School me on cordless sawzallls

[NJHandyGuy]

okay gentlemen help me out here cuz i am chewwing them UP

i use a cordless sawzall about 15 times aday but i am killing them my dewalt batteries are DONE about 1/2 way through any job

ryobi"s biut the dust motor wise my makit"a have had it hitachi got returned 3 times and had battey issues

i am using these on cars to cut out batteries catylitic convertors crome bits step bumepers accessories etc

i need one that can take punishment last year i wrote off 9 machines

any one know of a good one that will take punishment

disclaimer dewalts are good but the battery life ***** both lith-ion AND nicad

also note craftsman 19.2"s not men tioned because of how emabarrassingly they performed

 

[tcianci]

Re: School meon cordless sawzallls

You have decided to use the most "not ready for prime time" tool of all cordless tools. Recip saws in general chew up lots of power just by the nature of the recip mechanism.
I have owned/used Makita, Ryobi/Craftsman, Milwaukee and DeWalt. I think you will be disappointed in them all but the Milwaukee is probably at the top of the heap. Make sure you keep spare batteries charging and use the correct blade for the job. Don't try to force anything that you want to cut with a recip saw... you will just be rewarded with frustration, burned blades and dead batteries. If you're truly looking for a tool that can take punishment, you're probably not going to find it. I suggest you learn to use the tool within its limitations and you will be amazed at what you can get out of them.

 

[NJHandyGuy]

Re: School meon cordless sawzallls

true but there is nothing else really made for the job at this point

 

[91bronc300]

Re: School meon cordless sawzallls

What about putting a big inverter on your rig and running a corded sawzall? I had a 2000W inverter on an old truck and I ran a pancake style air compressor, Milwaukee hole shooter, and a Milwaukee sawzall among other things with it. Ran my electric shaver with it (I lived in that truck for awhile), charged my cellphone with it. It was incredibly handy. You might want to get one bigger than 2000W if you plan to power tools all the time but I'm sure it would be better than burning up a bunch of cordless sawzalls.

 

[KnurledNut]

Re: School meon cordless sawzallls

longer runtime would help.
have you considered dewalts 36v li-ion DC305K?

another costly option, yet high performance would be this hilti WSR 36:

if your wanting to stay in the 18v range, IMHO, from experience, makitas li-ion are the way to go.

 

[cderalow]

Re: School meon cordless sawzallls

For big badass demo work, the Hilti is top.

But as stated, sawzalls in general are battery killers.

 

[TheGrooveking]

Re: School meon cordless sawzallls

I own the DeWalt 18 V with NiCad's, Hitachi with 18 volt LiIon and Bosch 18 volt LiIon and the Bosch will eat the others in my arsenal. I've use the Hilti 18 volt and it is the equivalent to the Bosch. I do have to agree with Knurlednut, if you are using a recip that many times a day, 36 volts will be better.

By the way the Snap On 18 volt is made by Bosch.

TheGrooveking

 

[Ign]

Re: School meon cordless sawzallls

I'm surprised to see the comments here about battery killers. I've used my V28 to HEAVILY limb trees when we only had one chain saw. I thought battery life was awesome, but it was cutting wood.

The portaband and 4.5" grinder eat batteries, but I thought the sawzall was very good.

 

[Squints]

School you on spelling....

 

[KenB]

Re: School meon cordless sawzallls

If the motors are surviving OK, maybe you can use a battery belt (like the camera guys use) to increase battery life. I swear I've seen ads for these, but can't find any after a quick search. You could easily make one yourself. Also, batteries hate heat. In RC racing we'd use ice packs to cool them down before recharging.

Oh, here's a belt: http://www.protoolreviews.com/revie...enerators-vacuums/ultimate-battery-power-belt

Ken

 

[NUTTSGT]

Re: School meon cordless sawzallls

How about using a Dewalt cut-off tool (angle grinder) to cut off the convertors ? That aluminzed/SS exhaust tubing is tough to cut through with a blade.

 

[RKA]

As others have stated, the batteries don't like this kind of abuse. I've used my makita to cut fallen limbs as big as 8-9" thick. Even with a sharp pruning blade I learned real quick how fast I can drain an 18v battery and how much heat that generates in the battery. Only solution I have would be to carry several battery packs, and cut no more than 1-2 mins continuous before switching packs. Don't let the packs get hot, and don't reuse until they are cool again.

 

[dare23]

As suggested get a corded one or I would suggest an oxy acetylene torch for some of those jobs

 

[NJHandyGuy]

Re: School meon cordless sawzallls

How about using a Dewalt cut-off tool (angle grinder) to cut off the convertors ? That aluminzed/SS exhaust tubing is tough to cut through with a blade.

way ahead of you but almost never does the job

28v are heavier and harder to controll under cars

 

[NJHandyGuy]

As suggested get a corded one or I would suggest an oxy acetylene torch for some of those jobs

defionately not portable enough also not agood idea on dry grass

 

[2manytoyz]

Have you consider a pneumatic version? Does have the PITA hose, but is smaller/lighter than a cordless model.

FWIW, I'm using a Dewalt 18V for trimming all my trees. Works really well, but I also have a stack of batteries that live on chargers. Spent several hours for a couple of weeks but it got the job done. My batts last about 3 years before the capacity noticibly drops off, then I replace them. Each battery has a purchase date written on it...

 

[NJHandyGuy]

no access to air

 

[camarotoolman]

Small generator, exstention cord, and corded saw?

 

[bcradio]

36v sawzall will do the trick. Last time I counted, I was able to cut about 70 6" diameter trees down with one charge of the battery. Don't forget to get one with high amp-hr batteries.

 

[Roots]

They're pricey, but if you're using them as often as you say you do, I'd highly suggest you consider a Hilti. Give them a call and find the rep for your area, it's quite likely they'll even consider lending you one to try out. They also have very attractive corporate leasing options, where they'll replace the battery if it ever starts to lose performance.

 

[IndyGarage]

I have a Milwaukee V28 and it has decent power and I'd say acceptable battery life.

The 36V's would be even better.

 

[NJHandyGuy]

OKay roots you have my attention how does that work i beat the hell outta these things

 

[Roots]

OKay roots you have my attention how does that work i beat the hell outta these things

Hilti USA: (800) 879-8000, 6am to 7 pm central time

Ask for direct sales, stating that you're a business owner looking to start using Hilti and are particularly interested in their Fleet Management Program (corporate leasing). They can connect you with a local account manager (sales rep) or provide the address of the nearest Hilti Center (storeroom, preferable IMO) or Hilti Pro Shop (small sales counter in a Home Depot, I have no experience with them). According to their Find Near You guide, you have 22 Centers/Pro Shops in New Jersey.

Hilti.com

Hilti Reciprocating Saws. Particularly the WSR 18-A and WSR 36-A

Hilti @ Home Depot: WSR 18-A. $299

Hilti Fleet Management

Hilti Fleet Management Benefits

Lifetime Service Agreement/Warranty

I'm not sure if they have a minimum quantity to get into the Fleet Management program, but even if you can't get that they can sometimes provide healthy discounts. I'd really suggest you consider them. I've never found a better brand of power tools overall, with regards to power, performance, durability, and quality. The battery replacement warranty alone, is something to consider.

 

[38Chevy454]

Re: School meon cordless sawzallls

What about putting a big inverter on your rig and running a corded sawzall? I had a 2000W inverter on an old truck and I ran a pancake style air compressor, Milwaukee hole shooter, and a Milwaukee sawzall among other things with it. Ran my electric shaver with it (I lived in that truck for awhile), charged my cellphone with it. It was incredibly handy. You might want to get one bigger than 2000W if you plan to power tools all the time but I'm sure it would be better than burning up a bunch of cordless sawzalls.

I like this idea. You could even make a dedicated dolly or cart with a spare battery or two and the inverter so you could wheel it close by your work. Don't have any other suggestions other than the 36V unit should do better than 18v. Assuming the total amp-hour capacity of the 36v is greater, it sure looks bigger in the pics. Think of it this way, power is watts. Watts is volts x amps. If you start with twice as much volts, your amp drain is going to be half for the same amount of work (power required).