MILWAUKEE M18 FUEL SAWZALL Reciprocating Saw (2821)

The 2821 (and it’s brother, the 2822) are the refreshed versions of MILWAUKEE’s cordless reciprocating saws. The only difference between the two is that the 2822 includes the ONE-KEY system, which is a Bluetooth tool management system. ONE-KEY is a tool management platform that provides tool tracking and battery management features that are geared towards contractors and construction outfits. For the hobbyist or solo tradesman, it might be an unnecessary feature. Unless you’re a part of a large operation that needs tool management and tracking systems, you can stick with the cheaper 2821.

At 3000 strokes per minute, the 2821 is an industry leader when it comes to cutting capability. With 1-1/4″ strokes, this unit powers through anything from lumber to black iron.

The 2821 has a variable speed trigger. Squeeze hard and you’ll get all 3000 strokes per minute. Relax your pull and the blade will slow down, which is useful for tougher materials like metal.

Brushless motors extend tool life and don’t require occassional maintenance that will impede your workflow.

The blade change mechanism has been beefed up and protects against wear and tear better than prior iterations. Called the QUIK-LOK, it’s fairly straightforward to actuate. There’s a bit of fiddling you might have to experience if dirt or dust accumulate on the mechanism but it held our blades firmly across a variety of tasks. Blades can be clamped either tooth-down or tooth-up to accomodate different cutting scenarios.

The battery connection has been upgraded with additional metal reinforcements. This will help with accidental bumps or drops and helps maintain a solid power connection.

A powerful LED light is located on the business end of the 2821 and keeps dim areas like attic rafters well-lit. It’s turned on when the trigger is depressed and automatically shuts off when the trigger is released.

The pivoting shoe is adjustable. This is particularly useful in extending blade life. When cutting thinner materials, especially thinner metal, only a small portion of the blade actually engages with the workpiece. Over time, the teeth will dull in that one spot while the rest of the teeth remain unblemished and like-new. Adjusting the shoe forward and back allowed us to use different portions of the blade to ensure that we were getting all the bang for our buck.

MILWAUKEE cut some weight from this latest generation of the 2821. At a little under seven pounds, this SAWZALL will diminish fatigue while still keeping enough heft to remain steady under strenuous loads.

Since this tool was designed to aggressively cut through any material, we’d recommend outfitting it with at least a 5.0Ah battery. Smaller batteries might work for the occassional light cut but something larger will let the 2821 flex all of its muscle.