Electric wood choppers: characteristics and subtleties of choice

In our country, electric hacks are not yet very popular - instead of them, chainsaws, circular saws or jigsaws are more often used, depending on what task needs to be performed. However, if you need such a unit exclusively for pruning small garden trees and other small household chores, while you do not like the desperate howl of a gasoline engine and the disgusting smell of burning fuel, pay attention to reciprocating saws or electric hacks - this tool has been gaining more and more in recent years popularity.

The electric woodcutter, as the name suggests, was originally created as a motorized version of a hand tool for a similar purpose. Outwardly, a similar unit looks similar to another hand tool with removable equipment - the body is a kind of large pistol. At the same time, the attachment of an electric hacksaw is somewhat reminiscent of a jigsaw blade - it moves back and forth with an amplitude of a few centimeters to cut material.

For the specific manner of cutting, such a tool is also called a saber saw, and the blade itself, respectively, was popularly called a saber.

In recent years, it has not been accepted to divide by material for processing - it is believed that almost any electric hanger is capable of cutting different materials, for which it is only necessary to replace the blade in a timely manner with a more suitable one.

In the case of low-power models, this is not always true, however, wood is one of the softest materials that are cut with such a tool, therefore, most units will fit unambiguously for wood.

At the same time, it would be a mistake to think that the cheapest models are optimal for wood, while the advantage of the more expensive ones lies solely in their ability to cut harder building materials. In fact, the price is determined not only by the engine power (although in many respects it is it), but also by the quality of materials and even the presence of various technologies that allow protecting the tool from excessive stress and extending the service life.

Manual reciprocating power saw for wood - the definition is quite accurate in itself, however, this does not mean that such equipment cannot be classified. The first classification criterion is the power source.

The battery usually negatively affects the power of the device and its weight, and these disadvantages are leveled out only by the huge cost of a convenient model, but for small household chores, an inexpensive unit is enough, and professionals should not be stingy.

The network models, accordingly, offer maximum functionality, they can deliver truly impressive power and, in addition to wood, cut almost everything that is needed - including nails in the same tree.At the same time, they are not always more expensive, because a high-quality battery takes over a significant share in pricing.

The only drawback of such a saw is its dependence on the outlet, however, manufacturers are trying to partially solve the problem with power cords up to 4 meters long, and consumers themselves can also supplement them with carriers.

Another important criterion is the conventional division into professional and household models.

The fundamental disadvantage of models for domestic use is their inability to work for a long time - most of them heat up in a matter of minutes, and the operator's unwillingness to react quickly to this can lead to the engine simply burning out. In addition, household saws are often devoid of protection - both for the unit itself from overloads and for the operator, but their low price still makes many owners choose them for home use.

Accordingly, professional models are much more expensive, however, they are distinguished by improved technical characteristics, as well as many additional functions and even just the widespread availability of authorized service centers. Even for a tree, such an acquisition can be useful, because the increased power usually has a positive effect on the performance of the unit, and the increased time of continuous operation and protection of the unit from breakdown will never be superfluous.

At the same time, if you do not do woodcutting on a daily basis, such a purchase may simply not justify itself.

It is rather difficult to create a meaningful rating of reciprocating saws for wood - firstly, manufacturers have not singled out such products in a separate line for a long time, and secondly, the model lines of all major suppliers are updated annually. For this reason, it would be wiser to name just a few relevant and very popular saws, which are not necessarily the best, but definitely are among the best. At the same time, wood can be cut even with a rather weak tool, so modest budget competitors will also be included in our list.

• AEG US 400 XE - a successful attempt by manufacturers to create a reciprocating saw of minimal dimensions, which allows it to be used for a long time even by a person without special physical training. This tool does not have a pendulum motion, and the engine is often criticized for a very low power of 400 W, however, both the company itself and its customers claim that due to the thoughtfulness of the shape of the case and the mechanism as a whole, the performance is comparable to much more powerful units.

• Bosch PSA 700E is already much more powerful than the above model - here the engine produces all 710 watts, however, experienced Germans managed to keep the weight at a modest level of 3 kg. The cutting depth in the wood of this model is a decent 15 centimeters; for a more accurate adjustment of the process, a system of smooth adjustment of the blade travel speed is provided. The manufacturer of this unit does not need additional introduction, it is well recognized all over the world and for good reason - numerous comments confirm that all products, including this saw, are of the highest build quality.

• Elitech 500 - perhaps the most profitable option for those who consider the low cost to be the main indicator of a new acquisition. There are practically no additional functions here, and the manufacturer has not yet taken care of a pleasant-to-touch upholstery of the handle or reliable vibration damping, however, for occasional work on a personal plot for little money, this option is very good.

When choosing a reciprocating saw for wood, pay attention to the smallest details. So, modest home models with a power of up to 600 W usually involve cutting wood no thicker than 3 cm, so they can only be counted on when cutting not the thickest boards and thin trunks and branches.

Low-power hacksaws cool down much longer than they work, therefore in the technical passport you should definitely pay attention to how much the tool is able to work without interruption. Budget units often have a "power reserve" of only 25 hours per month.

If you are looking for a model exclusively for wood, this is not so important - soft woods are usually cut at maximum speed, so you just need to choose the saw with the highest speed for good productivity.

If the model assumes the possibility of a pendulum cut, then for cutting wood it is useful in terms of speed, but the accuracy of the cut will only be negatively affected.

Of the additional functions, it is worth highlighting several important ones that would be useful almost always, but are not present in all models.

Among powerful units, pay attention to those that are equipped with a soft start function - this will help to save both the power grid and the device itself. Do not forget that replacing the blade should be a fairly convenient process, therefore it is undesirable to buy those reciprocating saws for which working with a chuck involves the use of a special key.

When choosing the canvas itself, you need to make sure that it corresponds to the technical parameters of the cartridge, that is, it could be trivial to enter it and be securely fixed there. For softwoods, saws with ground teeth are usually used, while for hardwoods, milled teeth are better suited.... Alternatively, you can also experiment with divorced teeth (they greatly speed up the process with inaccurate sawing) or wavy (maximum accuracy) teeth.

Household electric wood hawkers are extremely lightweight and easy to operate. According to the advertisements of manufacturers, even a woman or a teenager can handle such a unit, which is generally confirmed by reviews on thematic forums. However, this does not mean that such a tool is completely safe and that precautions should not be taken when using it.

The instructions supplied with the saw itself must be studied in advance in any case - this allows not only to maximize the efficiency of using the tool, but also to avoid possible damage to the mechanism due to improper operation. Again, the instruction almost always contains specific recommendations on how not to get injured in the process of work, therefore its observance is a strict necessity.

Despite the fact that the reciprocating saw, even when cutting metal, does not give sparks and an abundance of flying fragments, during work, the use of special protective equipment is mandatory.

Self-repair of hand tools in our country is very popular, however, most manufacturers have a negative attitude to such arbitrariness, insisting that the unit must be repaired only by the efforts of authorized service centers.

In the next video, you will find an overview of the electric wood hanger from Bosch.