subject: Black & Decker CHS6000 6-Volt Handisaw Cordless Powered Hand Saw best price [print this page] Black & Decker CHS6000 6-Volt Handisaw Cordless Powered Hand Saw best price
Black & Decker CHS6000 6-Volt Handisaw Cordless Powered Hand Saw
Ideal for cutting in tight areas, the Black & Decker CHS6000 6-volt Handisaw cordless powered hand saw cuts thin metal, wood (up to 1-inch thick), plastic, and drywall with ease. Its tool-free blade changes and its cordless operation provides quick and convenient cutting. Lightweight and compact for easy access to tight areas, this hand saw is capable of making up to 200 cuts of 1/2-inch oak dowels on a single charge and accepts standard jig saw blades for added convenience. With a stroke length of 1/2-inches, this hand saw is capable of operating at 1,850 SPM. This saw comes with a wood cutting blade, a metal cutting blade, and a wall mountable charger, an ideal accessory to provide continuous charging for grab-and-go convenience.
This tool is great around the house - it's easy to use, functional, and has more applications that you'd expect. I received it as a gift and figured I'd never use it. But the Handisaw proved to be a quick, easy solution to frequent chores and small projects around the house. I wouldn't use it for a major remodel but for small projects, it beats taking out the reciprocating saw or jig saw. Battery life is excellent and I've used it in mud/wet conditions w/o any problems.
I was tempted to use "Wimpy, wimpy, wimpy" as the title for this review, but I haven't tried any other battery-powered jigsaws for comparison. My old Black & Decker AC jigsaw (which I paid $15 for) is far superior in every way---except that it requires an AC outlet, and changing blades is a hassle. Changing blades on the Handisaw is quick and easy, requiring no tools---A+.
I wanted the Handisaw largely as a tree prunner---however, even with a pruning blade, it really cannot handle branches greater than 3/4"---and is painfully slow cutting even a 3/8" branch---wimpy, wimpy, wimpy. A switch-blade type manual pruning saw is faster and easier. I tried cutting a 1/2" length of galvanized electrical conduit (using the metal blade), and the saw repeatedly stalled---wimpy, wimpy, wimpy. My old AC jigsaw has never stalled.
Then too I find the basic design to be very annoying: There is an extra switch you have to depress with your thumb before the trigger will work (which fortunately is easily defeated with a chip of wood and 2" of masking tape). There is no "lock on" switch---so you can't take your hand off of the switch for a more secure grip (fortunately this can be defeated with a 1/2"x 1 1/2 rubber band from a bunch of broccoli). The trigger is 8 1/2" from whatever you are cutting, making it difficult to hold the blade where you want to cut (I normally hold jig-saws "by the business end" (near the blade) for precise control---but that is impossible with this saw (unless you defeat the trigger as described).
My cheapy AC jigsaw is variable speed---the Handisaw is not. So the Handisaw is hard to start at a precise point, almost always splinters wood, and almost always stalls in thin metal. Finally, as related by another reviewer---you can't see where you are cutting (although that too is fixible by cutting away a portion of the unnecessary plastic sheild around the blade. In summary, I use this tool only when I'm too lazy to string an extention cord for my AC jigsaw or saber-saw. But then, that's most of the time.
Still, I wish it was more powerful.
I wish that it did not have the stupid lock-out switch.
I wish that it had a lock-on switch.
I wish that it was variable speed.
I wish that I could see the material I am cutting.
