Customer Reviews

DEWALT DW938K 18 Volt Reciprocating Saw Kit

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

 

 

Another reviewer mentioned that he only got 90 to 120 seconds of cutting time with his saw. I got much better performance. Right after pulling it out of the box, the included battery needed charging, so I borrowed a 5 year old, partially discharged 18 volt battery from our Dewalt cordless drill and proceeded to cut away 14: 2x6 roof rafters, 3: 2x8 rafters, the soffit and fascia, then a few 4" diameter saplings and various branches from nearby maple trees. The battery was still going strong. With a sharp blade, this tool will melt through 2" lumber. It's seems to cut more quiclky than my old Milwaukee Sawsall, but it is not as smooth and vibration free as the new Makita reciprocating saw (which is AC). This is a great tool that will get far more use than just for demolition around our house.

This saw has saved so much time over the couple of years that I've owned it that I would say that it easily paid for itself the first few times I dragged it out of the truck. It is used on the job, not just around the house.
For larger projects, you should always have a larger corded reciprosaw on hand. This is a given.
With smaller repair and renovation jobs, the ability to get in and get out quickly makes all the difference. Especially when dragging yourself through a customer's crawl space or attic to make a few necessary cuts. The DW938 is perfect for these types of jobs. It is also great for remote outdoor areas where no power is available, such as, when working in a trench. The lack of the 120V extension cord in a damp or wet crawl space, basement or outdoor area also adds big points to the DW938 for safety as well as unimpeded mobility.
With the proper blades, this saw really does cut almost anything my corded reciprosaw will, including double and triple 2X material, engineered lumber, steel strut and raceway as well as threaded rod.
It works great on nonmetallic conduit too. It just doesn't go for as long a time without interruption as a corded tool does. If I am going to be using it for extended periods, which I frequently do, of course, I know I will need extra batteries. I normally have other DeWalt 18V tools going on any given job and have an inverter in my truck, so several batteries are usually on charge anyway. The added expense of the extra batteries is also like money in the bank. They are there, ready when you need them, with no down time between charging.
The DW938's electric brake is another excellent feature. You don't have to wait for the blade to stop to reposition the saw and take another bite or to start a new cut.
On service calls, the amount of time and aggravation saved on a month-to-month basis by not having to drag along an extension cord and locate a hidden or non-existent power receptacle is staggering. Searching for a missing hex wrench and fumbling with a stripped out blade clamp screw in a dimly lit area has also eliminated because of the DW938's tool less quick-change blade clamp. The only real improvement I would like to see would be an adjustable foot to increase the useful life of the blades. DeWalt added this feature to their newer 24V slob. They should follow through and add it to the 18V model as well.
Personally, I wouldn't even consider moving up to the bloated 24V series and loosing all the other 18V series functionality just to get that one feature.
Overall, I would easily recommend the DW938 to any professional tradesman who wants to work more efficiently, spend less time running extension cords and help keep the number of stress related nosebleeds they have in a given day to a minimum.

First, buy a decent drill/driver. Then, buy this. Don't know why I waited so long to get one (OK, because they're not free). Now that I have it, I absolutely love. A few comments about nifty features: (1) Excellent blade change system. The tool-free blade clamp is great. I know, you never bend or break blades and need to pull them off right away to keep up on a task, but I do. I really like not singeing my lunch hooks to have to do this. Turn it over, release the clamp and the blade falls out. (2) Trigger safety. Absolutely essential on cordless tools, and should be on all power tools. Very intuitive (like a gun, "red you're dead"). (3) Blade brake.

This tool has made life much easy on smaller projects. When I only have a few small cuts to make (clipping a couple nails, cutting just one or two studs), this baby is *it*. No more running an extension cord and being tied to an outlet, then having to pack it all up two minutes later. Just grab the saw and go. It's also great for working up on ladders (no more kicking and waving the cord to free it off some obstruction) or in confined areas (think Foghorn Leghorn's hound at the end of a leash).

I've found it to have plenty of power for the average job. With a good blade, it's excelled at clipping nails. It's just fine for a few reasonable cuts in wood (fir 2x's, OSB). Having said that, if you're planning on demo'ing an entire fabricated wall of studs, sheathing and siding... grab the corded saw. This nifty little guy just doesn't quite have the guts for that. Even with plenty of batteries handy, you're not gonna make it. I found that under these conditions I was only getting about 90-120 seconds of run time from a freshly charge 18v.

But, that takes me back to my overall assessent. This is a great cordless tool, for convenience on reasonably sized jobs. I have yet to find any battery tool that will meet the guts of a corded tool. You trade the lighter weight and lack of umbilical for a bit of performance.

This is a very handly addition to any contractors tool selection. I find it very useful in demolition work where the corded version gets in the way or it is not practical to run the extension cord. Overhead, outdoors, and quick demo cuts are the best use for this tool. (It also comes in handy for trimming trees around the yard.) For all-day, extended duration demolition work you better either run the cord or buy some extra batteries. Overall, this is a good tool to have available on a jobsite.

The Dewalt recip saw really fills the bill for me. No cordless tool is a match for its 120Vac corded counter part for power or price provided there is a handy place to plug it in. For those other places, the Dewalt cordless tools come in very handy. I love to use mine where a cord is a nuisance or just plain dangerous. Soffits,attics, and crawl spaces come to mind. The recip saw has plenty of power and has good balance. It works best when the blade is matched to the type of material being sawed. I got the blade assortment pack too. It sucks the power out of a battey pack pretty fast, but no faster than any other saw. All saws use a lot of power when compared to a drill or a flashlight.

DeWalt makes a great line of cordless tools. It's too bad they didn't put more time into designing this tool. Gearcase seal usually fails allowing moisture to creep into bearing and lock up the tool.

Bought this saw in a combo kit with a drill. Drill was ok, but this saw is a waste of money. If your going to do any kind of job other than a few quick cuts, you better have at least a half dozen spare battery packs. And that might not be enough. Any sustained cutting for say thre or four minutes and the battery goes dead. I know its not a deffective battery because they work a long time in my drill. For the price of this saw, you can just about buy a small electric generator and use a corded saw. I'm sorry I bought this saw because it sits in my garage collecting dust while I take my corded Milwaukee SawZall to the jobs intead.

I have owned this item for over 4 years,and have not had any problems with it. Just dont let your helper borrow it. Works great, doesn't last on battery as long as advertised, but if you keep a battery charging, and depending on the usage it will keep you going for years.

This tool really amazed me. I thought it would be a toy but to my suprise it could handle just about any task. When it was broken by another worker, in a pinch I bought a Milwaukee. Talk about a joke. No battery life. No power to speak of. Milwaukee should stick to making corded tools because they will never compare with the DeWalt. I got a quick $250.00 lesson with the Milwaukee and ordered another DeWalt. Now to find someone who will take the Milwaukee.

First of all I'm trying to figure out the math on Tool Crib's rating system. I'm looking at 4 reviews prior to my writing this one. Two people rate it 1 star and two people rate it 5 stars. So that's a total of 12 stars divided by 4...giving this tool a rating of 3 stars...not 4. Well that rating is going even lower. Reading the other 4 reviews, one person stated the battery life is not as advertised. Is that an understatement. I tried to cut down a bush that had about 12 banches between one and two inches in diamiter. Both batteries needed recharging before I was able to cut them all. Finished the last two by hand. I'm glad I got this as a gift in a combo pack. I'd be very upset if I paid for this saw with my own money. Casey