Milwaukee M12 12-Volt Hackzall Recip Saw (2420-20) (Tool Only - No Battery)

This tool is perfect for doing small tasks you would traditionally use a hand saw for; cutting holes in drywall, small tree limbs , 1" PVC pipe.It comes in a retail box, with 2 different 3" blades (wood and EMT), along with the standard paperwork.Its obviously not designed to replace other powered tools, so don't leave your primary sawzall or circular saw at home. I have used it in tandem with a sawzall to do a bunch small tree of pruning. The sawzall does the 2"-3" branch cuts, and the hackzall is perfect for delimbing the cut branches because you can hold the branch with one hand and hold the hackzall effortlessly with the other. It's also better for small tasks that are too thick to cut with a hand saw and delicate to use an unweildly sawzall. For drywall your much less likely to go all the way through the wall, with the 1/2 blade stroke, than with a sawzall.I pruned a whole tree and didnt even use one whole 6-cell battery. I tried the small battery and it had much less life and overall performance, so make sure to use the large ones.

I'm on my second one of these little saws. First one lasted about 4 years of pretty heavy use. I'm an hvac contractor and this is my go to little saw for cutting everything from drywall to pipes and motor shafts. It's so convenient and portable that I usually grab this over a full size sawzall when I only need to make a cut or two. The bearings in the previous one seemed to have finally failed. I can't fault the tool, it had been well used and occasionally abused along with it getting wet multiple times and it still did not disappoint.

I expected more power from this tool. I’m a contractor and have been using the Milwaukee 12 volt drill and impact for almost a year on a day to day basis. It’s amazing what these 12 volt monster will do. Unfortunately I cannot say the same for the reciprocating saw. Even with the 12 volt factor I had much higher expectations. Great for cutting pvc pipe but don’t bring this tool for any real job, especially if you are under the gun.

Looks nice but with fully charged battery won't complete the tasks for which I purchased the saw. Each time Iv'e used it it quickly draws down the battery within the cut and stalls out. Latest attempt today was cutting 1/2 CDX plywood and needed to make a cut out about 8" long, make a 3" turn and cut back out 8". Barely made 2 8" staight cuts and when attempting to make the rounded cut it died and had to get out the sabre saw. Similar results every other time I attempted to use. Other Milwaukee 12 volt impact driver and drills I own work flawless;y- recently drove about 100 3" screws with impact driver on one chage using the same batteries I used with saw so think this ones just a lemon.

I already had the m12 batteries for my Milwaukee fuel drill & impact wrench which are head and shoulders above my other cordless drills. Anyway this tool is also excellent. I used it the the first time to cut a padlock that I lost the key to, and it took much less than a minute to cut it open. I was able to steady the lock with one hand and operate the saw with the other. If I had used my full size reciprocating saw it would have required two hands just for the saw. It is also great with a pruning blade to prune my trees. Glad that I bought it.

For the price, this is an amazing little reciprocating saw tool. Uses the standard M12 batteries and fits in very tight spaces. Works with wood or metal blades and can be used one handed. Build quality is excellent and this is made to last. There are more expensive models but for my needs this has been perfect for smaller jobs and I have a larger saw for bigger tasks.Blades are easy to insert and remove and stay locked in tight. Variable speed motor goes from comically slow to about 3000 cuts per minute. There is a non adjustable guard over the chuck. There is a lock for the trigger and an LED power display for the battery. Good battery life, I'm sure the brushless model lasts longer but I have several batteries and it hasn't been an issue for me since I only use this tool periodically for smaller tasks.

This little Milwaukee is a good fit to the niche in my power tool selection, where the need for more cutting strength and durability is met by my corded DeWalt sawzall. The ergonomics and size of the Milwaukee allows precision cuts in tighter spots or where a more cumbersome big tool just isn't needed. I have cut plywood and thinner aluminum so far. It will be the saw that I grab when I need to make a quick cut. It does need to be held vertically with the plate firmly on the surface to be cut.One general problem I have is with reviewers who use smaller capacity tools for big jobs, and then downgrade those tools when they should have upgraded to a heavier duty (more expensive) tool.It is important to have at least a pair of the 1..5 or 2.0 AH batteries, so one can be charging while using the other to do the work. Extra batteries are easily justified if one uses the M 12 system for a primary set of cordless tools. The batteries recharge very quickly. There is a larger 6.0 AH battery available that I will probably be buying, but I will be giving away some ergonomic usefulness if using the tool in a tight spot.

I have other reciprocating saws, other brands Milwaukee corded (25 yrs old) all have decent power and favorable results. Blades are critical to whether or not you have success those in the know realize this. This little dynamo has a specific use for me, being able to get into those tight, restricting spaces a larger tool has difficulty accessing to get the job done. If needed it allows you one hand operation and I don’t have overly large hands (about 3/4 Michael Jordan hands lol). I bought the tool only for a good price, since I already have 5-6 M12 battery paks. The only negative I would have is the twist blade loading chuck, I’ve seen better designs. The blade guard makes loading a little awkward, I’m sure it will get easier as I use it though. All in all a good buy for me, there may be better tool lines available, I’ve used and trusted Milwaukee for decades no need for me to change out my line now.

Just what he wanted- wish the battery was included for the price as the tools I’ve bought in stores all have batteries and were higher brand

I love these Milwaukee battery powered tools. This little fella is very useful to me for cuttting EMT, PVC tubing and plastic wire channel on the job site. Wish I’d bought one back when I got my full size sawzall. Very good deal for a guy like me who already has numerous 12 volt chargers and batteries from all my other Milwaukee gear.

Used it for one project so far. Very handy and flexible tool. I used the grout remover blade with it. It worked perfectly and easily. I also used it for cutting plywood and cutouts in 2x3 no problem.