21December 2021
This is a quick review and demonstration
of the Milwaukee M18 FUEL brushless sawzall reciprocating saw. The saw is
modeled 2821-20 but i got it as a kit. The kit is model 2821-22 and it came with
the saw, two XC5.0 amp hour batteries, a regular charger, and a case. Let's check it
out and then i'll show you the tool in action. This sawzall is a demolition dream. Brushless
motor, so longer time, lots of power, and fast cuts. It's comfortable to use and vibrations
are minimal. There's a trigger lock for safety, variable speed trigger, and an LED
on the front to light the work area. The pivot shoe can be adjusted from one inch to
a maximum of roughly two and a half inches using the shoe release buttons on both sides, and that
provides better support with longer blades. I've also found it allows me to get more life out
of shorter blades since by adjusting the shoe I can change what area of the blade is being
used to cut.
The saw has a Quik-Loc blade clamp, which at first i didn't like as much as the
quick change mechanisms of other saws I have. It's stiff and awkward, but then I realized if
I stand the saw up, slide in the blade, and then just turn the clamp mechanism the blade drops in.
Easier… it's still stiff though. The rafter hook is a nice touch and will be helpful to some folks,
but I rarely use it and I may eventually remove it to reduce overall weight. Speaking of weight,
the specs say the bare tool weighs 6.8 pounds… my scale's off a little…
And Milwaukee points
out on the packaging that this model is half a pound lighter than model 2720-20. Okay! However,
of all my saws this one's the heaviest… well excluding my 12 amp corded saw, but that won't
have the added weight of a battery. And keep in mind a cordless tool's weight will ultimately
depend on the battery that gets strapped into it. I know, but put an HD12 on this Milwaukee bad
boy and the tool is going to weigh 10 pounds. The sawzall has a one and a quarter inch stroke
length and under no load provides up to 3 000 strokes per minute. That's the same spec as
another sawzall I have by another brand although my other saw, actually my other saws, have brushed
motors; however under load the Milwaukee had a lot more power and made faster cuts.
It wasn't
even a contest. We all know that time is money and efficiency is everything. That better
version of me on the left? He's already packing up to go home, but that me on the right?
Man, he's gonna be late for dinner… again! Sorry honey! Now, I predominantly use Milwaukee
blades, but I do use other brands as well. Any universal saw blade with a half inch shank will
work in this tool. It's important to note though that this saw does not have multiple
blade positions like the super sawzall [Sorry flush cuts!], but blades can be inserted
teeth up or teeth down for plunge cutting. Wait! Does that count as one or two blade
positions? I don't know. Oh and I should also point out that this saw does not have One Key
bluetooth tracking if that's important to you. With the 5 amp hour batteries that come
with the kit, the tool's runtime and power are really good; however, check this out. When I strapped in the xc6 and hd 12 high
output batteries I was impressed! The high output batteries provided even more power and
more runtime.
Does it get any better than that? To charge the included 5 amp hour
batteries the kit only comes with a basic, slow, regular charger, which is fine for me
given I have a rapid charger, supercharger, and an arsenal of m18 batteries… but a
rapid charger would have been a nicer touch. Let's take a look at the case. It's rugged.
It's pretty, but I probably could live without it. These days I really only use cases for large
specialty tools like the Milwaukee rotary hammer. For small to medium tools and their accessories
I prefer throwing them into larger toolboxes with other tools. Makes things easier to transport.
Anyway, the molded case in this kit can accommodate a regular or rapid charger, and two
batteries including the high output XC6 amp hour and HD12 amp power batteries.
The thing that's
lacking here is blade storage. It isn't great. Milwaukee's little blade storage box, the one
that comes with most blade sets these days, doesn't fit, but a few loose six inch blades will
fit in the right front compartment or even under the saw. Longer blades like milwaukee's 12-inch
axe demo blades? Well, they don't have a good home in this case. They're too long to fit under the
saw or really anywhere else.
I was able to squeeze a few in diagonally, but only when there was an
XC5 amp hour battery in the spare battery cutout. It's a shame there's no place for accessories.
Oh! And don't think you can use the pocket on the lid for blade storage. It's only good for
the manuals. I slipped a few blades in there and I had to tip the case over to get them out.
All right, now I'm going to show you the tool in action.
I had some fresh blades, fresh batteries,
and a bunch of stuff to demo for the trash. A good place to start would be
some pressure treated 2×4's. Let's do it again with a 12
amp hour high output battery. It didn't seem that different, but let's
line them up and check it out again. That's awesome! Now for some 5×5
cedar fence posts. I've adjusted the Milwaukee's pivot shoe for the longer
blade and you can see how well it performs.
And for fun let's compare the last cut
to one made with my brushed saw… the one that has the same strokes
per minute spec under no load. It's not even a competition. So I went and got an xc6 high output battery
and now we'll compare that to the xc5. Ah yeah! Let's move on to a pressure treated 4×6 and we'll compare the XC5 to the XC6 high output
battery. I think you can guess who wins. I needed to cut down this rotted bulkhead
door made of pine tongue and groove, so I figured I'd show you that as well. The Milwaukee just outperformed
so I wanted to keep going. And then unable to believe how good the
Milwaukee was I had to try my other saw again, but the speed and power of the Milwaukee even
with only the XC 5 amp hour battery was far superior.
Since this is a sawzall after all I also
tested it with other materials as well. Check it out. This is one and a half inch PVC. Effortless! Let's watch it again and compare
it to using a high output battery. Yeah, yeah congratulations
kid! Lastly the tool comes with Milwaukee's five-year warranty and the
batteries come with a three-year warranty. To wrap up, this saw is a beast compared to my
other sawzalls.
It's powerful, comfortable to use, and great for demolition. Are there things I'd
like added or improved? For example, lighter weight housing and multiple blade positions for
flush cuts? Sure, but I'm not complaining. This is another great Milwaukee tool. I hope this
video has been helpful. Thanks for watching!.