Question for you electrical people:)

[snowwolfe]

I want to buy a reciprocating saw and found one I like on Amazon. Its a Makita corded and rated at 15 amps. I will be doing some projects and want to carry the saw and my Honda 2,000 watt generator on my ATV to do them.
Will the generator power the saw or do I need to get a lower amp model?

[lefty o]

i'd not buy a makita first off. buy a mailwaukee and be done with it.

[jmort]

Milwaukee Made in China is a decent Chinese made brand.

[douglasskid]

Watts= Volts times amps
15 amps x 120 volts= 1800 watts.
Make sure your generator will supply 1800 watts on a continuous basis. Some generators are rated at start up wattage only.

[garandsrus]

I can't imagine a reciprocating saw actually draw that much power. If it did, it would be blowing circuit breakers all the time.

[Hickory]

Your generator will handle it with ease.

[merlin101]

15 amps seems a little high to me, I wonder if that's part of the lawyer-speak?
But to answer your question , I've run my saw off of a little 2000 watt genny without problem. When I've done it it's a few minutes at a time, I've tried my circular saw and that's another story!

[timspawn]

If you are talking about the quiet little $1000 Honda generators then it will be fine. I have a pair of them and have used them singularly to run a recip saw and circular saw while building a deck. I parallel them to run my camper. They are tough.

[dakotashooter2]

I would guess that would be the rating for the saw under heavy / maximum load which should only occur if you get into some hard wood or tough nails.

[leadman]

How much are you going to saw at a time? I have a Ryobi 18v cordless than runs for quite awhile on a battery. I take my 800w Invertor along to charge the batteries when needed. Usually cutting firewood for camping with it.

[MaLar]

I've run my "Makita" worm drive saw on a 1500 watt gen ran just fine.

[MtGun44]

Makita is a good brand, max load will be just below the rating of the
generator. Will you be using it in the mountains or otherwise at high
altitude? Genset will NOT make full power in Denver, and even
in flat land (much at 5-7,000 ft) in western states. OK in eastern US
if not in mountains. At 7000 ft, like Montana and Wyoming, it will
make about 60% power, a bit better if rejetted carb for high altitude.

In Wyoming, you'll get maybe 1200 watts out of a 2000 watt unit.
Built a cabin in high mountain Colorado - genset was a PITA, heavily
derated at 10,000 ft!

[BD]

In 2008 I supervised the destruction of around 50 sawsalls in 3 months. We basically wrecked every saw available within 20 miles of Skaneateles NY to take down a 8,000 sq ft house from the bottom up that could not be "demolished" by code. The winner of the contest for durability was the Basic model Dewalt reciprocating saw. I do have a Milwaukee "supersawsall" bought around 2004 which has held up, ( I did not throw my personal tools into that demo project). but the 12 Milwaukee's bought for that particular project did not do well.
Whatever you do, do not buy it at Wallmart. While throwing sawsalls in the dumpster we noticed that the Wallmart Milwaukee's and Dewalts had plastic gears, while the lumber yard ones had metal gears. Also, make sure that the saw you buy has shaft rotation while it reciprocates. I would call it "osolation", The early Makita's did not. I beat the heck out of my wrist getting a blade stuck in one of those back in 1988 when they first came out. I think I hit it with a sledge, and then ran over it with the truck for good measure, before throwing it in the lake and going to the hospital for a wrist brace.

[snowwolfe]

Appreciate the advice. I'll be using the saw on our property in TN for various projects and cutting up a lot of brush dropped by last years ice storm. Opinions about power tools are as varied as they are about guns. One persons recommendation is another's "never buy it they are junk".
I was going to hold off buying one but Amazon is offering an extra $20 off for a fathers day incentive so ordered it today.
Makita JR3070CT Orbital 15-Amp Reciprocating Saw with Anti Vibration

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

well, I'd first suggest a chainsaw, but if you are wanting a reciprocating saw for the woods, skip the generator ...I have the Milwaukee "hackzall" with the 4.0 AH batteries...it does everything I've needed it for so far from trimming apple trees to cutting up nail filled pallets. I highly recommend it.
http://www.milwaukeetool.com/power-tools/cordless/2625-20

I've seen a youtube video where they cut a car up into recyclable pieces with one of these hackzall saws.

edited: OK, I just re-read your comment. I see you ordered it. I looked up that 15Amp (1510 watts) Makita JR3070CT, That is one heck of a sawzall, I think your generator will power it, Just be careful to NOT load down the saw too much.

[bangerjim]

I have 2 Maks, 1 Mill, and 1 HF (don't know where that one came from!!!!!).

Never had any problems with any of them cutting thru up to 4x4's and tree limbs.

But I would totally recommend a chain saw for tree trimming. Fast & smooth. The recipro will rattle your bones to the core cutting a bunch of big tree limbs!!!!!!!! They are great for quick fast cuts but long-term usage is pure torture on your body.

banger

[Handloader109]

I've a cheap Ryobi, yeah, don't really like the brand, but it works well. I agree if you are cutting up a lot of big limbs, a chainsaw is better.

[snowwolfe]

I have a chain saw. Didn't say the reciprocating saw would just be used for brush cutting. Its main use is for different projects we have scheduled such as tree stands and a few bridges. The brush cutting is secondary.

Either way, the main purpose of the thread was to find out if the Honda 2,000 watt generator could power the saw.

[MaryB]

I have been beating the heck out of a $20 Harbor Freight recip saw for the last 30 years. Used it to cut down the center of stud cavities to tear down plaster and lathe. I have cut down a couple of smaller trees with it, used it at the top of my tower to cut broken steel mast after an ice storm..

[Plate plinker]

Agree with above that although handy little buggers they are rather rough on the body.

[snowwolfe]

Agree with above that although handy little buggers they are rather rough on the body.

Agreed, this is why I spent a little extra to try the "Anti Vibration Technology" this saw offers.

[doc1876]

Your generator will handle it with ease.


What he said

[bangerjim]

I have been beating the heck out of a $20 Harbor Freight recip saw for the last 30 years. Used it to cut down the center of stud cavities to tear down plaster and lathe. I have cut down a couple of smaller trees with it, used it at the top of my tower to cut broken steel mast after an ice storm..

The key there is "30 years". As with most brands of tools, the old ones were built very well (even for HF) and last. I have similar HF tools that are decades old and work great. Would I buy the similar type of tool today from them and expect it to perform the same? No and no.

For light personal use, they will probably be OK. For decades of hard use, 'ya take your chances!
I have friends that live in the HF stores and own a lot of the power tools and the quality I have seen on current models is just not there. It is the little stuff - cords, plugs, brushes, switches, bushings/bearings, mechanical stuff - that go south and you cannot buy spares for most of their stuff. They carry a 90 day warranty (at best) for a very good reason!

For casual weekend-warrior home use, they are acceptable. I prefer to spend more to purchase (corded) tools that will be around and totally functional 10-20 years from now. For battery-powered - - ONLY LiON tools are now in my shops. All the many NiCd and NIMH tools have been recycled and thrown away.

[popper]

I used an 'old' Milwaukee to cut Isocores in half, saw did OK but I shook for an hour afterwards. We'd also demo'd the inside of a house with it years ago so it'll do the job.

[bangerjim]

I used an 'old' Milwaukee to cut Isocores in half, saw did OK but I shook for an hour afterwards. We'd also demo'd the inside of a house with it years ago so it'll do the job.

FYI...........if you REALLY want to cut lead and alloys fast and easy (on your body) get one of those dual rotary saws. HF, Sears, and others make them. Dual carbide blades that revolve in opposite directions for a non-kickback smooth cut thru just about ANY material....including lead.

I use mine for just about all rough cutting. It plunge cuts great!

So far I have cut steel, iron, aluminum, brass, plastics, lead, wood with great performance. It walks thru lead like a hot knife thru butter.

No kickback and ultra smooth cutting is easy on those olde bones!

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

banger,
On your advice, I bought one of those dual rotary saws (from HF) with the dual carbide blades. I've only used it once so far, when I installed a receiver hitch on my Toyota Matrix. I needed to cut some plastic cowling and part of the steel muffler shield. The cutting went extremely easy... I highly recommend it.

[snowwolfe]

Saw came yesterday and looks great. Was pleasantly surprised it came in a HD "Makita" metal box with plenty of room for blades and such. Time will tell if it is a great buy but so far so good.