I could have bought another Skil 5301 as its a good saw but I wanted some variety in tool collection.
Bought Bosch GKS online for 5600Rs from amazon.in and was very happy with the deal till I saw it selling for 4900Rs in another store. Had bought the Skil saw one year back for around 3600Rs from SJP Road Bangalore.
Before starting with the table saw project wanted to do a side by side comparison with both the table saws.
Specifications
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Power | 1100W | 1300W |
| RPM | 5200rpm | 5500rpm |
| Max Cutting Depth 90° | 68mm (65mm with 184mm Blade) | 64mm |
| Max Cutting Depth 45° | 50mm (47mm with 184mm Blade) | 48mm |
| Blade Size | 184-190 mm | 184 mm (Clearance to take 190mm) |
| Cord Length | 2 Meter | 2.37 Meter |
| Weight | 3.8 Kg | 4.4 Kg |
Although the Bosch is more expensive then Skil saw yet it does not come with all the accessories as you can see from the above image the Skil has an additional handle so you can use both hands during the long cut. The handle for the Bosch has to be purchased separately, but I doubt whether its available locally or online. Similarly the Bosch can be connected to Dust Extractor but again the adapter is not included. There is a same model which is sold abroad which contains all the accessories but in India its not available.
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| Screw Hole to Attach the Handle |
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| Bosch GKS 7000 Base Plate |
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| Skil 5301 Base Plate |
Base plate of Bosch GKS 7000 is wider than the Skil 5301 14cm vs 15cm. Base plate of both the saws is made from stamped sheet of metal, Bosch base plate is thicker then the Skil but both the bases are sturdy. The guard on the Bosch is made from plastic and flees flimsy on Skil its made of metal and it feels very sturdy. On keeping the Saw down part of the weight of saw is borne by the saw guard and having a metal guard gives the confidence that the saw can take some rough handling.
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| Skil 5301 |
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| Bosch GKS 7000 |
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| Pin can be used to tune the saw if it is not setting 0 degree properly. |
Blade Comparison
The stock saw blades in both the saws are similar in every aspect and can also be interchanged between the saw. I never used my original Skil saw blade, from day 1 have been using Bosch expert wood blade in the Skil saw, It's a 60 teeth blade and gives a fine cut when compared to stock blade also the blade is thicker than the stock blade reducing vibration and bending of blade during the cut.The Bosch expert blade has a 25.4mm bore while both Skil saw and Bosch saw accept 20mm bore blades. Bosch Expert Blade comes with 4 reducer washers so you can fit them in almost all saws. Bosch Expert Wood blade costed around 700Rs but its worth the investment.
| Name | Image | Size | Teeth | Blade Thickness | Teeth Thickness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skill 5301 Stock Blade |  | 184mm 7 1/4" | 40 | 1mm | 1.6mm |
| Bosch GKS 7000 Stock Blade |  | 184mm 7 1/4" | 40 | 1mm | 1.6mm |
| Bosch Expert Wood blade |  | 184mm 7 1/4" | 60 | 1.4mm | 2mm |
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| Bosch Expert Wood Blade |
Conclusion
Both the saws in my opinion are very good and you will not go wrong by buying any of them. But when you take the value into consideration then nothing beats the Skil 5301. You get more power and similar build quality with more features in the Skil 5301. Also Skil were the first to make the worm drive circular saw that's the reason circular saw is also called Skil saw.Having said above you will end up owing a Bosch any way, as Skil is a part of Robert Bosch group but they are still maintain the SKIL tradename as it has a great brand value.
I will be starting on my table saw soon will keep you guys posted.
