The short powerful strokes of reciprocating saws rip through anything from plaster and plastic to pipes and nails. Reciprocating saws’ forte is in tight spots where a large or circular blade won’t fit or reach. Blades installed teeth down or teeth up, depending on where the stock is and what direction you need to operate the saw, let you down-cut or up-cut. Reciprocating saws also square cut notches for stairs, rafters or joints, and plunge cut or drill a starter hole and cut an opening in a wall or roof.

Manufacturers have greatly improved these tools over the past half century, the most significant innovation being orbital action, where the blade looks like the drive arm of a locomotive turning a wheel rather than straight up and down, like a pump. When shopping for a new reciprocating saw, keep in mind the key criterion of control. Your reciprocating saws list of control features must include:

1. Reciprocating saws running at variable speed with speed dials, rather than trying to control the speed with the trigger;

2. Tool-less blade changing;

3. A blade base you can adjust to control how deep the blade cuts into the piece you’re working on.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find reciprocating saws for light jobs

Save some money and effort with a smaller, lighter base model for occasional jobs or for tighter spaces where a bigger reciprocating saw is too cumbersome to use.

I recommend: DeWalt has produced electric power tools since 1924. Tyler Tool provides an Internet factory outlet for Makita tools.

Locate a reciprocating saws' provider that produces mid-level saws

If you have a bigger project or will be in a remote section on a site for a period of time, look for a saw with good balance and smooth, vibration-less operation. The saw feels lighter so you can hold it to cut longer.

I recommend: Hitachi has evolved the orbital action into a swing-action motion that lets it up-cut as fast as it down-cuts. Bosch claims to have introduced the tool-less blade change system.

Go with heavy-duty reciprocating saws for the most demanding jobs

Truly commercial-grade work requires commercial-grade equipment; you spend more money burning up less ruggedly built tools. Control features like switching between straight and orbiting action, or fine-tuning the saw speed, make the saw easier to handle and more adaptable to the work as it changes, so you can stay on the job longer and finish more quickly with less fatigue than with a cheaper model.

I recommend: In 1952, Milwaukee introduced what has become the “Xerox” of reciprocating saws, the Sawzall. Founded in 1906, Porter Cable markets the Tiger line of reciprocating saws.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Round out your inventory of reciprocating saws information with a supply of several types of blades to swap out dull ones. They're small and light, so they're easy to store in the saw's case while you're on the job. Besides the general purpose blades, finer-tooth blades cut through metal, and specially coated abrasives blades work on tiles.