Customer Reviews
Cool features - Didn't last 
2008-03-11
This will definely get in those tight places that other sawzalls won't. I got mine at HD for $99. They had it for months at that price but no more (this was several years ago). Anyway, I have only used it to remodel one house, not heavy usage by any means. Recently, the gearing tore up inside and it stopped reciprocating. I took it apart and it would be a simple part to replace but I have looked and looked at online parts sites and cannot find it. I have had to get parts for other Porter Cable tools so I know they are out there. It just burns me up to scrap a $200 saw for the lack of a $20 part. Porter Cable's site is a joke. No help for parts there. Hope you never have to look on their site for parts or service. Another reviewer said that this is jerky. That is true, too. It will jerk you around and is tiring using for long. I have a lot of different brands of tools (Delta, Makita, Bosch, Ridgid) and Porter Cable is the only brand I have ever had to get replacement parts for, other than maintenance type things. I liked the saw all in all and would buy another for $99, but for $216, I'll pass. It didn't last long enough and like the other guy said, it's nice to have for those few times when you need the variable angle but mostly a cheaper, regular sawzall will work better.
Great tool 
2007-05-14
Absolutely a great tool. No problems with the gears with the adjustable head, which were a concern for me. Get's into those tight places and does a great job. Friends use it a lot!!!
Don't let this saw be your only recpricating saw 
2007-04-20
As I am a professional handyman/remodeller, I'll use a reciprocating saw several times in my typical week. I purchased my Porter-Cable 9750 from this site about five months ago and by now I have used it for many common tasks such as demolition, hole cut-out and edge trim-off, pick-up framing, pipe cutting (all kinds), and much more.
Before owning this saw I owned an orbital-action Milwaulkee Sawzall which I broke after 3 years of use (and abuse). I was swayed to purchase the Porter-Cable by the glowing reports of 'impossible' angles you could cut (see reviews below). Several times a year, I would run into just the sort of cutting problem this baby seemed designed for. I just couldn't wait to give it a try!
Well, by now, I've found the saw has much-too-much 'chatter' to ever be pleasant to use. Even in its 'straight-body' (normal) orientation the saw uncomfortably vibrates in your hand, and the neck feels 'too wide' to hold securely for long periods (in my admittedly small hand). When you twist the nose to get the odd-angle cut the vibration goes from 'not so good' to just plain 'pretty bad'. In my 5 months of using it I have *always* found it difficult to start any cut cleanly. To do so I've often had to resort to hand-sawing a pilot groove - something I just hardly ever needed to do with my Sawzall.
Demolition work is a drag with this saw. Due to the vibration and relative nose-heavy feel 2 hours with it will tire you as much as 6 with a Sawzall.
Don't want to make a deep cut? Usually you put in a short blade and extend the shoe. But the shoe extension in the Porter-Cable is pathetic (just over 1") - about half of what a Sawzall's extension will do (that one is too short also, just much less so).
I don't like the Porter-Cable's plastic case as much as Milwaulkee's either. Oh it's sturdy enough, but there is not as much room inside for the power cord, extra blades, or what have you.
And finally, what about that vaulted odd-angle cut feature? Well I found that many of the odd-angle cuts I wanted to make I couldn't, even though I did manage to get the saw positioned. Whenever I was reaching out and could not use both hands firmly on the saw the rough startup action would cause the blade to just jump & poke all over the place - completely useless. That said, there were some cuts I made which did save me 1/2 to 1 hour (or more) of time vs. the alternate (manual) approaches.
Would I buy the saw again? Not likely. If I had money for only one recpricating saw, I would definately NOT buy this one, but instead go back to my familiar Milwaulkee Sawzall. Using an uncomfortable saw 100% of the time just because 2% of the time I might need it's special feature doesn't make sense to me. On the other hand, if I already had a conventional reciprocating saw and found that I -- repeatly -- was needing that odd-angle feature, then I would buy it again.
Died on the first cut 
2006-07-11
I`d been wanting a Tiger Saw for a while, and finally a home improvement project came along to justify buying one. Literally six inches into my FIRST cut, the saw died. I could get it going again by slapping the side of it while pulling the trigger, but it would cut out again within seconds. I returned it and bought the real deal--a Milwaukee Sawzall. A swiveling, rotating blade would be awesome (and I could have used it later in the project), but only if the saw works in the first place! Maybe I just got a turd, but I returned it and bought a Sawzall instead, and have been cutting away happily ever since.
Wonderfully strange tool 
2006-06-29
I bought the tool for a reasonably specific task, which it did very well. I does vibrate considerably when in strange positions, but nothing else does what it does. It has plenty of power. These are not a tool used for extended periods, so the vibration is OK. Needless to say I have not yet used it in every position, but I suspect people who have owned them for years haven't either.
Impossible cuts made easy 2006-06-06
I had heard about this saw and wanted one just to have it lying in wait for the next impossible cut I might have to make. So I found out on a THURSDAY that we were awarded a job for SUNDAY, which involved removing and replacing 24, count 'em, 24 small crappy plastic washer boxes with the larger snazzier versions. This was at a dialysis center, not a laundromat--although frighteningly, there are some parallels... The old boxes were recessed a couple of feet off the floor into a knee wall poorly made of sheetrock and steel studs. These 9" square boxes had 2" schedule 80 (thick) PVC drains, all hard-piped inside the wall with no unions, 15" off the floor inside the wall. We had to cut these drains off in exactly the right spot so we could lose the old boxes and reuse the remaining drain manifold. With the counter top off, (no access panels on the front) we had 7" to reach down past the steel studs on the top of the frame, into the bottomless depths of hell: twisted steel studs, hacked-up and swollen drywall, electrical and computer lines, and tubing and piping carrying fluids to the dialysis machines. The front face of the wall was installed by Satan himself, and he TILED it with crappy white bathroom tiles, to save a buck, and tempt those of us who have to work on the Lord's Day. The old square holes had to be enlarged exactly, so we couldn't just plunge into the front with a gnarly blade and nip off the drains. Nope, that was diamond blades and make-shift dust tents, just to enlarge the holes. What I'm yackin' about is that out of the bazillion possible angles you're able to twist the Tiger Saw blade into, there was one available that allowed the saw and the arms of my skinniest guy to be fished down through the titanic's engine room to make the cut through the 2" PVC. Each of the 24 stations required a different combination of angles. My guys fought each other to use the tool. Without this tool, we would have recommended removing the old sheetrock and replacing it with new, which would have meant reinstalling everything inside. The facility is open 5am-midnight, 6 days a week, closed Sunday, our big work day (yee haw...) This is a big-amp saw that MAKES IMPOSSIBLE CUTS AT IMPOSSIBLE ANGLES, so it's gonna shake, ding-dong. If you're going to dock it a star or two for vibration, you just don't get it. Porter-Cable really beat Milwaukee to the punch on this one. Needed mine in a heartbeat and got it at Lowe's for 199.
blade clamp broke after two uses 2006-04-07
When I saw this tool I knew I had to have it. Before I used it I was really impressed with the build quality and various positions. After my first use, cutting thin angle iron, I was very happy I bought this saw. I was able to use the adjustable head on my second use, cutting plywood from the attic, and still very happy. On my third use, I couldn't get the blade to stay in, and that's when I noticed that half the shaft was gone! The saw had less than 5 minutes of use! Looking at what was left of the shaft bothered me. The part that broke off didn't look like it had much metal holding it in the first place. I don't know if mine was defective, or if excessive blade vibration can damage the shaft, but now I am scared to get another one, though I wish I could and feel comfortable. There is no other saw like it!
A must have tool for any remodeler 2006-03-23
I don't write reviews - until now. I have to give Porter Cable props for the design of this little baby. I never wanted to spend the extra money for this saw when I could get the Orbital Super Sawzall for less. Then one day I got to use someone's variable angle Tiger Saw and was so impressed that I bought one on the way home from work that day.
Now I am buying one for each guy who works for me (plus one that will always be in my truck) because they'll pay for themselves in no time. We do kitchen and bath remodels and often have to cut out framing in odd places for plumbing, electrical or HVAC. No other tool compares to the flexibility of this saw and its ability to make the cut. It should be in your tool bag. You will marvel at how much safer and less exhausting it is to make a difficult cut with this saw. There is almost always a way to position the cutting head so that you have the maximum balance and leverage while still maintaining a comfortable grip.
I have 4 Orbital Super Sawzalls and have owned at least a dozen Sawzalls over the last 15 years. The Orbital Super Sawzall is one bad wood eating machine, but if I could have only one saw, hands down I'd own the Porter Cable. You'll never regret the purchase of this tool.
Gets the job done!! 2006-01-10
I bought this saw after turning my shoulder to jelly trying to remove a roll cage from '69 Chevelle by hand. (turning it back into a street car). Only reason I bought this saw was for the variable angle head. It worked great and I was able to remove the entire cage even under the body where the cage attatched to the frame.
Destroyed about 10 blades but it cuts like butter and had plenty of power. Can't wait to use it on wood since the chrome-moly didn't slow it down. Bought mine at Lowes on sale for $179.00
A Versatile Shaker 2005-09-18
I had planned on buying a Milwaukee Sawzall because of the reputation that they had for being the smoothest running. The Amazon reviews on these saws, however, have lately been indicating a slip in their quality control -- a lot of burned out machines. I was searching for alternatives when I came across the Variable Angle Tiger Saw. I loved the idea of a pivoting head. I wanted to look at one before I ordered, so I called around to see who had them locally. Lowe's were selling them for a Ben Franklin and a half. How could I go wrong at that price. I took it home and tried it out. The reviews here are spot on. The variable head is an engineering marvel. Congrats Porter-Cable on a well-thought-out design. There is one problem with the saw, though. It shakes like crazy. I mean it SHAKES! Just cutting through one 2x4 was enough to make me want to pack it up and take it right back to the store and buy a Sawzall. But then I got to looking at the big picture. The tiger saw was less money, which was good, but not my main motivation. What did I actually want a recip saw for in the first place? Nothing, really -- other than that occasional time that pops up when no other saw will work. So, for me, the ability to manipulate the head to get around a corner and cut a stubborn piece outweighed the fact that Milwaukee makes a smoother-running machine. This Tiger Saw will get in places that another recip saw will not. For that reason, and that reason alone, I will keep this saw. If I had to use this saw all day, or every day, I definitely would get rid of it. Your hands will be numb from shaking after the first 2 minutes. If you're only going to pull this saw out when it is the only saw left that will complete the job, then this saw is worth purchasing. I'd give the variable angle head 5 stars, but the balance of the machine 1 star. Overall, I'll give it 3 stars because I felt I got a good value at the price I paid.
