The best cordless reciprocating / sawzall saw

[jiminwatford]

I've been offered the gift of 'the best' cordless reciprocating saw for an up coming birthday

Yesterday i thought i had found my result from a test which put the Ryobi RRS1801M ahead. So i priced up batteries, charger and blades and let the family know

Today a similar serach shows the Dewalt DCS380N-XJ. And Dewalt seem to offer bigger and better ones of those

So my descision is not as simple as i thought

Exactly what i would cut with it is not clear. But who knows? The more it can cut the more i'll use it

If it could replace my corded angle grinder that could be handy

Ideally i supppose i'm looking for the one which is as good as the very best but is also well priced

Any suggestions welcome

I'm in the UK and would prefer to buy from within UK in case of returns etc

[tristanh]

Look at Milwaukee tools.

[SmokeEm]

Personally, I would go with Bosch. They give a 2 year warranty and spares are not an issue. If you were closer I would do you a deal on one! I would buy a carton only body so its cheaper and then splash out on 2 4ah batteries and a charger (Available seperately from your dealer) That way, you will only need to buy boxed bare units in the future as u already have the batteries. (Much much cheaper that way)
ps - Don't buy Dewalt - they are owned by Black & Decker!

Best power tools you can get really are Metabo but cost ££££

[strikey]

don't know about specific models but id avoid dewalt like the pox (never got the "ooooh i must buy it its yellow" mentality of some trades). hitachi are solid but not sure if they do a recipro? makita gear is good but the batteries are pony. milwaukee is cracking kit but i have always stuck with bosch for pretty much all my power tools. other than a decent drill my 4 1/2" grinder will be the last tool to be prized out of my cold dead hand!! i did a lot of years in the tool hire industry so i know what can handle abuse.

[moglite]

No specific advice, but you'll be spending a fair bit on the batteries and charger, so whatever you chose, have a look what else the batteries will fit, as with a bit of luck you'll be able to expand the "system" in the future.

[slater]

Bosch here too. Buy a proper professional tool. Dewalt, Makitia and Riobi are just DIY dog turd nowerdays.

The advice about buying batteries separately is good too. I use Bosch wireless batteries now. Great if you are using the tools in a workshop. You never have to worry about batteries being flat.

[jiminwatford]

Thanks for the info guys

I'll do more research over the weekend and order next week

[Dez]

I’ve always been a fan of makita power tools, but in the last couple years the quality and durability has dropped considerably- but funnily enough not the price.

The new Xlt drill I bought earlier this year is not as good as the 6 year old non-Xlt one I’ve got, and noticeably poorer quality than my mates ryobi ‘one’.
This effects you as the cordless saw you’re looking at will be Xlt if you buy makita. For the record I think the batteries are better than they used to be, but the base units are lower quality and fragile.

Their new grinders are just toss compared to the older squarer ones. I’ve now got a Bosch professional and a metabo and both are much better than the current makita range.

[meaningreen]

I’ve only ever managed to kill one Makita tool, they’re generally pretty hardy. I agree that they seemed to go through a spell with battery quality issues though.

[meaningreen]

I’ve only ever managed to kill one Makita tool, they’re generally pretty hardy. I agree that they seemed to go through a spell with battery quality issues though.

It’s LXT by the way (to avoid confusion..).

[joem83]

Just to mucky the waters, I've had a 18v DeWalt twin pack drill and impact driver for 2.5 years now. Used them every day for 18 months while renovating our house, not had 1 problem with them. Admittedly I'm not a trades person but I did hammer them both.

My mate bought the brushless Makita version, which did seem better but cost nearly double.

Another mate bought the Milwaukee brushless twin pack before I bought my DeWalt, think it was more than double what mine cost and I don't think he has used it yet lol

I bought a corded screwfix own brand reciprocating saw for 1 job as it was the only tool that would have worked. Think I have used it maybe 5 times in the same 2.5 years. Seemes decent quality tbh.

[ChasR]

We have a Makita Reciprocating saw and it's great.

Makita and Bosch are probably safe bets.

[nomad]

Beefy batteries will be needed and will cost £££, maybe look at what other tools you might want in future and make sure they will work with the batteries you pick this time.

I've committed to Makita and have no complaints, but read the spec on sawzalls - Makita do 2 types (lets call one "hobby" the other "serious pro") one has half the stroke* of the other.
* Pun deleted - insert your own here