( 15 reviews )
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Posted: Aug 9 2009
The Makita reciprocating saw is all that I expected it would be. It is a powerful saw making short work of my projects including cutting exhaust pipes, half inch bolts, and lumber with nails. Blade changes are easy. The tool feels good and has good balance.
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Posted: Jul 9 2009
This is an outstanding product (so far). I have a long history with Mikita and I have had one product give me fits, but not this one! It is a very serious saw! Make sure you provide it with the right amount of power (the right-sized extention cord) and it will do the job! Neat!
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Posted: Jun 24 2009
I can't believe I have to give Makita a 1-star on a review. I own and use an 18V Makita drill that has served me pretty well (though I did have to take it to a service center and they replaced the 'transmission,' under warranty, with an updated one). I currently work for a construction company that uses reciprocating saws, and uses them a lot. We cut a good amount of metal framing, door frames, wood framing and drywall with them. Before I started working with this company they used Porter Cable 'sawzalls.' We still have one or two left that rarely go out on jobs due to the side-to-side play that the worn Porter Cable blade-mechanisms allow. For general cutting they will still do the job, but for making straight cuts across drywall, or precise metal cuts, it's time to grab something else. Since I've been working there we've used Milwaukee Sawzalls, and we've had pretty good luck with those (they lasted about two years). But these Makitas ... wow, what a nightmare. From the get-go we had one that threw blades out. Two of the others developed this tendency within the first month of use. After three months of use we really only have one Makita reciprocating saw that doesn't throw blades AND has kept its parts together. On most of them the switch on the left side, in the black area, that changes them to 'orbital' cutting has broken (and those broke pretty early - either not being able to hold position, or just falling off). The metal guard on the front to adjust cutting depth has broken off on one of our saws, and inspection showed the metal it was made of to be thick - but seemingly a cheap type of metal (perhaps cast steel?). The thinner guards on the Milwaukees are a real steel, and while we've bent them, we have never had a Milwaukee's guard break like the Makita's did. We really like the speed control on these, when they work, but beyond that they have just been problematic. To be honest, we have one Ryobi reciprocating saw (plug in, none of our saws are rechargeable) that I would give three or four stars for, over this Makita, and that's for honest and tough use in construction. My suggestion is to take a good look at Milwaukee sawzalls if you want a saw for every-day construction use. For home-use I suggest you even consider buying the Ryobi - ours has been a surprisingly good saw. But I cannot recommend the Makitas for even light-duty use after seeing ours all go south (except for the one - though we did have to use a screw to wedge even that one's 'orbital' switch to stay in the "off" position two days ago).
