MAKITA 18V LXT Cordless Reciprocating Saw (XRJ05Z)

The XRJ05Z’s brushless motor keeps up with the rest of the competition with its low maintenance and variable speed capabilities. There are two speed settings on this saw and both are variable. The low setting ranges from zero to 2,300 strokes per minute and is ideal for hard materials like metal. When doing demo work on softer materials like wood, the high setting kicks it into overdrive to deliver an extra boost of speed up to 3,000 strokes per minute.

To clarify, the saw includes two different ways to control the speed. The speed change button sets the maximum speed acheivable and the trigger variates the speed from zero to the maximum spm for your selected setting. This allows you to crank down on the trigger without having to think too hard about the ideal speed for the material you’re cutting.

The stroke length of 1-1/4″, which is among the longer strokes in this saw class. Pared with a blade long enough, it cuts wood up to 12″ thick and metal up to 5-1/8″ thick.

Overall length and weight are 17-1/4″ and just under 8 lbs (sans battery).

The MAKITA powered through just about anything. You’ll have to go a little slower with materials like black iron but keep a pair of batteries playing musical chairs with your charger and long demo days will be uninterrupted. Charge is going to depend on the size of battery you attach. Need a quick weekend jaunt on a couple boards? The 3.0Ah (that’s three amp hours, a unit of charge) battery will suit you just fine. Needing to finish a heavy-duty job on cast iron or rebar? Grab a set of the 5.0Ah or 6.0Ah LXT batteries.

Curious what amp hours (Ah) actually are? As mentioned above, amp hours are a unit of charge that refer to the number of amps that can flow from a battery in one hour. So a three amp hour battery can send three amps to a motor or tool for one hour. Or one amp for three hours. What’s an amp? An amp, or ampere, is a measure of electrical current.

// Back to the MAKITA //

The XRJ05Z features a tool-less blade change. It’s handy, but has become a bit of the standard across the competition. Still, it kept us from having to chase down a proprietary tool or wrench to liberate the blade. The chuck lets you just “push” a blade in. No levers or buttons to actuate. To remove a blade, just rotate the sleeve and the blade pops out.

Note that there is no orbital setting for this saw.  While all reciprocating saw feature a forward-and-back reciprocation, some also introduce a subtle up-and-down chopping action commonly referred to as an ‘orbital setting’.  It allows for more aggressive cuts.  Imagine slicing a loaf of bread without pressing down on the knife.  You’ll get clean cuts, but it might take a little longer.

An LED light keeps everything well-illuminated. This is especially handy when doing demo work in spaces that have already been cut from the power grid and have no immediate lighting solutions. The light turns on when the trigger is depressed and stays on for about ten seconds after the trigger is released, which is a nice touch that we appreciated.

The saw’s shoe is fixed and has five different extension settings. This is helpful for changing the part of the blade that is actively cutting. An example would be a full day of cutting black iron. The same part of the blade would be engaged and would dull before other unused parts of the blade. The telescoping adjustable shoe aims to solve this by changing the part of the blade that is doing the heavy lifting. This ultimately saves money on new blades and we are fans of saving money.

An included rafter hook folds out and gives a quick and temporary storage solution when a tool belt or rafter is within reach.