# Buying a Sawzall



## Ron in Southern Md. (Jan 26, 2004)

Partial to Dewalt with blade quick release !


----------



## Crankshaft (Apr 29, 2004)

DeWalt handsdown

1) Fixed shoe
2) Quick blade relaese
3) Repair center is close


----------



## hatchet (Dec 13, 2003)

WHAT? Dewalt?
Go with the original - Milwaukee Sawzall (they are the only ones that can even call it that - notice Dewalt calls it a reciprocating saw)
http://www.milwaukeeconnect.com/web...d=189346&mainCategoryId=362&parentProd=281178


----------



## Teetorbilt (Feb 7, 2004)

Milwalkee all the way on this tool. Crude but very tough. I've never worn one out, something else always gets them first (stolen,water, dropped).


----------



## Mark (Dec 15, 2003)

DeWalt


----------



## DecksEtc (Feb 8, 2005)

Milwalkee and nothing less.


----------



## Speedy Petey (Feb 1, 2004)

Considering this thread is almost a year old I'm sure he's got one already. 
I will say the Porter Cable saws are real nice, and VERY tough. 
Hard to choose between them or a Super Sawzall.


----------



## bountyhunter (Feb 11, 2005)

Dewalt.

Hey hatchet, do you only by Cresent brand adjustable end wrenches?


----------



## Teetorbilt (Feb 7, 2004)

Buy Craftsman wrenches, lowest price with a lifetime warrantee. Not all chromey and slippery like others.


----------



## rredogg (Dec 27, 2005)

When your buying that sawzall look at the AMP rating. 
I've got a Milwaukee rated at 11 AMPS and it's a "work-horse." They have got sawzall going at 6.5 amps but you are going to be missing out on preformance with one of them.

Best of luck, rredogg


----------



## K2eoj (Aug 14, 2005)

Amp rating and stroke length. I just tried a Hilti and it was a new experience in sawsalling. Pretty pricey. HS.


----------



## IHI (Mar 13, 2005)

Yep, I like my sawzall (reciprocating saw) to be like me...long strokes because no matter what they tell you, it does make a difference

I've always had great luck with my Dewalt's, gramps had a 4 amp milwaukee when that first came out and the thing would not die, 16 or 17yrs later it finally bit the dust, but was used almost daily mon-fri. I hated it since the stroke was soo short. He has since bought the Porter Cable tiger saw? I think it's called, very strong saw and smooth too. in 8 or 9 yrs when this newest dewalt finally give it up I may look into a porter cable, they produce some powerful SMOOTH saws in all shapes and sizes.


----------



## mvmarini (Mar 20, 2006)

*Give the Bosch a try*

The RS15 is a brute of a saw. Best blade clamp in the world, bar none. One handed blade insertion, so you don't have to hold the thing open to put a blade in. Just push the blade in and it locks shut. Turn the collar to release and it ejects the blade.


----------



## bob the builder (Jan 17, 2006)

mvmarini said:


> The RS15 is a brute of a saw. Best blade clamp in the world, bar none. One handed blade insertion, so you don't have to hold the thing open to put a blade in. Just push the blade in and it locks shut. Turn the collar to release and it ejects the blade.


Thats impossible the saw doesn't exsist.

Signed April 27, 2004


----------



## Atricaudatus (Apr 12, 2005)

Speedy Petey said:


> Considering this thread is almost a year old I'm sure he's got one already.
> I will say the Porter Cable saws are real nice, and VERY tough.
> Hard to choose between them or a Super Sawzall.


I know this is an old thread, but since it's been re-ignited I'll weigh in.

I've used Dewalt, Makita, Milwaulkee, Portar Cable, Bosch, and Black and Decker (Dewalt is actually a B and D anyway.) In my biz, our Sawzall's get a lot of use and in tough environments. 
I have to agree that the two I've had perform the best and hold up the longest are Porter Cable and Milwaulkee.

I use both DeWalt and Bosch cordless drills and have found they do pretty fair. Although the Dewalts have a habit of the nose gear seizing up.

My big rotary hammer is a bosch and it's real work horse. Love that thing.

My portable bandsaw is an old B&D (before they went cheap to attract the garage hobbist market) and it gave me years of service before finally the gears gave out. Any body got a suggestion on which one I should try next?


----------



## CGofMP (Feb 23, 2005)

Mine is a Milwalkee and it has done extremely well for me. Its a rugged tool and it has never failed to perform.

One note however is that on rare occasions it will fail to start and need a bump on the nose of the blade to get it going.

Milwaukee has offered to fix it for me but I have needed it too frequently to let them have it as of yet.


----------



## Lefty Lucy (Mar 23, 2006)

Atricaudatus said:


> My portable bandsaw ... gave out. Any body got a suggestion on which one I should try next?


Milwaulkee or Porter Cable


----------



## wafrederick (May 4, 2006)

I like Milwaukee sawzalls,they fit my hand the best.I have two of them,a corded and a cordless one.The Milwaukee models that are corded have a detachable cord you can switch out easier,the onefrom the factory ones come with an 8' cord and you can get a 25' cord.I have one thing to say about Dewalt sawzall blades:JUNK!They get dull very quick and have to be changed a lot.Milwaukee has the best sawzall blades.


----------



## redline (Mar 5, 2006)

Has anyone used ridgid?


----------



## Darylh (Jan 2, 2006)

WOW"" this thread must be ready for the history books as the longest running thread "LOL"
So what the heck, My father used to use his Milwaulkee for Furnace installs back in the 60's and that darn thing has seen so much use over the years and is still going. I just bought the Dewalt 10.5 amp quick blade change and works like a hot damn.


----------



## redline (Mar 5, 2006)

*Orbital sawzall*

Has anyone used the orbital sawzall?
What are the advantages?
What are the disadvantages?


----------



## Travis77 (May 11, 2006)

I also have 2 Milwaukee sawzalls,,, corded and cordless,, I baught the 13amp orbital last summer and it is an absolute bulldog!!! the orbital setting is wonderful for wood cutting,, just gives the blade kinda a circular motion cutting instead of the straight back and forth cutting,,, works great for wood,, and i use the straight setting for the metal cutting. I also purchased the V28 combo kit which also comes with a cordless sawzall,,,, have to say it is just as great as the corded. Milwaukee is the original maker of the "Sawzall". Very trusted and reliable name,,, but if you are going to get one ,, i'd get it real soon,,, within the next year or so they will be moving all production over seas and will no longer be made in the U.S.A.


----------



## Lefty Lucy (Mar 23, 2006)

Travis77 said:


> ...but if you are going to get one ,, i'd get it real soon,,, within the next year or so they will be moving all production over seas and will no longer be made in the U.S.A.


So? After the rest of the world starts doing the jobs that Americans won't do for 20 cents a day, we can kick back and enjoy.


----------



## J187 (May 19, 2006)

EDIT *I just realized I wrote this backwards..*

FIXED:
My RIGID sucked. The "quick blade release" with the tiny ball got stuck on it after only a week. After I snooped around a bit, I found others having the same problem. 

The DEWALT my father has is nice. A little more $$, but worth it. Smooth and comfy. No ide on longevity - he just got it. 

Milwaukee - best I've personally used. When I did some work for a friend and used his, it felt like a different tool than the others. It was awesome! But you'll pay for it...


----------



## RussellF (Sep 1, 2006)

I have had a Porter Cable for two years with no problems......has quick change too. I dont have a chain saw, but it works great on trees........just gets a little hot after a while.......


----------



## dcdavo (Oct 29, 2006)

*Innovative Sawzall blades*

These are my new favorite addition to my sawzall! http://www.tri-metalblades.com


----------



## 747 (Feb 11, 2005)

Yep I have one and its a milwaukee corded not cordless. I can't remember last time i used it though.


----------



## jamesdart (Jun 7, 2006)

miluakee super sawzall


----------



## drywaller 4 life (Jan 13, 2007)

Milwaukee Tiger .... git er done!!!! :thumbsup:


----------



## Joining_Heads (May 27, 2007)

Milwaulkee and Porter Cable make great ones. Dewalt, not so much. My buddy burnt his out within 48 hours of owning it. A old coworker's only lasted him the summer (and he was anal about his gear) .However, the new Makita 15amp looks like the top dog right now. Im going to get one soon.


----------



## skymaster (Jun 6, 2007)

Travis is soooo right: Milwaukee is now owned by UGH UGH RYOBI!!!!!!!!
:no: At one time there was nothing that came close to Milwaukee tools.
As far as blades IMHO NOTHING compares to Lennox, Starret are also most excellent :}:}:}:}

At this point in time I do not believe there is an American Tool Mfg left.
Delta,Porter Cable,Powermatic all gone now foreign owned.
JackM


----------



## Joining_Heads (May 27, 2007)

skymaster said:


> Travis is soooo right: Milwaukee is now owned by UGH UGH RYOBI!!!!!!!!


Ryobi doesnt exactly own milwaukee. The conglomerate that owns ryobi picke up milwaukee. I dont really think its that big of a deal since most of your big name tools come from conglomerates. As long as the company cares about quality control, then I dont really care where the tool is made. 

What I do care about is how bad my MN Twins are getting killed right now


----------



## MechanicalDVR (Jul 4, 2007)

Sawzalls (reciprocating saws):

For cutting wood the best is the Porter-cable tiger saw hands down.

For metal cutting Milwaukee supersawzall

For homeowners Makita or Bosch

Battery powered Milwaukee hatchet

Cheaper battery powered DeWalt18volt

Just my opinion from the last twenty plus years


----------



## bigMikeB (May 31, 2007)

In cordless the 18v Dewalt is a workhorse but in corded I like Milwaukee the Portercable is good for wood with the orbital action but it's big so it doesn't fit in places the Milwaukee will. 

Mech, how many do you carry at once?


----------



## cryingeva (Aug 1, 2007)

Makita JR3070 i did research from http://www.toolsofthetrade.net/industry-news.asp?sectionID=1492&articleID=501469&artnum=1http://www.toolsofthetrade.net good power
tooless change blade,soft start variable speed. very nice feature... i`m have own one about 3 years for heavy use...
Milwaukee just second choice...


----------



## Clutchcargo (Mar 31, 2007)

cryingeva said:


> Makita JR3070 i did research from www.toolsofthetrade.net good power
> tooless change blade,soft start variable speed. very nice feature... i`m have own one about 3 years for heavy use...


Free is good, thanks for the lead on the magazine.


----------



## Joining_Heads (May 27, 2007)

Just got the new Makita AVT. Blows mil ( which I had) and porter (used more than once) away. Only downside is that its heavy. However, this thing blasts through wood like no other. Really beefy at 15 amps. In my opinion, nothing comes close.


----------



## bigMikeB (May 31, 2007)

I think Porter Cable tiger saw is the best reciprocating saw for cutting wood hands down. Any hand powertool that has a 15 amp motor has issues on a jobsite. You will have to have a heavy extension cord or you will underpower the tool, it will blow breakers more often than other tools. I have problems like that with power vises and an 18 amp air compressor I use often.


----------



## bobtools (Aug 16, 2007)

If you want powerful tools then you need to use the right equipment to go with them. Buying the correct power cord for your purpose should be expected, just like buying the right saw blade for what suites your cut is necessary.


----------



## Joining_Heads (May 27, 2007)

bigMikeB said:


> I think Porter Cable tiger saw is the best reciprocating saw for cutting wood hands down. Any hand powertool that has a 15 amp motor has issues on a jobsite. You will have to have a heavy extension cord or you will underpower the tool, it will blow breakers more often than other tools. I have problems like that with power vises and an 18 amp air compressor I use often.


50 feet of 12/3 cord is fine with me. We all know that you can go more if you want- only if its your own tools though.


----------



## Toolguy1964 (Nov 18, 2009)

*Milwaukee is owned by Techtronics Industries of China*



Joining_Heads said:


> Ryobi doesnt exactly own milwaukee. The conglomerate that owns ryobi picke up milwaukee. I dont really think its that big of a deal since most of your big name tools come from conglomerates. As long as the company cares about quality control, then I dont really care where the tool is made.
> 
> What I do care about is how bad my MN Twins are getting killed right now


Joining Heads is right. A conglomerate; Techtronics Industries of China ownes Milwaukee; Ryobi; some Ridgid and manufactures private label (like OSH & Workforce to name a couple) power tools. They use fairly cheap components and the quality control isn't very strict. The absolute best quality control is Makita. I have toured their factory in Buford, Georgia and given a rare glimpse of how they operate and I must say, for someone who isn't easily impressed; I was blown away. They manufacture their own motors in their factories here in the US; Japan and England. If they don't pass a certain tolerance, the metal and windings are tossed into a recyclying bin that gets made into other things like motor/gear housings, etc. The gears are the same. They manufacture their own and are also subject to the same strict qc as their motors. About the only thing they don't manufacture themselves is the wiring; cords, plastic components and the switches. For their cordless line, Sanyo manufactures their batteries and they have the best cordless line out there. They were the first to manufacture the 9.6 volt cordless drill that is still in use today. Mainly in Eruope but you can still find them here in the US. The battery technology has come a long way in 30 years with Lithium and Nickel Medal Batteries and I still have some of the Nickel Cadmium batteries that came with my cordless tools that still hold a charge. 
I have tried other brands but came back to Makita because of their quality and durability. We have belt sanders, orbital sanders, finish sanders, a hypoid saw and a couple of routers that are at least 20 years old that we still use out in the shop to make cabinets with. We have only replaced the cords and brushes on them and they still work like new. We have recently replaced a DeWalt compound miter saw with a Makita LS1214L.


----------



## Powerchick (Apr 16, 2011)

Joining_Heads said:


> Milwaulkee and Porter Cable make great ones. Dewalt, not so much. My buddy burnt his out within 48 hours of owning it. A old coworker's only lasted him the summer (and he was anal about his gear) .However, the new Makita 15amp looks like the top dog right now. Im going to get one soon.


HOW DO I POST A MESSAGE ON THIS FORUM? you seem to use it alot.


----------



## wengang1 (Jan 19, 2010)

Reviving the 7-year-old thread.

I have bought two DeWalt reciprocating saws in the past year or so, and both had the quick blade release/change lever stop working. I took the first one back to the store and got an exchange. Then recently the new one does it too.
Since I've had it longer, now I use screwdriver to pry the inside lever to release or clamp down on the blade but it doesn't always work. Sometimes it won't let a blade go, sometimes it won't let a blade in, sometimes it won't hold on to its blade. The rest of the time it works okay. Clearly a design flaw.

On blades, I find that the Lennox do last longer than the DeWalt, but on cutting metal, those smooth blades that are supposed to be way better for cutting metal don't seem to work as well as the toothed blades for metal, and they bend easily.
Also, for most situations, I find a grinder cuts metal faster than a saw. It took my reciprocating saw 15 minutes to cut into an ibeam about 4 inches, then the grinder whent the rest of the distance in about 30 seconds.


----------



## Doc Holliday (Mar 12, 2011)

Milwaukee anything simply sucks. Home Depot sells a blade called The Demon. Its five dollars for one blade and worth every cent. I tossed my new Milwaukee Torch blades. Complete garbage.


----------



## Doc Holliday (Mar 12, 2011)

Brand name is Diablo, Steel Demon. I bought a pack of Milwaukee Torch reciprocating saw metal cutting blades and the first and then the second ones both hardly scratched the steel shaft of a motor before the teeth wore out, within seconds. 

This blade went through it in a second and all teeth are still in new condition.


----------



## Steven B (Sep 22, 2011)

I'll go with a Milwaukee, half of their sawzall says they're made in the USA.:thumbsup:
I need try out those new demon blades. I use the demon blades in my circular saws & just love them.


----------



## titan7 (Aug 26, 2010)

Milwalkee...


----------

