Makita BJR181 LXT 18 Volt Lithium-Ion Reciprocating Saw

List Price: $598.00 Discount Price: $339.39

Features:

• Makita built, D35 high torque motor delivers 50% faster cutting with a 1-1/8" stroke that cuts 2,900 SPM
• Compact design at only 19-5/8" length and weighs only 8.1 lbs. for less operator fatigue
• Two built-in L.E.D. lights for more illuminated work
• One-handed, fast tool-less blade changes and shoe adjustments
• Retractable sky hook for hanging on rafters

Accessories:

Makita BHR240 18Volt Lithium-Ion 7/8-Inch SDS Cordless Rotary Hammer Kit

Customer Reviews:

Nice features, but power is lacking [Posted on 2006-03-10]
I am a contractor that appreciates the convenience of cordless tools, and I am always willing to try something new. When I saw that Makita was coming out with a Lithium-Ion based 18v. recipro-saw, I jumped at it.

The pro: Good balance, a retractible sky hook for hanging on rafters, flashlight at front end to illuminate dark work spaces, and a nice quick-snap housing for installing and removing blades. The battery life is nice, but be aware that it takes several charging cycles to get full length battery life. These new batteries also slip in and out of the charger very easily, with a quick-disconnect tab. The charger has many indicators for various states of charging, or to tell you if the battery is damaged or too hot.


The Cons: I am a bit disappointed in the power of the tool. This is Makita's newest, hottest design. At $400 list price, it's a spendy tool. But I figured that the performance would justify the price. Not so.

When you use this tool to cut, for instance, a piece of plywood, no problem. It has a quick, almost "spastic" response, with the blade reciprocating at a very fast rate.

However, when cutting something thicker (say, a 2x4) you have to finesse it a little bit. If you push the tool firmly into the wood, and rock the blade back and forth (as is the best way to cut something thick when using a recipro saw), the blade slows down dramatically. Sometimes you have to take pressure off of the material and let the blade sort of "do it's thing". Cutting like this gets the job done, but it takes quite a bit longer.

Most other cordless sawzalls that I have used come with much more torque--that is, you can really "lean in" to them and still get hard cutting action. Not so with this Makita.

SUMMARY--Nice features and good for occasional use. But if you're going to use this tool full time for all of your sawzall needs, think twice about the $400 price tag. You may get more performance (but less battery life) out of a similar, but cheaper, model.

PLENTY OF POWER [Posted on 2006-05-10]
i just recently got this tool and love every bit of it! i've always been disappointed with the power of cordless sawzalls/recip saws until i used this one. the first time i used this lithium-ion tool, i redid a kitchen sink drain, because it had no vent, was located at the front of the cabinet and some of the fittings were loose and leaking sewer gas as well as water. i took advantage of the saw's headlights (2 led lights, located just above the blade) using this saw inside the dark cabinet. the old way was to set up a light outside the cabinet, when you moved in, your hands created shadows, making it harder to see than without a light. i cut away the old plumbing, plunge cut a new hole at the back of the cabinet, and cut new pipe for the new drain. when i went to the basement i was able to plunge cut through 2 2x6's and 3/4 plywood and still i had plenty of battery power to complete the job and switch the battery to the impact driver to secure the drain pipe AND i used the SAME battery the next day for decking!!!

what is so surprising is how lightweight these lithium-ion tools are AND how powerful they are. they have more power than an 18 volt tool, because each battery cell, within the battery pack, has more juice than a standard battery and can deliver more of its juice to the tool, and the makita 4-pole, high-torque motor delivers more power than the competition. these tools are also as light as a 12 volt tool because lithium is lighter than the nickel-cadmium in standard battery packs.

this makita tool also has the most advanced charging system available. a computer chip inside the battery lets the charger know exactly how to optimally charge the battery, to completely charge each cell within the battery and for maximum battery life. the charger has a fan and blows air through the battery to cool it down before charging so the battery can be charged right away, unlike other brands, where the charger waits until the battery cools, or even worse attempts to charge a hot battery pack and damages it or decreases the life of the battery. these makita lithium-ion batteries will last 280% longer than standard batteries, which alone can justify the high price tag.

i also like the blade eject system. you just push the blade in and the tool automatically clamps it in place. to remove the blade, you just twist the shaft and the blade is ejected from the tool. this recip saw has a sky hook that allows the tool to be hung on a rafter or a tool belt, and the hook is wide enough so the recip saw can be hung from scaffolding, unlike other hooks.

the D-handle is large enough to accommodate large gloves. safety lock off power button, long 1 1/8" stroke length and extra large trigger make this tool my number one choice in cordless recip saws (sawzalls). number two would be the milwaukee 28volt lithium-ion, with slightly less than corded power. surprisingly. the milwaukee 28volt lithium-ion doesn't have that much more power than this makita tool. the dewalt 36 volt lithium-ion, boasting corded power, is just too big and heavy for most tasks to be considered as a general purpose tool, and it costs more than two compressors. if a cordless tool costs that much, it better lay golden eggs.

as a note to the other reviewer: it doesn't take 3 charge cycles to bring the battery up to full power. the advanced charger takes care of that in one charge cycle, even freash-out-of-the-box batteries. if there's something wrong with your battery, it's covered under a 1-year warranty, beginning when you first charged the battery, not when the tool was purchased. just take it to makita service&repair for diagnosis or replacement. you could also contact makita via their website or by phone and mail it back to them. the tool itself is covered by a 3-year warranty.

Very nice saw [Posted on 2006-07-21]
This thing is very nice! It has great power, batteries last a very long time. Changing blades is a snap!

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