DeWalt Breakaway Reciprocating Saw Blades

DeWalt recently announced its new DeWalt BreakAway Reciprocating Saw Blades with a 2-blades-in-1 design that allows users to maximize blade use by breaking away the used section of the blade and reinserting the unused section into the saw.

At 0.042-inches thick, the DeWalt BreakAway Reciprocating Saw Blades are engineered with a 14/18 TPI variable tooth pattern and come in 6-inch and 9-inch lengths. The 6-inch blades break into 4-inch blades capable of cutting materials up to 1-inch in diameter. The 9-inch blades break into 6-inch blades capable of cutting materials up to 2-inches in diameter.

On the heels of its FlexVolt recip blades, DeWalt has introduced a novel concept – at least for recip blades – in the 6-inch and 9-inch breakaway blade. Similar to the breakaway concept of some utility blades, the idea is that only a portion of the blade is used while the rest is wasted. Why not then design a blade that you can use for the tough jobs of cutting galvanized pipe, copper pipe, conduit, metal studs, EMT, and more?

We unreservedly encourage tool and accessory innovation so we welcome any improvement – or at least attempt at improvement – with open arms. With that said, we have a few questions about these DeWalt Breakaway Reciprocating Saw Blades that will hopefully be answered in the coming weeks when we get to use them. Primarily, can they accomplish more than a reciprocating saw with an adjustable shoe?

Adjustable shoes lock forward or back to allow the work by different parts of a traditional blade, so does that make DeWalt Breakaways a redundancy?

Of course, there are plenty of reciprocating saw blades that don't have an adjustable shoe, so the question wouldn't apply.

Next, do the milled out areas and Breakaway line compromise the blade's strength?

DeWalt designed these blades with mid-range thickness for more stability and a thick kerf which likely compensates for any weak links. But it will still be interesting to see if they hold up well under normal reciprocating saw abuse. We don't have an indication of price yet, but of course, it wouldn't make sense for this new technology to have a price anywhere near double that of a traditional blade. You’d just throw it out and replace it with a new one.

In any event, we like the idea of the DeWalt Breakaway Reciprocating Saw Blades, the fact that they come in two lengths, and the 14/18 TPI variable tooth pattern. They’re not going to compete with the life of a carbide blade, but this is an excellent concept to get more from the less expensive class.