I have an old Skill 9200 recip saw. I think I paid $39 for it over a dozen years ago. It has made probably 20 cuts and had 15 minutes of operation. Faced with a couple of demo jobs, including some confined quarters work, I decided to spring for a cordless recip saw, and since I have mostly DeWalt 20V tools, I looked at the two they offer and decided to go for the DCS387, which is more compact, and "fits between floor joists."
I got it today. Disappointment. Non-adjustable shoe, no max speed control (handy for metal cutting), trigger is single finger, not a two finger one, which works better with gloves on.
The big disappointment was the vibration. Easily 10X the Skil, with both having 2900 SPM, and 1 1/8 inch strokes. After playing with it for three minutes in my left hand, I went upstairs and went back to work (desk work) and noticed that my left fore arm bothered me. Then I took a break form the desk and made four cuts in a 2x8. Trying to be smarter than the average bear, I made those cuts with my right arm. Back to the desk, and I noticed that my forearm and shoulder hurt. I also remembered that my glasses were shaking on my nose when I made the cuts.
So I will wait a couple of days for the soft tissues to heal, and then make a few more cuts. But as much as I really want a cordless recip saw, I can envision this being the first power tool I might return on the manufacturer's 30-day if you don't like it, bring it back policy.
Next time I cut, I will wear gloves, support the saw with both arms, and see if there are other things I can do to relieve vibrational stress on my upper limbs.
I might just get stuck using the old Skill, which I am kinda embarrassed about owning. I re-reviewed some reviews on the saw, and everyone said the vibration was higher than normal. Actually, I feel like a 77 inch wuss, because the saw beat up my arm and shoulder.
I have to say that the saw had more vibration than a demo "jack hammer", my rotary drill, my air chisels, a 3/4 air impact tool, and just about anything else that i can think of.
Anyone else have similar experiences?
I got it today. Disappointment. Non-adjustable shoe, no max speed control (handy for metal cutting), trigger is single finger, not a two finger one, which works better with gloves on.
The big disappointment was the vibration. Easily 10X the Skil, with both having 2900 SPM, and 1 1/8 inch strokes. After playing with it for three minutes in my left hand, I went upstairs and went back to work (desk work) and noticed that my left fore arm bothered me. Then I took a break form the desk and made four cuts in a 2x8. Trying to be smarter than the average bear, I made those cuts with my right arm. Back to the desk, and I noticed that my forearm and shoulder hurt. I also remembered that my glasses were shaking on my nose when I made the cuts.
So I will wait a couple of days for the soft tissues to heal, and then make a few more cuts. But as much as I really want a cordless recip saw, I can envision this being the first power tool I might return on the manufacturer's 30-day if you don't like it, bring it back policy.
Next time I cut, I will wear gloves, support the saw with both arms, and see if there are other things I can do to relieve vibrational stress on my upper limbs.
I might just get stuck using the old Skill, which I am kinda embarrassed about owning. I re-reviewed some reviews on the saw, and everyone said the vibration was higher than normal. Actually, I feel like a 77 inch wuss, because the saw beat up my arm and shoulder.
I have to say that the saw had more vibration than a demo "jack hammer", my rotary drill, my air chisels, a 3/4 air impact tool, and just about anything else that i can think of.
Anyone else have similar experiences?
