The Mac Tools Heavy Duty Geared Air Saw, No. MPS1911, is designed for use in muffler and exhaust applications, general auto body repair, cutting work, sunroof installation and more. The dual-chuck Heavy Duty Geared Air Saw has a 9.5mm cut capacity and includes a reverse gear mechanism that reduces stalling, helping to increase the lifespan of the tool, the company says. The tool features a lockout throttle design, 360-degree rotating exhaust that can direct air away from the user and rubber grip that is resistant to most common automotive fluids. Another key feature of the Heavy Duty Geared Air Saw is it accepts both air saw and reciprocating saw blades, providing versatility to the user.
The review
An air saw is relatively universal in its applications, automotive and otherwise. Eric Moore of DeMary Truck in Columbus, Ohio, found that the Mac Tools Heavy Duty Geared Air Saw works so smoothly it can save technicians time when making repairs.
Moore says the geared air saw arrived in a branded box with “two blades, two set screws and a wrench for the set screws.” He says the setup included installing the blade and air line fitting, then adding a few drops of oil and a few shots of grease to the gears, per the included instructions. Once setup is complete, he adds, the tool is “very easy” to use.
“The trigger is variable so you can control the speed of the blade, and control the tool,” Moore says. “The extended nose of the tool provides for placement of your other hand, giving you a tremendous amount of stability and more control over the tool for following patterns and staying on course.”
In terms of maintenance to keep the tool in proper working order, the manual instructs users to add a drop of oil daily, and to grease the gears once for every 10 hours of use.
Moore and the other technicians at DeMary Truck found the geared air saw to be “impressive” when compared to other air-powered cutting tools, and that the only instances where the blade stalled were when it was pinched or being held at the wrong angle.
The tool was used on a wide variety of materials at DeMary Truck, from sheet metal to wooden door panels, to copper pipe and PVC.
“I found it was very easy to control and was pretty well balanced, even using with one hand,” Moore says. “Although, if you squeezed the trigger too much, it could quickly get away from you when using with one hand. We did find that it helped to have the workpiece secured or held by someone else.”
The only tool updates the technicians at DeMary would like to see offered in the future are the ability to rotate the head as much as 45 or 90 degrees to “open up a whole other world of possibilities and actions where space is an issue” and tool-less blade change capability.
“They [DeMary technicians] didn’t like that there is a high likelihood of losing one or both of the set screws holding the blade in place,” Moore says.
These minor suggestions aside, Moore and the technicians at DeMary Truck found the ease of use and superior control make it a beneficial tool to have in the shop.
“Since it worked so smoothly, I would say it did save quite a bit of time over using a cutoff wheel in some situations,” Moore says. “Being able to smoothly navigate the cutting meant less stopping and more efficiency.”
