# Educate Me On Recipricating Saws



## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

Actually, wood cutting puts greater strain on a Saws All than steel cutting--

I've used and worn out several DeWalt reciprocating saws---they work fine and you will get more than your moneys worth before they wear out--

Saws Alls are seldom used for serious steel cutting--that is the job for a Porta Band---


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

I know I have had a Milwaukee Sawzall for about 15 years and I have put that saw through every imaginable cutting situation and it's still kicking. I remember it being the MOST expensive of all the Sawzalls that I researched but it has paid for itself over and over.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Classic case of you get what you pay for.
I'd pass on A Dewalt, I own Ryobi, Milwaukee, B&D that's about 10 years old, And a Ridged sawsalls and used to have a Dewalt. Only one that had to be fixed twice was the Dewalt.
Once for the switch and once for the brushes.


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## landfillwizard (Feb 21, 2014)

I have found that using a variable speed reciprocating saw is the only way to go. As for amperage, it depends on what you are using it for. Wood uses more amperage especially when cutting through thick pieces.


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## Mort (Nov 26, 2008)

I guess I didn't realize woodcutting would require more oomph than metal. 

So after my B&D went up in smoke (in fairness, it was old enough to be made out of metal and not sold at a big box store), I borrowed my FIL's Milwaukee, and I just went and checked and it's only an 8amp. It took a bit of doing to blast through a couple of studs, but I chalk that up to a dull blade, the tool didn't big down at all. I think a 10amp will do just fine, since my personal tools I'd say are "heavy homeowner" grade. 

So I know I'm going to open a can of worms here, but does anybody have experience with the Craftsman 10amp? It says it has tool less blade swaps (odd that it comes with an Allen wrench), you can allegedly turn off the orbital feature, and it gets decent reviews on the website.


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## Mort (Nov 26, 2008)

Also, the $72 price is enticing.


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 25, 2011)

more expensive recips will have an orbital action which is better for cutting wood as it makes it more aggresvie however you dont want to use that action when cutting metal


brand wise, the makita avt line and milwaukee are the two top dogs, bosch makes a very good one as well.. ive used countless dewalt recips and none of them lasted more than a year as their motors burnt out very easily when under load


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## ratherbefishing (Jan 13, 2011)

I've owned two recip saws. A $50 Ryobi that was a disappointment, and a Milwaukee that is a treat to use every time I take it out of the case. Not sure of the model #, but it was the $99 one at Home Depot. Runs and cuts good, doesn't shake. The blade clamp works great, unlike the Ryobi. The cord lays out straight and the case isn't stupid. Also, unlike.....

Lots of Craftsman tools nowadays are made by Ryobi. Don't know about the recip.


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

Blades are not all good--I stick to Milwaukee--Lenox and Staret---


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## Mort (Nov 26, 2008)

The generic Do-It Center blades "appear" to be repackaged Lenix blades, but I was wrong once before. 

Boy, a lot of hating on DeWalt on this thread. Glad I didn't jump on that first one I saw. 

I guess it'll come down to which one is best balanced, feels right when I hold it, and specs-per-dollar. Sounds like the DeWalt is really the only one to avoid. 

Thanks gentlemen, I appreciate the advice.


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

I like the DeWalt---I just use them a lot and they wear out----


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## msaeger (Mar 1, 2011)

I have this Hitachi one. 

http://www.menards.com/main/tools-h...10-amp-reciprocating-saw/p-1711332-c-9082.htm

I had a crap cheap one before this and besides the power I noticed this one vibrates way less than the crap one. I got Hitachi because I have some other tools from them and they have been really good.


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## firehawkmph (Dec 12, 2009)

I still have my Milwaukee I bought in 1978, still works fine. Picked up another one at a garage sale on my street last year for $25. Supersawzall with 15 new blades and the metal case.
Mike Hawkins


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## ratherbefishing (Jan 13, 2011)

No doubt that the blade makes a recip saw. My crappy saw wasn't worth taking out of the case, with the blade that came with it. DeWalt blades weren't much better. A Lenox blade made it work like it was supposed to. The blade clamp, switch, cord and case still were terrible. But the saw cut.

Wanna make it simple? In my VERY limited experience, buy a Milwaukee saw and Milwaukee or Lenox blades. (I'm told Bosch blades are good, too. IDK)


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 25, 2011)

blade wise i pretty much only use milwaukee AXE blades, in the past ive used hilti ones which are very comparible to milwaukee. The newer style bosch blades are good as well, the older style were very thin and bent extremely easy


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

Lot of DeWalt bashers on this site, but I have a lot of yellow tools and really haven't had one disappoint me, unlike some of the Milwaukee and Ryobi stuff I've had.


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 25, 2011)

theres good reason to bash the bumblebee brand, they focus on marketing more than research and development.. their r& d department is extremely bare bones compared to the other tool companies. generally what they do is design the look of the tool then send it to the engineers which tyipcally reverse engineer the technology other companies have developed to be innovative. then dewalt markets claiming they redsigned the wheel and are coming out with hte next big thing. 

this info is directly from a rep for one of the major tool companies that left dewalt because he was tired of their bs


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

Yeah OK:whistling2:


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## PixelPaul (Mar 20, 2014)

+1 on the milwaukee corded model. Not the cheapest but one of the best. Over time a reciprocating saw might be the most abused tool in the box. My milwaukee is one of the better tool investments I have ever made.


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## Mort (Nov 26, 2008)

Well, I was REALLY close to getting a Milwaukee, but the Craftsman Professional 12 amp was quite a bit cheaper, and had the orbital feature (whereas the equivalent Milwaukee did not), so I just placed my order. I'll give a review once it gets here, and in the mean time, all the Craftsman haters can go pound sand.


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

Let us know what you get----My first recriprating saw was a Craftsman--made by DeWalt---I got a lot of good years out of that machine---


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## Mort (Nov 26, 2008)

Well, I can say that Sears' shipping department gets 5 stars, since it came two days earlier than they said it would. I ordered it Sunday night and it got here this morning. 

A few first impressions:

- It comes with a bag, not a hard case. More flexible on what you can carry with it, but not as much protection. 

- Lots of features for a little money. For $79 you get a 12 amp saw, orbital feature, tool free blade changes, adjustable shoe, and a pivoting head for scrolling. I don't know if I'll need this feature, but it's there. It also has a live tool light, in case you can't see whether it's plugged in or not. 

- It seems kinda loud, but I'm comparing that to the cordless Makita I use at work, so that's probably not very fair. 

- Seems well balanced and not too heavy compared with other similar tools I've handled in the store. Probably due to all the plastic in the construction. Plastic switches for the blade changes and shoe adjuster don't look all that durable, but only time will tell. 

I'll give a better review once I've broke down a few pallets.


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## Scottg (Nov 5, 2012)

They can be loud depending on what you're cutting. I've got the DeWalt that I've been happy with for years of occasional typical homeowner use.

Anyway... only writing to suggest using hearing protection if it seems loud.


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## Mort (Nov 26, 2008)

Scottg said:


> They can be loud depending on what you're cutting. I've got the DeWalt that I've been happy with for years of occasional typical homeowner use.
> 
> Anyway... only writing to suggest using hearing protection if it seems loud.


Everything in my shop is loud (except, oddly enough, my table saw). The earmuffs aren't far away, very good advice.

Anyway, I should clarify, the only newer models of reciprocating saws I've used recently were a Makita and DeWalt, both cordless. They were both much quieter than the Craftsman Professional model I got, but this may be an apples/oranges thing. And it isn't obnoxiously loud, just louder than the other two.


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## Mort (Nov 26, 2008)

So another question I have, how big of an inverter would I need to install in my truck to run this thing? The saw is rated in amps and all the inverters seem to be rated in watts. Would be nice to have for limbing trees in the woods, among other uses.


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## Scottg (Nov 5, 2012)

Watts / Ams Converter:
http://www.supercircuits.com/resources/tools/volts-watts-amps-converter


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## Doc Holliday (Mar 12, 2011)

I had to buy a rec saw today, bought a Ryobi electric for $65. 

https://www.ryobitools.com/power-tools/products/details/576

great tool for the low cost. Beats anything b and d hands down.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

joecaption said:


> And a Ridged sawsalls


Oh, you came close there. At least you didn't spell it Rigid. I think that company made a mistake, because people always spell it Rigid, and then the search engines fail to find the right thing.

BTW, calling it a Ridgid sawsall is like saying Canon Xerox machine. Or in your case, a Canon zeroks machine.

Not to be the language police, but since we are actually trying to recommend specific brands, Sawzall is Milwaukee. I know people tend to call any recipro saw a Sawzall, but it's Milwaukee.

This one offers tremendous value by the way. I own 2 - 1 to use, and the other for backup when the first one breaks. I've had the first one 2 years now and it hasn't broken, although the black rubber hood has started to tear and slip around, and that can be occasionally annoying.

http://www.harborfreight.com/6-amp-reciprocating-saw-with-rotating-handle-65570.html

Any tool in your box can break down, and it's always a good idea to have backup. Compare the price of this backup strategy with Milwaukee. This is a good choice if you're not going to be using it a great deal. For a contractor using it every day, then he might be better off with 2 Milwaukees. Or, have the Harbor Freight be your cheap backup until you can buy a new Milwaukee.

Not saying that is powerful enough for the OP, but they also offer this

http://www.harborfreight.com/9-amp-heavy-duty-variable-speed-reciprocating-saw-69066-8664.html


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Mort said:


> I guess I didn't realize woodcutting would require more oomph than metal.


The teeth on a metal blade are so small and metal so hard, that you can't really dig in much. It's going to be a lot of blade cycles no matter how powerful your saw is. The teeth on a wood blade are so big and wood so soft, that if you are cutting something very wide, you can have a _lot_ of resistance with the teeth dug in so deep, relatively.


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