SKIL PWRCORE RS5884-1 saga

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elric

ArboristSite Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2020
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Location
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It looks like the RS5884-1 is a disposeable reciprocating saw. Sorta like a box of Kleenex, use it and toss it. Design makes opening it very difficult. No repair parts available. Mechanically, solid. No grinding or bad noises. Battery packs, good life. Achilles heel, the electronics. When it dies after six months, it just dies. Unsure if it is due to dirt egress or poor component selection / construction.

The first saw seemed solid. The second one, I used three times at home, under one battery worth each time. I know that I used it cutting Honeysuckle/Buckthorn perhaps ten times. Let's be generous, call it 20 times. Mostly intermittent use over three hours [cut, paint herbicide on stumps, move slash]. When the second saw died, I asked for a bare saw [no battery, charger, or USB charging thingy].

Now, I just talked for the third time with customer service, the guy who breaks down the saw kits wasn't in today. Left a request to be notified by email when something happened. Second request to be notified. No way to be sure, but it sure seems that everyone does ONE thing. Nobody takes ownership on a return. So if someone doesn't update Oracle, nobody knows what is going on. So they have to put you on hold and call the activity that should be doing something.

SKIL certainly seems to be a clown circus, except I'm not laughing.
 
Just an update. Been beating on my third RS5884-1, some truly horrendous big Honeysuckle and Buckthorn. The gear unit sounds like something is loose, when you shake it, something metallic rattles [anti-vibe stuff?]. BUT it still cuts quite well. Having campaigned with this saw from early 2023 [Jan] all the way into late Dec, it's made up for the first two dead saws. Mostly.
You can find a better saw. Just wish somebody made a compact brushless that used the Skil battery packs... :rare2:
 

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