how come no one makes a 15amp sawzall?
I love my 10amp Milwaukee sawzall, but, as I was working in the garage, staring at my 15amp table saw, I found my self wondering… “how come sawzalls only go up to 13amps?”
This could just be the little bit of me still worshipping spinal tap and amps that go to 11, but, other than needing beefier forearms for it, why hasnt anybody made a 15 am rig? It might be lighter than this chainsaw http://www.compfused.com/directlink/154/
Jeff
Replies
as discussed in another thread, tool amperage isn't necessarily any indicator of its power. higher amperage just means the tool needs more amps to do x work; in other words, it's less efficient...
but also the added amps equals more torque right?...
I am no electrician but I gots a few tools, and I have always used the amperage a tool "draws" as a sort of ball park of the power of a tool.
An electric tools motor draws amperage it does'nt produce amperage. After all when I pull out my ampmeter and measure amperage I am measuring the amount of current being drawn through the circuit. For example, at 120V ac, a hammerdrill's nameplate says it draws 6.8 amps versus a junk drill which may draw 4.2 amps. I don't want to say that amperage drawn equals power but it seems to me a larger more powerful motor would draw more amperage.
Any way I would rather drill through a wall with a 6.8 amp drill than a 4.2 amp drill.
Have I been wrong for so long?
Webby
Edited 11/22/2006 9:06 pm ET by webby
I don't think your general conclusion is wrong; I agree that higher amps often equals more power. However, that's not necessarily true. A larger, more powerful motor may draw more amps, but so would a less-efficient motor that's just using more electricity to do the same work.In another thread, I mentioned how I've seen a 10A Makita cs thrash a 15A Porter-Cable cs in a stall test.A manufacturer could choose to label their saw as 15A because they know Joe Consumer is going to think the 15A rating means the saw is more powerful, even if that's not the case...
I started out with a 7 amp DeWalt sawz all and when I was trying to use it doing the work we do, it was junk. It was a waste of time to have up on a ladder when cranes were waiting....the 7 amp did not have orbital and didn't seem to "bite" through wood and nails. THe main reason why I particulary went with the 15 amp saw was because of the other features it had that the lower amped models didn't have, such as a large orbital stroke, clutch features, and such a variety of speeds. Whether it was a 13 amp or a 15 amp model, for a few bucks more, I got something I knew I was NOT going to regret. And knowing it was a Makita was even better...It should last forever.
Edited 11/24/2006 5:49 am ET by nh_towle
Good to know thanks,
Webby
Makita's new recip is 15 amps and I can tell you from first hand experience that it's a really well built work horse. We've got one (among 3 recips) and it's the beast (and the best) out of the bunch.
oh. Phooey. gotta add another tool for my stuff I want list.... do have a buddy that loves my 10 amp saw though.... maybe I can do an "upgrade" I dont have orbital, and I think I really want it.
Jeff
Thats what I'm talkin 'bout. An UPGRADE. I love them. That's how I get new stuff all the time. My friends are all diy people and always want to borrow tools. Now when I want to upgrade I saw " Ya know the ------- you wanted to borrow, how about ??? for it."
Works great, I get me upgrade with a little money back and they get a good used tool. They're better off getting a good used tool then a cheap new one.
Headstrong, I'll take on anyone!
That is a second on the Makita 15amp recip. saw....I am finding more and more uses for it everyday. I used it last night to cut up scrap lumber and a pallet for my campfire!! The one disadvantage is the box...what a space hog!!
This is a second to the second on the Makita. We just bought a second one.
I have a Bosch thats 15 amps, if I remember right.
I wonder if the extra power also implies extra weight. A lot of my sawsall work is overhead and on walls. I've never lacked for power with my Porter Cable. You can practicly climb a wall with it puling you. I think it is 9 amps.
The greater factors in recip saws is length of stroke, anywhere from 3/4" to 1-1/4" on different models, and the type and sharpness of th eblade you are using. in a typical demo or remo prep I am likely to switch blade style 3-4 times in a day.
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my biggest regret is not getting a sawzall with an orbital action, and I have found the heavy saws tend to have less vibration because they have more inertia... and I think I want one with a longer stroke.
Two questions for you:
Does your 10A saw work well?
If it works well, what's the problem?
If this is a "This is America, where more is better" thing, I can't help you. Just drawing 15A won't make it a better saw and it may end up being too heavy, generate too much heat and be too big.
I note that the new Makita claims to have a clutch, so the gears are not damaged when the blade binds. Perhaps too mich motor would result id a broken tool.
I really like the 10A for everything except real thick wood/demo when I am wishing for orbital.... I just happened to be staring at the big old motor on my table saw, and saw a video clip for a V8 chainsaw. and, well got to thinking maybe I want more power.
jerseyjeff,
What is your goal of having 15 amps? If like me you'd simply like to saw thru stuff faster then you need to figure out how to do that rather than worry about which specs are used to market something..
I own several sawzalas a 10 amp milwaukee, a 18 volt Dewalt and recently a 13 Amp Hilti.
I bought the Hilti after trying every sawzall in the place.. It was dramatically faster at sawing than others I tested..
The gimmick they use is some feedback circuit which allows the saw to maintian the same speed without regard to load on it.. Go ahead and stand on it, I mean really load it with your whole weight. As long as the saw doesn't slow down you saw faster. Hilti's system doesn't let it slow down so work gets done faster..