The Worx Axis is a new saw that converts from reciprocating saw to jig saw and back again, with the push of a button and swing of the articulating arm.
The Axis saw is cordless, powered by a removable 20V Max battery pack. It’s relatively light, weighing in at only 4.2 lbs. It cuts at 3000 strokes-per-minute, with a 3/4″ stroke length. The chuck can accept both T-shank jigsaw blades and standard reciprocating saw blades.
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An orange switch on top of the saw (in recip mode) or on the front (in jigsaw mode) lets you change the cutting action from reciprocating to orbital. The trigger is only on or off, not variable speed, and has a lock off button.
To prevent the motors and gears from getting out of alignment or slipping, they put the motor on the side, which makes the tool look a wider than you’d expect. But this also means the Worx Axis looks like a reciprocating saw in one position, and a normal jig saw in the other.
When using the Axis as a jig saw, the articulating arm is fixed in the downward position. Worx recommends 4″ jig saw blades, and for most materials it has a 2 inch cutting capacity. The Axis is said to be capable of cutting steel plate up to 5/32″ thick.
The tool has a built in blower for removing dust and debris from your cut line, and an LED work light which shines in front of the blade to help you see what you are cutting.
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In reciprocating saw mode, the LED will shine on top of the blade, and since the dust blower is on the base and not the articulating arm, it might not help you much.
While in Reciprocating saw mode, Worx recommends a maximum cut of 4″ for wood, 5″ for PVC, and 3″ for steel pipe.
The Axis ships with the tool itself, a 1.5Ah battery pack, a 5-hour charger, a wood-cutting reciprocating saw blade, and jig saw blades for cutting wood, metal, and sheet metal.
You can find the Worx Axis kit, model WX550L, for $100 at Amazon and Home Depot.
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First Thoughts
Interestingly, Worx recommends that you remove the battery pack before you change sawing modes. Then again, the common recommendation is that users unplug or remove batteries from saws for every blade change.
Stuart’s Note: I once witnessed a consumer brand power tool rep accidentally press the trigger on a cordless drill while trying to change bits. The surprise on their face when the chuck started spinning told everything. I wonder what face I was making when they did it again and then a third time.
Safety concerns aside, this seems like an interesting concept, but it does have some limitations compared to non-transforming reciprocating saws and jig saws. This tool definitely seems geared toward the homeowner end of the market.
It doesn’t look like the shoe can pivot like on a recip saw, or that you can tilt the base to make angled cuts in jigsaw mode.
There is no variable speed.
How far does the motor stick out of the side? It may not be a big deal for a jig saw, but it seems like I’m always using a reciprocating saw by corners and other tight locations.
A 5 hour charge time won’t cut it for anything but the lightest tasks if you don’t have another battery.
I will say one nice feature of the Axis is the orbital cutting in reciprocating saw mode. While most jigsaws have an orbital cutting function, most reciprocating saws don’t.
Austin werrmann
Even for a diy or home owner tool this doesn’t make any sense. Even though a jig saw and recip saw has the same motion they are two different beast. Usually you don’t need them both at the same time. I can’t see this doing a good job at being either a recip saw or jig saw.
Nathan
a blade retainer that holds both types of blades worries me slightly but knowing it has limited power in general it’s probably OK.
the lack of bevel for the jig would keep me out of one. But I know 5 people that will buy one – they have pretty much everything’s workx makes.
But I bet cost wise you could buy a corded model of either and an extension cord and be ahead of the game.
nifty idea though. weak execution.
BigDan
Even craftsman thought better than to do this?
BonPacific
I’ve seen a couple Jigsaws that could optionally mount reciprocating saw blades. They were all secured by hex-key though, rather than the newer style.
fred
I’d give it a “B” for effort on trying to innovate – but a “D” based on its likely practicality of use. Maybe a real-world test could prove me wrong.
As said – orbital action on a reciprocating saw is nice for rough cutting heavy wood in demolition work – but this saw doesn’t look to have the power for that sort of task.
Cr8ondt
The was once a 12v Kobalt version that came in a 3 tool kit, I picked one up on clearance a few years ago. The saw hasn’t seen much use at all, the motor does stick out quite a bit, but I don’t think it would hinder the usability. I also recall something about removing the battery to change positions, manual? on tool? I don’t remember. If I’m not mistaken the OEM is Chevron and I think I remember seeing a 12v Worx model too. I also don’t recall it it accepts recip blades, if it does I might find a use for it….. Time to root through my basement.
Stuart
Oh, yea!
https://toolguyd.com/kobalt-12v-drill-impact-driver-saw-combo-deal-022015/
*Facepalm*
I should have known. I’ve been trying to track down a replacement Kobalt 12V charger for a reader – he hasn’t had luck with Lowes or Kobalt – and kept passing an image of that tool around. And Chervon is not the OEM. I inquired, they said it wasn’t them, and my next step was to contact Positec – the company that makes Rockwell and Worx tools.
The yeti
Worx might be the most innovative name in work. It is unfortunate so much of what they are doing is just autobot decepticon transformer bs. The research and development that went into this tool was likely quite a bit . Makes me wonder what other ideas got canned before they came out with this less than stellar offering . Maybe they get a thousand letters a day from would be tool designers .
RC Ward
Sounds like another toy put on the market by worx , not much more to say, giving it the ” home owner” tag says it all
Satch
Looks gimmicky to me. I saw the lowest end Bosch jigsaw at Menard’s for 79 dollars. You can buy a Harbour Freight recipient saw for thirty. No, they are not cordless. But I’d wager they would last ten times longer than this and work much better as well. Seems like a solution looking for a problem to solve
.
Satch
Sorry, auto correct got me. I meant ‘recip’ saw.
Bret
I like that they are trying to be innovative. I like the idea of having two tools in one for saving storage space with two tools that I would rarely need to use but would like to have. However, the compromises they made probably leaves a lot to be desired from the actual performance and operation in either mode.
Plus, when I like to have a tool “just in case” I would rarely need to use it, I like corded – not cordless. The battery is just a ticking time bomb to render the tool useless after sitting unused in storage too long. I know maintenance can extend the life but I’d rather not add to my periodic maintenance schedule.
I agree – a 5-hour charge time seems quite long, too!
Scott K
Completely agree. I needed a jigsaw to make a handful of cuts. Bought a corded ~$30 B&D that did the job. Not very powerful but it makes nice enough cuts in OSB and doesn’t need a charge.
Rman
I have the Rockwell 12 volt version sort of this tool but does not accept recip saw blades. The only thing useful for my tool is arts and crafts type. Very thin Luann wood and the no variable speed was the death of the tool. Very difficult not to snap a blade roaring at full speed in a tight radius cut.
Rick
I’m skeptical about any product from Worx. If they have to have a half hour infomercial at 5 AM on television, then I don’t have any faith in the product.
Skye
Stuart’s Note: I once witnessed a consumer brand power tool rep accidentally press the trigger on a cordless drill while trying to change bits. The surprise on their face when the chuck started spinning told everything. I wonder what face I was making when they did it again and then a third time.
Haha I love stuff like that
Anthony
I’ve also seen the 12v Rockwell version and I own the kobalt version. Works well enough as a jigsaw, and I’ve actually enjoyed using it in its recip form to cut things like wire shelving for a closet organiser. Mine only accepts jigsaw blades, but that’s all I want it for. I imagine this worx version would work well as an ad hoc pruner, similar to the old 18v ryobi that was discontinued, Recip blades and no variable speed trigger. Its not a terrible idea, not great, but not terrible.
Bonson
I’ve owned and enjoyed using the rockwell version (trans4mer) for a while. It’s a really agile compact tool for tight spaces. It wasn’t much bigger than your fist and is still in my “lite” bag for small projects at mom’s or friends’ houses.
It was 12v and you knew it was weak but for what it was made for, it rocked out. Detailed cuts on laminate flooring, cutting pvc, trimming material in tight spots…easy.
Overpriced though, it’s about in the same class as a nice Dremel.