I am looking to purchase my first reciprocating saw and wanted to get some suggestions. I was looking at Milwaukee’s 6509-22(10 amp, 3/4″ stroke), PC 9741(9 amp, 1 1/8″ stroke) and the dewalt dw304pk (10 amp, 1 1/8″ stroke with the 4 position blade clamp). I will be using it for projects around the house such as replacing a shed and a deck.
Any comments on these saws would be appreciated.
Thanks
Replies
tnerb,
If you look to the left of the screen you should find "Advanced Search". Click there and then type in the word, "sawsalls".
I have a ten yr.old Milwaukee with the 3/4" stroke. Great for cutting metal but less aggressive than the longer stroke saws in wood. It's a good compromise for me. A friend has the Super Sawsall that is much more aggressive. Hard to beat Milwaukee.
oldfred
I bought the Bosch and like it. It has the fancy "no-cord" deal that some like and some don't. A hook for hanging it on framing. Tool-less blade change. . . .
And it was the best price of the "name" brands.
Adventures in Home Building
An online journal covering the preparation and construction of our new home.
Almost 30 years now & on my 5th recip saw. So far the best is what I now use the milwaulkee super sawzall. You won't regret it.
I have an older DW 24V cordless but also have the battery eliminator for longer operations. It has served me well. They make that saw in 14.4, 18v also but only have the elim in 24.
There are some good prices around for some of the other brands if you are not expecting a saw to be a family heirloom. Like others said it is hard to beat the real Sawsall, Milwaukee.
http://www.heavydutytools.net/Scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=32 Milwaukee
http://www.heavydutytools.net/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=439 DW
Milwaukee Super Sawzall.
Hands down.
FREE SPONGE BOB,SANCHO PANTS!
Have you used a Hilti?
Iv'e used them.....nice tool.
Having not owned one, I'm not familiar with their longevity.
I'm not sure the Sawzall can be killed.
FREE SPONGE BOB,SANCHO PANTS!
I haven't seen many "dead" milwaukees.
I can''t really speek to the longevity of the hilti, I've only had it 2 years, but damn that it's a "strong" recip....
Thought of this thread today.....got my first real workout with the Hilti sawzall.
Gotta be honest...wasn't thrilled. I've used one here and there in the past.....and its always done a fine job....more than enough power for just about any task....but today, I used it for the better part of the day.
I felt it was too big and bulky....heavy...not terribly well balanced....and the guy who decided to add the safety needs 40 lashes with a wet noodle.
Much of this may have to do with the fact that I've worked with Milwaukees for so long, I've developed a "feel" for them.
Anyway....my two cents.
Oh how they pound, raising the sound, o'er hill and dale, telling their tale, Gaily they ring while people sing songs of good cheer, Christmas is here....
I know what you mean about getting the feel of a sawzall. I've been using a milwaukee the last few days, but not my milwaukee. I'm used to a 3/4" stroke length, but the saw I'm using has a 1 1/4" stroke.
It should be a good thing, but I'm constantly bending the blade, or hitting something I didn't mean to hit. I'm not nearly as precise. It's kind of infuriating, though I think I'll get used to using it with a little more time.zak
"When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone." --John Ruskin
"so it goes"
That's fair, and you're right, that saftey double switch can be a PITA.
I didn't know Hilti had a recip. I love their stuff, it's really built to last. I have an old powder actuated fastener and one of their pneumatic finish nailers - both well-built. If my Sawzall ever gives up the ghost I'll look at a Hilti.
They have a few models:
http://www.hilti.com/holcom/modules/prcat/prca_navigation.jsp?OID=-10041
I have the 900 PE, I thought the shape would be odd after using standard recips but it's actually quite handy and fits into tight spaces easier.
Great saw in my experience.... A little pricer then Milwaukee, I think mine was around 230 or so but I don't remember exactly
I agree, the Hilti is a great recip saw. Another really good one is the newer Makita 15amp model.... now that thing can really eat up some wood. I actually did manage to kill a Milwaukee Super Sawzall.... but I'm the only one I know of capable of such abuse. ;)View Image
you framers sure are tough on tools...
You need a saw?
View ImageBawitdaba da bang da bang diggy, diggy, diggy shake the boogie said up jump the boogie.
Put that away.... yer scarin' the children!
View Image
notice there is no face shot in that pic.... little man had to get a stand in for the photo op.
That's actually a picture of my arm from a tattoo thread I was talking to Sphere in. Now why ole Dustin has it saved on his computer is another story!View Image
I don't have it saved, I just know where to find it in the archives.
Equally as queer, but what can I say.Bawitdaba da bang da bang diggy, diggy, diggy shake the boogie said up jump the boogie.
I think diesels wife must make him pretty darn lonely to have arms that big.....
That's impressive. I had trouble just finding this thread to find your reply. BTW... I think the Sox may have the winning bid on negotiations with the Japanese pitcher whose name I can't pronounce. I guess they're having a press conference in Japan tonight. I don't know anything about him, but $40 million just to talk to the guy makes me think he can't be too bad. ;)View Image
I read that.
The thing about Japanese pitchers is they throw a lot of innings. They don't pitch in a rotation like the US. They pitch once a week instead of once every 5 games. Generally in a 6 man rotation.
The other thing is they don't believe in pitch counts. Not necessarily a bad thing, but he's probably thrown as many pitches as a MLB player 5 years older.
All that said, I watched him pitch in the World Baseball Classic, and he looked lights out. Lots of off speed stuff, and a decent fastball.
Watch for Mussina in a Sox uniform also. Just a gut feeling.Bawitdaba da bang da bang diggy, diggy, diggy shake the boogie said up jump the boogie.
Watch for Mussina in a Sox uniform also. Just a gut feeling.
No kidding, huh? Didn't hear any chatter about that one. Who I really wanted was Sheffield. He's like the boogieman to me. Scares the crap out of me at the plate.... but I can't stop looking. He woulda looked great in a Sox uniform. View Image
Yankees didn't pick up his $17 million option, and I think he's the type to go to Boston out of spite.
Sheffield is a jerk, but he's got a great swing. Bawitdaba da bang da bang diggy, diggy, diggy shake the boogie said up jump the boogie.
I thought they did pick up the option and then traded him to Detroit? View Image
Sheffield yes.
Mussina was the one they declined the option on.Bawitdaba da bang da bang diggy, diggy, diggy shake the boogie said up jump the boogie.
Sorry.... now I get it. Coffee is still sinking in.View Image
Sweet hi-jack BTW. My apologies to the original poster for starting this fiasco.View Image
It's the first sign of winter.
In a couple months no threads will stay on topic.Bawitdaba da bang da bang diggy, diggy, diggy shake the boogie said up jump the boogie.
He comes with baggage. He's a head case. Fastest bat in baseball, but he's a real troublemaker with the mouth.
I've killed a Milwaukee super sawzall, too. It's job was cutting steel almost exclusively. It got loose everywhere, but it was the trigger switch that finallys stopped it. Not worth just replacing that.
I still think they're good saws. My most used saw is one of those 3/4" stroke milwaukees. Doesn't cut quite as fast, but it's a good all around saw for remodeling (not real heavy on the demo).zak
"When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone." --John Ruskin
"so it goes"
Yet another vote for Milwaukee Super Sawzall.
I have a 10 year old basic milwaukee. I hate the set screw blade change, but otherwise the saw is great. Not expensive, not fancy, just reliable. keep a shap blade in it, and it cuts everything I need.
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Guy's, you missed an important aspect here:
He doesn't need the super heavy duty tool, he will likely need (as I needed) a tool that is more versatile.
That DeWalt with the 4 position blade holder ROCKS! You can really get close for those flush cuts, much closer than any of those other brands. Very handy for jobs that are more remodel than demolition!
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
I have the Milwaukee, which is fine for heavy duty demo, and the Porter Cable that twists and bends. If I could only have one, especially given light duty use, I'd go with the PC. It can make cuts in places the Milwaukee simply can't fit.
-- J.S.
Very handy for jobs that are more remodel than demolition!
I never thought of the sawzall in terms of accurate cuts.
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
The 4 position blade clamp of the Dewalt interests me. Do you think it is durable? Also the other models have an adjustable shoe. What would be the better option, 4 way clamp or adjustable shoe.
Thanks
I recently purchased a Dewalt.
I had a Skill Sawzall for the better part of 30 years and it still works fine. I thought it was time to retire it and I picked up yellow fpr $100.00.
I have mixed feelings........... the four position is what sold me as my Skill had a blade VERY close to one side and it is SO nice for cutting close to stuff.
That said, I don't think this is gonna last. That clamp is gonna bust sooner or later and I'll be back at HD pissing some "sales associate" off till they satisfy me.
The clamp does not hold the blade tight; one thing I liked about a tooled clamp. I don't see what all the fuss is about for tool-less blade change. It's got to be a bad #### clamp for me, otherwise I'll just throw a T handle Allen in the box and I'm good to go.
It's not like we are doing a NASCAR pit stop to change the blade.
Eric[email protected]
It's Never Too Late To Become What You Might Have Been
I have yet to miss the shoe, but I'm spinning that blade around all the time in all the different positions. Holds as tight as you need a recip saw to hold, and doesn't show any signs of jamming or loosening up yet. I've owned it 2 years now, love it love it love it. Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
Thinking only about the concept, not the actual products which I haven't used, the four way idea is much more important than an adjustable shoe. The shoe on my Milwaukee has been jammed in the all the way up position for most of its life.
Another thing well worth looking for, there's a little company I found out about on this forum that makes offsets, extension bars, and a whole lot of other recip saw accessories. I'll see if I can find the link.
Edit: Yes, here it is:
http://www.theflushcut.biz/index.html
-- J.S.
Edited 11/14/2006 1:38 pm ET by JohnSprung
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The real funny thing about the bottom three photos: They are using the 4 position Dewalt already... they could be doing the same flush cuts just by switching the blade over.
I bought this product before I bought the Dewalt. Hate it hate it hate it. The offset fixture absorbs energy from the strokes, which translated back to moving your arm instead of the blade. I don't think I got one good cut in with that thing.Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
Well, sure. It's just like a heavier slug with the same charge will make a gun recoil harder. Put more mass on the moving side, and it makes the stationary side kick harder. Just look up the old Newtonian physics with momentum and energy, and work it out. With a heavy saw, it's not so bad. Of course I only use the attachment when it's necessary.
-- J.S.
When one of my guys bought the dewalt with the four position blade, I gave it about a month. The blade clamp held up very well, the saw burned out last week.The saw was with us a little over a year.
Greg in Connecticut
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=81418.5
Do not think I missed it, agree with you. But then I am not a DWophobe.
http://www.taunton.com/store/pages/015003.asp
Check out the 2006 tool guide for good articles with side-by-side tests of recip saws, sanders and other tools. You can buy it online or at Lowes or HD for $10.
I just ordered the Milwaukee Super Sawzall with rotating handle.
I have had the Milwaukee Hatchet 18v for two years. It's great for occasional use and for getting into tight spaces, but it doesn't have the power nor continuous run time of a corded machine. There is a corded version of the Hatchet also.
try cpomilwaukee.com they have a saw for 89.00 larryhand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.
"try cpomilwaukee.com they have a saw for 89.00 larry"I don't get it. Why did you post this to me?BruceT
Tiger Saw
As Tim Holt told Walter Huston in The Treasure of Sierra Madre, "the worst ain't so bad when it finally happens."
Millwaukee Hachet..
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Confirming the review last year in "Fine Homebuilding," my Makita with the "AVT" shock absorption has served me quite well. It is the first such tool that I would even put in the same class as the Super Sawsall.
Just bought another Makita 15amp. Had the other one for a year now and its working great.
Had the chance to show it off a couple of weeks ago too. Door company was using our frame to demonstrate how to hang doors. So there is like 30 guys there and the day before we (I) checked the door openings to make sure they were correct, but didn't see that little 1/4" in th email. So. . . . .
Front door doesn't fit, everyone is ribbin' me good, then I get up there with the Makita and start cutting the 6x header and it just eats it up. One of the guys says, now there is a sawsall. :-)
I still felt like an idiot, but at least the Makita distracted some :-)
It is the best recip saw on the market. Blows away Milwaukee.
Milwaukee Super Sawzall.
I tried a DeWalt once and it didn't have enough of a "kick"
Ditto on the Milwaukee Super Sawzall. I got one in 99 and early on I burned a set of brushes after a long day of extreme abuse. They were a easy replacement and its been going strong ever since.
I've got the Bosch that you have to plug a cord into, and the Porter Cable articulated. For some reason I always reach for the PC, just don't care for that funky plug in cord thing. Bosch replaced and older model corded for a newer model funky plug thing. So..........that's saying something for Bosch.
However...............
99 times out of 100 I'll really reach for my 28V cordless Milwaukee! That thing rocks!!
Had a Milwaukee sawzall for awhile. But after I went thru 2 switches I said f**k it, and got the Bosch corded, actually had to order it, wait 5 weeks. It had a horrendous blade changer, and after 1 1/2 years (yes, 1 1/2 years) I wrote to Bosch asking them to consider changing their design of the blade changer, because I really liked the saw except for that. And that's when they came out with the new style blade changer, and they exchanged my old saw for a new one. So, I like Bosch.....the company.........and most of their tools, but not really the new sawzall, because of that funky cord thing.
Hope this helps.
Rod
porter cable tiger saw with the swivel/bending handle. I use it for jobs that i used to use a jigsaw for and jobs i used to use a chainsaw for.
My vote is either the top dog Milwaukee (I have the old 11 amp super sawzall with orbital action and its the stuff) or the 15 amp Makita that seems to be kicking #### and taking names in all the tool tests...
I've had both the Milwaukee 3/4 inch stroke sawzall and the super sawzall. The 3/4" I found to be a joke and not worth plugging in. I've since given it away. I have used the Dewalt 18 volt and find it lacks a lot in staying power and just plain old feel and heft. Lot of vibration and noise but not much in the way of cutting ability. I purchased the Milwaukee super sawzall, with orbital selector avail, and love it. That saw can not be beat in my opinion! It cuts the piss out of everything and is extremely rugged and powerful. I've bent a lot of blades with it but once you get the hang of it you can surgically remove anything made of wood and do it quickly too if needed. One extremely nice feature is the one hand quick blade change feature, second best feature is orbital stroke selection which makes quick work out of cutting stubborn pieces of wood. Nice case, nice cord detachment and a great tool... As far as I'm concerned, it and the right angle drill from Millwaukee are the only two decent tools they make.
Don't sell Milwaukee's Close Quarter drill short. I build and install a lot of computer security devices and that funny looking little red penguin is great. It fits just about anywhere and has plenty of power. I've got a Milwaukee right-angle too, but use it less since I got the close-quarter drill a few years ago. I think it is actually made by Sioux. The Sioux one looks the same except it is black.
One of the great features of the Milwaukee SawzAll is that it is counter-balanced and doesn't jump around as much as the competitions' models. Doesn't matter much for an occasional cut, but really makes a difference on a demo.
Milwaukee 3/4 inch stroke with variable speed trigger, is a favorite of mine for delicate work, cutting the hub off pvc to change a fitting, getting tub drain fitting out with out destroying tub or elbow, removing broken off mpt from fpt, ect.,ect. The longer stroke or orbital action are great for demo work. One caution on Milwaukee Hatchet if the rod that holds the blade gets wet don't put it away in this condition, they will rust and seize up or freeze in winter, shoot with WD or similar, run it a little.
Why Milwaukee ? Helped dad as a kid, it's what we used!
Have you tried the PC Tiger that twists and bends? You might find it worth having for getting into places where the Milwaukee won't fit. I love it for that, but grab the Milwaukee first if I don't need the flexibility.
-- J.S.