reciprocating saw battery or corded

[jon burgess]

i am looking to buy a reciprocating saw for demolition a outside deck. should i get one the has a battery or one that has a cord?

(THE BRAND DOES NOT MATTER TO ME) 

[ChrisK]

Well, a corded version will have more run time and consequently in some case more power (Milwaukee Fuel M18 from what I've heard just as much power) whereas getting a cordless could allow you to get into a power tool line.

[NERemodeling]

If you can't think of a reason cordless would be much more convenient on this or future projects and have have access to electricity I would say go corded.. for less money you will have a much more powerful tool

Cordless will cost you at least 200 for a decent saw, 2 batteries and charger. 400 if you want the milwaukee m18 fuel kit which is the most like a corded tool

for around 100 bucks you can get a good corded model and for 200 you will get a top of the line model.

[Hugh Jass]

I'd only say to stay away from the Dewalt compact reciprocating saw. It's been the only tool in the 20v lineup that I'm really disappointed with. Power leaves something to be desired and the vibration is the worst of any tool I've ever used. My 18v dewalt was a better performer, but it ate brushes like crazy.

[Nalu Rash]

If you can afford it, and if you see yourself buying more cordless tools in the future, I would go with the Milwaukee 2720-21 M18 Fuel Sawzall. Like Chris already mentioned, It has power on par with most corded saws. The ability to just pick up a tool and go is nice. I need to mention though that I don't own that Recip Saw, I have a corded DeWalt that has never let me down for over 10 years. Only problem that I had with my corded tools are the cords being cut or frayed, but these can be easily repaired.

 

Here's a link to the Milwaukee:

http://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-2720-21-SAWZALL-Reciprocating-Battery/dp/B00FSG0SU8

 

[WeldfabNeil]

I myself would bring my Milwaukee m18 fuel cordless sawzall. I have 13 batteries for my m18s so running out of batteries isn't a issue. You don't need that many batteries but since my first m18 kit to my last m18 fuel kit they just add up. Starting out the Milwaukee m18 fuel sawzall combo kit with two batteries would do.

If your not looking to spend a lot of money go with a corded. You can pick up a basic Milwaukee sawzall for like a hundred bucks at Home Depot. There's cheaper brands but Milwaukee is my brand of choice for corded or cordless sawzaws.

Either one you go with get a good blade, those make all the difference. I like millwakee or Freud blades.

[Fazzman]

I have a cordless one that I use for numerous things including Tree pruning(with a pruning blade). Its nice not having to drag a cord around.

 

I think cordless are fine nowadays assuming you get decent 4.0 or 5.0 batteries for runtime. With good blades you'd be surprised what you can cut through.

[DPSElias]

depends on what you want, if I needed a really powerful one and I had 20V dewalts and wanted a Milwaukee or Makita recip then I'd probably lean toward corded, the other benefit of corded is they'd pretty much last forever in a light duty case, I have some corded tools that are 20+ years old and still work, now my older cordless are becoming paperweights due to the inability to find batteries. But if you get into a name brand you shouldn't have an issue with cordless becoming paperweights, hence why I got into the Dewalt and Milwaukee cordless, I know they support there lines for a long time.

[Conductor562]

Even 2-3 years ago the cordless recip saws were only really suitable for small jobs and quick cuts, but with the premier of 4 and 5 ah batteries and brushless motors, cordless in pretty viable for most jobs.

That said, recip saws, like circ saws, are one of those tools that I'd be leery of having only a cordless version of.

[Poisonfangs85]

Cordless have their place, that goes without saying. When doing work in an attic/crawl, or something remote where a generator would be needed a cordless is a godsend. On the other hand if I have power nearby I grab my corded every time.

[dwain]

ive tested a Dewalt electric vs Dewalt 20V and found them to have very similar power. So to me it comes down to usage. If you want a cordless line anyway, and don't use it non-stop, I say get the FUEL or Dewalt 20V or similar. 

[WeldfabNeil]

I agree with conductor.

It's good to have a corded. I go for my cordless most the time bur still keep a corded. If I was doing a lot of cutting I can grab my corded. most of the time I don't need long run times with heavy cutting, so cordless does. If had to choose between corded or cordless as I was starting out I would go with a corded.

[PeteW]

i started out with cordless, then ran into an issue when i was trying to take down a shed and my batteries were in bad shape, so i went corded, honestly i think corded is the best, cordless is nice for small quick jobs and when i am working on a jobsites without power but otherwise i go corded 75% of the time.

[jon burgess]

thank you all for the help on which one to buy.

[Poisonfangs85]

thank you all for the help on which one to buy.

Glad to help you spend your money anytime!

[boonez40]

Well guys I am surprised no one mention the Metabo line. Maybe none of you know but my sawzall is both corded and cordless. So I have the best off both worlds.

My new set is 36 volt, I can switch from a 36 volt battery to 120 volt in a just a few seconds. Plus my 36 volt batteries are backwards compatible and I can run them in my 18 volt impact for double the run time.
The Sawzal is very smooth and the vibration is almost non existent. Yes it is heavy but it's also a heavy duty tool.

Right now till September, if you buy a tool, you can get a free battery or the AC adapter for free with the rebate promo form.

I have already recieved my AC adapter, it came in the mail a few days ago, and I am waiting on 2 free batteries that will be showing up next week.

17 years ago I purchase the Hitachi ( Metabo ) 18 volt nicad system with the AC adapter. Batteries crapped out a few years ago so they are now dedicated corded. I still plug them up and use the units at home and use my 36 volt for work.

Feel free to hit me up if you want to see pics of the older 18 volt NiCd system . It's pretty cool.

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[paulengr]

Fully disagree with the statement that cordless saws are underpowered. Not true with brushless DC motors. When they were brushed and we had limited current from NiCd/NiMH I’d agree. Brushless saws have more torque than AC motors so the cordless ones now equal or exceed corded for power. Also no mention of air saws. And as for “all day” you can’t honestly stick a 3 cell lithium battery on one and expect any torque or to last more than 60 seconds. But a couple 15 cell lithium batteries (9-15 Ah) goes all day. Nobody not even a junkyard crew can go continuously on these saws and with better than an hour of run time under realistic “continuous” conditions cordless equals corded. But I constantly see guys ignore the instructions and plug in a 1.5 or even 5 Ah battery on a super Sawzall and then complain it is underpowered as it bogs down and the battery dies after 3 minutes. Just because the battery fits doesn’t mean it will operate correctly. They just don’t have enough current to drive a tool like that.

The market is now kind of five saws. First we have the multi tools. Kind of like Dremel...they have their place.

Second are true mini reciprocating saws. I think Dremel used to have a product but hands down this is the one place pneumatic saws shine,

Then there are one handed saws. These are much lighter. They get in right spots. We’ve had no problems going right through nails, sheet metal, bolts. It only gets in trouble on say 6x6 lumber or heavy steel where the bigger ones bog down. I really haven’t found that there are downsides here. They run just fine on mid size batteries. I don’t own any little ones so no idea on performance.

Second is the traditional saw first introduced as the Milwaukee Sawzall. Two handed, big, heavy. Intended as a demolition tool and that’s what it does best. Cuts through quarter inch steel, conduits, wood, plumbing, whatever doesn’t rip the teeth off the blades. No prizes for neatness. That’s not the point. If you want that go to a circular saw or saber saw.

Last are the “super Sawzalls” which are orbital two handed saws. The king of Demo. Eats everythjng very fast. Very rough on everything including end users.

To be honest I haven’t seen a lot of difference across brands. It’s a specialized tool so best to buy the one that matches your battery line.

[boonez40]

Fully disagree with the statement that cordless saws are underpowered. Not true with brushless DC motors. When they were brushed and we had limited current from NiCd/NiMH I’d agree. Brushless saws have more torque than AC motors so the cordless ones now equal or exceed corded for power. Also no mention of air saws. And as for “all day” you can’t honestly stick a 3 cell lithium battery on one and expect any torque or to last more than 60 seconds. But a couple 15 cell lithium batteries (9-15 Ah) goes all day. Nobody not even a junkyard crew can go continuously on these saws and with better than an hour of run time under realistic “continuous” conditions cordless equals corded. But I constantly see guys ignore the instructions and plug in a 1.5 or even 5 Ah battery on a super Sawzall and then complain it is underpowered as it bogs down and the battery dies after 3 minutes. Just because the battery fits doesn’t mean it will operate correctly. They just don’t have enough current to drive a tool like that.

The market is now kind of five saws. First we have the multi tools. Kind of like Dremel...they have their place.

Second are true mini reciprocating saws. I think Dremel used to have a product but hands down this is the one place pneumatic saws shine,

Then there are one handed saws. These are much lighter. They get in right spots. We’ve had no problems going right through nails, sheet metal, bolts. It only gets in trouble on say 6x6 lumber or heavy steel where the bigger ones bog down. I really haven’t found that there are downsides here. They run just fine on mid size batteries. I don’t own any little ones so no idea on performance.

Second is the traditional saw first introduced as the Milwaukee Sawzall. Two handed, big, heavy. Intended as a demolition tool and that’s what it does best. Cuts through quarter inch steel, conduits, wood, plumbing, whatever doesn’t rip the teeth off the blades. No prizes for neatness. That’s not the point. If you want that go to a circular saw or saber saw.

Last are the “super Sawzalls” which are orbital two handed saws. The king of Demo. Eats everythjng very fast. Very rough on everything including end users.

To be honest I haven’t seen a lot of difference across brands. It’s a specialized tool so best to buy the one that matches your battery line.

I disagree on the super sawzall being rough on the end user, you should try the Metabo 36 volt sawzall. It is very pleasant to use, vibration is very minimal. It is orbital as well as strait pull. Mind you that it does also have 4 speed settings if you need to be delicate. As also a variable speed trigger.
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