There are plenty of cordless miter saws currently on the market, but abrasive wheel cut-off saws? Nope, and that’s why this new Makita 18V X2 model is an attention-grabber.
The new Makita saw, XWL01Z, features a full-sized 14″ abrasive wheel, and is powered by a brushless motor. The blade spins at 3800 RPM.
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Features include a large spark guard, an electric brake that Makita says allows for faster adjustments for maximum productivity, a tool-less flange removal for wheel changes, tool-less fence and vise controls, and a 2-stage lock-off power button.
Makita says that their new 18V X2 cordless abrasive chop saw can be used to cut light gauge metal stud and strut, pipe, conduit, all thread, tubing, rebar, and other such materials.
The saw has a cutting capacity of 5″ for round materials, and 4″ x 7-5/8″ for rectangular tubing.
ETA: TBA
MSRP: TBA
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If you want some of the same features in a corded tool, the Makita LW1400 looks similar, featuring tool-less flange removal, a 3800 RPM motor, and the same cutting capacity.
First Thoughts
This is a surprising but very welcome addition to Makita’s growing 18V and 18V X2 lineup. It’s also a great example of the kinds of benefits their dual battery platform can deliver.
For those of you that bring your abrasive chop saws to jobs, what’s your take on this? Can you see yourself replacing your corded model with one of these?
John S
That is awesome. I’ve had the corded version for years but honestly don’t like the abrasive saws and now use two cold saws, a Trajan 7-1/4″ and Fein 14″.
Makita needs to come out with an 18V X2 cold saw. That would be the ticket!
Logan
Not to be a weenie, but those are dry cut saws, or multi cut saws. They spin about 1500 rpms, are portable, and 110/1 power.
Cold saws are typically irrigated, 3 phase and 44 rpm max and need machinery to move.
I work with guys who mix them up and work w them every day!
John S
Yep, heard and read that many times. Doesn’t affect my owning or use of a carbide tipped metal cutting saw, cold saw, dry cut saw, whatever you want to call it. It’s akin to calling all reciprocating saws a sawzall. I assume you’re correcting every one of those comments.
While we are talking about specs, Baleigh makes a cold saw that runs at 54rpm and 110v which seems to debunk your specs. Bolton tools makes one on 110v single phase as well.
You might want to contribute to wikipedia to make changes to their “cold saw” page to fit tighter to your specific rules. They even show a metal cutting circular saw as a cold saw. No mention of fluids or rpm as requirements.
Logan
Take a chill pill
John S
No issues here. Just pointing out that it’s not an exact term as well as specs. Instead of “take a chill pill” a better response might actually be a little mea culpa on your part and realize there is a lot of ambiguity in the industry, manufacturers and with users.
Even Milwaukee uses the term cold-cut saw: https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/Power-Tools/Saws-and-Cutters/Cut-Off-Machine/6190-20
Cold cut saw, cold saw, dry cut do get interchanged a lot.
And a multi cut saw is probably the most generic term which will easily refer to a handful of completely unrelated saws.
Redcastle
The pointless retort seems to be the theme of the day on Toolguyd today, if you make a comment and receive a response then something more intelligent than the sort of comment made in a playground is required, either agree with the response, respond with reasoning and fact or and this is always an option say nothing.
Your original comment was factual and expressed a view which I would have thought was trying to provide clarity and then you killed it with your response to the response.
Producers of tools and other goods naturally (and annoyingly) try to claim their products tick as many boxes as possible to maximise the potential customer base. It is like the grotesque overuse of the p word and the runner up “industrial”.
Mark Lee Shelton
I am no pro welder, but… Seems like if you are cutting the type of metal this is designed for you are probably welding something. Therefore, you have shorebpower or a gen set to provide power. I could be wrong, though.
Stuart
“Makita says that their new 18V X2 cordless abrasive chop saw can be used to cut light gauge metal stud and strut, pipe, conduit, all thread, tubing, rebar, and other such materials.”
It seems to me that they designed it to cut construction-type materials.
John
I’m struggling to imagine a situation you’d use this over a portaband (which there are tons of cordless options for). A portaband is lighter and more portable and will cut much faster and leave less of a burr. Plus an abrasive wheel is ridiculous, you would definitely want to put on a carbide blade if you want any hope of making your batteries last.
Stuart
I couldn’t say. I like my small carbide-toothed metal-cutting saw and have been pining for a larger 14″ multi-material saw, but never an abrasive saw for what I need to cut.
Todd
Most commercial metal stud frame crews I’ve been in contact with use abrasive saws to gang cut stacks of studs or track. I hate abrasive cutting discs more than any cutting implement but they do have their place to a degree. Biggest one, in my opinion, is they are orders of magnitude safer for the user (and realize the least experienced/apprentice/village idiot or something is likely to be assigned cutting stacks of framing materials for the fastest installers). I know you can cut studs with a dry cut saw, but there are a lot of sharp edges for a tooth to snag on and potentially pull material into the saw if you don’t hold it down sufficiently (and may have to clamp every cut down depending on the material). An abrasive saw, in my experience, is almost impossible to cause a snag or kickback of any significance, the motor will stall out if you push it too hard but that’s about all I’ve experienced.
I have Dewalts deep cut brushless “20v” portaband and it is easily my favorite cutting implement, I’ve yet to try it on metal studs but I doubt it would be the most efficient way to go about it. I prefer a worm drive with a carbide metal cutting blade that I screwed a piece of flat steel on the foot to prevent snagged pieces getting sucked into the guard. A designated metal cutting saw would be ideal, with a chip catch and specific foot.
That said, if this were a dry cut saw I’d probably buy it. Wouldn’t even consider buying any abrasive chopper, much less cordless.
Benjamen
I know this is portable, but I’d like to see a beefier fence and clamp. After using a metal cutting chop saw for the last few weeks, I really appreciate a cast fence and clamp.
Tim Raufer
I agree with Benjamen. Just going by these photos, the fence and clamp don’t look super beefy.
I have a corded Makita metal chop saw (probably from the 90s). it is a beast, and it just won’t quit. I absolutely love that about it, but it is a beast to lug around. I usually drag it to residential remodel sites when we have a lot of rebar to cut (footers/concrete work), or when we are framing with light-gauge metal studs (which is something we’ve started doing more often).
Ben
We do cast iron piping for high end residential. I’m sure that’s not what the design team had in mind.
That being said, if you are cutting a few pieces of strut or threaded rod you’re gonna grab a cordless sawzall or bandsaw.
The battery life for an abrasive vs miter saw has to be terrible. Better have a power source to charge those batteries if you plan to cut all day.
I spend irresponsible amounts of money on tools but it seems to me there is a reason Makita is the only one producing this type of tool. Everyone else did the market research and took a pass.
Greg Schalk
Look for DeWalts next year also
fred
Just another option – and having options are good. As others have said – a cold saw might have been more appealing. A flimsy base and clamp – are common negative comments about a lot of corded saws too – but that doesn’t make it any more acceptable. I’m trying to think of an application where this would be better than using a cordless portable band saw – and I’m not sure I can think of one. If you need something more like a stationary tool – you can mount your portable band saw in one of the several tables that are sold. I have a Milwaukee table that emulates a Doall in configuration (but of course not capability). But today there are other options from Swag and maybe others.
We also did a lot of cast iron – some in places where it was still code -others where clients wanted quiet drains. We were still mostly using various manual Ridgid chain snap cutters like the 69982 – not having tried any of the powered snap cutters when I retired in 2012. Back then in our pipe fabrication business – we handle much larger sizes too – more malleable iron – but obviously not with portable tools.
While MSRP is yet to be set – if its attractively priced it may sell. It certainly will cost less than Makita’s cordless rebar and threaded rod cutters – but they offer options too:
https://www.amazon.com/Makita-XCS02ZK-Lithium-Ion-Brushless-Flush-Cutter/dp/B073SLQWYP
https://www.amazon.com/Makita-XCS01Z-Cordless-Rebar-Cutter/dp/B013AQVLQ2/
glenn
This is already available in Australia. No reviews from anyone yet but it sells here for $449AUD RRP. So I would hazard a guess that you will see it at around $279USD.
More pics here,
https://www.makita.com.au/products/power-tools/platform/18v-18vx2-mobile/metal-cutting/18vx2-brushless-355mm-14-abrasive-cut-off-saw
And a quick video here,
https://sydneytools.com.au/product/makita-dlw140z-36v-18v-x-2-liion-cordless-brushless-cut-off-saw-skin-only
John
Good looking tool. The tool-less flange removal for wheel changes is a good idea and the angle cut locking handle is a bonus over the 2 hex bolts on my old Stanley.
MacLean
I’d buy the corded one…no thanks on cordless. They need to make a dual power one…most certainly times when I need to haul the saw out into the yard to cut down 20 foot sticks…and while it only takes a second to run a power cord…I probably should buy a portaband…the harbor freight abrasive saw I have has lasted 20 years…granted the trigger is broken…have it rigged up with a foot switch.
Redcastle
Short form version of a post I attempted to post earlier.
Fred said options are good only options in the hands of the sane, I was walking through a site sometime ago and saw an electrician (not one of ours) using an angle grinder to cut Unistrut, the platform being used to support the piece of Unistrut was the toecap of his apprentice’s left boot with the aforementioned’s right boot acting as clamp and lever. However I was assured it was OK because his toecaps were steel reinforced.
fred
We tried to empower our employees to call a time out on things like this. We hoped to convey to one and all alike that safety was everyone’s concern and no one should be asking (as Cain did) “am I my brother’s keeper” – because we all should be when it comes to safety. You did the right thing in speaking up – although yours was a voice in the wilderness. But you know that when speaking about mankind (present company of course excepted) Albert Einstein said that “only 2 things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity”
Adam
Yikes. I hope the apprentice is enjoying life with his remaining toes.
We had someone get hit in the head with a hammer once. Some dumbass left it on top of a ten foot ladder, and when someone else needed the ladder for another job…
Todd
For an electrician, I don’t know why they would carry any saw other than a portaband. Any of the “deep cut” bandsaws will cut anything and everything an electrician would ever need to cut, save for perhaps needing a recip saw to make way for pipes or hangers and maybe a circular saw (I honestly can’t remember seeing any of our electricians even having a circ saw.) One of them who does a lot of work for us hardly ever uses anything but the Milwaukee 12v “pocket” band saw. Cuts up to 1-1/2″ iirc and makes quick work of unistrut, threaded rod and galvanized conduit and you can hook it on your bags or probably inside of one of the larger pouches on a full set of bags.
While using the apprentices foot to prop the unistrut up… use your own damn foot, that way you have a bit more incentive not to do anything stupid. Abrasive discs for 4.5-5″ grinders, on a scale of injury potential are high on probability, but low on the severity spectrum. I’ve had blades come apart on me, and nicked fingers with them when trying to push cut something that is in an awkward space and they hurt like hell and remove skin in a hurry but they tend to leave digits more or less intact. Carbide tooth blades take no prisoners. What I guess I’m trying to say is I would (and have) use a foot (my own) to cut things with a small angle grinder if there wasn’t a convenient way to support them properly.
Redcastle
Todd
In my experience health and safety and regulation does have at least partly a fashion component, for the past two decades any kind of tool using an abrasive wheel has been treated as akin to a loaded firearm, perhaps the apprentice joined the HSE when he grew up.
I tend to grade tools in terms of their inherent danger at what age I would let my sons use them and abrasive wheel tools come in at about 14, in some ways the fixed type such as the original subject of this post are safer because it would take an extra special idiot to manage to cut a major artery with one of those, with a normal angle grinder it would be easier.
Nate
Cherry Point MCAS had a worker remove the guard on a 4 1/2 grinder and put a 7″ wheel on it and proceed to use it. Needless to say, the wheel came apart taking a thumb and one testicle with it. He’s now known as “Uno”. That’s hardly trivial damage.
Redcastle
Adam
My uncle was working at the top of an internal scaffold tower when he was hit by a hammer, I am ashamed to say it was thrown by me from the ground in anger.
fred
This “plate vise or Tri-Vise” (also marketed by Rack-A-Tiers to electricians) is promoted as being safer than using your foot:
https://www.lowes.com/search?searchTerm=tri-vise
Todd
I’ve seen those things on the shelves at Lowes and other hardware stores for many years. That’s the only place I’ve seen them. If you showed up for your first day on a framing crew with one of those it would likely be the last. If you’re working for yourself or just doing home diy stuff…. maybe, but if you’re adding steps to incredibly simple cuts you might as well just toss the lumber up on a sawhorse and at least be comfortable. I bet it would be faster than slipping that thing over the end of every single board you had to cut, then sliding it back off.
Redcastle
Fred
A brainwave that should never have been executed, the first time I saw one in reality was in a motor vehicle tool shop I asked the person working there had he sold many as there were three on the rack and said never once. The pitch that they had been given was that it would be useful for out of workshop repairs.
fred
The time that I saw it (maybe 10 years ago) – I was looking online for what options there were for buying some new tripod vises (like the one Ridgid makes) for holding pipe. I also thought that it put the work too low to the ground – but then again that’s what we often did in camping when bucking a log laid on another one on the ground.
While I too thought that this was a bit of a silly device – it seems to have gotten 4.8 out of 5 stars (42 reviews) on Amazon – and sells there for $10 more than at Lowes – go figure. I guess – more in keeping with my thoughts about its usefulness (or lack thereof) – it sales rank on Amazon is stated as 135,450
Todd
I bought the Ridgid tripod vise a couple years ago when I came across one marked down to $50 at HD. I had casually checked out the Rockwell Jawhorse at Lowes a few times but the price…$150ish iirc, kept my interest at bay. It is a fantastic tool to have for certain projects. I’ve used it as a miter saw stand (care is needed though, if you put too much gusto in the foot pedal I have no doubt it would crush the saws base). As you mentioned it is great for holding pipe or anything you need held rock solid. It will hold an 8′ 2×4 horizontally by the last 12″ if that is any indication of how much clamping force it is capable of.
Ridgid used to make accessory jaws for it which would be nice to have but one could fabricate their own if they were so inclined.
fred
@ Todd
I believe that Reed makes some tripod vises with rubber coated jaws – but unless you add some padding under the chain – they are still susceptible to marring softer materials.
https://www.toolup.com/Reed-04456-R450PAL-Tripod-Chain-w-Neoprene-Coated-Jaws-1-8-6
Redcastle
Fred
You will be familiar I am sure with the expression more haste less speed. One of our contracts when I was seventeen involved among others things fitting specialist barrel management equipment in pubs. There were several teams which carried out the work and naturally it became competitive as to who did the most. Part of the equipment we used were specialist hand movable breakers which were similar to those used by road crews to break up tarmac. I was down in the cellar and needed to change the bit from a chisel to a point and I should have gone up turned off the machine gone back down, changed the bit, gone back up, etc however in the interests of time I laid the gun across a beer crate used a 4lb club hammer to release the retaining clip, the gun fell backwards firing the 18″ long chisel which weighed about 14lb into my face at high speed, once I recovered from the blow I rubbed my eye, everything seemed OK then I rubbed it again and blood gushed everywhere. I got to the top of the ladder and the driver in the team looked like he was about to faint, went to hospital where they stitched me up, doctor said I was lucky it had hit me on the eyebrow ridge either above or below and I would have been seriously hurt. The driver when he took me home said I am not going to stop, I said my father will be fine he knows accidents happen, he said it is not him I am worried about it is your mother, j conceded he had a point. Therefore on that day I fulfilled Napoleon’s primary requirement for his generals. So I could never condemn anyone outright for stupidity.
DC
Yep Makita needs to come out with a cordless dry cut miter saw then I’ll be interested. They have a dry cut portable saw so it’s inevitable.
cdrom
i hate all the abrasive chop saws other then the dewalt one. I have NO IDEA why they won’t use a helical compression spring in milwakee and makita etc. Those sideways springs suck.
Altan
After 4 years and 8 months DeWALT will come with 60V Flexvolt version of this! It is just a guess…