Almost every manufacturer has a 12V line, but none are as big as the Milwaukee M12 line. With that said, they brought another cool tool to their already vast line of tools, the M12 Band Saw. Yes you are reading that right, a 12V Band Saw. If you’re like us, we did a double take when we heard the news. How powerful or even useful can a 12V band saw really be? We thought the idea was very cool, but how much work can a small saw really do? Now Milwaukee already surprised us with the M12 Jig Saw as we thought a 12V jig saw was more of a joke. That was until we tried the saw and found out we were more of a joke because the M12 Jig saw outperformed all of our expectations. So how does the M12 Band Saw hold up? Is it even worth the money?
Manufacturer – Milwaukee Tools
Model – 2429-21XC
How cool is the idea of having a 12V compact Band Saw? To us, very cool. This would allow a user to do so much such as cut conduit, black pipe, rebar and so much more. But a 12V, come on. How many cuts will it really make? These were our exact thoughts. Let me tell you from the minute we picked it up, we were sold and that was before even pulling the trigger. The first thing we noticed was the balance of the tool. This saw is extremely light, weighing only 6.75lbs, making it an ideal tool for one handed cuts, especially making overhead cuts. The length of the saw is only 12″ which means you can get into tight spots to make these cuts. Overall with the size and weight, this saw is extremely easy to control.
Okay fine it is well balanced and easy to control, but who cares if it doesn’t cut, right? According to Milwaukee you can make 150 cuts into 3/4″ EMT before you deplete the XC high capacity battery. Now we never tested this claim primarily because we can’t count that high and didn’t have enough material around to make that many cuts. However we did cut through a lot of rebar, EMT, PVC and ground stakes. We probably made about 50 cuts and the tool showed half power left for the battery. Considering we were cutting heavier material than the 3/4″ EMT, we are going to take Milwaukee’s word of 150. Get this, the saw cuts through 3/4″ EMT in 3 seconds. Another item to mention is this saw has a 1-5/8″ x 1-5/8″ cut capacity and uses a variable speed trigger.
Making the cuts were very easy. We experienced little vibration and we had complete control over the saw. In fact we even tried to jam the saw by cutting through EMT to get the saw to stop and to our surprise, it just ran through with out even a hiccup. When you make cuts like you are supposed to and not jam the saw through the work, the saw does a fantastic job and the line of site is great. Milwaukee has an LED light placed above the blade, so it casts a shadow of the exact location you will be cutting which is helpful.
Unlike the Bosch 18V band saw which you need to remove 2 phillips screws, opening the M12 Band Saw is a snap. There are two small clips that a user just slides to open the door. If you need to change a blade, the tension release is on the outside and very easy to access. Changing a blade is a piece of cake. If the saw is out of alignment and you need to align the blade, there is a small screw on the outside you can use to get the blade running true. Ours was accurate and never needed adjustment. There is a small fixed brush that cleans the debris off one of the wheels and this brush can be replaced. There is also a small magnet where the blade passes over to catch metal shavings and help protect the longevity of the tool.
We had a hard time finding something we didn’t like about this saw and while it does come with one XC battery, we would have liked to seen two batteries. However I am sure this would have raised the price point. Considering the battery charges in 30 minutes, it is not a huge deal to us.
One huge note is this saw is the only band saw on the market with a fully integrated lower guard that covers the blade outside the active cutting area. This saw also meets OSHA requirements for one handed cutting.
This is another cool tool from Milwaukee. It allows you to make your cuts quickly and accurate. Couple this with Milwaukee’s other M12 tools and you can’t go wrong.
Milwaukee M12 Band Saw Includes
- 2429-20 M12 Sub-Compact Band Saw Tool
- 30-Minute Charger
- (1) M12™ XC High Capacity REDLITHIUM™ Battery
- (1) 48-39-0572 18TPI Sub-Compact Portable Band Saw Blade
- Carrying Case
Warranty
Tool – 5 Year
Battery -2 Years on M12 XC
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Hope that slice of pizza was good! Did you try to cut the slices of pizza with the bandsaw?
LOL that would have been cool!
This saw is awesome. Funny video you guys did. Keep up the good work. Never knew Milwaukee had this tool until I saw this video. Went out and bought it a week later and use it all the time,
Thanks Tim
Milwaukee always bring the best. But i can never use all of theirs function
Great Band Saw. I first saw this one your site and then a month later I saw some guy on the site using it. Bought one and haven’t looked back. Very handy and awesome for a 12V. Great review and keep up the good work.
Lose doofas and his pizza.
This is a big improvement from my Old Milwaukee portable band saw. It is a good size, and it does not look like I will break my back every time I pick it up. I don’t do as much work anymore that requires the big portable bandsaw. This would be a huge improvement to my jobsite