Festool HKC 55 KEB-Basic 18V Brushless 160mm Circular Saw (Body Only, T-LOC Systainer)

Festool's cordless cross-cut saw, a different animal to the framing saws in this class. It pairs a 160mm blade and a 5200rpm brushless motor with the safety kit Festool is known for: a riving knife, an electro-dynamic brake, and KickbackStop, which stops the blade if it senses a kickback, a feature that is slowly spreading across the category. It runs on Festool's FS and FSK rails and it also plunges, so it works as a genuine all-rounder rather than a one-trick saw, though it does not replace a dedicated plunge saw. On spec it gives 55mm of depth at 90° (51mm on the rail) and runs quiet at 91 dB(A), with the parallel fence sold separately. I run an HKC 55 (mine is the earlier EB version, the same saw mechanically), and the plunge is what earns its keep for me: dropping into the middle of a board without reaching for another tool saves real time on a fit-out. Most at home in carpentry and cabinetry where cut quality and versatility beat raw capacity.