Reciprocating Saws

[moose]

Guys, I'm about to purchase a reciprocating saw and I would appreciate a bunch of opinions from anyone who actually owns or has actually used one. The purpose of this saw will be anything from light pruning to deconstruction/demolition. I have zero experience with this type of tool.
The brand name is unimportant. I do not need a professional tool or one that will see the ravages of daily use. I am mainly interested in reliability, certain features that would promote ease of use like a rotating handle, vibration issues, ease of blade changes etc. If you have any issues with the saw you own that made you wish you had not made the purchase, please share them with me. Thank you so much for your time.

Moose

[algale]

I bought the Harbor Freight one a few months ago and have been very impressed with. Blade changes are super easy.

[thunderbirdbat]

I have a battery operated one that came in a set. I have used it for some light pruning. I found that it uses a fully charged battery very fast. I would get a corded one. The one I have does have tool-less blade changes which is very nice.

[lyall]

I got an old Black and Decker ( 2 speed) at an auction last year in a metal case and a lot of blades for $5.00, There are several on the auction but they were cordless and went for over $40.
I have used it several time and it is a good saw.
Auctions and craigslist are a good place to got old tools.

[BuckeyeDennis]

I got a set of inexpensive Ryobi cordless tools (from HD) for Christmas ten or fifteen years ago. The little circular saw is a worthless POS, but the drill and the reciprocating saw have done everything that I have ever asked of them, and with 100% reliability.

At work a few years ago, we had an unusual need to cut a hunk of roughly 3/4" thick casting out of a machine-tool base. Total cut length was six or eight inches. The guys in the shop were stumped, tool-wise. So I stopped by Lowes, picked up a diamond abrasive blade for about 15 bucks, loaned them my reciprocating saw and a couple of fairly tired lead-acid batteries, and told them to squirt some oil in the cut every minute or two. Believe it or not, it did the job.

When the original lead-acid batteries finally died, I replaced them with new lithium batteries. The battery life is pretty amazing now. It's very rare that I reach for a corded hand tool anymore. Except for a circular saw, that is.

[reible]

When I got mine there wasn't as big a selection as there is today. No battery operated ones and no off shore stuff. When I wanted was a sawzall and that is what I got. This is a much newer model but please check out the specs and see if it interests you.

http://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-6509-31 ... kee&sr=8-1

We all have are sawzall stories and for many years that is what they were called, sort of like a cresent wrench. Mine favorite store is when I dropped my saw about 8 feet on to a concrete floor. I figured it was dead, not so, and it is still running fine and that was 30+ years ago. Fun thing was I couldn't even find the impact location on the saw, well not on the concrete either for that matter.

If I ever have to replace mine I'm not sure what I would get so I hope that never happens.

Ed

[pieceseeker]

Ditto on the sawzall from Milwakee. First rate tool, heavy duty, mine came in a very nice metal box. I've used mine on tree roots in the yard, although it does tend to dull the "Axe" blades fairly quickly.

A corded one will maintain its power as long as its plugged in.

A battery operated one, although not as powerful, would be convenient in out of the way places: roof, far end of the yard, etc....

If one had a lot of demolition to do, definitely a corded one if possible

[garys]

Milwaukee used to be the best, and likely still is if they are made in the US today.
I bought a Sears Craftsman reciprocating saw about 30 years ago. I have used it hard and have had no issues with it yet. That was back in the day when they were Made in the USA, and it works like a US made product. I doubt that the Craftsman ones are made in US today.
It has eaten up a lot of saw blades in the last 30 years.

If you have to buy Chinese, you might as well get something from Harbor Freight. If someone makes one in the US today, give it a serious look.

[greasemonkey2275]

My wife actually purchased my DeWalt corded, reciprocating saw for me almost 17 years ago. I do not use it all the time but it has definitely come in handy when I have used it for the similar applications you are looking for. If you check Amazon, where she bought it, you will see that every so often they will have some really good deals on them and include a pack of blades!

[rcplaneguy]

Milwaukee used to be the best, and likely still is if they are made in the US today.

Milwaukee has been HongKong/China for many years. I think the same group that makes Ryobi.

I have two recips, a Hitachi cordless and a Sears corded. Good for rough cut demo, mostly. For pruning....not so good, smaller branches tend to flex alot with the cuts. Better choice for that is a lopper if small, chain saw if bigger.