I bought this device to cut through thick hedge branches in my garden that my hedge trimmer just couldn't handle. It does this with ease - Like a knife through butter. I only wish my 3aH batteries lasted longer but I have a spare so it's not too much of an issue to swap over and charge the other. If you need to chop through wood then this will make things much easier!

Recently purchased the DJR186Z reciprocating saw with some Saxton Wood Blades (R1021L) and Bosch metal blades (S1122BF) to help with a fence replacement project and in preparing usable wood for the wood burner. The Makita and the blades make a fantastic combination. I have cut through 100mm oak fence posts, large lleylandi branches and a whole bunch of generic wood with ease. The saw is absolutely brilliant, but it will drain a 5Ah battery in about 30 minutes of constant cutting, so make sure you've also got high capacity batteries and a rapid charger.

Its far more convenient than a corded reciprocating saw and a lot quieter than a chainsaw for preparing firewood and it doesn't need all the safety leggings and the like so you can get cutting quicker. The chainsaw is faster to cut though, so I'd probably still use the chainsaw for larger volumes of wood.

Add in a Spear & Jackson Razorsharp Advance Heavy Duty Telescopic Ratchet Anvil Lopper to deal with the medium size branches and you are set up for cutting anything in the garden and garage.

I have to say that I am a regular user of Makita tools. So when the need for a recip saw came up, the choice was easy.

It's a monster :) Very solid and reassuringly heavy, I tested it with some offcuts of 4 by 2. It went through them like a hot knife through butter with no effort on my part.

Cutting up lopped branches for the bin was quick and effortless. Haven't tried on metal or plastic yet but see no cause for concern.

Happy that my choice of Makita was right again :)

An excellent addition to my 18v Makita cordless tool collection, I have a corded reciprocating saw, which works very well but I am limited to where I can use it around the garden by the length of an extension cable. This powerful cordless saw solves that problem. I have used it to cut down overgrown plants from a trellis and then the trellis itself, using one of the provided bimetal blades to cut through the nails and wood. I am intending to do some major pruning of small trees and shrubs after the aforementioned trellis project is done. You will need to purchase additional blades (I already had some for my other corded saw) and a Makita compatible 18v battery and charger (I had both from my other Makita tools) but after that off you go. I like the locking button which means you cannot use it inadvertently on your delicate fleshy bits and the no tool blade change, you just push the blades in and they lock and then turn a small button and out they come. It is not a light tool but I find the weight works well when cutting downwards as the tool does all the work. Just be sensible and wear appropriate protective gear and avoid those fleshy bits. A robust, well built tool, recommended if you are already an 18v Makita cordless tool user.

Wish i had purchased one years ago . Ideal all rounder for diy and garden . The pruning blade is a must have for this machine . Not quite chainsaw , but will cope with 6 inch no problem . Like anything , the battery life is dependent on the task at hand.

This has some weight behind it like the
240v version but has the freedom of a battery

I purchased this saw to speed up cutting down quite a large patch of bamboo. It did this easily. Made the job quite easy. Battery (not provided) lasted about 45 minutes to an hour, although I had used it to do some drilling first. May well last 1-1.5 hours on full charge. I recharged and it lasted another hour without needing be charged. This was with a 3Ah Makita battery.

Seems good so far - feels good quality, but not too heavy to cause problems. As with any reciprocating saw, the vibration can be a little tiresome and if used on very 'loose' branches it will shake them rather than cut. This is not unique to this saw though, just the type.

Where have you been all my life!!

A neighbour who is a handyman/builder suggested that battery Makita was the way to go so I delved into my first decent brand power tool and this thing is awesome. Have so far used it for pruning trees, cutting logs, nails on a fence.

Recommend buying a makita brand battery as I got a copy on the well known auction site which is ok but not as good and get some longer blades

Bought this to cut some sleepers in the garden. Wow amazing!
So much easier.
2 blades in the box. 1 for wood 1 for metal. I didn't see this mentioned in the description so I had bought some Bosch blades at the same time. Could have saved £20.
.
Great tool from Makita yet again. Circular saw next on the wish list from Makita

Had kept putting off buying a reciprocating saw as I wasn't sure I could justify it. As I already own a number of Makita LXT tools and batteries I eventually decided to take the plunge and, as you do, decided to have a bit of a 'play' as soon as it arrived. Scaffolding pole? Plywood? Scaffolding board with nails in it? Aluminium conduit? Every single one of them taken in the saw's stride. Also bought a pack of Saxton blades but pleasantly surprised to see that the saw came with a wood blade and a multi-purpose demolition blade.

If you ever need to cut stuff up quickly and with the minimum of effort you want to get yourself one of these.

This reciprocating saw is quite big and heavy - it is a two handed tool - but it is very powerful and will chew through really quite big tree trunks, tree limbs and firewood like butter. Battery life is excellent and after an hour's sawing I still had 75% of a 5A battery left. Resist the temptation to use it one handed because after it has cut through the last of the piece of wood you are working on, there is a tendency for it to swing down towards your legs unless it is supported by a second hand.

Thank you very much

I used this to cut large fence posts. The tool works very well and there is a good level of bladed available. I find it reassuringly robust and easy to operate.

Not much more to say really, a good honest tool. I bought the carry case as an extra which is great too.

This has made my life so much easier. Used mainly to rip out old windows I've added it to my collection and it (along with SDS) has resulted in my no longer needing leads and/or a transformer to do my job. light weight and has handled everything I've thrown at it, thick timber to metal windows and obviously shreds through plastic. It does it batteries though, and you can notice the difference in performance between 3ah and 5ah batteries. I would of preferred a Dewalt recip, but work use akita so I needed something that worked with their batteries, not my own collection at home. Recommended if you have the 4ah+ batteries.

Bought this tool a while ago,so I've had chance to use it regularly,it's a monster with the right blade In,does exactly what it's supposed to do,powerful but heavy,so be careful,it would do enormous injury in the wrong hands,treat it with the respect it deserves.