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Can a Hackzall Replace Your Sawzall?

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Hackzall delivers compact cutting power, but can it fully replace a Sawzall for heavy-duty demolition and professional jobs?

Take Milwaukee's Hackzall, for example; when they debuted it, pros were already asking a crucial question: Can you replace the traditional Sawzall? That depends on the job you do every day. Both are for cutting wood, metal, PVC, and other construction materials, but each is built with different priorities.
The Milwaukee hackzall has made a name for its portability, ease of use, and one-handed operation, while the Sawzall is still recognized as the heavy-hitting beast when it comes to cutting power and demolition work. Knowing the advantages and disadvantages of each tool can help you decide if a Hackzall is suitable to replace a Sawzall in your own kit.

Understanding What The Hackzall Was Designed For

The Milwaukee Tools Hackzall was made to provide a smaller, easier-to-navigate approach to conventional reciprocating saws. Rather than targeting maximum cutting power, Milwaukee designed the tool with improved control and reach within tight spaces.
One of the most popular tools among tradies, electricians, and plumbers, to be exact, is Milwaukee M18FHZ-0 Hackzall. Compact design allows users to cut pipes, conduit, wood, and metal with excellent control of the tool.

The Hackzall, unlike a full-size Sawzall, is seen as an application to be used for precise cuts whilst still maintaining the ability to be applied in demanding applications when called upon. If you were to ask many professionals, they would tell you the Hackzall is their preferred compact reciprocating saw.

Those are the enormous advantages why users go for the Milwaukee electric hacksaw. Its compact size gives you even more room to access tight spaces where a traditionally sized reciprocating saw might not fit easily.

Anyone who works under sinks, within wall cavities, over ceilings, and in mechanical equipment rooms will appreciate the maneuverability offered by the Milwaukee Hackzall M18FHZ-0. It can also enhance productivity during service work — the comfort of using it with one hand enables you to speed up.

But for many tradespeople, that heavy, bulky reciprocating saw that is big enough to take a full 12V battery and will also handle just about any size under the sun cutting job isn't something they want to lug around with them everywhere every day, when often a lighter, more compact cutting tool works out so much better.

These are just a few of the benefits that have led some users to find that the Milwaukee hackzall is now their go-to cutting tool.

When Can I Use the Hackzall in Place of My Sawzall?

In most everyday applications, the m18fhz-0 is definitely a solid alternative to a Sawzall. It can handle a variety of jobs like slicing PVC pipe, copper tubing, conduit, drywall, small wood task sections, and light metal work using a cordless reciprocating saw for plumbers.

The Hackzall comes in handy for many things in the early stages of conduit modification and cable tray work that electricians might undertake. It is used by plumbers for pipe cutting and repair work. HVAC technicians love that it can make a fast cut in tight quarters.

So a small Sawzall actually offers you the benefits, as far as size is concerned, that you can not really even get with a large model. Users get enhanced visibility, finer control, and access to tight locations.
Many service professionals end up going for the Milwaukee tools hackzall far more often than a conventional Milwaukee cordless Hackzall tool.

Where a Sawzall Reigns Supreme

Despite the incredible applications of a Hackzall, there are times when a Sawzall is still the better tool. Certainly, one of their more obvious abilities is in heavy demolition work.

Full-size Sawzalls are typically much more aggressive, faster tools when cutting through thicker framing members (1×4, 2×4), large structural components, embedded nails in lumber or heavy steel, and demolition debris. With its larger design, the cuts will be both more stable and easier.

Remodeling, demolition, and construction contractors frequently find themselves with applications where max cut speed is a consideration. However, the additional power and stroke length of a Sawzall can give you a single-shot advantage in these scenarios.

Milwaukee Electric sawzalls can probably do a lot of these same things, but will take more time and energy than using a tool designed for delamination.

The Importance of One-Handed Operation

What Also Makes the Milwaukee hackzall Different From a Sawzall Is It Can Be Used With One Hand in Many Cases. At first glance, this may appear as a minor benefit, but in practice, during real-world work, it grows to be immensely useful.

If you need lasers for service and want to hold the materials stable, hold them steady or in an awkward area? Being able to hold the cutting tool with one hand makes it much easier in the mildest of tasks and safer.

The slim design of m18fhz-0 also minimizes fatigue while working for a long time. People who hack at and around service calls all day often want a tool that stays powerful enough for most cutting tasks, but one they can schlep all day on their backs.

Is the Cutting Power Enough?

One question that everyone has when they choose Milwaukee tools hackzall is whether the tool has enough power to replace a Sawzall.

Well, for most regular cutting applications – yes. Per Milwaukee, their brushless motor technology provides the Hackzall with impressive performance relative to its compact dimensions. It slices through wood, metal, PVC, drywall, and all kinds of other materials with no hesitation.

Much more powerful than many likely assume from its small footprint. Again, the cutting power available is for most applications more than sufficient — when it comes to maintenance work, installation or reparative service.

For professionals performing long stretches of demolition work throughout their day, however, the additional power found in a full-size Sawzall can still be worth it.

Portability Versus Maximum Performance

The debate between the Hackzall and Sawzall is said to be about prioritisation. The Sawzall is designed for cutting and maximum performance, while the Milwaukee electric hacksaw emphasizes portability and flexibility.

Portability is more valuable for many users than pure cutting speed. Easier to carry, easier to control and master, easier to use in tight places, it always emerges as the optimal solution for everyday use.

Hence, the Milwaukee hackzall is a trending tool for those who do more service-oriented work, not huge demolition jobs.

Why Many Professionals Own Both

Interestingly, many veteran tradespeople go so far as to realize they don't have to choose between the two tools at all. Rather, they have both as part of their toolkit because each is better in different scenarios.

Precision work, confined spaces, and general service applications are dealt with by the m18fhz-0. The Sawzall is for demolition, renovation, and heavy-duty cutting jobs where superior performance is needed.

This combination allows you to tackle almost any cutting application found on the jobsite.

Final Thoughts

The longer answer is maybe a little more complex, though. So could your Hackzall replace your Sawzall? Many answers for unfortunately users are surprisingly yes. With its extraordinary cutting ability, it is a powerful tool to handle a variety of cutting exercises while also providing more portability, control, and convenience.

As a plumber, electrician, HVAC technician, or facilities and service professional, the Milwaukee Tools Hackzall will soon become your go-to cutting tool as it makes quick work of most daily jobs. Great performance in a moderate size, ideal for contemporary jobsite requirements.

That said, if you regularly work with heavy demolition, thick materials, and aggressive cutting applications, a Sawzall still has its place. The Milwaukee electric hacksaw is capable of many of the same jobs, but for cutting and demolition work, the Sea Azel was still my go-to tool.

For most users, the Hackzall can fill a Sawzall's shoes in a multitude of situations—but whether it can replace it entirely depends on what you do day to day.


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Omer Tools Pty Ltd — 1126 Canterbury Road, Roselands NSW 2196 · (02) 9759 8833 · [email protected] · ABN 91 096 953 141