Ridgid Fuego 6-1/2 in. Framing Saw Review
Ridgid Fuego 12 Amp 6-1/2 in. Framing Saw R3203
Ridgid Fuego R3202 is packed with features
Features and Specifications
- 10′ power cord with lighted saw icon plug
- Composite non-marring shoe
- Hook and loop cord binder
- Thin kerf 18-tooth carbide blade
- Magnesium blade housing and guard
- Cutting depths of 2 1/8″ at 90° and 1 5/8″ at 45°
- Backed by RIDGID® Lifetime Service Agreement – FREE parts, FREE service for LIFE
- 120 V 12 amp input give the saw 6100 rpm with no load
- Front and Rear kerf indicators
- Durable tool bag
- Tool-less depth and bevel adjustment with detents for common depths
- 8 pounds total weight
Evaluation and Performance
Ridgid did their homework with this saw. 6-1/2″ is the minimum blade diameter that will still cut through framing lumber even on a bevel. With the thin kerf blade, the small motor powers through material with little effort. When I resided my house I used the Fuego for ripping 20 sheets of 3/4″ plywood into 2″ furring strips for a rainscreen. I didn’t take my time and just pushed the saw through. It hardly bogged.
Fuego cutting up a nail-ridden pallet
In my four years of owning this saw I have not encountered a situation where I thought I needed something larger. Even though it is small it does not compromise anything over a standard size saw. In this picture you can see I’m cutting through an old pallet. It had a few nails but it still buzzed through them.
Improvements
There are only a couple things I would change about this saw. The first is I wish it included a second blade. 6-1/2″ blades are not as prevalent as 7-1/4″. The small hardware store closest to me does not carry the smaller size so I have to drive to one of the big box stores to find them. They are abundant online though. The second thing is I wish it had a rafter hook. The lightness of the saw lends itself really well to working in the air. It needs a way to stay in the air.
Final Thoughts
It’s no secret that I love this saw. It is light and very capable. DIY-ers and Pros alike can benefit from this saw. This saw kind of stands alone in the circular saw market with its light weight, however, Dewalt just announced an 8.8 pound 7-1/4″ saw coming in a few months. It will be interesting to see how they compare.
Where To Buy
If you’re looking to get your hands on the Fuego, stop down at your local Home Depot. You can also buy it online through Home Depot’s website at the following link:
About the author
Jeff Williams
Contributing Editor Jeff Williams is a carpenter for a commercial General Contractor specializing in concrete, steel, and wood buildings. Jeff comes from a long line of contractors. His parents started a commercial General Contracting firm many years ago and it has afforded him life-long, hands-on learning opportunities from rough and fine carpentry all the way to structural steel and concrete. Jeff has a Construction Management degree and loves the thrill of coordinating and successfully managing large jobs from start to finish. Inspired by the difficulties sometimes encountered to complete punch lists his motto is, "Work hard until the job is done."
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I like this saw and have used it for a few project and agree that I’ve not found myself wanting more power or a deeper cut that a larger blade could make. I originally got this saw thinking that this is THE rafter tails saw especially after having a shoulder injury. I put on a Freud finish blade and have been impressed with the cut and nimble handling of this saw.
Now the annoyances:
NO CASE, not even a bag. RIDGID, this does not make it. Every tool should come with one, or have one available to order from Parts. The power cord, it is fairly long (never measured it, but at least it does not catch on a sheet of plywood), but has NO LIGHTED PLUG. The cord has NO CORD WRAP – This whole cord and case deal makes me think that they decided to cut some corners to save a few cents for more profit…by the way, the saw was still $99.00, so any savings went to RIDGID and not the consumer.
Final annoying issue – NOT the SAWS fault…the 6-1/2″ blade market is kind of sparse – compared to the 7 – 7-1/4″ blades. And of course, competition – there is none, this is a unique saw. If there were a couple of saws in this class, this pie would grow a lot sweeter for this saw-size class.
This saw is an awesome secondary saw to have in the shop or on the job site. Has plenty of power to cut through dimensional lumber without any problem. The long cord is a great feature when ripping a full sheet of plywood length wise. I agree assortments of different blades are minimal but your going to use this saw for framing not building furniture. I,ve had no problem locating 6 1/2 in. Blades at Home Depot and Lowes. I own a 7 1/4 in. Milwaukee which is my main work horse , but the Rigid is great for cutting rafter tails and cutting plywood and other sheet goods. Great saw for 99.00′ and highly recommend it.
This would be a great saw for the home owner who has a limited budget and need for a circular saw.