Customer Reviews

Bosch RS35 15 Amp Demolition Reciprocating Saw

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I compared 15 amp reciprocating saws by Bosch, Milwaukee, Hilti, and Makita. The Milwaukee had a thin flimsy plastic lever adjusting the in-out movement of the shoe. I thought this was such weak design that I just was not going to buy the Milwaukee, no matter what else was right or wrong with the tool. The Hilti was 13 amp, but a very well made tool with one big problem. The Hilti has no speed limiting dial, all speed control is done with the 4 finger trigger. I did not buy Hilti, since I thought a speed control dial a "must have" feature. The Makita got passed up by reputation, there are too many stories out there about quality control issues with the blade change and shoe breaking under hard use. The Bosch RS35 is big and heavy, feels like more than the published weight. But under use the weight seems to steady things, and the anti-vibration system works well. There is so much power that I do not use high speed when cutting very often. The tool can get rather hot under hard use. A detail Bosch did not get right is the "robust demolition foot" with "cam lock" lever system, it is no more "robust" than the shoe on any other saw, and the "cam lock" is slow and secures tight only when the shoe is all the way in. Another detail wrong is a too thin plastic boot on the cord as it exits the saw handle. Details Bosch got right are decent rubber on the nose of the tool, good view of the blade as it cuts, orbital and speed controls in good positions, and good speed control with a two finger trigger.

I got this reciprocating saw because I needed an alternative to my plasma cutter for cutting jobs on non-ferrous metals and for remote work.

Generally speaking, there's not much to a reciprocating saw, a device that has been in production for more than 50 years. Even cheap ones will work well, because it's hard to get a design from the 1950's wrong, and it's really the blade that does most of the work.

Anyways, I chose the Bosch RS35 over the Dewalt and Hitachi equivalents for various reasons.

Other saws had a "quick-release" foot. I like the cam-lock of the Bosch, which keeps the foot stiff as opposed to the jiggly quick-release versions. Also, no accidental movement of the foot is possible.

The Bosch has a thick driveshaft that exposes the blade-clamp even at the fully retracted position. This means that you can load/unload the blade at any time in the saw's stroke. This in comparison to other saws where the blade-clamp is hidden at certain points in the stroke.

Most reciprocating saws nowadays have tool-less blade changes. I like the Bosch's tool-less blade change feature, which is a "click in to lock", "twist to remove" version. It requires very little effort to engage and will never disengage on accident as it uses a very beefy spring-loaded cam to lock the blade in place. Even if the spring were to fail, there's no way the cam could unlock by itself.

This tool is 10 lbs heavy and uses a counterweight drive. There's virtually 0 vibration in use. Very easy on the forearms. Although it's not clear from the photos, the majority of this tool is metal, and covers the metal parts with a jacket of plastic and rubber. Little touches like the swivel power cord and rubberized front/rear grips aren't noticed until you realize they're making your life easier.

I don't use the orbital mode, since I cut metal, but it is there if you need it.

Just recently, I had to use the RS35 to quickly chop apart the exhaust of my car in 10 degree weather, in the snow. Within minutes, I had cut the steel exhaust into 5 small pieces from odd angles. No slowdown at all from the tool even when forcing the blade. The RS35 is a heavy, powerful beast and is certainly not for everyone, but I love it.

Although a little big to get your hands around, the RS-35 has the power to plow through anything as well as effective anti-vibration. Ive cut copper, black iron, ABS, lumber, and fiberglass with this and nothing has even slowed it down. The removable foot plate and variable power control have both come in handy. I wish it had a joist hanger like its little cousin and that it wasn't so loud in the high fequencies, but for the money (it's cheaper than Milwaukee's super sawzall) this is THE reciprocating saw to get

I have bought 6 Saws all since I have been in construction for 30 years. I always wanted the top dog in every tool I get cause growing up I had to deal with hand me downs and fix em uppers. My company does anything from land clearing to installing crown molding. We use a lots of saws. I'm not easy to impress but this RS35 is very impressive. I even use it to cut fire wood for my BBQ. True it's a heavy saw but you don't have to use much down forse to cut through your material. It's faster than my Ported Cable,Dewaltand my Ryoby. It has a load speed out of this world. I have not been able to lug it down, it cuts everthing. I'm may have to breakdown and buy another one for my crews to use cause they aren't getting their hands on this one. The long of it,it's a great saw..

The first time I used the saw was on an old house remodel.My partner grabbed his sawzall, while I got my Bosch. I was able to cut loose 3 radiators before he had his blabe installed! Love the one handed blade installation and extraction. Great power. Fits the hands well. On the negative side the demo foot is a little stiff and the saw is heavy. But I think the foot will loosen up with some lube and use. I expected the saw to be heavy and this works to your advantage when cutting from top to bottom. All said, well worth the money and I see the price has dropped since I have purchased mine.

It is made in China and that said; it is Bosch quality. I believe this is the best recip saw on the market because it is built to take heavy use and rough conditions. I have Milwaukee products but in the last few years the general quality just slides down every time I buy. This time I really wanted the 15a Sawzall but after looking at it, the 15a Makita and the Bosch RS35 (for over a month); I could not justify the Sawzall because the Bosch beat it in every way. One thing that has not been said in other reviews is the Bosch "handle" and trigger is much more ergo...when you hold the saw at waist level or lower the handle being curved is much better than the Sawzall's "straight up and down" grip with a small pistol trigger. Any dealer that had both the Sawzall and the Bosch always said the Bosch was the better choice but more expensive...Amazon's price is relatively the same for both; usually +/- $1.00. Dealers do like the 12a Sawzalls that are everywhere (light weight) now and seem to sell the two corded 13 amp Sawzalls instead of the 15 amp.

Saw works very well,has a lot less vibration than other saws i have used.The only negative thing i can say is it is heavy.

I needed a strong machine to cut up some large steel tanks and heavy piping. This is my first reciprocating saw and I picked a winner. Nothing stops this thing and the quick release blade is great when the weight of the steel binds the blade. It is heavy but I am not a young man and I have no problem with handling the saw. I think I made a very good investment.

This saw is heavy and feels great, the isolated rear handle is a nice feature, the blade clamp is very nice, and the anti-vibration works well. The sturdy case is plastic with metal latches, and there is room inside for blades. The adjustable foot has plastic on the adjustment knob, but this may not be a problem. The problem I had was with the speed dial, a key feature I was looking for. The lowest setting is just barely slower than the highest speed. I wanted a significantly slower speed for bricks and some metal cutting. The variable trigger works well enough to operate the saw at a slower speed, but I wanted the dial to do that for me. Aside from the speedy dial, this is a fine saw.