DEWALT Bare-Tool DC385B 18-Volt Cordless Reciprocating Saw

by DEWALT

• 1-1/8-inch stroke length and 0-3,000 rpm for faster cutting speed
• 4-position blade clamp allows for flush cutting and increased versatility
• Lever-action keyless blade clamp for quick and easy blade changes
• Anti-slip comfort grip provides increased comfort and control; pivoting adjustable shoe with open top for maximum visibility
• Tool only (battery not included)

Product Description

Amazon.com

With the DEWALT DC385B 18-volt cordless reciprocating saw, you'll be able to cut just about anything that gets in your way. You can use it with confidence for a wide range of building, remodeling, and demolition work, such as cutting rough openings through walls and roofs, slicing plastic pipe, and metal ductwork, chopping up old kitchen cabinets and countertops, and slashing through hardwood flooring. It's powered by DEWALT's 18-volt cordless batteries (not included).

1-1/8-inch stroke length for faster cutting speed (view larger).

DC385B 18-Volt Cordless Reciprocating Saw At a Glance: Up to 3,000 strokes per minute Four-position blade clamp allows for flush cutting Pivoting adjustable shoe with open top for maximum visibility Bare tool--doesn't include battery or charger Three-year limited warranty; one-year free service

Power and Performance

The powerful DC385B features a high-performance, variable-speed motor that drives the blade at 0-3,000 strokes per minute. And it has an aggressive-cutting stroke length of 1-1/8 -inch for powering through virtually any building material. The four-position blade clamp allows for flush cutting and increased versatility

Comfort and Convenience

The DC385B has a pivoting adjustable shoe with open top for maximum visibility and lever-action keyless blade clamp for quick and easy blade changes. It's complemented by sure-grip, anti-slip rubber handles for optimized handling.

Bare Tool

This DEWALT cordless tool does not come with a battery or charger. It's compatible with the DC9096 18-volt XRP battery pack and DW9117 15-minute charger.

Warranty

This DEWALT tool is backed by three-year limited warranty covering any defects due to faulty materials or workmanship (from the date of purchase). It's also covered by DEWALT's one-year free service contract, where DEWALT will maintain the tool and replace worn parts caused by normal use--for free.

What's in the Box

One DEWALT DC385B 18-volt cordless reciprocating saw and operating instructions (batteries and charger sold separately).

Lever-action keyless blade clamp for quick and easy blade changes (view larger).

Product Description

The DeWalt DC385 is a 18V heavy-duty cordless reciprocating saw. The 18v cordless reciprocating saw provides 1 stroke length and 2900 SPM for fast cutting. Its keyless blade clamp allows for changing the blade quickly. The electric brake prevents blades from breaking. It is a compact and lightweight tool. The cordless saw has an anti-slip comfort grip, which provides increased comfort and control while operating.

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

82 of 86 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Well engineered but needs new battery chemistry! December 27, 2006

By Jeffrey Jenkins

This is my favorite out of the 4 "sawzalls" (apologies, Milwaukee) I own/have owned. Just so you know its competition here, I have the corded version of this saw, a cordless 18V Ryobi (not bad, all things considered, but definitely not rugged enough for daily use), Makita's LXT Li-Ion version (a real disappointment that one) and this baby. So far this one is my favorite, and, overall, I am extremely pleased with its performance.

What I like about it:

1. Well-balanced

2. Rugged

3. Good power despite being cordless

5. Not too heavy

6. The "chuck" (collet?)

What needs to be improved:

1. The batteries!

The best feature by far is the 4-position quick-release chuck/collet. It allows you to select the usual "up" and "down" blade orientations, of course, but also "left" and "right" ones. The latter two positions really come into their own when flush cutting up against another surface because they place the blade so close to the edge of the shoe/body of the saw. As far as I know, only the Type 2 version of the DC385 has this, so check carefully if buying a reconditioned or auction item.

There are a couple of features I would like to have: orbital cutting and variable stroke length. Orbital cutting allows a recip saw to zip through wood by scooping out the chips as they are cut. Being able to adjust, or at least choose between several settings of stroke length would make cutting into existing walls without binding the blade or poking through the other side much less likely.

The true Achilles' heel of the DeWalt cordless tool line-up is their continued use of Ni-Cd batteries. Pretty much every other manufacturer of pro-grade cordless tools (well, except Hilti) have switched to Ni-MH and/or Li-ion and shown us just how long a cordless tool can run, and how powerful it can be, compared to its corded counterpart. If this tool will be used daily and/or heavily - e.g., roofing, demolition, rough framing and remodeling - then I feel the XRP batteries just won't keep up. You'll need at least 3 batteries to make it through one day of heavy use. If this is the sort of work you do then you'll probably want to take a good long look at DeWalt's 36V or Milwaukee's V28 tools, but if you use a sawzall for a few quick cuts here and there on the job site - e.g., electrician, plumber - then it'll probably work great for you too.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Dewalt is #1 Perfect !!!! works like a charm September 24, 2011

By Steve Stamos

Amazon Verified Purchase

First of all - there are NO Negatives to this saw....

Where do i start first? This saw has the quick change head AND you can position your blade to cut Down or UP or Left or Right !!!!

Not many saws can do this... plus its Quick Change... Flip the lever, pull your blade.... very simple - no screws to mess with or anything.

I cut on/off for about two-three hours on a single lithium charge cutting anything from 2x4's to 2x6's and plywood when i demo... Don't use the dewalt blades.... Milwaukee Torch blades are the BEST you can buy... trust me... dewalt makes an awesome saw... but their blades have much to be desired.

This saw is so powerful... i've cut steel pipes, sheet metal steel boxes / ovens and its pulled through like nothing. Thrown on a mason blade and cut blocks and bricks and stucco all day long.....

42 of 53 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars One glaring fundamental design flaw for industrial user. September 22, 2010

By R. Dick

This is the second DeWalt 18v reciprocating saw I have owned. I am an industrial fencing contractor by trade and use these saws to cut though lots of 1 5/8" O.D. Sch. 40 top rail and when needed 2 3/8" O.D. Sch. 40 post as well. From a power stand point both saws performed very well. My first saw was an older version then this one and it lasted me several years of hard cutting and hard use. By the nature of the work it isn't uncommon for me to partially drop the saw on the ground after use as long as I'm not on concrete and the first saw survived this well and often was dirty and muddy. Eventually one of the contacts for the battery completely broke off and when I looked for a replacement part I seen that it was $55.00 because DeWalt has the battery contacts integrated with the control switch, which also happened to be a more complicated reversing switch used in a drill. This design may save them a tiny bit of initial production money, but it's ridiculous to service since you can buy a new saw for $115.00. With my electrical engineering back ground I scoured every source and part book I could think of looking to buy the switch from the original manufacturer, or to find a possible work around of the contacts given a few modifications and couldn't come up with anything viable. I think I may encapsulate the contacts in a soft silicone, keeping where the battery plugs in clear of course, to help isolate them from vibration and excessive movement.

Now onto the current saw. This saw has one important difference with my old one. The new one doesn't have extra material that flairs out and around to support the entire top of the battery. Some of the customer imaged show a used saw that has the feature I am speaking of. This new saw lasted about 1/10th the use of the older saw before a battery contact became bent and now it needs to be replaced, so I now have two DeWalt saws that are in perfect working order except for needing a ridiculously priced $55.00 battery contact replacement, and the second saw almost looks to be engineered to fail quicker since the battery is held less securely then the older model it is only natural that vibration, falls and bumps will destroy the contacts ability to keep pressure on the battery, but of course, there's almost no way they'd fail under warranty, and likely won't fail for the legions of DIY users out there that worship DeWalt, and in exchange DeWalt may save $0.05 in plastic on each saw by removing the extra support. I'm think I may buy some long blades for the DeWalt jig saw I have and see how it cuts pipe, being it will cut a 2x4 faster then the reciprocating saw because it has oribital blade action, it maybe a better all around tool in situations where it's size and shape doesn't get in the way.