DeWALT DCS380L1 20V MAX* Lithium Ion Reciprocating Saw Kit – Review

Everyone has their favorite brands, I like certain brands for certain things.  For reciprocating saws I usually lean towards a Milwaukee Sawzall. In fact I call every reciprocating saw a Sawzall out of habit.  Recently we were starting to see a trend with fail safe electronics in reciprocating saws that prematurely cut the power due to overheat or or excessive load.  This is fine and we like that idea, but some of these tools in our opinion cut power way to early.   Well, we finally found a saw that didn’t cut out on us.

The 7.35lb DeWALT DCS380L1 20V MAX* Lithium Ion Reciprocating Saw Kit comes with a case, one 3.0Ah battery and a charger that accepts both 20V MAX and 12V MAX batteries.  Having only one battery on this type of tool may be ok for the homeowner, but the pro is going to want at least 2 to be productive.  The charger can charge the packs in 1 hour or less depending on the type of battery and charge level.  DeWALT backs this tool with a 3 year limited warranty, but the way this tool is built I doubt you will need it.  The tool has a high quality, comfortable feel to it.  Like everything else in the 20V line ergonomics was key and the grip and trigger  are very comfortable and the front over molded grip helps you control the tool.  The battery pack slides on and locks into place tight.

At the business end the blade can be inserted 4 different ways which helps make those tight cuts that much easier.  Simply pull the lever on the side and swap blades.  The variable trigger can produce speeds 0-3000 Strokes per minute and a 1 1/8 stroke length provides fast effortless cuts.  The shoe pivots and is adjustable via a thumb button.  The tool is very comfortable to hold it has an over molded thick ribber grip at the front of the tool.  The balance of  is good overall I found the tool very easy to control.  Where I really think this tool stood out was on power, it screamed through material even when we pushed it hard.  It is what a reciprocating saw is all about: power to tear things up.  We were cutting though some 3/8″ tube stock, pushing it as hard as we could.  It slowed down but did not cut out on us.

This is a great saw and a great addition to the 20V line up. This is a no nonsense get the job done tool. No LED light no thrills just a powerhouse demolition tool that minimizes user fatigues thanks to its great ergonomic design.  Besides any reciprocating saw brand that Megan Fox uses to destroy a Decepticon Transformers is an awesome tool in my book.