it’s tight enough that it stays in place while cutting. So if you need to cut a wall you can just pull the guard back by hand with motor off.Front feet seem like they are thin white metal/cast iron so they may wear out, but there are two layers. Outer layer screws on, so once that wears through there is still a pair hidden away underneath. Air cleaning system seems good, it looks like a sponge is the first stop and then a paper filter. I think the sponge should stop most of the water and keep the paper alive longer but I haven’t looked more closely at this part yet. It’s a thick sponge so wash it often or you’ll probably starve it of air. There is a kind of EGR system on it that is supposed to improve fuel economy. It “recycles” unburned fuel. To me that means it might be pulling in some dirty air, or else it might go through filters more frequently than it would without this, but I’ll watch it. Honestly I’d trade the 15% fuel economy for a primer bulb ;). Everyone seems to have their marketing niche – Stihl has a complex carb system so I’ll take this over that. It’s a two-cycle engine so you’ll need to do a 50:1 mix of gas with oil. My suggestion is to watch where you get gas, you don’t want ethanol at all if you can avoid it and I would use a little higher octane. Use the canned stuff (available at HD) if you’ll be storing it for a while, since it lasts longer than buying gas and mixing oil yourself. It’s good but expensive, so I use gas station + oil during the season and store with the $5-8 per gallon premixed stuff, same as with chain saws or any other two cycle.Overall good saw for the money, and I really need to stress the price point. If you rent these and need the full 16″ blade and 5 3/4″ cutting depth then this is a good value buy over the big two manufacturers – this will pay for itself over the rentals much quicker than the big boys.Makita folks, if you’re listening, maybe look at your quality control. First one I got had the motor mount by the belt incorrectly put together, with the rubber not set into the mount – easy to correct but it torqued the whole thing a little to one side so I returned it (Home Depot was awesome about the switchout and overnighted a new one to my house the next day – thank you!). The second one was assembled correctly at the factory but it’s still a little torqued so I need to figure out how to align it. I know it’s only a couple of degrees but don’t want to try to cut the full depth unless the blade is square.
Roman Thiel (verified owner) –
I bought this saw with the Home Depot recommended saw blade. The saw came in 3 days. The blade took 5 or 6. The blade didn’t fit the saw and no adapter was provided. I then went to Home Depot, and 2 other large stores to try and find the 16” blade or adapter. No one sells them. I returned the saw and am going to buy the 14” they seem to be carried at any of the home improvement stores.Bottom line saw was great, but if you need a blade with short notice get another size saw.
Amaya Harvey (verified owner) –
Was in a pinch an had to get a saw. Chose this one. Great power, easy to start, an very quiet compared to other saws. When it first started I thought something was wrong. Cuts trough asphalt and concrete like butter
Michele Leffler (verified owner) –
Definitely what I expected and needed. Will continue to purchase!