Tool Ratings

When Milwaukee makes a tool, they also make a better design of that tool. Even though they are now a subsidiary of a larger corporation, the company likes to stay with its roots – making the best electric tools anywhere on Earth. The company over-builds their products, and strives to be at the lead, technologically. For instance, they were the first company to produce what we know as a reciprocating saw, the Sawzall. Milwaukee was also the first to introduce lithium-ion technology to the portable tool segment. When you take those and wrap them up together, we are the lucky recipients of the Milwaukee 0719-22 V28 Sawzall Lithium-ion Cordless Reciprocating Saw, and thus the kit reviewed here.

The one item on the specification list for the 0719-22 V28 Sawzall where most will stop and read again and again will be where it describes the pair of 28-volt, 3.0 amp-hour, power-gauge equipped, reversible (!), lithium-ion, rechargeable batteries. That is serious electron storage and is of the grade a true everyday user of such a machine would buy and use. This energy is directed into a dual-speed motor with a variable range between either 0 to 2000 strokes-per-minute (SPM) or 0 to 3000 SPM, depending on selection, and then routed through a ‘gear-protecting’ clutch to the business end. That stroke is 1-1/8 inch long with a blade which is fitted with Milwaukee’s Quik-Lok clamp; that means tool-free, and very fast, blade replacements when you find that all the work you find yourself using it for begins to dull things up on the 0719-22 V28 Sawzall.

Of course, only one of the batteries – which actually can be loaded either front-to-back or back-to-front and are easily loaded and gives the ability to shift the saw’s weight balance – fits on the Milwaukee 0719-22 V28 Sawzall at a time. Tool and battery combo works out to only 9.4 pounds of weight in the user’s hands and, as you always use both arms, an ease of use beyond what is usually expected from a professional-grade tool. And, being of such a category, the 0719-22 V28 Sawzall battery is designed to last twice as long as the standard 18.8-volt Ni-Cad powered tool, especially in constant use situations.

As the products carrying the Sawzall label are known for their durability, even at the lower end of their price range, this reciprocating saw has the potential to last a lifetime. Milwaukee only grants the 0719-22 V28 Sawzall a five-year warranty, however, but that is mostly due to the environments in which it is used – real world job sites where life is very hard for such tools.

Since working in difficult environments is its raison d’être, it is reasonable to expect the Milwaukee 0719-22 V28 Sawzall to be a well-built tool which fits well in the hands and is always ready to do its job when one needs it. And, that is correct. This saw is take it anywhere convenient, easy to control thanks to the inclusion of a keyless-type shoe adjust system, lighter than a similar 18-volt model from anyone else, comfortable thanks to a soft, cushioned grip which also helps to dampen vibration, and its battery, which has a nifty LED “fuel” gauge built into it, lasts for so long that some may only forget to charge it because it is done so rarely. However, with the Milwaukee 0719-22 V28 Sawzall’s quick-charger, one can always keep the included secondary battery charged…

The main drawback to actually adding Milwaukee’s 0719-22 V28 Sawzall to your tool kit is its cost, even at the discounted amounts to be found online and at local dealers with enormous sales. Suggested retail for the saw is nearly US$800! It can often be found for around $380, though, but that remains fairly steep for something a causal user might only need once or twice a year. For the professional or serious hobbyist, that may be one of the best tool deals on the market. After all is said about the 0719-22 V28 Sawzall, it is one very useful, powerful and durable piece of machinery when only a top-notch cordless reciprocating saw can do the job.