I have/had a Mikita I bought in 1994 and it finally bit the dust. Over time I stripped out the drive gears down to nothing. I did alot of demo with the tool so I'm not really surprised.

Mikita was big in the early 90's when I bought it, but I feel has gone down hill lately.

So anyone know a good saws all? Should I just get the low cost Craftsman one since I'll wear that one out too?

 

Oh yeah, the reason this is on topic, I need to cut down the U-Bolts on the Land Crusher.

 

I think Milwawkee makes a good one. DeWalt makes one, don't know how good it is. Makita is still an excellent brand though.

Chris

 

DeWalt makes a cool 18v cordless one. Cordless is cool

 

OicnaiC,

Yeah, cordless is great except for those times where you are working on a long project that requires alot of "juice". I have a Porter Cable cordless circular saw and for a shelving project that I did last summer, I went thru two batteries.

back to your question Steve: my contractor friend swears by Milwaulkee for drills and sawzalls. Take it for what its worth!

Bob

 

My dad is a heavy equipment mechanic (for 30+ years) and swears by Milwaukee. Check www.northerntool.com for some decent prices.

 

Well the City of my birth it is.


I'll look into a Milwaukee replacement.

I paid $130 for the Mikita and they said just the 2 parts I need are 80-85 bucks.

 

I have a Makita. I've had it since 1995. My Bro in law has a Porter Cable. I seeems alot nicer than the Makita. The Milwaukee's rock also. Not familiar with the Dewalts, but cordless is cool.

 

its all in the amps, more amps, more power, more money. they start around 6.5 amps and go up to 11 amps.

ive been using porter cable's for a long time, they are comfortable and have good power, ive broken one but it was my fault, they seem to hold up great. i use them professionaly so they get used, this is my "bad boy" that will tear anything to shreds(i have three).

if the price was the same id buy the milwauke, they seem really nice and i love really nice tools.

the problem is if you find a factory porter cable repair center in your city you can pick up a refurbished porter cable with the big motor and quick blade change for around $100 dollars with a full warranty.

i have a few dewalt 18 volt sawzalls and one 24 volt, they are very nice but the drawback is the smaller motors, and they also have lower max rpms, i use these for lighter jobs.

for blades if you giuys havent tried them, get the milwauke "TORCH" and you wont be dissapointed.

 

Yeah having batteries die does suck, but having nothing limiting your reach or being in your way rocks. DeWalt makes some preaty long lasting batteries now and If you have 2 then let one charge while you're killing the other.

My dad has an older Porter Cable one, it is preaty nice.


SAWZ-ALLS KICK A$$

 

So Porter Cable or Milwaukee.

Would I really save money buying online or would Lowes or Home Depot have a good price?

 

There was a thread on pirate a week ago about "dirty secrets of your industry". One guy replied that he works for the power tool industry (I forgot exactly what he said), and that Home depot buys powertools that are made cheaper than the same tool at other stores. He said you can check the bar code number or the serial number or something and you will find a different letter at home depot. It might have been a certain brand, I don't remember now. So, buyer beware.

 

My dad swears by Grizzly Tools. He has a bunch of different saws from them, although they are mostly woodworking.

I found one there for $69.95, not much power though at only 5.5 amps.

Here's a DeWalt model though sold through them, 10 amps, $159.95.

 

My bro in law and his father inlaw (follow that one ) both swear by Grizzly. Funny, they want to borrow my PC Framing Nailer.

Tools are like a sickness for me. I have a number of Dewalt, Makita, and Porter Cable tools. I think most of my stuff is Porter Cable. I need to do a tally - Now I'm curious which I have the most of.

 

I've been officially cut off from buying more tools until I get a garage. It sucks too, because I'm like a kid in a candy store at Lowes and Sears.

 

Better lay down the law. The garage isn't for vehicles - its for "stuff"

 

You did register for you wedding at those places, right?!

 

FWIW the name Sawzall is a trademark of Milwaukee tools. Everything else is a "Recipricating Saw."

 

I wish.....

You can't imagine all the grief I got when I even SUGGESTED registering at Cabelas.....

 

I have a Milwaukee Super Sawsall with the 11 amp motor and possible circular cutting. It is a really sweet tool and one of my favorite Christmas presents ever.

MY grandfather has a Milwaukee that is something like 12 years old and serves him well. We once cut through shingles and roof joists with it and it keeps ticking. He is a carpenter by trade and uses it almost daily.

I like Milwaukee tools, mostly because that is what all the tool gurus around me use and they have not let me down yet.

Dewalt's 18 volt cordless is cool, but not really in the scope of the question. It is good to have at least a couple extra charged batteries around when using that.