So I’ve got a loft to board out and decking to lay so looking to invest in or hire a electric saw to make life easier with cutting and angles etc. Any recommendations?

Buy a cheap one from screwfix /b and q, then if you never use it again you havent lost much like buying a dewalt or makita.

The blade is the most important bit on a saw.

How nig is the loft and deck? How much do you want to spend and what experience do you got?

Compound mitre saw? I have a Makita which has been fine.
Check max cross cut against your board width. Can get sliding versions to increase cross cut.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo7l1QAe_es[/video]

If you haven’t got a circular saw then getting one will be more useful imo than getting a compound mitre saw – you will be able to do rip cuts as well as cross cuts.

The Hitachi C7 is easily the best circular saw available imo, both for performance and value for money.

For cutting sheet material you want a rail saw, there are cheap ones around now that are probably ok for rough work, for decking chop/compound mitre saw. You basically want both if you intend to cut sheet and solid.

Only use a hand held circular for roofing now, it hardly ever even makes it to the van and I wouldn’t bother buying another.

I’ve got a Makita circular, cost around £150 10 years ago, it’s great. However, when I forgot to take it to a job recently, the householder allowed me to use theirs. I was a little perturbed at seeing a Tesco Value saw, but used it anyway. It was fine, and cost £25ish.
For occasional use, I’d get one. For regular use, pay £100+, as they are better quality. Blades make a huge difference. I mainly need fine cuts, so get a big tooth count, less teeth mean rougher cuts, but OK for stuff like roofing sheets.

I have a cheap B and Q one for such jobs. Unless you’re using it every day then don’t worry about spending big money.

I’ve also always been a little sceptical about the battery powered ones. Probably fine for thinner materials but worktops or chip board may clog them.

I picked up one of the screwfix Rage saws in their sale – something like £45.
Its blade is brilliant – frustratingly i knackered it soon after purchase by cutting some cement board! A replacement was £25.

It’s not a super posh one, but for cutting floor and decking boards it’s brilliant.

DrP

Have a look at track saws for cutting boards. I have a dewalt one and it’s probably the best tool purchase I have ever made. It gets used a lot more than I expected. It’s so easy to use and you don’t need to clamp the track so it’s very quick. Much safer too. I have a couple of normal decent circulars but they don’t get used any more really.
You can use a track saw for end cuts on decking too if you have no other option but it’s a bit trickier than a mitre saw.