DeWALT DC385K 18-Volt, Worth the Price

Overall Rating55555

Worth the Price

This tool is quite powerful and last a long time on a single battery. This was part of the DC6KITA. I have tested each tool and have reviewed some. This one is not exception. On a fresh battery and with the supplied blade I continually cut 2×4’s until my hand was sore from holding on. The power is nice. It did not seem too bog when pushed hard through the wood. Battery life suprised me by never giving up. On a full demo job where cutting throught various materials is necessary it might show it’s weakness in longevity.

Having purchased a 1/2 rebar to test the DC410 cut-off tool, I proceeded to test the DC385 with a 18tpi metal blade. It worked quite well. The power was still there. No bogging. Of course pressure was needed to help the teeth bite, but that is to be expected.

Also the adjustable shoe is a new feature. It does not have much range of motion but at least it is there.

For most all home projects this is going to be a wonderful tool. In owning many XRP batteries and having several chargers, I don’t forsee buying a corded saw. This would be a solid 5 star tool, but there is only one thing that slightly bothers me. The blade is not centered in the shoe becuase of the 4 way blade clamp. Now I gave it the 5 because I would rather have the 4 way clamp than have it centered.

Update (2/6/2012):

The featured review for this product, DeWALT DC385K 18-Volt Ni-Cad Cordless Reciprocating Saw Kit Tools & Hardware Nov 20, 2009, was written by T. Mault.

The average rating for this item is 5 out of 5 stars, according to 3 reviews.

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Reviews (2)

HG fan

July 11th, 2010 at 4:25 pm    


Overall Rating55555

Great reciprocating saw for the smaller jobs….
DeWalt has another cordless winner here. Plenty of power. I have a corded Mikita saw that I have used for years and its great for the big, intensive use jobs. I wanted something for the smaller jobs that was cordless and not have to drag around an extension cord… quick out; quick to put away. I have a mix of corded power tool brands but settled on DeWalt for my cordless needs. I have half-dozen 18v XRP’s and a couple of chargers through past purchases.

If you are in a similar situation with extra batteries and chargers…
Maxtools.com sells the ‘BARE TOOL’ at a good price (no batteries/charger are included). Amazon should stock the bare tools. The saw was $99 and comes with a 6″ combo blade so that you can test the saw.

Be warned, my saw took almost 3 weeks to arrive, but, hey, the price is right for a DeWalt and the saw arrived without damage. However there was no owners manual which I thought was an odd oversight. But a few minutes fiddling with the front end and the blade change was figured out… lift the tab on the front right side of the saw all the way up and remove/install a blade. The button at the left front allows the ’shoe’ at the front of the saw to extend/retract and lock in several positions. (If you are wondering about the moveable ’shoe’, it allows for some depth-of-cut control vis-a-vis the length of your saw blade when needed for certain applications.) As for the rest, I don’t need a manual to show me how to pull a trigger or change a battery. I am a huge fan of the 4-way blade clamp set up. There is a vertical and horizontal blade clamp incorporated into one head. Blade change is a snap and you can set the blade teeth to point up, down, right or left. The versatility of this feature is great! Gone are the days of contortions to cut sideways.


T. Mault

July 24th, 2010 at 8:25 am    


Overall Rating55555

Worth the Price
Rated 5 stars.


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