Milwaukee or PC Saw?

MicroE

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I need to buy a Sawzall (reciprocating saw) and I was looking for a recommendation from anybody that has one or uses one. We're talking about 11 Amp units here. The big boys.
Milwaukee or Porter Cable? Or some other brand?---Marc
 

Brock

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Milwaukee, they are both great tools, but I like the feel of the Milwaukee better. By the way they are both actually made in Milwaukee, WI or at least they were in the 80's.
 

InFlux

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I second the recommendation for a Milwaukee SuperSawzall for everyday, hard use.

I haven't used the Porter Cable, but they have a great reputation in general. Hitachi may be worth checking out too (not sure if they make a reciprocating saw...).

I'd avoid the newer yellow "D" things. I understand they've been cutting corners lately. I wouldn't even consider Ryobi unless you'll hardly ever use it.

What are you gonna use it for? Even the cordless milwalkee ("The Hatchet") works great for lighter applications.
 

turbodog

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The 11 amp unit may be fine for someone using this thing to cut down trees, but I see no real need for a large one. It's gonna be more expensive and produce more heat.

I have had no problem with the classic milwaukee sawzall model. I have yet to choke it down, even when cutting through 1.5" plate steel with all my weight on it.

The ONLY thing I can see good about the larger units is the addition of a counterbalancer. But, that's not a care if you aren't using this thing daily.

Save your $ and use it to buy a variety of blades.
 

tiktok 22

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If you need a beefy sawzall, go with a Milwaukee. I've used one for years and it's never let me down. The 11 amp model is a monster. It'll beat the crap out of you if you get the blade stuck!!!
 

theepdinker

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I use my saws almost daily.
I own & have used comparable models from Craftsman, Milwaukee & Porter Cable.
The Porters put the others to shame.

Theepdinker
 

MicroE

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Why do I need the saw?
I have a bunch of old steel rods (think: rebar) that I need to cut up over the weekend and this would be better than my hacksaw.
I need to rip the clapboard off my house and replace it in the spring. I have tree limbs falling down all over the place that need to be cut up into manageable chunks.
I am not a contractor, just a very energetic DIYer (read: Not rich).
There are many times in my life when a sawzall would have been the proper tool for a particular job. Since I don't own one I would somehow manage to do the job with something else.
Chainsaw, big blade on my jig saw, hand saw with a cold chisel. You know the drill for making do.
Sounds like the majority says Milwaukee. Lunch time shopping today.
 

_mike_

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Both brands are reputable and I don't think you'll go wrong with either of them. I have a Milwaukee Sawzall that I purchased about 12-14 years ago and have been happy with it. As stated previously, get a good selection of blades. If I were buying one now, I'd just get whichever one (Milwaukee or PC) was on sale.

You might want to head over the Amazon.com (the tool section) and read some of the customer reviews of the sawzall's by PC and Milwaukee.
 

BIGIRON

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Good advice from all the above. In power tools, more than anywhere else, you get what you pay for. Always buy good blades -- that's certainly not a place to economize.
 

MoonRise

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Big recip saw? Milwaukee. Note that a recip saw is not a finesse tool. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Most of the Porter-Cable stuff I've used or had has been quite good too.

IMHO, use the right tool for the job. Cutting tree limbs is a job for a chain saw. Removing clapboards means a pry/wrecking bar. Cutting up rebar with a reciprocating saw means you'll have to hold the rebar (in a mounted vise) while you hold/guide/use the saw. Or have another person act as the vise (use gloves!) while you play "Saw-Man".
 

MaxaBaker

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I don't know about sawzalls, but I just got a PC compressed air nail gun and it is a beauty. It's built like a rock.
 

MicroE

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When I went to the Home Despot at lunch yesterday there were a couple of guys from Hilti. As I picked up the Milwaukee they stopped me and asked me to buy their own saw. They even let me try it out right there in the store. As I cut through a piece of 2x4 the vibration and shaking were HORRIBLE. The $170 Hilti was expensive junk.
I bought the Milwaukee and have no regrets. It is much, much smoother. The Milwaukee was the same price and has a counterbalance. Thanks for the advice Team CPF!!
---Marc
 

paulr

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I helped my dad install an air conditioner in a wall, and we bought a cheap Ryobi for the purpose. It might not stand up to heavy day-to-day use but it worked fine for the one-afternoon job and should be fine for occasional other uses. I think those tools are excellent value for light duty users. They're sort of like 99 cent Eveready 2D flashlights. Those lights are not of much interest to CPF'ers but are fine for how the general public uses flashlights around their home.
 

MicroE

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Here's a story about those homeowner grade tools.
Last summer a friend called asked me if I had some good quality screws. He was repairing the wooden steps to his backyard door and he just couldn't get the screws to go into the wood.
I grabbed some screws and my 12V Panasonic impact drill/driver and went on over.
He had purchased some screws and a Black & Decker drill/driver (~$70) at Wally World and was using these to rebuild his steps with 2x10 lumber.
Well, he was TRYING to rebuild his steps. The poor little homeowner grade drill just couldn't turn the screws into the wood. It was the little engine that couldn't.
I put the Panasonic (~$220) on the screws and they went into the wood like they were melting into warm butter. 15 minutes later the job was done and we went to walk his dogs.

My grandfather's advice on tools was to buy a better tool than you think you'll need because someday you will need it. That Panasonic has become one of my favorite tools and it was worth every penny.
 

turbodog

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[ QUOTE ]
MoonRise said:
Cutting tree limbs is a job for a chain saw. Removing clapboards means a pry/wrecking bar. Cutting up rebar with a reciprocating saw means you'll have to hold the rebar (in a mounted vise) while you hold/guide/use the saw. Or have another person act as the vise (use gloves!) while you play "Saw-Man".

[/ QUOTE ]

I've got a pack of blades called "the ugly" for my saw. They're about 12" to 14" long and have a tooth design for cutting tree limbs. They're no substitute for my chain saw, but they do a darn good job on limbs to about 6" in diameter.

As far as the clapboard goes...... here's a good example about my "buy a lotta blades" quote from above. I bought a variety pack of blades once and in this pack got some teeny little blades that were smaller than jigsaw blades. I though that I would never use them. They have turned into some of my most useful blades. You can set them to cut so shallow that you can cut the clapboard of the side of the house w/o damaging what's underneath.

The rebar..... yup, better be ready to hang on tight. One of my more useful things is a 6" vise mounted on a 12"x12" slab of wood. It's portable, but you can stand on the wood to hold the vise steady.
 

UncleFester

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MicroE
Maybe to cut the rebar an abrasive (cut off)blade for the skill.. er... circular saw would be the best bet. They're not expensive at all and they go through things like rebar almost like it's not there.
Just my 2 cents
 

MicroE

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UncleFester---I have used the abrasive blades in the past on my 7-1/4" circular saw. They do cut well but the rebar really eats up the abrasive.
The Milwaukee was great today for mid-winter yard clean-up. I put on one of Turbo's Ugly blades and it chopped up most of the tree limbs likety-split. I only neede the chainsaw for a couple of cuts on one 10" diameter limb that Mother Nature "pruned" during a snowstorm in December.
 
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