RIDGID OCTANE Brushless 18V One-Handed Reciprocating Saw

This review was created as part of a paid affiliate program with the Home Depot.

My first order of business with this and every product review is a disclaimer: I am not a professional contractor. I am a farmer and a fine furniture maker. When it comes to construction and renovation projects, I’m a DIYer and weekend warrior. That said, I doubt many professional contractors will be reading my tool reviews. My goal in reviewing tools and products is to provide honest feedback based on my own use and experience with these tools to other regular folks like me- wanting to get their hands dirty, try new things, and get the best value for their hard earned dollars. 

Let’s talk about the Ridgid Octane Brushless 18V One-Handed Reciprocating saw

After using a MUCH larger, heavier recip saw the past couple of years, this smaller, one handed model is a dream. Being brushless, it’s smaller stature doesn’t mean power is sacrificed, and it stays nice and cool during operation. Because so much demo work in particular is done at weird angles and above the head, a lighter tool that feels safe to operate with one hand is pretty exciting. The most common use I have for a recip saw when I’m not in the middle of a demo project is pruning trees, and the compact size, lightweight nature and one handed use feature is hugely helpful in that application working safely above my head. Ergonomically, this tool is well balanced, and even though it’s made to operate one handed, there’s still room for a second hand for support when needed. The quick change blade feature is HUGE, especially since I tend to change blades on my recip saws more than any other single tool.

Ridgid Octane tools show a huge increase in performance and are built to a better standard than Ridgid tools I’ve used in the past. Being brushless, the motors will last longer and will stand up to far more abuse. It has an orbital mode which works well, but my one concern with the tool is that it might be prone to clogging when doing especially messy jobs like drywall with this tool, but if you keep it cleaned out, you should be good. The OCTANE recip saw also has a variable speed trigger which makes it a great tool for various different applications from drywall to plumbing to electrical, to all kinds of jobs around the farm.

This is a great saw for the money, it retails for $129 and has more power and capabilities than most homeowners and DIY'ers even need, so with this and other reviews, I always encourage my readers to pick a battery platform and stick to it, bare tools are fairly inexpensive, but where things really add up is in the batteries. Ridgid’s platform offers the greatest variety of tools sturdy enough to stand up to the abuse of a construction jobsite at a pricepoint similar to most “homeowner specials,” so they are a solid investment.