Metabo HPT has come out with a new 18V cordless compact reciprocating saw, model CR18DAQ4. The new saw is designed for one-handed operation and can be powered by Metabo HPT’s 18V or MultiVolt Li-ion batteries
Metabo HPT says that their new compact one-handed reciprocating saw wins several “best in class” contests.
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Lightweight – best-in-class, weighing 2.9 lbs for the bare tool.
Compact – best-in-class, measuring 13.8″ long.
Speed – best-in-class with 3,200 strokes per minute.
Here’s an interesting detail I almost missed – Metabo HPT’s new saw works with standard reciprocating saw blades OR t-shank jig saw blades.
While many users might only use this for common demolition, trimming, or rough cutting tasks where reciprocating saws are typically used for speed, accessibility, or convenience, the t-shank blade compatibility opens the tool up to even more applications.
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Metabo HPT says that the t-shank jigsaw blade compatibility allows for more detailed cuts, such as cutting arches in plywood, or a 1-1/2″ hole in a cavity just 6″ wide or between studs.
For lighter duty cutting tasks, being able to operate a saw with only one hand means your other hand is free for material support.
Like other one-handed saws, the new Metabo HPT’s is lightweight, which should reduce user fatigue during extended use or in making overhead cuts.
Metabo HPT says that the saw has a power to size and weight ratio that is unmatched in its class.
Press materials describe the new saw being used for tasks I normally wouldn’t associate with reciprocating saws:
- Cutting PVC pipes all day
- Cutting metal closet shelf accessories
- Notching vinyl plank flooring
- Cutting nail embedded 2x4s
- Pruning small shrubs around the home
Metabo HPT says that this is the most versatile one-handed recip available today, and it looks like they might be onto something.
Key Features and Specs
- 18V system (also works with MultiVolt batteries)
- 17/32″ stroke length
- 0-3,200 SPM cutting speed
- Max cutting capacity
- 2″ mild steel pipe
- 2″ wood
- Variable speed control
- Tool-less blade change
- Tool-less shoe adjustment
- LED worklight
Price: $129
Discussion
As soon as I caught on about the t-shank blade compatibility, my eyes lit up.
There are a lot of different applications where I like t-shank jigsaw blade selection and cut quality, but where a jigsaw might not be the best tool to make the cut I need. Cutting plastic or aluminum stock, for instance, is not a good fit for most reciprocating saws unless you want a very rough edge that will need heavy processing. There are a wide range of reciprocating saw blades available, but they’re generally designed for demo or rough cutting tasks.
In their promo video. Metabo HPT shows off the saw cutting tight arcs with a jigsaw blade, and that’s not something you can do with any standard reicprocating saw blade I’ve seen.
With t-shank blade compatibility, this might indeed be the most versatile one-handed reciprocating saw on the market.
Metabo HPT’s best-in-class claims look to check out.
However, whereas the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Hackzall is rated at 3,000 SPM, it has a 7/8″ stroke length.
Dewalt’s Atomic series one-handed reciprocating saw is rated at 2,800 SPM and has a stroke length of 5/8″.
Metabo HPT’s recip saw is rated at 3,200 SPM and with a stroke length of 17/32″.
But, the Metabo HPT saw also weighs less than Dewalt’s 12V Max Xtreme Subcompact one-handed saw, at least when comparing bare tool to bare tool.
The lower stroke length spec should also mean less vibration.
It is also worth noting that the Metabo HPT does not mention having a brushless motor, not that brushless motors mean anything anymore given the new breed of low-powered brushless tools some brands have been coming out with.
The fast cutting speed is notable, but so is the shorter stroke length. The stroke length is likely tied to the size of the tool, helping it to be as compact as it is.
Usually, a longer stroke length means faster cutting, while a shorter stroke length can provide more control.
If choosing this reciprocating saw, your primary benefit would be in the blade selection versatility and the saw’s compact size and weight.
I think that Metabo HPT could have made different decisions with this tool, but probably not without making it larger, heavier, and pricier.
Lastly, the battery interface housing looks to extend beyond the rear of the battery a bit. Is this to prevent users from attempting to rest the tool on its battery? Normally, one-handed drills are designed with drill-like battery interfaces, but not this one. Or might this be to give more support to larger MultiVolt batteries? Hmm.
Jared
This looks like a great tool. That jigsaw blade aspect is really neat – though I’m not sure how often I would use it.
I realize it has a few “best-in-class” claims, but that stroke length prevents it from being a clear class-leader. A longer stroke would help with chip removal and spread out the cutting to more of the blade, keep things cooler… but on the other hand, I expect this would just lead to compromises in other aspects.
The choices Metabo made might make it the best one-hand reciprocating saw for certain users.
fred
When corded tools still reigned – our installers really like a Bosch (3294EVS) in-line grip jig saw for reaching into cabinets and doing cutouts.
Bosch never made a cordless version – a pity IMO
Brian A
Yeah one of the complaints I have heard friends say about some other hackzalls is the short throw. Sure shorter is more control but most pro’s are pretty skilled that it doesnt matter what the throw is. The M18 Fuel has a 50% longer throw then this thing which is a “best in class increase over the competition” lol.
Rob
I thought jigsaw blade compatibility was pretty commonplace with baby recips?
Stuart
I couldn’t find any examples except for Worx – https://toolguyd.com/worx-axis-transforming-reciprocating-saw-jig-saw/ .
Big Richard
The only one I’ve ever used that could was the Metabo 18v. Not to be confused with Metabo HPT.
It would be nice if it was commonplace, though.
James C
Milwaukee makes special recip blades similar in size to jigsaw blades. Very useful when you need a small diameter hole but don’t have a jigsaw handy. They can cut much tighter curves than a more typical recip blade.
MM
I REALLY like the compatibility with jigsaw blades. In fact they must be reading my mind since I just made a post on the Toolguyd forum a couple of days ago about wishing for a similar tool.
Alas I think this tool has the same disadvantages that all its competitors have: it’s nose and shoe are too large to fight into tight spots and likewise for the big hump where the motor is located. These tools could be vastly improved, IMHO, if the motor were moved to the rear of the tool and they were more of a narrow design.
Matt the Hoople
Amen to that.
I received the Ryobi One+ HP version for Christmas. I’m not a pro so it suits most of my needs just fine for use around the house. What I will say about this format is that I wish it had been invented years ago. In 4 months, I have used it countless times. It is so convenient that, I’ve not once touched my full size Dewalt saw. Being able to use it with one hand I a game changer for all but cuts requiring the heavy dustiest of saws. It is one of the few tools that has a home on top of the work bench and a dedicated battery sitting next to it at all times.
Having the ability to use jigsaw blades would make a great tool even better. I use it on many things where it is not really appropriate (overkill or too rough/coarse) but do so anyway out of convenience versus getting out and setting up a different tool.
1/8 inch here or there on stroke length and a couple hundred SPM really are of no importance to me as I’m not normally cutting lots of stuff continuously. What I would like to see also the more compact shoe idea for better access. I don’t know if the Metabo has a movable shoe but that should be mandatory on all recip saws for extending blade usable life. The Ryobi does not have this feature.
Additionally, the concept of moving the motor to the rear of the handle is an excellent idea in my book as the versatility would then be greatly increased for use in tight spots.
Honestly, the dream set up would be a scaled down version with the aforementioned features that uses jigsaw blades only with a really good trigger or maybe an adjustment to limit max speed for fine work.
MM
I think you make a good point about most of the specs here. Nobody is going to be using a tool like this for mass production cutting. It’s a problem solver tool for making cuts in tight spaces, not a contractor’s primary tool that will be used hard for hours a day. It’s not even meant to replace a traditional jigsaw. It doesn’t need to be particularly powerful, fast, or have a huge stroke but it does need to be as small as possible to fit into tight places. Making the tool jigsaw blade only lets the whole thing be smaller too. An adjustable shoe would be ideal, not just for blade life but also to reduce the stickout of the blade when cutting in tight areas. If people need to do serious demolition or cutting of heavy materials there are different saws for those jobs. Optimize this design for tight quarter operation and leave the heavy work with full-size recip saw blades to the full-size recip saws.
Kane
Stuart mentioned the Worx Axis in another comment. That’s about the only saw I can think of that may meet your requirements.
MM
I looked at that. It’s a neat idea but it’s still nowhere near as small and slender as I was envisioning. I’m hoping for something that’s the size/shape of pneumatic “body saw” for the Auto trade but cordless & accepts T-shank blades. Basically like the Makita DJR183Z but smaller at the nose/shoe & set up for T-shanks instead of full size recip blades. Or any of these Hackzall type saws without the big hump.
Matt the Hoople
I have one of the pneumatic body saws you mention. It is indeed a great problem solver in tight areas. The only problem is the air hose sticking out the back which limits mobility (and some precision) when working in a tight space. An electric version with fine speed control would be very handy indeed.
Derek Stevens
Ingersoll Rand makes a 12v body saw…love that thing.
MM
I did some more digging around and it seems there are handful of corded tools that get close to what we are describing but they seem to be virtually unknown in the US.
Fred above mentioned the Bosch 3294EVS. There is also another similar Bosch product, the V4050. As far as I can tell both of these are long discontinued. There is also the Makita JR1000FT which appears to be in production but only outside the US. It’s readily available from Amazon.jp, for example.
These are all corded, variable-speed, inline style jigsaws. None of them are as compact as I would like but they’re not bad, especially the Makita. It has a smaller shoe than the Bosch models and looks like it can get into some pretty tight places. Also most of its bulk appears to be the black rubber guard over the front of the saw; it might be possible to remove this to make the front even smaller?
MM
Thanks for the comment Derek, the Ingersoll C1101 is a lot closer to what I was looking for!
Alas it takes normal body saw blades instead of jigsaw blades, and it’s part of a cordless system that I have no buy-in for and I’m not very interested in jumping into. It is worth some consideration though, I see that Ingersoll also makes a cordless narrow belt sander aka “powerfile” on the same battery series. Hopefully others will get on board!
Also regarding my own comment on removing the large rubber guard from the Makita JR1000FT–I checked some parts breakdowns and it appears that it’s just a rubber boot which slides on the front of the saw. It appears that it would be easily removable.
Aaron S
My favorite hackzall is the m12 non-fuel. It consistently performs poorly in reviews and is absolutely anemic when you compare it to anything else. I have about a dozen other sawzall shaped objects and they hardly get any use.
It is tiny and lightweight, so it stays in my main stack whether I expect to need it or not. If I need a quick cut it is there for me. If I have a whole project to do or am going to be engaged in a single trade for a long time I get a bigger saw to match the job.
The bigger hackzall style tools I haven’t been able to get as excited about. Most things where I need more than the little guy I feel like justify a full size saw or even corded.
The color scheme on these is too close to masterforce for it to feel credible to me… It may be just a midwest thing, but with masterforce as a store brand at menards it is difficult to see the same colors and think quality.
The jigsaw blade compatibility is intriguing though.
Big Richard
Some of those Masterforce tools are actually pretty decent. Their oil-impulse driver is very underrated, at half the cost of Makita’s or Milwaukee’s (and way better than Ryobi’s).
fred
Some of our plumbers like thed original M12 Hackzall – not because it was powerful (it was not!) – but because it fit nice under sinks to cut out plastic pipe.
Maintenance Essentials
I bought this saw several weeks ago and cant get over the vibrations. It’s the shakiest saw I’ve used. Even in light duty situations
Tim
That’s weird. Mine has very little, if any vibrations.
Maintenance Essentials
Perhaps I bought a dud?
I am far from exaggerating. As I am slowly buying into the MHTP platform I wanted this saw to be a winner. The other Subcompact tools I have are great, the drill especially. The ergonomics of these tools are by far a personal favorite for me and the 36v recip saw is an irreplaceable tool on my jobsites. But this saw wobbles for me to the point of being annoying.
Are you on Instagram? I wish there was a way to compare our two
Vards Uzvards
This saw is $99 right now, on Amazon.com and Toolnut.com too. Even on Prime Day the price was five dollars higher.
Vards Uzvards
Amazon.com offers this saw at an even better price now (2/28) – $86.53.