my friend just got a new Sears circular saw a few days ago and we're
trying to figure out if it has bad bearings or gears.....when you let go
of the trigger and it's slowing down then it runs very rough. (this is
with the blade spinning freely, not cutting wood)

at full speed it runs pretty much ok and will probably cut wood,
although a very small amount of roughness can be felt. it's a $59
model with ball bearings.

we compared with my two Skil saws and they run perfectly smooth while
running at full speed and while slowing down to a stop...not a hint of
roughness at any speed. (One is a worm drive, the other is a cheap $38
model)

he's trying to decide whether to return the saw to the store but he
doesn't want to be unreasonable if this is normal behavior for a new
saw, and maybe after it's used for a few weeks it will smooth out...or
on the other hand maybe it's defective and should be returned right away

just wondering if anybody else had ever noticed a problem like this...
if anybody knows if this is normal for a new saw...or maybe it's not a
problem at all and the saw can just stay that way...but from looking at
other posts I gather that Sears saws in general have lots of trouble.

Thanks