Milwaukee 13 Amp Super Sawzall for Fast Wood Treatment
Earning the title of "Super Sawzall" in Milwaukee's reciprocating saw family takes some serious performance. The Milwaukee 13-amp Super Sawzall is the smallest model to receive this designation. We pitted it head-to-head against other options in the 13-amp class to see how super capable it is.
advantage
- Highest wood cutting speed in its class
- excellent vibration control
- Most compact in its class
- made in America
shortcoming
- Most expensive option in its class
Milwaukee 13 Amp Super Sawzall Cutting Speed
We put the saw at this power level through a series of three speed tests: studded wood, 2″ EMT, and #5 rebar. Check out our key reciprocating saw comparison page for complete details on our testing methodology.
Milwaukee put together a 3000 SPM speed and paired it with a decent 1.25" travel length. This should translate into some really quick cuts. This model also has orbital action, which is an advantage in wood cutting.
The Milwaukee 6536-21 crushed it in our studded wood test, averaging just 8.30 seconds through 2 x 10 PT with 5 framing studs. That's more than four seconds ahead of second-placed Kobalt and nearly 12 seconds ahead of Skilsaw.
It lost some of its edge when we moved to metal cutting, but it wasn't annoyingly slow by any means. In 2″ EMT it averaged 5.49 seconds, more than a second behind the Kobalt.
Moving to thicker rebar, it dropped to third place, taking an average of 8.27 seconds. That's almost two and a half seconds slower than the 5.81 seconds that Kobalt led.
Overall, the Milwaukee 13-amp Super Sawzall cuts wood close to the 15-amp class, and is certainly adequate for metal. This is a good choice when the main body of your presentation is wood.
vibration control
Milwaukee has incorporated a very effective balancing system into this model. Only Skilsaw's Buzzkill design scored slightly higher in our vibration control tests, but it's a close race.
size and weight
Overall, a 13-amp class reciprocating saw is about the same size as its 15-amp counterpart. In fact, the Milwaukee 13-amp Super Sawzall is the exact same length as its 15-amp version—19.9 inches. It's just 0.1 inches longer than the Kobalt and a full 2 inches shorter than the Skilsaw in its class.
Likewise, the Milwaukee's 9.4 lbs is very close to the weight of the 15 amp model (9.6 lbs). Still, it's the lightest in its class, only 0.1 lbs lighter than the Skilsaw.
Additional features
In addition to including the orbital action and balance system, the Milwaukee's main feature set consists only of a swivel, tool-free adjustable shoe. This power class and the 10 – 12 amp chainsaws below it aren't known for their well-rounded feature sets, but there are a few things we've found on other chainsaws:
- variable speed dial
- lever blade release
- blade ejection
- rafter hook
- led light
In fact, Milwaukee contains the most important features that directly affect cutting speed and vibration. The rest of these are fine, but many of us can live without them.
Price
The $189 Milwaukee 13-amp Super Sawzall is the most expensive reciprocating saw in its class. That's a little tricky considering it's pretty close in size and weight to the 15-amp model, and only costs $10 more. They're also made in the USA, so you might just want to step it up a level.
the bottom line
The Milwaukee 6536-21 is an excellent 13 amp reciprocating saw that is very close to the top of the class. The only thing you might have to consider before pulling the trigger is that the 15 amps are so close in size, weight, and price that it's worth the continued performance boost.
Buy this if you are looking for the best wood cutting speed in the 13 amp class and like to take pride in using a reciprocating saw made in the USA. If you're looking for a boost in performance and features for an extra $10, go ahead and upgrade to the 15-amp Super Sawzall.
Milwaukee 13 Amp Super Sawzall Specifications
- Model: Milwaukee 6536-21
- Strokes per minute: 3000
- Stroke Length: 1.25″
- Weight: 14.4 lbs
- Cable Length: 96″
- Warranty: 5 years
- Price: $189