I am trying to decide between 18 volts or corded recip. saw. No heavy duty work involved. Currently, I am leanig towards 10 amp Dewalt corded. Any comments would be appreciated.
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There is a recip review in this months FHB
I have a 10 amp Dewalt and wish it were something else. The durability is not there and it seems that everyone who picks it up for a quick cut makes a comment about how poorly it cuts. If you aren't going to be cutting a lot of stuff durability won't be an issue, but there's more. The Dewalt has a longish stroke for a low-powered saw and on finish work the blade is more likely to jump out of the cut and bounce in places it shouldn't. The 3/4" stroke Milwaukee would be my first choice for a lower powered saw.
On the larger end of the saw spectrum the orbitals cut much, much faster in wood. Milwaukee probably has the best reputation on construction sites.
On the other hand, Dewalt saws are cheap. Even a cheap saw is better than the one you don't have.
:-)
Having heard the slanderous remarks I made about it last night, the above mentioned Dewalt ate it's rear armature bearing today and is on the disabled list. The Milwaukee owners on the crew had a snicker at that news.
Well,
I finally settled on Porter Cable Tiger saw. A nice feature I like besides the quick blade change is the 360 rotation in the increment of 90 deg. At HD it set back about $160.
I really like the few cordless tools that I have, but the main reason that I don't have more is because of "battery maintenance". Infrequently used tools (like my recip saw) would need to be charged up every few weeks, with or without use, in order to be ready at a moments notice. The alternative is to charge it up ahead of time when you know that particular job is going to require it. That not only requires good planning, but sometimes even clairvoyance.
Battery maintenance would be greatly simplified of all of my cordless tools used the same batteries. I'm reluctant to make that kind of commitment.
On the other hand, there are 3 drills in my van at all times. 2 corded and 1 cordless (14.4 volt). I can't even remember the last time I used one of the corded drills. I keep the batteries topped off. It's easy since I use it so frequently.
-Don
P.S. I have the 10 amp Dewalt recip saw. Little to compare, but it works just fine.
I have the DeWalt 24v and have a couple of the a/c adapters (one came with the used set I bought and I found a brand new one at a pawn shop). These batteries seem to hold up pretty well but for extended use the adapter rocks. I think it cuts pretty good but I have never had a true Sawsall. After using an orbital jig saw I would expect any of the newer orbital recips to be a real step up.
Thanks to all for timely feedback. I will look at more makes. One thing I noticed that the cheaper ones were all made in China. I am not sold on all Chinese made products yet mainly because of the quality. It is in my opinion, the same place Japan was in the early sixties as far the quality is concerned. Of course now the Japanese quality is second to none.
I've got the cheap Bosch. It's Ok for a non-orbital cheapie.
Scott.
One thing I noticed that the cheaper ones were all made in China. I am not sold on all Chinese made products yet mainly because of the quality
Well, for $19.99 you could consider it disposable and get one of these:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=4095
I'm not entirely serious, but I do have one of their $9.99 angle grinders and it actually works.
-Don
I have both the corded Sawzall, and the cordless. For light duty work the cordless is really great, but there's really no comparison for power, speed of cut, etc.
The new 24 volt milwaukee...............batteries are great, with a gauge built in to let you know how much power is in it.
I like mine veeeeeeeeeery much! With a 3T Starett blade I can take a house apart!!!!!!!!
Rod
Well being a commercial plumber I think I abuse "sawzalls" more than I use them.
Since they are provided for me by my company I think I have run the gambit on these babies.
1 I do prefer corded over battery but when needed that battery sure comes in handy but life of battery & recharge are big concerns.
2 most companies gave me Milwaukee & then the dewalts hit the market. I like them both but Milwaukee quick blade release works great until it gets dirty & then good luck getting blades in & out.
At home I bought the dewalt with the lever style blade lock I haven't had a problem yet.
right after DeWalt came out with theirs ... coupla years back?
I picked one up.
first test was demo a hundred year old backporch ... lotsa overhead cutting at first.
clogged the DeWalt blade lock to no end.
fought thru that job and returned it for the Milwaukee I had my eye on.
haven't looked back. No such problems with a stuck blade in the Milwaukee "twist and pop" ... the Mil has tons more power too ... think the one I got is still their big-boy ...
11amps ... orbital or straight ... 5 or 6 speed dial.
cuts thru any wood beams ... thru layers of roofing ... and burns thru steel beams no problem. All that .. and not one stuck blade since the switch.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Must be that first gen thing I guess.
I bought the milwakee first gen for my shop <replacing stolen one> my fault for leaving it out.
Loved the blade change concept but I have to cut alot of pipe down in the mud & that was what killed the twist & pop I did hear that they did improve the design.
Edited 10/1/2005 6:49 pm ET by plumbbill
I did get mine after they changed something in there.
I heard something in the first run was plastic and would snap.
mine looks to be all metal around the "quick release" and hasn't snapped in the coupla years I've already put on it.
Sounds like DeWalt must have fixed what ever made mine clog in the first coupla hours of real work. I did return that DeWalt once for the exact same model ... that one clogged just about as quick ... that's when I decided I was gonna use it for that one project and give their 30 day return policy a try.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
I've had the blade lock get crudded up and stuck on the Milwaukee, but not yet on the Porter Cable. But it could be that I tend to only use the PC when I need the twist and bend.
-- J.S.
I bought a corded Sawzal about a year ago and have no major complaints. It's cut through just about everything I've set the blade's teeth to.
The only minor drawback I've noticed is the vibration, which is murder on your hands and forearms after awhile, and the fact that the body gets kind of hot after prolonged use. However, I hear that's typical for the model.
Hope this helps.