Needing recomendations for a sawzall

[willy3486]

I am needing a recommendation for a decent sawzall, reciprocating type saw. I had one of the cheapest HF types and I was wondering about their Bauer named ones. I am ok with other brands like Makita. I mainly use it to cut wood and occasionally thin steel. The thing I found out in the cheapest HF ones is they work great but the vibration breaks the foot, stop piece. I think its some type of cheap metal. I need something a little better. I have seen some nice looking ones online and was wondering if there are any good ones for around a 100 or less. I don't really use it to the point I can justify the ones 100 to 200 or more. Any good ones out there?

 

[dnschmidt]

Cheap and good are seldom used in the same sentence. I have and have always used Milwaukee. They are really good but they sure aren't cheap.

 

[gerryw]

I have a dewalt corded , 10yrs old i guess, quick change blade, treat it like ****, always impressed. It was like $100 on sale

Gerry

 

[oldcarpenter]

milwaukee


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[Want2race]

Another vote for corded dewalt. Was the best bang for the buck with an expected life of 5+ years

 

[egdede]

If you have any issues with carpal tunnel syndrome or joint problems with your elbow, buy good for sure. Cheaper ones transmit forces to the elbow which can ex·ac·er·bate existing injuries [had to look that speeling up : ) ]. They vibrate so bad that carpal tunnel will start-a-tingling. Cheap drills might **** to use, but they don't **** you up (at least the small ones).

In summary, the 'sawza' is one tool I say go nice on!!! Cheap ones bull through things no problem, but they beat you up. I have a very powerful porter cable tiger, strong as all heck, but it aggravates my tennis elbow and inflames my carpal's tunnel. I use my 18v Bosch all the time, love it. And I know many think it has been outpaced by newer versions in other brands.

Look at Milwaukee's. After all, they invented the 'sawza'. Get one with 'up & down' action for fastest cuts. Otherwise, move the saw 'up & down' for the fastest cuts ; )

 

[RTM]

I have replaced the foot on two different used MKE ones, like $15 item. Buy a good used one with a fixable problem. I have three, all bought cheap, less than $100 in all three, plus $15-30 in parts to clean them up. Gone flip the in between aged one, was in nicest shape.

 

[driz]

I still have my original corded Milwaukee I bought back in the early 90s. It’ll probably still be kicking when I’m pushing up Daiseys. Unless you are in the demo business you don’t use them all that much so they last forever.


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[ddawg16]

In my experience, cordless is the way to go. 95% of what I use mine for, having to drag a power cord with me would be a royal PIA.....like when you are in a tree cutting branches.

OP...what cordless tools do you have? There are advantages to having cordless tools that share the same battery.

Me? I have the Ryobi....in fact, I have 10+ cordless Ryobi tools that all use the same batteries.

I finally burned up my first Ryobi sawzall.....I used the dog **** out of it. It helped build a 2-story garage and a 2-story addition to my house. It outlived 3 sets of batteries.

I think what started its demise was the heavy use cutting drywall. The fine drywall dust got in there and I was lax about cleaning it.

 

[mc4life27]

Cheap and good are seldom used in the same sentence. I have and have always used Milwaukee. They are really good but they sure aren't cheap.

Same on Milwaukee. But check Craigslist I bought an older super sawzall for 15 bucks. Worked great


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[Handyandy23]

+1 for DeWalt, I have a corded one and the 20V brushless XR.

I love the cordless for ease of just grabbing it and sawing. No extension cords or getting tangled up trying to cut something up high on a ladder. Both have lots of power and very robust.

If you're just after something quality at an affordable price then go corded. I'm particular to DeWalts saws, but truth be told you can't go wrong with Milwaukee or Makita either. Whatever you can get on sale (or whatever battery platform you're already using). There's a huge quality jump from store brand saws and power tools to the name brands.

 

[Flat Thunder Channel]

I vote corded Milwaukee sawzall. Unless you really need portability, then i would try one of the name brand cordless versions. I have a dewalt 18v cordless it works great for quick cuts, but eats batteries rather quickly. It also seems to have less accurate speed control in comparison to the corded Milwaukee version.

 

[WittHay]

The tool store nearest me usually has the baseline 12 amp Milwaukee on sale for about $100 usd along with the the DeWalt 12 amp corded at the same price. The baseline Makita is a little cheaper but I think has slightly less amps

The expensive Milwaukee Super Sawzall's and Makita AVT are 15 amp and have orbital action along with variable speed dials

 

[Rinspeed]

Sawzall and Milwaukee go together like bread and butter, wouldn't even consider a crappy DeWalt in the discussion.

 

[seber]

Milwaukee or Dewalt. I've worked with both and although they are different, I have no preference. Others I've dealt with ranged from usable to miserable. For my use, corded is not a problem but what you do with it will determine that.

 

[pbon]

I still have my original corded Milwaukee I bought back in the early 90s. It’ll probably still be kicking when I’m pushing up Daiseys. Unless you are in the demo business you don’t use them all that much so they last forever.

I have one if those, also in the red metal box. At least back then, not all were counterbalanced and the ones that were not cost less and vibrated more. I bought the fancier one. Maybe it is the super saws all. Have not used it much in the past decade. It is sitting upstairs in the barn. I almost almost all cordless, which are convenient but tend to be superseded about every 10 years so you spend much more in the long run. For drills as an example, I have been through 9V Makita, 12V Porter Cable, 12V Bosch, 18V Ridgid, and am now on 18V and 12V Milwaukee. One good corded drill from 25 years ago would last longer and perform as well.

 

[willy3486]

I had a couple of these over the last 5 years or so, I catch them on sale. I am ok with a 120 volt corded model over battery as I would rarely need one with a battery, only thing I really ever use with a battery is my drill. As far as battery tools I have the small Milwaukee drill and a Kawasaki drill I believe it is but the Kawasaki died on me. I also have a Ryobi drill but the batteries are dead.

As far as a sawzall goes I do use it somewhat but not enough to justify a top of the line,top dollar model. As far as Dewalt goes I have not had good luck with most of the newer ones. I had a drill that now will slow down and barely run then go fast. I need to look at it. I had one of their jig saws that has a odd issue of not holding the blades and it seems to be a common issue. I have a small grinder that I still use a lot. But I used a cutoff wheel in it and now when I put the grinding stones on the shaft has apparently moved more into the head and the nut will not go on.

Many types of tools I see three types of quality. The first type I see as cheap price and quality you buy to see if you would use then buy a good one when it dies if you use it a lot. The second type is the one that is better quality and you would get if you were a homeowner and use it from time to time. Then the last type is the one you would use for work and it would last in that environment for a good while. What I am looking for is the second type to use.

 

[Parrothead]

I have a corded Milwaukee that I cut down smaller trees with (yes seriously) and a DeWalt cordless. I’d buy them both again should the need arise. Both are 5+ years old.

 

[willy3486]

I found one in my price range, its a Millwalkee , is anyone familiar with this model?
https://www.cpomilwaukee.com/factor...waukeecipla&zmam=31282435&ci_sku=MILR6519-831
I am going to get it now,thanks for the advice.

 

[Trapps]

I have a 15 year old SuperSawzall.

It is a standard for performance, durability and long term value.

In my opinion there other good options, but this is the best.

 

[liliysdad]

Go to the local pawnshop, and pick up a DeWalt or Milwaukee corded saw for next to nothing.....I think I paid $30 for my DeWalt.

Of course, after getting a 20v Brushless DeWalt, I haven't used the corded one a single time.

 

[stokefire7]

I have a Poter Cable Tiger Claw. You have to see it , the thing articulates in a couple different spots.

 

[seber]

That one will last a lifetime.

 

[jd_1138]

I bought a used (but mint) corded Makita in mint shape in its original carry box for $40. Fairly new. The guy only used it once to cut out an old deck at his new house.

I've beaten the **** out of it for 5 years and it still keeps ticking.

 

[jd_1138]

Go to the local pawnshop, and pick up a DeWalt or Milwaukee corded saw for next to nothing.....I think I paid $30 for my DeWalt.

Of course, after getting a 20v Brushless DeWalt, I haven't used the corded one a single time.

They tend to be priced at like $70 for a used DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee around here at the pawn shops, but can probably be had for $45-$55 if you ask nicely and/or bundle it with other stuff. New, they're like $100-$120.

 

[liliysdad]

They tend to be priced at like $70 for a used DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee around here at the pawn shops, but can probably be had for $45-$55 if you ask nicely and/or bundle it with other stuff. New, they're like $100-$120.

$70 is stupid....you gotta watch for stuff that's been on the shelf for a while. I am not above offering half the marked price for a stale item, out the door, and more often than not, I carry it home.

 

[Shiftless]

I have a 15 year old SuperSawzall.

It is a standard for performance, durability and long term value.

In my opinion there other good options, but this is the best.

to that ^^^^^^^^^

I have that tool with the orbital or straight line option. I use it for heavy work and my M12 Fuel Hackzall for everything else. It’s very handy for pruning branches 1-2 inches in diameter. Easy and safe to use one handed.

As others have already said, with the advent of high performance cordless tools, the tough old corded reciprocating saws are easy to find on the used market. $50 should get you a nice low mileage example from any of the quality manufacturers.

 

[Shiftless]

I agree with ducksface.
I have some Milwaukee tools, and some Dewalt tools. I consider Dewalt a quality brand and can say that over the many years of ownership none of my Dewalts have failed to do what I expected them to do. Drill, jigsaw, chop saw, surface planer...all good.

 

[liliysdad]

Ive not once been disappointed in any DeWalt I've owned.

 

[Chevy-SS]

This is the one I have (pic below). Milwaukee Super Sawzall. It is unreal, I've had mine for many years, and beat the Hell out of it. It is still smooth and strong. One of the best tools I ever bought!

I also have cordless Ryobi, which I use for small jobs, but it vibrates too much for big jobs.

 

[jd_1138]

$70 is stupid....you gotta watch for stuff that's been on the shelf for a while. I am not above offering half the marked price for a stale item, out the door, and more often than not, I carry it home.

Yeah they will work with you on prices. They want to move product. I don't know for sure, but I imagine most of their money is made on the pawn loans where people pay interest and later pay the items out of pawn.

The abandoned orphan products need gone ASAP to make room for more products. They only have limited shelf space like any retail store.

My brother moved here last year due to some health problems and not being able to afford SF Bay Area rent any longer. He needed a TV and blu-ray player. I told the clerk I needed a TV and Blu-ray for my sick brother. He sold me a nice 32" flat panel RCA HD TV and a Sony Blu-ray player with built in Netflix/YouTube, etc. all for $100 -- or about half of original sticker. He even threw in a pack of new batteries for the 2 remotes, free HDMI cable, and told me to pick out 5 free DVD movies for my brother.

Customer service like that is awesome. They have a huge music room filled with guitars, basses, drums, keyboards, etc.. I've been buying my music stuff there because of the fair prices and customer service. Also, tools and video game stuff are frequent purchases.

 

[Rinspeed]

Can you say why you say this by usiing facts and links and proofs?

Please make your post be informative.

Sure, and fair question, I can't stand Dewalt. It is a **** company that sells **** tools. I manage a mid size company and have bought close to $20K worth of tools over the last four or five years. Compared to Milwaukee Dewalt is a huge joke. To be fair the corded Dewalt drills that were a B&D design do hold up very well.

 

[bobemmerich]

I have a few.
1) Black and Decker, probably 25 plus years old. A beast, but heavy
2)Ryobi corded. Vibrates like crazy, but has an adjustable speed control knob that I like.
3)Porter Cable. Newer(4 years or so) but gets the job done.
4) Ryobi 18v cordless. Pretty decent, but it goes through batteries often.
5) a no-name cordless I got from the Handyman Club of America probably 20+ years ago. Works good, but kills the battery quick-but could be because its old battery-I'm still amazed it still works.
It all depends on your budget.

 

[Bigblockyeti]

Milwaukee is the only company that ever made a Sawzall so I'd stick with them (you're as likely to find a Ford Corvette as you are a DeWalt or Makita Sawzall). The older ones, built before TTI whored Milwaukee out to the lowest chinesium bidder, were designed and assembled in Wisconsin, USA. I don't know if the current Super Sawzall has the same counter balance design as the older ones but the older ones used a concentrically operating counter weight with the spindle held in the interior and with a 6" blade the two reciprocating masses were identical. This made for a very smooth saw and both wobble plates had two ball bearings to avoid placing a moment on a single bearing as was found in the earliest Sawzall wobble plates. DeWalt and Makita to a lesser extent tried hard to make a saw that would run as smoothly as Milwaukee's but they both failed. Between the alternatives of DeWalt, Makita and Porter Cable, the Makita was engineered the best, the Porter Cable had the most innovations with regard to how the saw could be used and DeWalt had the biggest marketing budget so earned the most fan boys.

I have several of the older Super Sawzalls with diecast and plastic motor housings, both are excellent performers and still run as smooth today as when they were new. I also have a newer orbital model (still made in USA) that will cut through wood quicker but has additional moving parts creating more potential failure points and a greater chance of dust ingress at the spindle seal. Aside from that, I like it nearly as much as my older ones.

 

[willy3486]

UPS dropped it off today. I got the Milwaukee I put up the link in another post. I didn't use it but I did run it. I was impressed. I think I will really like it. It wasn't a bad price either. I may check that site out for new tools when I need them. Thanks for all the advice.