SELECTING TOOLS

How We Selected the Sabre Saws

Each saw we tested has:

• Variable Speed

• Orbital Action

• A Roller Guide

Sabre Saws

The Testing Team

(From Left to Right)

Bryan: From cutting siding to sink openings, Bryan uses a sabre saw for all his remodeling jobs.

Kurt: Whether he's cutting lumber or sheet goods for his new house, Kurt uses a sabre saw extensively.

Chris: When Chris is working in his shop, he relies on a sabre saw for all his curved cuts.

There are two things I remember about my first sabre saw — its orange, plastic body and the disappointment I felt whenever I used it.

Besides the fact the saw was noisy and vibrated like a jack-hammer, it would bog down in a heavy cut. And when making a curved cut, it was even more exasperating. The saw blade inevitably deflected at an angle, so I'd end up with a bevel on the edge of the workpiece instead of a square cut.

Well, that old saw is gone now. And so are some of its problems. Today, manufacturers have come up with a whole new batch of

sabre saws that are designed to produce fast, accurate cuts.

The question is how well do they work? To find out, we bought six of the most popular sabre saws, see photos below.

team. Then we rounded up a team of three woodworkers with different types of experience to test them, see photo above. Of course, one of the problems with this is you're likely to end up with more than one "best" saw.

But that's okay. Each person picked the saw that was best for the type of work he does most frequently. Which is just the kind of information I'd want when buying a saw.

The thing I'm curious about is the two different styles of handles. What can you tell me about them?

Kurt: The main thing is the handles on these saws don't just look different. (See inset photo above.) They feel different too. When I'm using a saw with an enclosed handle on top, it feels like I can cut to a line more accurately than

Top Handles

DeWalt

DW321

800-433-9258 $165.95

12

Hitachi

CJ65V2K

800-546-1666 $199.00

ShopNotes

Makita

4304

800-462-5482 $169.95

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