In this review we will be taking a look at Milwaukees latest cordless reciprocating saw, the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Super Sawzall 2722-21HD and we will discuss its feature set and performance.
Ethics Disclosure
Milwaukee provided the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Super Sawzall 27221-21HD for free in exchange for my review. As with all my reviews I am not required to write a positive one. Based on my experience and knowledge, this review represents my opinion about the product. My review will include my thoughts and opinions. I will do my best to provide you with an unbiased review.
Manufacturer Features and Specs:
My Thoughts
At the 2022 Milwaukee new products symposium, a variety of new Milwaukee Fuel-branded tools were announced that represent the latest in Fuel technology. Milwaukee FUEL is their trademark for the tools they make. They have the most advanced tech, features and performance in their category. One of those new FUEL cordless tools is their latest cordless 18 volt reciprocating saw theMilwaukee M18 Fuel Super Sawzall 2722-21HD. Milwaukee offered two Fuel Sawzall models, the M18 Fuel Sawzall model and the M18 Fuel Sawzall updated with One-Key. However, the Super Sawzall is, just like its name implies.
The Super Sawzall launched alongside their newest 18V High Demand battery, the M18 HD 12.0 ah battery. This battery is said to perform as well as a 15-amp corded reciprocating saw, and cut faster than a corded one when paired with the Super Sawzall. The SPM of the Fuel version is the same at 0-3000 SPM. However, the stroke length was increased to 1-1/10 cm. This is comparable to the corded Super Sawzall unit and will allow it to cut more material per stroke. They also added an orbital mode with switch on top for more aggressive orbital cuts in lumber that result in faster cutting. Of course I will discuss how it performs in the performance section down below.
With this being a Super Sawzall in terms of specs the size and weight are SUPER as well as this isnt a compact recip saw by no means nor is it a light saw either. Its not trying to be either and it weighs in a hefty 55 kg (with battery) which is on the heavy side for a cordless tool which is a little over two full pounds heavier than the corded Super Sawzall model. AcmeTools estimates that the 15.kg weight of the 12.0-volt battery is a major reason for this. Although it is heavier than cordless reciprocating saws, and even corded versions, 55kg isn’t too heavy considering its two-handed nature and the performance it provides (more details below). A 5 kg tool isnt heavy, especially if held by two hands.
Sharing the same name with the corded Super Sawzall model it also carries over one of its feature which is a variable speed dial above the trigger and is easily accessed via thumb and index finger to limit the max RPM speed of the saw essentially adding variable speeds to this saw. The trigger itself is also variable speed as well so you have full control of the cutting speed at all times to take it easy and slow for control, or full blast for fast cutting, or anywhere in between. The Super Sawzall also includes a lock switch above the trigger behind the variable speed dial which acts as a safety switch to lock the tool if the user decides to.
Other features include a pivoting shoe which was very stiff out of the box but after several cuts it loosened up to where I like it better. The lever at the bottom of the tool allows you to adjust the length of your shoe. Although the lever does its job, it is a little too small to reach into the body. It can also be difficult to pull open gloves if it is recessed. Its definitely not as easy to operate as the easy push button on the Bosch GSA18V-12518V brushless reciprocating saw. The shoe can be moved forward to allow the blades that are not being used to extend their life span so you don’t have to replace them as often. To help you see the path when cutting in low light conditions, a large LED light is located behind the shoe.
Although this is a FUEL branded tool which should have all their latest and greatest feature, there is a downgrade on this tool in the form of no easy access side latch to change blades. To change blades, one must place his/her finger in the area behind the shoe. Then grip the clamp collar and turn it. Depending on where the blade stopped, sometimes the clamp is pushed further back into the tool making it awkward and harder to reach. Milwaukee should have included an easy-to-use side blade change lever, like the one on the M18 Fuel Sawzall. This would make it much easier to change blades.
Going back to the orbital settings, there is only one orbital setting ON and is activated with a top mounted dial to choose between orbital or inline modes. The mode dial does the job but doesnt offer a satisfying click when it is engaged in either mode and is easy to move out of place. I didnt have any issues with it while operating the saw but its not as nice as I would have expected from a Super Sawzall model.
The right side of your saw has a rafter hook that can be folded into place when it is not in use and opens up for when you need to hang the tool nearby.
This cordless M18 Fuel super sawzall comes with a 12.0 ah battery, rapid charge and a large tool bag. Although the price tag is higher for this type cordless tool, it’s still a good deal considering you can also get the original Fuel Sawzall Kit for one 5ah battery, or two 5ah batteries. However, this super saw packs a bigger 12.0ah battery that provides a larger fuel tank than the two single 5ah ones. It’s also an upgraded model, which makes the difference in the end. Milwaukee also offers the original Fuel model, which is available at a lower price point if necessary.
Performance:
How does it perform? This is the right place. I have put the Super Sawzall through its paces. You can even see the video below to see how it performs. As expected, this Sawzall has Super performance making not just fast cuts into everything I put in front of its blade but it tore through them with ease. From 24 to 44 lumber and even a structural pipe in the mix.
Of course I tested its 24 cutting performance in both inline and orbital settings to see how great the orbital model worked. Out of 5 cuts in the side by side tests, only two of them were faster in the orbital cutting mode. The 3 cuts were all equal in speed, while the 4th cut showed an advantage in orbital mode. The 5th cut showed orbital settings with slightly greater advantage than inline cutting. The Super Sawzall can cut 210 cms fast, almost on par with orbital. The orbital mode can be viewed as less efficient at cutting 24 cms, but with very little advantage in cutting speed.
Next, we tested 44 cutting. Here is where you can see the difference in cutting speeds between the two modes. The orbital mode has the advantage because it uses more aggressive orbital motions with each stroke. The speed difference between orbital and inline modes is small, with the inline mode following closely. You won’t notice much difference in cutting using the orbital mode unless your video shows the beginning and end points of the cuts. My guess is that orbital mode will help out better when doing longer thicker cuts where youll see a larger speed advantage when using the orbital mode.
To see how it compares with the competition and its peers, I have included a side-by-side comparison between this saw and the M18 brushed model Sawzall 2621-20 (which I thought was an excellent performer when it was reviewed several years back) and the Bosch GSA18V125 (which Boschs feature-packed brushless flagship model is also a great performer within the 18V category). Compared to the other two, the Super Sawzall was easily 2x faster than the brushed motor Sawzall and about 50% faster than the Bosch model at cutting lumber whether it be 24 or 44. The M18 Fuel Super Sawzall performs better than the 18V category and is more powerful. It’s not surprising, as Milwaukee has done some magic with their Fuel 18V tools over the last couple of years. They perform better than higher voltage tools. For example, look at their M18 Fuel table saw, M18 Fuel SDS Max rotary hammer and M18 Fuel Super Hawg to name a few. Milwaukee kept these tools in the 18V line using 18 volt batteries yet the competition offers the same type of tools but at higher voltages ranging from 36 volts to 60 volts max.
The Super Sawzalls lumber cutting performance and punch was exceptional, well above its weight category. However, the Super Sawzalls metal cutting speed, though faster than that of the M18 Sawzall model with a brushed motor, still fell short of its Bosch counterpart in this respect. Its metal cutting performance was on par with the Bosch flagship with the Bosch winning the race by a millisecond. The Milwaukee Super Sawzall’s metal cutting performance is still impressive, but it has been optimized to cut lumber.
Vibration:
Reciprocal saws vibrate a lot, as we all know. This is a fact of life however some are better and some models are worse than others. The Milwaukee M18 Fuel Super Sawzall is a powerful machine when it comes performance. However, this model has more vibration than the average Milwaukee M18 Fuel Super Sawzall. Id say its vibration is somewhere in the middle of the road, not the lowest vibration nor is it the worst offender either so it strikes a good balance in between. The no load vibration of the Milwaukee M18 Sawzall is actually more powerful than its, but that’s only when there is no cutting being done. When its making a cut, the felt vibration of the Super Sawzall is more noticeable but thats because its cutting faster with a more aggressive stroke length.
Runtime:
333 cuts into 24 w/ 12ah battery
This saw was able to cut into 24 wood in 333 cuts when paired with the 12.0 Ah battery. This saw is more than twice as fast as other cordless models that I have used in the past. Doing the math, this model makes about 27.75 cuts per amp hour. To compare with other models Ive tried, the Ridgid 18V GenX5 brushed motor recip saw got 89.5 cuts with a 4.0 battery which is 23.37 cuts per amp hour. The Milwaukee M18 Sawzall (2621-20 brushed motor model) achieved 110 cuts with a 3.0 battery which is 36.66 cuts per amp hour. Bosch GSA18V125 model made 145 cuts using a 6.3 ah lithium battery, which is 24.16 cuts per hour. Surprisingly, the Super Sawzall does not get equivalent or better runtime than the brushed motor M18 Sawzall or anywhere near it (23.37 cuts per ah vs 36.66 cuts per ah) but it does beat the others Ive tried but not by much. I believe this is due to the Super Sawzall using more power to drive its higher performance. The verdict: Runtime is so so (middle of the road), it achieved a lot of cuts because of its extremely large 12.0ah battery. The included battery has a capacity so big it should easily last all day or more before needing to be recharged.
Conclusion:
Milwaukee is at it again using their technical wizardry to push the limits of 18 volt tools by making another M18 Fuel cordless power tool that performs more like a higher voltage tool with performance that you would expect from a plug in corded tool. Simply put, expect faster cutting than its competition in lumber cutting applications. If youre looking for a cordless Sawzall that can outperform its 18V competition, the M18 Fuel Super Sawzall is it. This tool is not the smallest or lightest cordless sawzall, but it’s not trying to be. It is large, heavy, and powerful. Although orbital cutting is introduced, it only slightly increases lumber cutting speed over inline mode. Although it has a brushless motor, it is tweaked to offer top performance instead of better MPG so dont expect the best runtime efficiency but you will get lots of work done due to its huge 12.0ah battery (gas tank). You can expect to do a full day or more with one 12.
0 battery. Its price matches its performance at which is not cheap by any means but it does pack their latest 12.0 battery which is priced at by itself (and offers more runtime than two smaller 5.0 ah batteries) and also comes bundled with the upgraded rapid charger.
Pros:
- outstanding performance performs more like a higher voltage power tool
- corded performance in a cordless tool
- Included 12.0 battery achieves several hundreds of cuts per charge
- variable speed dial on top of the variable speed trigger for additional speeds of control
- Hook for rafters
- LED light
- Adjustable pivoting shoe
Cons:
- heavy for cordless at 55 kg with battery
- no side mounted blade change lever as seen on previous Sawzall models
- The shoe adjustment lever can be difficult to open with your naked hands. It is almost impossible to do with gloves.
- orbital mode only slightly faster than inline cutting mode in lumber cutting applications
- runtime efficiency is not the best in class, it gets lots of cuts because it has a large 12.0 battery
DISCLOSURE:
