The best Makita cordless reciprocating saws, compared.
Top pick: luolety 4-blade Best value: Builrand bare tool – Value part of 8 at about £48.99, with named Makita 18 V codes and no failure text in the file. Updated October 2026.
Body-only versions suit you if you already own those packs and you want an occasional rough cut in branches, pallets, plastic pipe or thin metal. Written reviews split between short positive notes and saws that smoked, cut out or died after one or two uses. How to separate a body, a kit and a genuine Makita saw is in the [Makita cordless reciprocating saw buying guide](/hub/power-saws/makita-cordless-reciprocating-saw/sub/makita-cordless-reciprocating-saw-buying-guide). A Makita cordless reciprocating saw, on the ten amazon.co.uk listings in this comparison, is a third-party sabre saw. A blue housing does not make it a Makita. Makita UK lists a 32 mm stroke for the DJR187, 0–2,300 or 3,000 strokes per minute, wood 255 mm and steel pipe 130 mm, plus noise and vibration. Eight of these listings are bare tools, so the price is the saw and a few blades, not a battery. Two listings are kits for someone with no Makita batteries. Two luolety component rows say a battery is included while the titles say none. Then look at whether a saw survives a cut. Prefer a UK review of a real job over a 5.0 from two reviews.
Body-only versions suit you if you already own those packs and you want an occasional rough cut in branches, pallets, plastic pipe or thin metal.
36 products checked · 58 hrs invested · +21,400 readers
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
Do you already own Makita 18 V packs?
The luolety saw at £57.99 lists a brushless motor, four blades, a 400 W row and a 2.3 kg weight. The title says no battery, while the components row says Battery, and the only review text says no pack is included and that a Makita 18 V battery fitted. The bullets claim both a 22 mm and a 19 mm stroke, and wood 150 mm. The star line is 5.0 from two reviews, with no UK review text in the file. The dimension row of 20 x 10 x 30 mm is not plausible. A 5.0 from two reviews does not outrank a 4.4 from 16.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You can live with a two-review listing and you will check the box for a battery yourself.
Less suitable: You need a single stroke figure, a plausible size, or a UK review.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the luolety 4-blade saw include a battery?
The title says no battery. The included-components row says Battery. A review says a battery is not in the box and that a Makita 18 V pack the buyer already had fitted.
What cutting depth does the listing claim?
The bullets say wood 150 mm, metal 20 mm and PVC 130 mm. They also say both a 22 mm and a 19 mm stroke. No review repeats those depths.
Are the listed dimensions usable?
The size row says 20 x 10 x 30 mm. That is not a plausible size for this saw. The weight row says 2.3 kg.
The Fledukten kit at £62.99 includes two 21 V 4.0 Ah batteries, a 1.2 A charger, a case and eight blades. The listing says the body accepts Makita 18 V packs and that the included batteries must not go on other brands. Among 10 reviews at 4.5, UK buyers describe roots, overhead branches and a weekend of wood, PVC and conduit. They also say the shoe is fixed, the case is flimsy for a van, and there is a lock-off rather than a lock-on. One reviewer charges the packs from a plug-top on a DC jack. The score is 62, the same as the Builrand body, but the value part is lower because the packs are a separate family.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You have no Makita batteries and want a kit you can use this weekend.
Less suitable: You want one battery family shared with Makita drills, or an adjustable shoe.
Specifications
Common questions
Can the Fledukten batteries go on a Makita drill?
No. The listing says the saw can use Makita batteries, but the batteries in this kit cannot be used with tools from other brands.
Is the shoe adjustable?
A UK review says the shoe is fixed, so you choose blade length instead of sliding the nose. The bullets do not describe an adjustable shoe.
What is in the box at £62.99?
The components row lists the saw, two 21 V 4.0 Ah batteries, a 1.2 A charger, a case, a manual, six wood blades and two bi-metal blades.
The JOJOCY saw at £54.99 is a body-only brushless listing with four blades, a safety lock, and a 1.8 kg weight row. It names Makita 18 V packs and says it is not compatible with G-series batteries. The star line is 4.5 from two reviews, and the only text in the file is a one-line comment that it has been fine so far. Stroke length is not stated.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want a body that states it will not take G-series packs, and you can accept a tiny review sample.
Less suitable: You want UK reviews of real cuts, or a stroke length on the listing.
Specifications
Common questions
Will this JOJOCY saw take a G-series battery?
The bullets say no. They name BL1820 through BL1860 and the B variants, and they say it is not compatible with G-series batteries.
Is a battery included at £54.99?
No. The bullets say tool only and non-OEM. Four blades are included.
How many people have reviewed it?
The listing shows 4.5 from 2 reviews. The raw file has one short line and no UK cutting report.
The blayram kit at £56.99 includes two 3.0 Ah batteries, a charger and four blades, and the listing says the body accepts Makita 18 V packs. Those included packs are barred from Makita tools and from a Makita fast charger. Among 21 reviews at 4.4, UK buyers praise the two batteries, the weight and awkward access, and one calls it underpowered. The speed on the listing is 3000 SPM. The weight row is 1.36 kg. Bullets claim 60 to 90 minutes of runtime. Reviews do not measure that.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You have no Makita packs and want two batteries for occasional cuts.
Less suitable: You want those batteries to run your Makita drill, or a stated stroke.
Specifications
Common questions
Can the blayram batteries charge on a Makita charger?
No. The listing says the included batteries are not compatible with original Makita tools and cannot be charged on an original Makita fast charger. Use the charger in the box.
What speed does the listing state?
3000 SPM. One review writes 3500 rpm. That figure is not the listing speed.
Do UK reviews say it cuts?
Most short UK reviews say it cuts wood, metal and plastic, is easy to handle, and that two batteries are the point. One UK review says it is not powerful enough. Another says it is less powerful than a corded saw.
The OHAISFELA saw, listed at £59.99, is a body-only brushless recip saw that names Makita 18 V packs from BL1820 to BL1860 and ships four blades. Among 16 reviews at 4.4, UK buyers who already own those packs describe occasional DIY, a rubber grip, and a blade change that works, and one notes the tool is noisy and that the label reads 3000 SPM rather than 3500. The bullets state a 20 mm stroke, a 600 W row, and a 2 kg weight. There is no battery and no charger. It is the top pick in this set for light cuts on packs you already own.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already own Makita 18 V packs and want a light-duty body with a stated stroke.
Less suitable: You need a battery in the box, or a speed figure you can trust without a label clash.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this OHAISFELA saw include a Makita battery?
No. The title and the bullets say the saw is tool only. The listing names Makita packs from BL1820 to BL1860, including the B variants.
What stroke length does the listing state?
The bullets say 20 mm. They also claim an adjustable front shoe and a tool-free clamp.
Why do the speeds not match?
The listing says 0-3500 strokes per minute. A UK review says the tool itself is labelled 3000 SPM.
The Gautesy saw at £31.90 is the cheapest body in this folder. It names Makita 18 V packs, lists four blades, a safety lock and an LED, and advises a 4.0 Ah pack or larger. The star line is 4.4 from 10 reviews. The file has two UK texts: one says buy better blades, and one says the saw is slow and is being returned. The weight row says 1.4 kg and a bullet says 3 lb. Stroke is not stated.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want the cheapest named-code body and you will budget for better blades.
Less suitable: You need a saw with several UK reviews of a finished job, not a return for lack of power.
Specifications
Common questions
What battery does Gautesy say to use?
None is included. The bullets name BL1820 through BL1860 and the B variants, and they say to choose 4.0 Ah or higher to avoid overload shutdowns.
Does the listing mention a light?
Yes. The bullets name a safety lock and LED lights. Stroke length is not stated.
What do the two UK reviews say?
One says the machine works but not to rely on the included blades. The other says it is slow, lacks power, does not match the stated speed, and is being returned.
The Builrand saw at £48.99 is a bare tool with eight blades, four speed settings up to 3500 SPM, a safety lock and a 1.8 kg weight row. It names Makita 18 V packs and does not include a battery. The listing is 4.0 from 16 reviews. The file only contains two short UK texts, both positive, so there is no written failure to quote and also no detailed cutting report. Stroke length is not stated. It is best value in this set if you already own Makita 18 V packs.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You already own Makita 18 V packs and want the cheaper bare tool whose written reviews do not describe a failure.
Less suitable: You want a long UK write-up of what it actually cut, or a stroke length.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the Builrand saw include a battery?
No. The bullets say no battery, tool only, and they name Makita packs from BL1820 to BL1860, including the B variants.
What did the written reviews say?
The raw file has two UK lines. One says it does the job with little effort. The other calls it powerful and sturdy. The listing average is 4.0 from 16, so most ratings have no text here.
How many blades are listed?
Eight, described as wood, metal, PVC and pruning. The bullets also claim a tool-free change in about five seconds.
The JOJOCY saw at £49.99 is a body-only brushless listing with eight blades, a safety lock and a 3000 rpm claim. The bullets say it is not a Makita tool. Among 22 reviews at 3.4, UK buyers describe both straightforward branch and pipe cuts and a cluster of faults: overheating, cutting out, a motor that smoked within an hour, and a saw that was dead after the returns window. Stroke is not stated. Weight is listed as 1.8 kg.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You are reading the £49.99 JOJOCY listing and want both the successful cuts and the failure reports.
Less suitable: You want a body without a UK report of a smoking motor.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this JOJOCY saw a Makita tool?
No. The bullets say tool only and not a Makita brand tool. They name BL1820 through BL1860 and the B variants.
What failures do UK reviews mention?
Reviews say it overheats with heavy use, cuts out in wood, smoked within an hour, or was dead after the returns window. Other UK reviews say it cuts branches, pipe and scrap timber.
How many blades are in the listing?
Eight. A UK review says changes take a few seconds and that the included blades dull faster than better replacements.
The ConBlom saw at £39.99 is a body-only brushless listing with four blades, an 18 V row and a 1.94 kg weight. It has the largest sample here, 3.3 from 75 reviews. UK texts include a useful note about steel pipe where a grinder will not fit, and several reports that the saw broke or died after one use, two uses, or about four hours. The bullets claim 35 percent more runtime and 40 percent faster cutting with no baseline. Stroke length is not stated. Those percentages are listing bullets, not measured facts.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You want the large-sample record, including the failure reports, before buying the £39.99 body.
Less suitable: You want a saw whose UK texts are not full of first-use deaths.
Specifications
Common questions
Is the ConBlom saw a Makita?
No. A UK review says it is not Makita and that Makita batteries fit. The bullets name BL1820B, BL1830B, BL1840B, BL1850B and BL1860B, and they say no battery is included.
What is the stroke length?
The captured listing does not state a stroke. A customer question on the page asks for it. The speed row says 3500 rpm and the wattage row says 400 W.
Why is the score low despite 75 reviews?
The average is 3.3. UK reviews say it broke after about two uses, lasted about four hours, died after one use, or broke on the first cut. One UK review uses it on steel pipe and says it gets warm quickly.
The luolety saw at £46.59 lists eight blades, a 450 W row, 0-3000 rpm and a 1.94 kg weight. Among 12 reviews at 2.9, UK buyers report a break after two uses and too much vibration for branches. A longer UK review, written when the price was £48.99, is kinder about garden offcuts but says no battery is included and that a slow trigger can whine without moving the blade. A French review calls the look a Makita copy. The size row of 20 x 10 x 30 mm is not plausible.
Pros
Cons
Best for: You are comparing the eight-blade luolety listing and want the failure reviews in view.
Less suitable: You want a saw without an early-break report in the UK texts.
Specifications
Common questions
Is a battery in the luolety 8-blade box?
The title says no battery. A UK review says the same. The included-components row says Battery, so the row conflicts with the title.
What do UK reviews say went wrong?
One UK review says it broke after two uses. Another says it vibrates too much for branches. A longer UK review still uses it for branches and planks and says it whines if the trigger is pulled too slowly.
What wood depth does this listing claim?
The bullets say wood 50 mm, metal 20 mm and PVC 130 mm, and they state both a 22 mm and a 19 mm stroke.
Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk listings in this comparison. There is no laboratory cut. None of these ten listings is a Makita-branded tool. The score is 0–100 from four parts. The highest score is the top pick, once. The highest value part that is not the top pick is best value, once.
Amazon stars
40%The star part is the amazon.co.uk rating divided by 5, then times 40, rounded to the nearest integer. A 4.4 contributes 35. A 5.0 from two reviews can still lose on the sample part.
Review sample
25%The sample part scores the review count: 1,000 or more is 25, 200 or more is 20, 100 or more is 14, 50 or more is 10, 10 or more is 6, and fewer than 10 is 2. A large weak average is not hidden by a tiny perfect one.
Fit on Makita 18 V
25%Fit scores named Makita 18 V codes, a body-only listing, a stated stroke, and UK reviews of light cuts. Repeated UK failures score lower. A kit whose own packs are barred from Makita tools does not score as a shared LXT battery.
Value in this set
10%Value is a separate 10-point part. A body under £50 with named codes and no failure text in the file scores higher than a kit whose batteries are a second family. The highest value part that is not the top pick is best value.
Buy the battery family before the shelf price. These ten amazon.co.uk listings are third-party sabre saws that name Makita 18 V packs. None of them is a Makita tool. Eight are bare bodies. Two are kits whose own batteries must stay off Makita tools. The score is not a laboratory cut. A genuine DJR186 or DJR187 is a different spend, with published stroke, noise and vibration, and it is not in this table.
A Makita cordless reciprocating saw, on the ten amazon.co.uk listings in this comparison, is a third-party sabre saw. The listing says the body takes Makita 18 V packs such as BL1830, BL1850B and BL1860B. The brand on the page is OHAISFELA, JOJOCY, luolety, Builrand, Fledukten, ConBlom, blayram or Gautesy. A blue housing does not make it a Makita. A genuine DJR186 or DJR187 is a different product.
None of these ten ASINs is a Makita saw. The listings name Makita 18 V pack codes. That is a battery claim, not a Makita warranty and not a DJR187 specification. Do not copy the 32 mm stroke, the 255 mm wood figure or the 130 mm pipe figure onto these bodies.
Fledukten says its included packs must not go on tools from other brands. blayram says its packs are not for Makita tools and cannot be charged on a Makita fast charger. Use the charger in that box, and keep the packs as a separate family.
A perfect average from two reviews scores only 2 on the sample part. The £57.99 luolety is that case, and its stroke bullets disagree. ConBlom is 3.3 from 75 reviews, with several early failures. Read the UK texts of a real job before the star line.
Body-only listings name Makita 18 V codes such as BL1830, BL1850B and BL1860B. Eight prices are the saw and the blades, not a pack. The JOJOCY listing at about £54.99 excludes G-series. Gautesy says packs under 4.0 Ah may shut the saw down. The two kits are for someone with no Makita batteries. Fledukten at about £62.99 includes two 21 V 4.0 Ah packs, a 1.2 A charger and a case, and those packs must not go on other brands.
Prefer a UK review of a finished job over a 5.0 from two reviews. The OHAISFELA is 4.4 from 16, with light-cut notes and a 20 mm stroke on the bullets, plus a label clash of 3,000 SPM against 3,500. The Builrand is 4.0 from 16, with two short positive lines and no stroke. ConBlom is 3.3 from 75, with early deaths. The £46.59 luolety is 2.9 from 12, including a break after two uses. The £49.99 JOJOCY is 3.4 from 22, including smoke.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You already own Makita 18 V packs and you want an occasional rough cut in branches, pallets, plastic pipe or thin metal. The OHAISFELA body at about £59.99 is the top pick: named pack codes, a 20 mm stroke on the bullets, and UK notes of light DIY. It is not a Makita saw, and it ships no battery.
You already own Makita 18 V packs and you want the lower body price whose written reviews do not describe a failure. The Builrand bare tool at about £48.99 is best value in this set. Stroke length is not stated, and only two short UK lines are in the file.
You have no Makita packs and you want a boxed kit for this weekend. The Fledukten kit at about £62.99 includes two 21 V 4.0 Ah packs, a charger, eight blades and a case. Those packs must not go on Makita tools. The shoe is described as fixed in a UK review.
The top pick is the OHAISFELA body at about £59.99. It scores 65, from 4.4 and 16 amazon.co.uk reviews, with named Makita 18 V codes, a 20 mm stroke on the bullets, and UK notes of light cuts rather than a death report. It is body only, and a UK review says the label reads 3,000 SPM against a 3,500 listing. Best value is the Builrand bare tool at about £48.99. It scores 62, and its value part is 8, the highest value part that is not the OHAISFELA. The Fledukten kit also scores 62, but its value part is 4, because its batteries are a separate family. A 5.0 from two reviews does not outrank a 4.4 from 16.
Builrand bare tool
Value part of 8 at about £48.99, with named Makita 18 V codes and no failure text in the file.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public UK sources first, then the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Shop prices for a genuine DJR body are named UK shops, not an amazon.co.uk pound price.
This page contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures already stored for this set. This is not a laboratory test.
