# Black & Decker VPX1301X VPX Cut Saw



## End Grain (Nov 16, 2007)

Like most who have to do cutouts in drywall and cabinets, I have an assortment of jab and plaster saws along with a DeWalt cutout tool. Plus, when all else fails, I have good sturdy razor knives and also Makita's 9.6V cordless reciprocating saw with me for the more demanding tasks.

Since it first came out several years ago, I had contemplated buying B&D's cordless "handsaw" for $40 but was reluctant because it had built-in nicad batteries and a minimum 5-6 hour recharge time.

When they recently introduced their VPX line of lithium-ion powered cordless tools with the core interchangeable battery, I took the plunge and bought the cordless saw kit for $60 at HD - tool, battery and charger.

I used it on a job the very next day after I got it to drop an outlet in a cabinet underneath a sink. It uses common U-shank jigsaw blades and blade changing is completely toolless and a breeze.

There wasn't a whole lot of room to work in under this sink and the cut was close to the corner of the cabinet. The DeWalt cut-out tool would not have made it in close enough and is heavier to hold at a right angle while lying on one's side and looking partially upsidedown.

This little saw fit in the space very nicely, was lightweight to hold and performed admirably. It cut through the 1/4" particle board back of the cabinet and also through the 1/2" drywall and I was able to plunge cut - albeit very carefully - into the softer particle board to get each straight cut started. It does bounce quite a bit in flexible material such as the 1/4" backing board if not held properly or pushed along, much like any jigsaw tends to do, but once you get the hang of holding it at the correct cutting angle, moving at the correct cutting pace and working the 2-step safety switch, it cuts smoothly and very nicely. Power was steady throughout and pretty good for a 7.2V cordless saw. Battery seems to have a decent life as well.

So, I bought a 2nd VPX battery to carry with me. Cheap enough at just under $20 and if I decide to buy any other VPX tool, the same batteries will work in them as well. I am considering their baretool 14.4V handheld VPX vacuum for $40.

The charger is interesting in that it comes with a detachable power cord as well as a second cord that's built-in with a proprietary end on it so that if you buy other B&D VPX cordless tools, you can actually "daisychain" the chargers together and charge multiple batteries at one time with only one available 110V power outlet. That's a nice feature, especially on at a jobsite or in a small garage workshop where connectivity is often severely limited.

All in all, I invested $80 into a pretty powerful lightweight cordless saw that does exactly what I want it to do.

B&D finally put some real thought into designing and offering an actual system for the end user instead of cute standalone power tools that live and die solely on their own merits. Granted, I'm not a candidate for their VPX inflator or USB power supply or flashlight, but I think they had to start somewhere _kitschy_ for the average retail consumer to find interest with and think of potential uses for.


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## daryl in nanoose (Feb 18, 2007)

Is this the saw your talking about


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## End Grain (Nov 16, 2007)

daryl in nanoose said:


> Is this the saw your talking about


Yep. That's it.


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## daryl in nanoose (Feb 18, 2007)

I was wondering about that little guy when I saw it at HD the other day. Sounds real handy and will have to put it on my wish list. Thanks for the reveiw.


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## Nick Lantz (Jan 16, 2008)

*Love the saw*

I recently got the starter pack from home depot for $99 . I really only wanted the saw that i would say is the best tool i have got in a wile
its light weight , small and is the first thing i grab for when needing to trim off or cut wood or semi thin metals, works great on both with ease of control :thumbsup:

i did not find the driver to impressive tho. the chuck is plastic on the outside. the trigger and plastic fwd and rev buttons seem to catch or slightly get stuck and make a click sound like a child's bob the builder toy hammer drill. So i would think that for every day or shop use it would wear out kinda fast, but i didn't really try it out yet so it may could b ok.

The led flashlight is ok too . Cant have enuff flashlights allready came in use when i kicked my 18v ridgid light on the ground and broke the bulb. so its good to have a decent led flashlight handy 

all in all i would give the saw a 9 outa 10 tho


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