Cordless Saw Reviews & Buying Guides

Our cordless saw reviews cover cordless miter saws, cordless circular saws, and cordless reciprocating saws. Then you have the one-handed models, specialty saws, and other tools. There’s even the DeWalt cordless table saw, a product once thought unthinkable (or at least impractical). We expect more and more of these high power cordless saws to hit the market over the next few years. Cordless Saw Reviews for Construction Pros With such a wide segment of tools, cordless saw reviews are a bit varied. The most popular category clearly includes our cordless circular saw shootout followed by cordless miter saws. While cordless circ saws have dominated job sites for years, the cordless miter saw breaks fresh ground. These powerful yet compact cross-cutting tools have literally changed the way Pro work on the jobsite. When you can pull a cordless miter saw off your truck and get right to work, that’s progress. As dust collection and vibration control improve, more and more of these products implement better safety and ergonomics. Look for that in our individual and head to head reviews.

Makita 12V Max Lithium-Ion Recipro Saw Kit RJ01W Preview

Makita RJ01W 12V Max Recipro Saw Kit Preview

Earlier this week we spied out some of Makita’s new 12V tools that had made it to the UK market and wondered how quickly, if ever, they would make it to our shores. Turns out the first product didn’t take very long. Makita just released its new Makita 12V Max Lithium-Ion Recipro Saw Kit (model RJ01W). This is a new one-handed reciprocating saw that gives you power in a compact package to accomplish all sorts of tasks. What’s more, Makita is also offering the new saw as part of a 2-piece combo kit (model LCT212W) where it’s bundled with a 12V max Lithium-Ion 3/8″ Driver-Drill.

DeWalt DCS373 20V MAX Metal Cutting Circular Saw Preview

DeWalt DCS373 20V MAX Metal Cutting Circular Saw Preview

The new DeWalt DCS373 20VMAX Lithium Ion Metal Cutting Circular Saw delivers speed and power to cleanly cut a variety of metallic construction materials. The motor in the DCS373 delivers 460 Max Watts Out (MWO) and 3,700 revolutions per minute (RPM), making this saw ideal for electricians, mechanical contractors and professional metal workers. Equipped with a 5-1/2 inch, 30 tooth carbide blade and maximum cutting depth of 1-11/16 inches; this saw is set up to make quick, clean cuts in ferrous materials such as uni-strut, threaded rod, conduit, cold rolled pipe, metal plate and pan decking, in one pass.

Masterforce 18V Cordless Band Saw 241-0440 Review

Masterforce 18V Cordless Band Saw 241-0440 Review

The Masterforce 18V cordless band saw was something that intrigued me. It looked light and portable and it was based on a decent platform that I was familiar with, so I knew there were batteries, chargers, and other tools that could work off the same system. That alone made it expandable and attractive and, besides that, I had been looking forward to trying out a cordless version of this type of tool for quite a while now. Not many DIY-types will have much use for a cordless band saw, but if you are an electrician or a plumber, it will almost undoubtedly be one of the greatest power tools in your bag. I happen to work for a local electrical company and so the ideas that were running through my head while pondering the use of this type of tool in my daily job, were beginning to overwhelm me. This was going to be a review I could really dive into.

Metabo STA 18 LTX 18V Cordless Jig Saw Preview

Metabo STA 18 LTX 18V Cordless Jig Saw Preview

Metabo Corporation is a company we’re at least familiar with, though we haven’t done too much hands-on with their tools to-date (something we hope to remedy soon). The German company has been around for decades and specializes in pro-grade electric and cordless power tools and abrasives for the industrial, construction and welding industries. This week, Metabo introduced the 18V STA 18 LTX Cordless Jig Saw which is part of the company’s PowerMaster Series of 18V lithium-ion cordless power tools. Metabo is focusing on power and run-time, stating that the new saw can cut more than 98 feet of chipboard with a single battery pack charge. The tool seems ideal for all the expected roles of a jig saw, like HVAC duct cutting, cabinet making and fitting, and just about any plywood application you can think of.

Milwaukee M12 Cordless Jig Saw Kit 2445-21 Preview

Milwaukee M12 Cordless Jig Saw Kit 2445-21 Preview

Jigsaws can be very inexpensive and occasional-use tools, or they can be the thing you reach for at all times to solve a whole suite of difficult cutting challenges. In our case, we find that the tool really determines which viewpoint you have. Take the new Milwaukee M12 Cordless High Performance Jig Saw (2445-21), for example. This new jigsaw was shown off to us at the 2011 Milwaukee Press Event and we really haven’t stopped thinking about it. The new jigsaw is incredibly simple in design – but in a good way. It has a “Hybrid Grip” design, which Milwaukee pitches as the best combination of features from a top handle and barrel grip jig saw. And really, the handle is unique and it provides ample grip, while giving you really good balance while making cuts. The tool is also very small and handles well. It weighs just 4.1 lbs and is only 8.75″ long from base to front. From our inventory of the market, this looks to be one of, if not the most, compact cordless jigsaw that targets professional users. While the Milwaukee 2645-22 M18 Jig Saw we reviewed earlier this year provides more power, this M12 model is infinitely more flexible and portable.

DeWalt DCS391L1 20V MAX Lithium-Ion Circular Saw Review

DeWalt DCS391L1 20V MAX Lithium-Ion Circular Saw Review

Portability, power, weight and depth of cut are all things to look for in a cordless circular saw and the DeWalt DCS391L1 20V MAX Lithium-Ion Circular Saw delivers on all these levels. Equipped with a thin kerf saw blade and a powerful 460 watt motor, this saw is able to power through most cuts much like a corded model. With a 6-1/2″ saw blade, cutting 2x material is not a problem, even when making 45 degree bevel cuts. The new 3.0Ah Lithium-Ion battery provides over 50 percent longer run time than the other DeWalt cordless models on the market, translatesing into less downtime and more productivity.