# Cordless sawzall



## sparky (Jan 8, 2014)

My cordless sawzall died on me,was wondering what you guys think is the best cordless sawzall out there today,any thoughts????


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## Debo22 (Feb 15, 2015)

Milwaukee m18 hackzall. It has a lot of power and more of a comfortable grip which allows better control cutting pipes, especially one handed.


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## breplum (Mar 21, 2009)

I agree that the Milwaukee 18V cordless is outstanding. Really powerful. Avoid the Makita 18V...wimpy in comparison. 


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## 89plumbum (May 14, 2011)

Debo22 said:


> Milwaukee m18 hackzall. It has a lot of power and more of a comfortable grip which allows better control cutting pipes, especially one handed.


Best tool I’ve gotten all year. If mine breaks today, I will have a new one tomorrow morning.


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## MACPLUMB777 (Jun 18, 2008)

I sure WISH they had CORDLESS Sawzalls when I was working in the trade !


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## DDial (Dec 4, 2017)

sparky said:


> My cordless sawzall died on me,was wondering what you guys think is the best cordless sawzall out there today,any thoughts????


The Milwaukee Fuel Brushless is awesome, very powerful. I just recently had mine stolen but thats beside the point. I replaced it with a Ridgid. (More affordable) its a quality product but nothing beats the Milwaukee. Ive used Dewalt, Ridgid, and Milwaukee. The Fuel is definitely the most powerful.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

All my power tools are Milwaukee, why buy a lesser brand if used daily and professionally? When I had no money I bought a very used cordless drill with the hammer setting. I've had this over 10 years drilling studs for 2" 3" holes, screws etc. I'm on my 2nd brush set and still going strong! Same thing for my sawsall, I bought it used and beat up 20 years ago, the one with the allen key, I still use it regularly.





Debo22 said:


> Milwaukee m18 hackzall. It has a lot of power and more of a comfortable grip which allows better control cutting pipes, especially one handed.



I use the smaller version under sinks. Marvelous! The hack saw stays in the truck! Don't plan to cut a 2x4 with it, not enough power.

I just ordered the fuel brush-less this week end when I need to cut a piece of 2x4 in the truck. I won't have to drag everything inside to cut a piece.


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## DDial (Dec 4, 2017)

MACPLUMB777 said:


> I sure WISH they had CORDLESS Sawzalls when I was working in the trade !


Remember the old corded sawzalls in the metal container with the hex bolt you had to tighten and loosen to hold the blade with. Maybe Im making myself look to young but thats what I started with in 96


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Milwaukee fuel here! There’s a couple gripes I have, but I like them above others out there.


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## plumb1801 (Apr 4, 2014)

In my experience the Milwaukee fuel cordless sawzall is very powerful however the plastic catch on the chuck wears out fast and wont last long. I have seven of these tools and all have been repaired some more than once. I have recently switch back to Dewalt sawzalls. The M12 hacksaw is perfect tool in tight quarters used with the 3ah battery this tool is hard to beat. I have cut 2 x 4's with this does ok. I use the M12 shears most of the time because it makes very clean cuts. For a corded drill the super hole hawg is the best drill on the market. A close 2nd is the M18 super hawg with 9.0 battery it will last though an entire rough in job. Even though it says 2" is the largest self feeding bit to use this tool will handle a 3 5/8" bit comfortably. We mostly use 2-1/8" and the 2-9/16" self feeding bits with this tool along with auger bits for water lines.


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

They all suck.... I got so tired of chargeing batteries 
and buying new sets batteries for them that I finally just threw them all
away...Dewaults were the worst....makita sucked too. 

Perhaps they have evolved greatly over the past 20 years but I just fell out of love with them....

Forgetting your charger that you left in someones garage was a common occurrence too..... because they always seemed to peter out half way right in the middle of a job and you would start to charge your dead battery while finishing up the rest of the work..... 

I went back to those "so very difficult old style ones" that come with a pig tail that you have to plug into a wall socket....... and they have lasted probably over 15 years now....those Milwuakee sawzalls and right angle drills will tear through anything and run all day on the same socket too.........


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## MACPLUMB777 (Jun 18, 2008)

DDial said:


> Remember the old corded sawzalls in the metal container with the hex bolt you had to tighten and loosen to hold the blade with. Maybe Im making myself look to young but thats what I started with in 96


Out of the thousands of dollars worth of tools that I used to own and sold off,
I still have this one in a plastic tool box these days, But it used to belong to
my foster DAD and is the only thing I have to remember him by, From back 
in the early 80's when he was running a drain cleaning business


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## Debo22 (Feb 15, 2015)

DDial said:


> Remember the old corded sawzalls in the metal container with the hex bolt you had to tighten and loosen to hold the blade with. Maybe Im making myself look to young but thats what I started with in 96


Yes, I still have mine sitting in the garage. It’s probably first generation of the twist lock chuck because they’re making a big deal about it as seen in the photo. The strokes per minute is way higher on the cordless is why this one is garaged.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

I remember 24 years ago as a 1st year apprentice using a corded drill with 4 extension hooked together running it seemed over a 2000 feet up a ladder trying to drill a beam or something, the cord pulling you down. Pull the trigger, nothing happened the pigtails unplugged somehow, or the drill working intermittently. Sometimes you didn't have enough extensions to go where you needed to go.

Then came the first cordless drill, clunky extremely heavy with a battery the size used for small cars and it could only run for 30 seconds You'd have to charge it for 8 hours! haha

................................................. :wheelchair:


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## PPM (Jan 27, 2018)

I've been using a Ridgid 24v for several years. I routinely use it to cut through cast iron and galvanized. Pure power and has never let me own.


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## sparky (Jan 8, 2014)

breplum said:


> I agree that the Milwaukee 18V cordless is outstanding. Really powerful. Avoid the Makita 18V...wimpy in comparison.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Yes it was the Mikita that died on me lolololol :vs_mad::vs_mad::vs_mad::vs_


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## sparky (Jan 8, 2014)

Thanks for all the opinions,looks like it gonna be a Milwaukee 18 volt cordless for me lololo:laugh:


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## Debo22 (Feb 15, 2015)

sparky said:


> Thanks for all the opinions,looks like it gonna be a Milwaukee 18 volt cordless for me lololo:laugh:


Remember, go 18v hackzall not sawzall. You’ll thank me after you’ve used it a few times.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

I forgot to say my smaller hackzall is awesome to cut drywall. No more cursing using the hand drywall saw no more breaking a sweat!


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## Debo22 (Feb 15, 2015)

Tango said:


> I forgot to say my smaller hackzall is awesome to cut drywall. No more cursing using the hand drywall saw no more breaking a sweat!


I use this for drywall and many other uses. I have the m18 and m12 versions.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Debo22 said:


> I use this for drywall and many other uses. I have the m18 and m12 versions.


I have an oscillating black/decker like that that I use mostly for baseboard. I'm not sure if I'd find it useful to cut out a square hole in drywall, I'd have to try it.


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## dhal22 (Jul 30, 2010)

DDial said:


> Remember the old corded sawzalls in the metal container with the hex bolt you had to tighten and loosen to hold the blade with. Maybe Im making myself look to young but thats what I started with in 96


Hate that tool. Hate it....... Did I say I hate it? :smile:


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## rwh (Dec 17, 2014)

DDial said:


> MACPLUMB777 said:
> 
> 
> > I sure WISH they had CORDLESS Sawzalls when I was working in the trade !
> ...


Yes! I'm not that old. I have used those same ones. They are still around. In someone's garage, an out of the the way tool room, auction, etc. They work well, just not as nice as what is available now. 

Imagine a life without reciprocating saws?


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## JohnnieSqueeze (Mar 23, 2016)

DDial said:


> The Milwaukee Fuel Brushless is awesome, very powerful. I just recently had mine stolen but thats beside the point. I replaced it with a Ridgid. (More affordable) its a quality product but nothing beats the Milwaukee. Ive used Dewalt, Ridgid, and Milwaukee. The Fuel is definitely the most powerful.




Mine just got stolen too! Hope these theives cut their own hand off


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## canuck92 (Apr 1, 2016)

Nothing beats manual crank drills an rip saws, very cheap and its a free workout ! All these fancy tools these kids using today


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## Pipelayer727 (Jan 7, 2018)

Anything Milwaukee. Even their augers.
/thread


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

breplum said:


> I agree that the Milwaukee 18V cordless is outstanding. Really powerful. Avoid the Makita 18V...wimpy in comparison.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I disagree. Surely you've only tried the low end brushed makita. I bought the brushless 18v about 9 months ago and it is a very tough tool, doesn't seem to suffer from the conservative cutoff voltage that many other makita tools do. That said, if you want real power go with a corded high end milwaukee or makita. 

Makita decided to make their kits all low end stuff to compete with milwaukee and ridgid who are owned by the emerson group. If you want good makita tools you need to buy the high end bare tools.

Makita makes a 36v brushless sawzall too. I have been a makita guy for a while with the caveat being I love dewalt drills. Metal gearboxes, chuck so good I put one on my makita, and that third speed!! Best hammer function out of all of them. Dewalt now has the 60v flexvolt batteries and I am impressed. I just might switch when my current set of batteries gets bad.

HAVE YOU TRIED A PORTBANDSAW?


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## rwh (Dec 17, 2014)

Portercable band saw was the original hand held band saw?


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## skoronesa (Oct 27, 2015)

rwh said:


> Portercable band saw was the original hand held band saw?



I just meant any portable bandsaw/portaband. The oldest I have seen was a greenlee listed on craigslist from the 70's. Must have weighed a brick as it was all metal.

I have the big makita cordless one. Made in Japan. 4-3/4" jaw. Cuts through most cast iron like butter. It's so fast for pvc, unistrut, steel/copper pipe, threaded rod. No need to fix the rod after or even thread a nut on first. If you haven't tried one you really should. Much nicer than a sawzall when it can fit. 300$ shipped from cpo as a bare tool.

If you need to reuse the spigot of a tee you can just make two opposing diagonal cuts in the hub and then split it with a chisel or railroad spike like I use.


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## Logtec (Jun 3, 2018)

Debo22 said:


> Milwaukee m18 hackzall. It has a lot of power and more of a comfortable grip which allows better control cutting pipes, especially one handed.


I totally second this! 
Best cordless/compact sawzll I’ve every used!
I mostly cut drywall, studs, plywood, copper/plastic pipe.. but it will cut so much more.


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## Plumbus (Aug 4, 2008)

Here's an article comparing different models.
https://www.toolboxbuzz.com/cordles...-saw/cordless-reciprocating-saw-head-to-head/


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## JohnnieSqueeze (Mar 23, 2016)

masterforce menards cheap 20v 3 year warranty cant beat the way it cuts


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## mtfallsmikey (Jan 11, 2010)

DDial said:


> Remember the old corded sawzalls in the metal container with the hex bolt you had to tighten and loosen to hold the blade with. Maybe Im making myself look to young but thats what I started with in 96



wish I had a pic to show, my brother has an old Sawzall that was Dad's, all metal, original metal carry case, late 50's vintage. My "old" 6507 cuts well, much slower, not as beefy as the cordless models.


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