We use sawzalls daily; but don't get long life out of them. What is the best on the market? The motors never burn out,the mechanical ends fail or the blade locks self-destruct.
If it's a Sawzall it's a Milwaukee period. The name is trademarked. Other than that you might consider a reciprocating saw from De Walt...
I have a PorterCable 18v that has been beat on for 2 years now, damn thing is death proof. I had a Milwaukee before the Porter, lasted 3 months. Couldnt keep a blade in it.
I've had my Milwaukee for years, but as you say the mechanical attachment has failed. I tapped the end so the screw centers the blade, and it works ok. I would like to update it one of these days to the slip in blade model. The worst saws all I ever had was a battery operated Craftsman. You couldn't even saw through an exhaust pipe before it went dead. DeWalt seems to start slipping when you use it hard. I would stick with the Milwaukee.
I got a Milwaukee that I bought in '98. it still does as good a job as any other power tool in my arsenal. I use it and abuse it. Milwaukee is what we used at work several places that I have worked. We had a really old one at the Star, it was the one that was designated for me to use because I am a clutz.
i've had them all during the last 20+ years doing plumbing and providing them for my employees. milwaukee used to be the only one i would have but the quick blade lock and crummy triggers seem to break a lot more then they used to . i would only get the basic sawzall with the quick lock cord if i bought a new one today. ridgid has a neat little sawzall not as strong as the milwaukee but a whole lot smaller and i think it has a lifetime warranty about a $100 from home depot and i now use the ridgid unless it is heavy steel or cast iron pipe
A sawzall has its place in this hobby like a deep cut you cant get with a cut off tool,or junking out a car for salvage purposes etc or trimming trees ......usually I never use one on good sheetmetal as it never produces a straight level cut and actually can damage the metal along the cuts..... having said that I have tried a lot of the and decided the battery powered ones are the worst, so I have a Dewalt corded unit I use for rough cuts in hard to get at loc ations only.
I have been buying up used Dewalts. I had one that had a bad trigger and now it's a parts saw once it dies. The other two are back-ups. The old Milwaukee saw in the steel cases are the ones to look for. Parts are till around to repair them too. I don't charge batteries.
The DeWalt I have(15 years old) never misses a beat and I've seperated cast pipe using bi-metal blades(that's all I use) and cut walls apart with it.Great saw! Somehow I scored a HF-type no-namer recip saw a while back and have been trying to kill it with no luck...
Tried a few but I'll stick with DeWalt. I bought the big 2HP and it will cut through anything. Don't buy cheap blades.
I go Milwaukee, but have had real good luck with DeWalt too. Plus side on both of them is if shit breaks, you can get parts for them. Just bought a new Milwaukee a year or so ago, $140 ish I think at Home Depot. Hasn't missed a lick through anything I've thrown at it, including an I-beam or two...
I've had a Porter Cable for 17 years - never missed a beat. Used it daily for several years doing construction, plus a lot of duty in the garage. Recently I purchased an 18V Dewalt combo pack - I'm loving the cordless sawzall and I've used it much more than I would have expected.
For a Sawzall I go with the real deal, corded Milwaukee all the way. I stopped buying DeWalt after they became Black & Decker a few years back. I still have some older DeWalt equipment but just cant get past the cheap feel of their tools for teh past decade or so. I am usually very particular about my tools, I don;t subscribe to Brand "x" makes the best tools, I buy what the company is known for. My grinder is a Metabo, my drill is a Bosch, impact gun is an IR, handtools are Snap-On and My sawzall is a Milwaukee. The list goes on and on but you get the idea. Once I stopped buying cheap tools I have not had any regrets.
I have a Makita that I've had for years. It was a gift. Never had a problem with it and its been dropped repeatedly. I would purchase another Makita based on its service record, but Milwaukee and DeWalt are probably better saws. Cost is a consideration for me but my saws are not being used in a pro environment, i.e dailey use.
dont buy the lower amp recip saws the quality of the whole unit is suspect----buy the highest amperage you can find---i found out the hard way ----you get what you pay for---and try to buy direct from the dealer instead of home depot etc--u will get a better qual piece--
I have a Black and Decker Ive used for 35 yrs. 25 of it hard. Both Milwalukee and Porter Cable are good. Make sure and get the orbital feature and use it on wood.
Kenny, It still works better than an ax or a torch in specific applications. I actually helped a fella put the roof back on an A that had been removed with an ax when I was in high school. I can't say that I did it any justtice but I wish that someone had had a sawzall when they removed it instead of the ax.
The super sawzall with orbital rotation is the best. I have used the same one for construction in every day use and use it for cutting a ton of metal . It cuts through 1/2" metal like butter in the orbital mode.
My favorite WAS milwaukee. Had 3 corded ones go south,all failed in the reciprocating mechanism. $100 plus to repair. I wonder if Harbor freight makes them? I NEED 110v. the cheap 18v seem to do better,who knows?
I've had a MIlwaukie for years! One of the first to have the QD blade system and still works great! Bought a Porter Cable to fill the need occasionally for an 18v. battery sawzall, and it's a really great unit too. No problems in nearly two years.
You have gotten alot of good advice by people that use them everyday but the bottom line is gonna hinge on what works best for your needs. I have probably bought 30 sawzalls over years of using them daily and each one has its strong points. I current have 2 Cordless (gotta be ION-batteries!) and a Super Sawzall (Milweaukee) and and a 10 Amp (the cheap one) DeWalt ... each one has its good points ....BUT if you ever get a few bucks up and want to treat yourself get one of the HomeDepot brand "single-handed" sawzall ... light, small, fits in tight spots, short stroke for metal, and quick change blade ... its absolutley bitchen and I guareentee, as a back-up, you will love it. I wouldnt use it for my everyday, hogging out wood and remodeling but it is great as a second tool and working in tight spots, like under the dash (it has a light), etc or holding your work with the other hand, it cant be beat. ..... $99 well spent!
Had a very old Milwaukee for 30 years, used it almost every day till it developed a smoke leak. It still worked just not for very long, it would get hot and quit. Repair estimate was about $200. I went through a DeWalt, a new Milwaukee, and a Hitachi. Then went and spent the money to get the old one fixed. While I waited for 'em to fix it I got in a jam and bought a Metabo saw at the welding store I use. The new Metabo and the old Milwaukee are both doing fine now but don't see near as much work any more.
I have had a DeWALT for 12 years & it's still going strong. Just picked up another @ a garage sale as it has the quick change for the blade. Keep the mainteance up on them @ they will last. No 50' 18 gage extension cords either. Open up the gear drive & repack the grease & give the wear surfaces a shot of oil once in a while.
I'm up for getting a cordless one of these years, but I've had my Porter Cable since 1989 and it looks like its been through a war. Beat up, scuffed, abused and it never skips a beat. I use it on cars, machine shop raw stock cutting, trailer fab, house demolition and renovation and also for pruning trees. Bob
The Jalopy Journal
