Bought this to use outdoors to trim tree branches. It works very well and I like the size and weight.

The Black & Decker Battery operated handisaw was a labor saving tool. I am totally pleased at its performance.

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"---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.

It wouldn't hold a charge and I am waiting for a replacement. I would love to do a review when we get a new saw.

I gave this as a gift to my son & he loves it. He cut through pipes, wood metal & it worked great, with ease. He said that it's not heavy duty, but it works for what he needs it for. He said he'd recommend this to everyone.

My Dad has just about every tool under the sun, so I was very excited to find this saw. I bought it as a Christmas present for him and this morning when he opened it, he couldn't have been more happy about his new "toy". He had never seen anything like it and was thrilled and let me tell you my Dad has 3 work benches in the basement and 2 out in the garage, so you can only imagine the variety of work tools he has. If my Dad likes, then in my book it is definatley 5 stars and worth letting people know about. So, if you are looking for that hard to find gift for a handy man, try gettin him (or her) this saw. It's a guaranteed winner!!!!

I bought this thinking it might be a good all around the house kinda saw for the odd jobs. The saw itselfs works well for being a little slower and shorter than other powered saws I've used. The biggest bummer was the short battery life. After a full charge, I'm usually only getting 15-20 minutes of action; it might be something I'm doing, but I doubt it. I'm leaving it on the charger when not in use as recommended. But if you only have a small project with minimal cutting, this is great.

Don't expect this little rascal to put you into the house demo business, but I've been surprised at how many useful jobs that I've found for it to do, mostly things around the house where I didn't want to cut off some nail with a hacksaw or whatever. It has been a time saver, and I'm glad that I have one close by. I was amazed at how much power it has for its size. Cutting through nails, small pipes, cutting off dowels, etc. in light usage is no problem. Don't expect much for heavy duty construction type materials, but for a quickie here and there, it is more than worth the price and a time saver.

A very handy little recip saw. Just perfect for small jobs or where larger recip type saws are not practical.

thought product was a little too pricey at first. today, it has saved me so much time, not having to drag cords out. small size has gotten me into many tight spaces & has saved much potential knuckle busting. must have tool.

I was presented with this saw as a gift, I was pretty doubtfull of it when I first held and examined it. I just didn't think something so small and light could be powerful enough to be useful.
I was wrong I have used it many times for cutting several types of material.
I highly recommend it.

Another great Black & Decker product!
Handi-saw is compact, powerful and light weight.
I really like the rechargeable feature.
I own several B & D products and this one is
just great!

ALS

This saw worked very well on a 1 x 12. Saved me from having to break out the table saw for one board and was able to do it on the back porch instead of being confined to the garage. I see it being used for many more small projects around the house..

Bought the handsaw for my husband and he thinks its great. I've also used is a few times and it is so easy to use I will let all my friends and relatives know about it. thanks

I have to admit that I bought this item mostly to enter a B&D promotion, but I am very happy that I did. I have a backyard fireplace and use the hand saw to cut small limbs and pieces of wood to burn. It even cut through a 2x4 with ease. So far, I have only used it to cut wood but will be surprised if doesn't work as good on small pipe and pvc. The saw is powerful, easy to use and safe. The blades are quick and easy to install with a flick of a lever. I have several B&D cordless items and continue to be amazed at their power and battery life. I would highly reccomend this hand saw.

I bought this to cut wood. It cuts wood and has enough power to do it neatly. The blades attach easily and store in the wall mount. This is very convenient, making it easy to find the saw and hard to lose the blades.

Make sure to buy the Black & Decker SZ360 3.6-Volt Ni-Cad Cordless Power Scissors to open the packaging on this thing. They encased my saw in thick plastic that actually had two layers on one side, one of which had plastic rivets anchoring it to a cardboard insert.

Even if you already have every other saw made, you still need this handy little saw! This saw will do way more than its size lets on. Plus it will do real precise work. As far as the reviews that grumble about the packaging, I had previously bought from Amazon the Black & Decker power scissors & these made opening the bubble wrap a snap! Rember the right tool for the job!

It shows it is good for cutting wire shelves. Unless you have some way to secure the shelf from jumping around or vibrating it won't work even though on the packaging and advertising it made this look easy. So what I bought it for I couldn't use it. I tested it on some wood and it cuts nicely for that. I haven't found another use for it but I am sure I will eventually?

I received this saw for Christmas. It is junk. I can't cut anything thicker than a piece of paper without the blade falling out. And yes, I have read the instructions and am inserting it correctly. Maybe I got a lemon because others don't seem to have this problem. But if mine is any indication, save your money. In general B&D makes garbage anymore.

I ordered this saw as a Fathers Day gift. The estimated shipping date was June 27, which was ridiculous in itself. Now my tracking number is showing the delivery date now JULY 9??? It does NOT take 3 weeks to a month to ship a saw. How ridiculous! I will NEVER buy from amazon again, and will return the saw for a refund (if it ever arrives) and buy it again elsewhere.

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.

very nice product, useful, easy to use for several small homeworks, with no mess with cords .

i bought this saw with great anticipation..i would use it to cut out electrical device boxes in sheetrock and plaster..i went to use it for the first time this week and was badly disappointed..the charge didn't last through cutting 1 outlet box in plaster and wood lathe..i recharged for about 2 hours and tried it cuting a few boxes in sheetrock..again barely enough to finish..these were not heavy duty cuts(the rock was old 1/2")..i charged it for about 4 hours today..i will put it on charge first thing tomorrow for and hour or two and see what it can do.
4/6/2007 update..charged saw overnight battery performance improved marginally..still not very powerful maybe 10 minutes run time..
4/10/2007 update..charged the saw overnight and saw an improvement in performance..still by no means a powerhouse, but ok for light homeowner use i think..some other points after working with the saw..
visibility isn't that great..if you want to cut on a line, it's tough to line it up because of the saws design..also i found the safety button to be a real nuisance..

A very good saw for light sawing work. It is light weight and will saw with out wearing you out.

I bought the saw to cut trim and small boards, but it was difficult to use. In order to keep enough pressure on the saw so it didnt want to bounce around the smaller 1/2 inch boards would break. It didn't want to cut 1 inch boards at all. On the good side it allows you to cut hard to cut shapes and changing the blade is simple.

Over all I would not buy this Item again unless it was under $20.

I really like this tool, and anticipate I will be using it for LOT of small jobs around the house. I'd been looking for something similar for a while but this price was the best I've seen for a lightweight, battery operated hand saw, especially from a company I know and trust. What is lacks, and what I notice is nowhere shown in the promotional photos for it, is decent packaging! I had no way to know it would come in a heavy plastic "blister pack" that took 15 minutes with an X-acto knife and scissors to extract the saw from, and left me with 2 cuts on my hand from said same plastic. It's mechanically crimp-sealed all the way around, so it's not as simple as just opening and closing the button snaps which are part of the package design, as I've seen on other tools. While this is a great way to eliminate shoplifting, it leaves the end-user stuck with no place to store it, except on the mounting bracket. The blister pack was demolished to get the saw out. OK, I don't have a full workshop, what am I supposed to do with it when I'm not using it?? At the same time and for nearly the same price, I purchased a comparable tool, a Bosch 2.0 amp sander, and it came with it's own little zippered canvas tool bag, big enough not only for the sander, but can easily accommodate screwdrivers, etc. that you might need to carry with it. B&D needs to rethink how they're packaging this tool. They can and should do better.

As time goes by... It's been about a year since I purchased this tool and a couple of things have come about. First of all, when I contacted Black & Decker about the bag issue, I'm pleased to report that they were more than happy to send me a suitable bag to keep it in, much like the one Bosch furnishes with their sander.

Second, and not quite as happily, the battery has ceased to hold more than a partial charge. It works for less than 2 minutes before it peters out. Once again, I went to the phone and contacted B&D. What was amazing is that I didn't even need a receipt to prove when I'd purchased it! They were able to tell that it was still within warranty from a manufacturer's date code stamped into the handle of the saw. Because we couldn't determine whether the problem was in the battery or the charger, they opted to send me a whole new unit! I'm AMAZED to find this level of Customer Service today! Black & Decker should be very proud of themselves for maintaining this level of service. It's truly a rarity today.

Don't expect this to be a heavy duty saw...but it is handy for the small stuff. If you have an AC powered jig saw...hang on to it because this is not substitute. Battery stays charged a long, long time which is an advantage.

Good for light duty work in and around the house. Only cordless saw I found on the market in this price range.

THIS IS A PERFECT TOOL FOR THE THINGS THAT YOU WANT TO DO BUT NEVER HAD THE TOOL
THANKS
GINO

I gave it as a Christmas gift and it is appreciated. I was told that it works very well and is indeed, handy.

The Black and Decker CHS6000 Handisaw Cordless Powered Saw is one great little saw. I used it to trim a metal floor register with no problem. The size was just right for the job. I have been very satisfied with all my Black and Decker tools. Along with this 'Handisaw', I'd recommend Black & Decker's Alligator, the Black and Decker Plus Cordless Screwdriver with Articulating Head, Black & Decker's Power Scissors and the Black and Decker Mouse 5 Amp Detail Sander /Polisher with 41 Piece Accessory Pack as worth buying. ~ The Boss

This saw is absolutely perfect for my use. It is a little slow but that makes no difference to me. It will cut up the the size of the blade. Perfect when there is no power available. Light weight and easy to handle.

I find this product to be okay. I bought it mainly because it is cordless. I have several reciprocating saws but I needed something smaller and cordless for some jobs.

VERY VERSATILE. EASY TO HANDLE AND EASY TO USE. WELL BALANCED. USES REGULAR JIG SAW BLADES.

Good for small jobs. Not enough power for anything major