Cordless reciprocating saw

[Ellen Benkin]

A friend is looking for a cordless reciprocating saw (which I will borrow, of course). It has to be cordless because it will be used where there is no place to plug in. We looked in HD and they had 18 volt Ridgid and DeWalt each for $200. There were some differences between the two, but not enough to make one stand out over the other. I wonder if anyone has had any experiences with either. Also, how long will one of these last on a single charge? Interestingly enough, they rent the Makita, even though they don't seem to sell it.

Thanks for your help.

[Bob Smalser]

I use a 24V DeWalt for a couple years now that eats snakes and small children for breakfast...

...but they are sloppy demo tools perfect for rebar and any manner of pipe...hardly fine woodworking tools as the sawdust hides the kerf.

All of them seem to have the problem of the bimetal blades being skinnier than the wood blades...they slop around more....and I usually want better precision cutting pipe than I do demo'ing framing....and I get just the opposite.

[Bob_Hammond]

I don't have experience with either, but one thing to think about is if you also want to have a cordless drill, trim saw, radio....

Then pick one brand where you can trade batteries between the different tools.

Bob

[Bob Aquino]

Disclaimer: I don't own one myself but.... I have read on more than a few reviews that battery life isnt all that long. I do have a cordless circular saw which has a similar rep to the recip saw and it is not a tool you want to use for too many cuts without having a spare battery or two around. But it is very handy for making about 2-3 cuts in sheet plywood or maybe about 10 cuts on 2x material before it runs dry.

If you are of a mind to get one, I would think it would be best to get a brand that you like as Bob mentioned and stick with it. I have Bosch 14.4 v stuff and have been very happy with it.

[Ray Thompson]

I have the DeWalt with two batteries. At first I didn't find it to be very useful due to the limited battery life, even with the two batteries. The big problem was that it took about an hour to charge a battery and only about 20-30 minutes to discharge so half the time the tool was out of commission. I had the batteries rebuilt with high capacity NI-MH cells. It still takes about an hour to recharge but the new batteries last about an hour so the tool down time has been significantly reduced. They also have faster rechargers now but I opted for new batteries instead.

Ray

[John Gregory]

I have a corded DeWalt that I love. I did have a chance to use my son's cordless 18V saw and was surprised at the power it had. I don't recall how is did on battery life, but it was just a powerful as my corded and that impressed me.

[Chris Padilla]

I am finding, that after some hard use in the garage remodel my cordless Craftsman 14.4EX drill's batteries are not lasting as long as they used to--maybe half as long as when new but probably worse. I'm glad they give me two batteries and that I have my trusty Festool CDD-12 drill.

There was a thread on here a while ago in which some folks posted about a place that will rebuild batteries. I think Jamie Buxton posted some info...I'll do a search but if anyone remembers.... :)

[Jack Diemer]

I just bought the 4 in 1 kit 18V Ridgid kit from Cummins Tool. Its listed for $389 on the website, but its $299 at the stores around here. Anyway, for another $100, you can get a cordless drill, saw and flashlight.

[Charles McKinley]

Hi Ellen,

What will be the primary use of the cordless sawzall? I have the dewalt but have never used itfor more than a few cuts at a time. It has had all the power that I have needed. I also agree to buy the brand that you will buy other thinks in. It is called path dependence. I stick mostly to De Walt stuff because I can swap my chargers and batteries.

[fred woltersdorf]

i have the hachet by milwaukee.18 volts and all the power i need.shares battery with milwaukee job site radio.

[Jason Roehl]

There was a thread on here a while ago in which some folks posted about a place that will rebuild batteries. I think Jamie Buxton posted some info...I'll do a search but if anyone remembers.... :)
www.primecell.com

I haven't personally used them, but I think that's the one Chris is referring to. I would just go get some sub-C rechargeable cells and rebuild the packs myself.