Milwaukee Sawzall...

[mantonuc]

Hello everyone,

  Over the last few months, we have had some bad rains in the Atlanta area...  The excessive rains found a way into my basement, which resulted in about 1" of standing water in one of the corners...  We kind of know where the rain is getting in (through small cracks in the foundation walls...  To facilitate the repairs, I need to demolish about 58 linear feet of walls...  I used to own a Dewalt sawZall but got rid of it years ago because it really was not that good.  It had the old style of a hex screw to remove/replace blades and it did not have the "orbital" action of some of the newer units...

  I have been looking at getting a new one and was wondering if any of you have had any experience with Milwaukee...  I am specifically looking at the 15 Apm 6538-21 that has both the tool-less blade change and the orbital action that are supposed to be good...  Does anyone have experience with Milwaukee tools (reliability)?  Any suggestions on other brand sawzalls?

Matt

Matt

developed a leak in the vasement that resulted in I need to do some o facilitate  and am in the market for a good sawzall... 

 

[Brice Burrell]

Matt, I have experience with a slightly older model. Milwaukee does make some very good tools in particular their sawzall. The quick release blade feature is great. I don't think you'll be disappointed with this saw.

 

[Daviddubya]

It would be difficult to be disappointed with a Milwuakee Sawzall.  I have used one for a long time, and never wished for anything different.  Kind of like my Festools.   [laughing]

 

[frehouseremdlin]

As far as recips go , milwaukee is the only thing i would grab. I have used them  for many years and they really hold up well. Plus they just have a good feel to them.

Brett

 

[score0matic]

I have that particular model and I LOVE it.  Some Pro's are singing the praises of the new Makita (the big one) as well.  If I were in the market for a new one and price was no concern I would buy that same saw again.  Go for it
Craig

 

[erikfsn]

I would look into the 15 amp Makita with AVT (anti-vibration technology). I like it better than the Milwaukee. The AVT on the Makita really works well.

 

[harry_]

Matt,

Years ago Milwaukee sawzalls were where it was at for reciprocating saws. Some say still are. I cant really say, years ago it was proven to me that someone apparently liked my sawzall more than I did (read: stole). It was some time before I needed to own one again. But by then I had noticed that I had not seen a single Milwaukee on a job site that did not have a broken shoe assembly. I also noticed that those also did not require the allen wrench to change the blade. To me this begs the question, has quality gone down in the years since getting away from the allen screw?

Should you happen to decide not to go with the Milwaukee, do NOT buy a Bosch. They are a P.O.S. and I outright dread using mine for I know that it is a 50/50 shot that it will have to go in for repair if I do. I have had it for about 4 years, it might have a total of 10 hours on it. Been in the shop 3 times. Two of which under warranty. Next time it dies it will become a wheel chock.

 

[mwhafner]

If it is Milwaukee, and has a cord, you are in good shape. 

I have been through a handful of cordless recip saws, from various brands.  I have a Super Sawzall, and it is about 18 years old and still going strong.  It doesn't have the tool-less blade change, but has served me well. 

 

[harry_]

If it is Milwaukee, and has a cord, you are in good shape. 

I have been through a handful of cordless recip saws, from various brands.  I have a Super Sawzall, and it is about 18 years old and still going strong.  It doesn't have the tool-less blade change, but has served me well. 

That's what I had. It's the 'since tool-less' that I question.

 

[proclive]

I will second the Makita sawzall. The JR3070CT was selling at Home Depot a few months ago for $99, but they are most likely all gone by now. It is the best sawzall out there in terms of power and features and anti vibe. Milwaukee doesn't come close.

 

[spikfot]

I've owned 4 Milwaukee Sawzalls and one Makita over the last 20+ years
Never had one break down, although I have noticed a decline in Milwaukee tool quality in general over the last few years. The last one I bought (last year) is made in Germany and seems to be reliable, the only problem being with Milwackee's fast-fix type cords. No where near as good as Festool's.
I sure miss those old metal boxes.

 

[score0matic]

The big Mil. which is the one discussed in this thread

The Tooless blade change issues of earlier models has been fixed.

The AVT that Makita is using was pioneered by Milwaukee  the difference is akin to the ride of a Lexus or that of Cadillac (read personal preference)

The one thing i like about this saw is the trigger.....  the last Mil i had had a Very stiff trigger..............this one is good.

As to the foot.  Remember that these are Demo tools  and if used hard they will likely suffer damage here,  you will see more Mil's damaged but that is more likely due to the fact that there are so many more of them,  and most are being handled by employees not owners who seem to care for their tools. 

The Mak is a good tool  either will do you well
Craig

 

[Brice Burrell]

.....the only problem being with Milwackee's fast-fix type cords. No where near as good as Festool's.
I sure miss those old metal boxes.

I couldn't agree more.

 

[mantonuc]

Wow - that's a responses guys...  I was not aware of the fact that the quality of the Milwaukee tools was going  down...  That is a bummer.  That has been my experience with Dewalt as well and that is why I was not really considering that particular brand...  The local HomeDepot did not have the Mikita sawzall in stock so I was not able to look at it...  But they did have the Milwaukee's on the shelf...  I picked the Mil up this morning and will be attacking the basement this afternoon...  It does have the anti-vibration technology so I am guessing that in conjunction with my "anti-vibration" gloves should keep my minor bout of tendentious at bay...  Thanks again for the feedback everyone...

Matt

 

[Hoover]

I disagree, Milwaukee tools are excellent and have not gone down.  They make great sawsalls, corded and cordless drills and some other framing tools like their circ saws, etc are good.  The new line of M12 sub compact tools is excellent, great battery life and very good quality tools

 

[spikfot]

The 28v Li Ion batteries that came with my 4-piece Milwaukee kit are the worst batteries I've ever owned, discharge very quickly and are worthless in cold weather. They are also the most expensive. First two were replaced with two of the "improved version" which were no better. The Store where I bought them from has closed down.
That is my most recent Milwaukee experience, and I'm not alone. The Company I buy 90% of my Festools from has stopped selling Milwaukee because of a large increase in customer complaints and the poor response to them.

 

[mastercabman]

I also agree about Milwaukee quality lately.I have a 1/2" magnum hole shooter that i bought in 1990,still works great!(i don't use it as much now but still do)
But i had the worst luck with their cordless tools.I had a 12 V. drill that never really liked,burn the switch then the charger went bad.
This was back in 1996-97.
Then i tried again in 2002 with a 18V hammer drill,and radio.What a waste!  the radio could not keep the memory of the clock and preset station.And yes i did check and replaced the 2 AA batteries.It had some kind of bad connection.Then later it would not work with a battery,only plugged in with the cord.
Then the drill smoked!!!  Burned the motor.Also never liked the drill.Bad design.Hard to change the battery,no brake,did not have much power compared to my Hilti 12V.
Just not happy with their cordless.

 

[JEP]

I've got "the Hatchet" sawzall, bot the corded and cordless version.  The corded version is the best sawzall I've ever used.  The adjustable handle is great when it's a cramped space.  I recommend it highly.  The cordless version is a battery hog and doesn't last long on a charge.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

If the milwaukee tool has a cord, it will be a very robust
and dependable tool.  My older 13amp sawzall, tool less
blade change, has been through ditches and back. It still
works like a champ.

Milwaukee's cordless tools are worthless, maybe not the tool
but their battery's have always sucked.  They never made a
good battery. 

 

[mantonuc]

I have had two different 12 volt tools form Milwaukee now...  The first is the M12 "No hub" driver and it has been pretty good...  I used it to rebuild my deck (~800 SF) and it worked fantastic...  I did the under mounting supports and I think I put in somewhere around 10,000 screws...  Not an issue...  I was working late one night and by the time I finished, it was dark...  In the rush to "close shop", I missed that the driver was still outside...  Well, I did not get back to working on the deck for another two weeks...  When I finally started working, I noticed that the driver had been laying on some scaffolding.  Damn, it spent two weeks outside and it rained several time during those two weeks...  There was a slight bit of surface rust on the driver and I was sure that I ruined it...

Well, a quick charge and that puppy was as good as new...  I have been using it for about 1.5 years after that little mess-up and no issues at all... All and all, I am pretty impressed with it...  It does not have a ton of power, but I did not buy for power, but rather for being light and small...

About three months ago, I purchased the M12 SUB-SCANNER from Milwaukee...  The first unit I got had a dead battery right out of the box...  I could not get the battery to take a charge...  I exchanged it for a new one and that one has been fine...

Matt