Milwaukee M18 Brushless 7-1/4 in. Circular Saw (2631-20, bare tool)

Milwaukee M18 Brushless 7-1/4 in. Circular Saw (2631-20, bare tool)

By Milwaukee · Circular Saws · Power Tools

  • M18 brushless 7-1/4 in. circular saw, bare tool
  • 5,000 RPM with magnium upper and lower guards
  • About 9.0 lbs, lighter than most corded saws
  • Integrated rafter hook and dust port on the guard
  • Runs on M18 REDLITHIUM batteries (sold separately)

Lowest price seen
$229.00
from $229.00 at factoryauthorizedoutlet · Checked Oct 9, 2026

Prices are snapshots. Check the current price with the store.

Summary

A bare-tool 7-1/4-inch cordless framing saw for people already on Milwaukee’s M18 battery platform, with a brushless motor and a 5-year warranty. Bring your own M18 battery and charger, and expect no bevel positive stops and a wrench holder that drops out during use.

Strengths

  • Cutting power: TechGearLab scored it 9.7/10 and ranked it #2 of 13 saws tested.
  • Battery life: 298 linear feet of 3/4 in. plywood on one 5 Ah charge.
  • Speed: a full-depth 6x12 in. softwood crosscut in 4.2 seconds.
  • The shoe is accurate and easy to adjust, with clearly marked measurements.
  • The rafter hook, LED light and electric brake are useful on a jobsite.
  • Magnesium guards and an aluminum shoe add durability without much weight.

Weaknesses

  • No positive stops at common bevel angles such as 22.5 degrees.
  • The hex wrench holder is poorly designed and the wrench falls out during use.
  • At 9 lbs with battery it is among the heavier saws in its class.
  • The blade-right layout is less intuitive for some right-handed users.
  • The included 24-tooth blade is a framing blade, so finish cuts may need a finer blade.
  • Owners report switch failures from arcing and carbon buildup, though no failure rate exists.

Verified specifications

Model2631-20, bare tool; battery and charger not included.
Blade7-1/4 in., right-side blade, 5/8 in. arbor.
Motorbrushless with REDLINK Intelligence; 5,000 RPM no-load.
Cut depth2-1/2 in. at 90 degrees, 1-7/8 in. at 45 degrees.
Bevel capacity50 degrees, without positive stops at common angles.
Electric brakestops the blade within about 2 seconds of trigger release.
Bodymagnesium upper and lower guards, aluminum shoe, glass-filled nylon housing.
Weight9.0 lbs with an XC 5.0 Ah battery; 7.2–7.7 lbs bare depending on source.
Dimensions13 in. L × 7 in. W × 11 in. H.
Featuresintegrated rafter hook, LED light, dust port, pistol-grip handle.
Includedthe saw, one 24-tooth framing blade, one blade wrench.
Warranty5-year limited tool warranty.
Full research notes and sources

Cutting and battery performance

TechGearLab’s instrumented test is the most useful independent result: an 84/100 overall score, 9.7/10 for cutting, 8.0/10 for battery and 6.4/10 for ease of use, ranking the saw #2 of 13 tested in December 2019. It cut 298 linear feet of 3/4 in. plywood on a single 5 Ah charge, took 4.2 seconds through a full-depth 6x12 in. softwood header, and ripped 10 ft. in 34 seconds. The measured maximum depth with the framing blade was 2-9/32 in. Battery output did not taper; the saw held full speed until the pack was empty.

The rest of the tool is built around the same jobsite brief. Magnesium upper and lower guards sit above an aluminum shoe, with a glass-filled nylon housing and a pistol grip. An integrated rafter hook, LED light, electric brake and a guard-mounted dust port round out the features. The 50-degree bevel is wide but has no positive stops, and TechGearLab flagged the missing stops and the 22.5-degree marker as a drawback for precision work. One review also thought the dust port could manage debris better; only one source commented on it.

Switch failures and repairs

The most documented reliability complaint is the trigger switch. Forum reports on The Garage Journal and Tools in Action describe intermittent running, sticking triggers and no-start conditions, traced to arcing across the switch contacts that leaves carbon deposits blocking current. Fix.com lists the switch as a common replacement part at $32.95 and describes the same mechanism. These are anecdotal owner and parts-supplier reports, not a failure rate, so treat the switch as a known weak point covered by warranty rather than a reason to avoid the saw. Milwaukee’s 5-year warranty and mail-in eService repair cover a failed switch, and some owners have replaced it themselves.

Routine maintenance is minimal: keep the blade sharp, check the shoe alignment, and follow the manual’s troubleshooting for a blade that wanders, smokes or binds. The manual flags dull teeth, a bent blade, a misaligned shoe, low battery and improper workpiece support as the common causes. No recalls specific to the 2631-20 were found.

Which model this is

The 2631-20 is the M18 brushless 7-1/4 in. circular saw, a bare tool that sits between the brushed 2630-20 and the M18 FUEL 2732-20 (5,800 RPM, all-magnesium shoe). It is brushless but not FUEL, and it is not ONE-KEY enabled, so it lacks Milwaukee’s Bluetooth asset tracking. A few resellers bundle it as a kit, but the tracked listing is the bare-tool variant.

The tracked Amazon listing is ASIN B07J1RXG8V.

Is it worth it?

The saw is a bare tool, so budget for an M18 battery and charger unless you already own them; REDLITHIUM packs run from 2 Ah to 12 Ah and all fit this tool. For context on pricing, the 2018 launch was $179 bare and $279 as a kit, TechGearLab listed it at $199 when it tested the saw, and Power Tool Insider lists the bare tool at $229.00.

As an editorial guide rather than a sale history: at or below $179 this is strong value for an M18 owner who wants a full-size framing saw, $180–229 is fair against the M18 FUEL 2732-20 and competing platforms, and above $229 it is weak unless you specifically want this form factor or find a strong price match. New buyers should compare the total of saw plus battery plus charger against kit deals from other brands.

Sources

Manufacturer:

Independent reviews:

Owner reports:

Buying guides for this category

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