This is a quick review and demonstration of the Milwaukee M18 FUEL brushless
sawzall reciprocating saw. The saw is modeled 2821-20 but i got it as a kit.
The kit is model 2821-22 and it came with the saw, two XC5.0 amp hour batteries,
a regular charger, and a case. Let's check it out and then i'll show you the tool in action.
This sawzall is a demolition dream. Brushless motor, so longer time, lots of power, and fast
cuts. It's comfortable to use and vibrations are minimal. There's a trigger lock for safety,
variable speed trigger, and an LED on the front to light the work area.
The pivot shoe can be adjusted from one inch to a maximum of roughly two and a half inches using
the shoe release buttons on both sides, and that provides better support with longer blades. I've
also found it allows me to get more life out of shorter blades since by adjusting the shoe
I can change what area of the blade is being used to cut. The saw has a Quik-Loc blade clamp,
which at first i didn't like as much as the quick change mechanisms of other saws I have.
It's stiff and awkward, but then I realized if I stand the saw up, slide in the blade, and then
just turn the clamp mechanism the blade drops in. Easier... it's still stiff though. The rafter hook
is a nice touch and will be helpful to some folks, but I rarely use it and I may eventually remove
it to reduce overall weight. Speaking of weight, the specs say the bare tool weighs 6.8 pounds...
my scale's off a little... and Milwaukee points out on the packaging that this model is half a
pound lighter than model 2720-20. Okay! However, of all my saws this one's the heaviest... well
excluding my 12 amp corded saw, but that won't have the added weight of a battery. And keep
in mind a cordless tool's weight will ultimately depend on the battery that gets strapped into it.
I know, but put an HD12 on this Milwaukee bad boy and the tool is going to weigh 10 pounds.
The sawzall has a one and a quarter inch stroke length and under no load provides up to 3
000 strokes per minute. That's the same spec as another sawzall I have by another brand although
my other saw, actually my other saws, have brushed motors; however under load the Milwaukee had a
lot more power and made faster cuts. It wasn't even a contest. We all know that time is money
and efficiency is everything. That better version of me on the left? He's already
packing up to go home, but that me on the right? Man, he's gonna be late for dinner... again!
Sorry honey! Now, I predominantly use Milwaukee blades, but I do use other brands as well. Any
universal saw blade with a half inch shank will work in this tool. It's important to note though
that this saw does not have multiple blade positions like the super sawzall
[Sorry flush cuts!], but blades can be inserted teeth up or teeth down for plunge cutting.
Wait! Does that count as one or two blade positions? I don't know. Oh and I should also
point out that this saw does not have One Key bluetooth tracking if that's important to you.
With the 5 amp hour batteries that come with the kit, the tool's runtime and power
are really good; however, check this out.
When I strapped in the xc6 and hd 12 high output batteries I was impressed! The high
output batteries provided even more power and more runtime. Does it get any better than that?
To charge the included 5 amp hour batteries the kit only comes with a basic,
slow, regular charger, which is fine for me given I have a rapid charger, supercharger,
and an arsenal of m18 batteries... but a rapid charger would have been a nicer touch.
Let's take a look at the case. It's rugged. It's pretty, but I probably could live without
it. These days I really only use cases for large specialty tools like the Milwaukee rotary hammer.
For small to medium tools and their accessories I prefer throwing them into larger toolboxes with
other tools. Makes things easier to transport. Anyway, the molded case in this kit can
accommodate a regular or rapid charger, and two batteries including the high output XC6 amp hour
and HD12 amp power batteries. The thing that's lacking here is blade storage. It isn't great.
Milwaukee's little blade storage box, the one that comes with most blade sets these days,
doesn't fit, but a few loose six inch blades will fit in the right front compartment or even under
the saw. Longer blades like milwaukee's 12-inch axe demo blades? Well, they don't have a good home
in this case. They're too long to fit under the saw or really anywhere else. I was able to squeeze
a few in diagonally, but only when there was an XC5 amp hour battery in the spare battery cutout.
It's a shame there's no place for accessories. Oh! And don't think you can use the pocket on
the lid for blade storage. It's only good for the manuals. I slipped a few blades in there
and I had to tip the case over to get them out. All right, now I'm going to show you the tool in
action. I had some fresh blades, fresh batteries, and a bunch of stuff to demo for the trash.
A good place to start would be some pressure treated 2x4's.
Let's do it again with a 12 amp hour high output battery.
It didn't seem that different, but let's line them up and check it out again.
That's awesome! Now for some 5x5 cedar fence posts. I've adjusted
the Milwaukee's pivot shoe for the longer blade and you can see how well it performs.
And for fun let's compare the last cut to one made with my brushed saw... the
one that has the same strokes per minute spec under no load.
It's not even a competition.
So I went and got an xc6 high output battery and now we'll compare that to the xc5.
Ah yeah!
Let's move on to a pressure treated 4x6 and
we'll compare the XC5 to the XC6 high output battery. I think you can guess who wins.
I needed to cut down this rotted bulkhead door made of pine tongue and groove,
so I figured I'd show you that as well.
The Milwaukee just outperformed so I wanted to keep going.
And then unable to believe how good the Milwaukee was I had to try my other saw again,
but the speed and power of the Milwaukee even with only the XC 5 amp hour battery was far
superior.
Since this is a sawzall after all I also tested it with other materials as well.
Check it out. This is one and a half inch PVC.
Effortless!
Let's watch it again and compare it to using a high output battery.
Yeah, yeah congratulations kid! Lastly the tool comes
with Milwaukee's five-year warranty and the batteries come with a three-year warranty.
To wrap up, this saw is a beast compared to my other sawzalls. It's powerful, comfortable to use,
and great for demolition. Are there things I'd like added or improved? For example, lighter
weight housing and multiple blade positions for flush cuts? Sure, but I'm not complaining. This
is another great Milwaukee tool. I hope this video has been helpful. Thanks for watching!