Ridgid Sawzall...

[Greg Cuetara]

So I have a lot of work to do on my deck...have to tear half of it apart and put it new supports. I went out to the BORG and picked up the ridgid sawzall thinking that since it had the lifetime warrenty that it would be worth it. I need to cut through nails and some wood to take apart the joists etc. typical demo work but i am trying to be kind so that I can reuse all the material. I will probably come back with joist hangers after the fact to put the joists back in.

I have not even had 1 hour on the sawzall and have gone through 2 milwaukee blades along with the fact that the quickrelease on the ridgid is not holding the blades and they are popping out at the first sign of any back and forth pressure. I was thinking of just bringing the saw back and picking up a milwaukee which does not have the quick release for the blades.

Any advice out there for how long the $3 - $4 blades should last or if I bought the wrong one's. I bought a 12 pack of milwaukee demolition blades. Are there any good models out there for sawzalls? I only need something for about 10 hours worth of work that will hold the blades tight. Need to cut through about 40-50 joists which have been end nailed.

Thanks,
Greg

[Ben Franz]

I've been through several recip saws over the years as a remodeling contractor. I only buy Milwaukee saws now - the Super Sawsall does have a quick change blade clamp and it works!! If you don't need the tool for the long haul, they are easy to sell used. Try the bi-metal blades if you have lots of nails to cut. My opinions, FWIW. Good luck.

[Jason White]

First, make sure you're using recip blades that are made for metal. The "bimetal" on the label just means they're using two kinds of metal in the blade. It doesn't necessarily mean it's a metal-cutting blade. I generally use the ones from Lenox for demo that are labelled "wood & nails." They're pretty good, but no recip blade will last a long time. Try using the full length of the blade if possible. The area closest to you is often the one that wears most quickly.

As for the RIDGID saw, sounds like you got a defective unit. Just take it back and exchange it. I'm sure RIDGID makes a perfectly fine recip saw.

JW


So I have a lot of work to do on my deck...have to tear half of it apart and put it new supports. I went out to the BORG and picked up the ridgid sawzall thinking that since it had the lifetime warrenty that it would be worth it. I need to cut through nails and some wood to take apart the joists etc. typical demo work but i am trying to be kind so that I can reuse all the material. I will probably come back with joist hangers after the fact to put the joists back in.

I have not even had 1 hour on the sawzall and have gone through 2 milwaukee blades along with the fact that the quickrelease on the ridgid is not holding the blades and they are popping out at the first sign of any back and forth pressure. I was thinking of just bringing the saw back and picking up a milwaukee which does not have the quick release for the blades.

Any advice out there for how long the $3 - $4 blades should last or if I bought the wrong one's. I bought a 12 pack of milwaukee demolition blades. Are there any good models out there for sawzalls? I only need something for about 10 hours worth of work that will hold the blades tight. Need to cut through about 40-50 joists which have been end nailed.

Thanks,
Greg

[Dave Sweeney]

Sometimes those quick release mechanism can be a little finicky when new. I had a problem with the one on my jig saw not holding the blade when I first got it. I found that the blade wasn't seating all the way and all it needed was a little extra push to fully seat it in the mechanism. After awhile, once the mechanism got broken in, I never had that issue again.

[Tyler Davis]

buy a pack of Boar blades - they are great for all kinds of demo. Wood teeth on one side and metal teeth on the other. But the teeth extend all the way around the circumference of the blade, rather than stopping and restarting. This means that the blade never "stubs its toe" - the teeth are always engaged. Why no other manufactures have figured this out eludes me :confused:

I'm not sure if they're just cheap or if they don't have any engineers...

[Rick Potter]

Like Dave Sweeney, I recently had a problem with a new Milwaukee sawzall not holding the blades. A little oil and a firm push a few times and it now works fine.

Rick Potter

[glenn bradley]

Many makers have that one thing that they just do better than others. A Mil Sawzall is one of those makers and one of those things.

[Bill Dunn jr]

I always use Lenox blades for my reciprocating saw, the bi-metal nail embedded wood blades are best for cutting through wood and nails. I have even cut steel I beams with them (of course that trashes the blade quickly). I have been in construction for the past 28 years and always used Porter Cable. I have the newest version now which has the quick change feature. It also has the ability to twist into all different configurations which comes in very handy when doing demo.

[Rollie Meyers]

If it's not a Milwaukee it's not a Sawzall® :D. It's a reciprocating saw and if it's not made by Hubbell, not a Twistlock® it's just a locking device...

Two products by their respective manufacturers who built the best products whose trademarks are often used to improperly describe other products. (In reguards to Milwaukee, that seems to be subject to change as products are offshored to China).:mad:

[Jim O'Dell]

I've had a PC Tigersaw for about 4 years now. I use the Milwaukee blades and have been very happy. The dealership I used to work at got a Ridgid for cutting the cat convertors off the exhaust for replacement, and it seemed to do fine for the techs. I never tried it, but have been happy with the Ridgid tools I do have. But I wouldn't trade my PC Tigersaw for one. :D Jim.

[Craig Hemsath]

I have the 11amp (i think) Rigid 'Sawzall' and used it quite a bit. I've really enjoyed using it, nothing to complain about. I also really like the contractor's bag it came with. I'd try getting a new one if you're having problems with it. With the blades, you're just going to chew through them no matter what. Make sure it's the nail embedded wood blades, but just get lots of them.

[Jim Heffner]

Like a previous poster said...if it ain't a Milwaukee it ain't a sawzall.
Everybody in the tool business has tried to copy Milwaukee's sawzall
but haven't come close in my opinion. I have the one my dad bought
over 40 years ago when he was a plumber working on the job( the old metal encased saws with an allen screw to tighten the blade), it still works perfectly every time I need it, just like it always has! Hard to replace or out do the original.

[Greg Cuetara]

Ok....I get it....I had a Ridgid reciprocating saw...like I said I had. I took it back this afternoon and picked up a Milwaukee sawzall. Got it going and chewed up twice as much of my deck in half the time as the Ridgid. Thanks for all the advice.
Greg

[David G Baker]

Greg,
You made a wise choice as far as I am concerned. Milwaukee makes a very good product. I bought the high end Sawzall and love it. I have a Ryobi battery operated saw that I use on some tree pruning, it is okay but no where near as good as the Milwaukee.