Reciprocating Saw question

[Lamp]

I am remodeling a bathroom and want to remove a 4 X 9 foot cinder block wall that's about 8 inches thick. I am looking online at reciprocating saws and don't know which one to get. Dewalt has a 10 amp and Bosch has a 12 amp saw that I am interested in. Refurbished, I can get the 10 amp Dewalt for $75 including shipping and $100 for the 12 amp Bosch. The Dewalt has a 1-1/8-inch stroke length while the Bosch has a 1-1/4-inch stroke length. Do the two amps make a big difference? And what is the significance of the stroke length?

Or should I go with a different saw altogether with a higher amp rating? Bosch has a 15 amp saw that apparently is specifically built for demolition which would cost $140 refurbished. I don't want to go cheap only to have the saw die in the middle of the project or find it is incapable of handling the cinder block. Yet I don't want to spend more than I need to if it can be avoided.

 

[01 grad]

Hopefully you already know the wall is not load bearing. If it is you will need to plan for a header of some sort.

That said, why not a sledge and mason chisel to do job? I certainly wouldn't want to cut any 8" cinder block with any sort of reciprocating saw. You could buy an $8 masonry blade for circular saw and make score cuts and then sledge away, that should provide fora clean break.

 

[LITNIN HORN]

What 01 said...by the time you got through cutting the wall up with a reciprocating saw it would be ruined, and you would go through a ton of blades at about $3.00 to $5.00 dollars a pop. If it is not load bearing...sledge away.

 

[nashhorn]

Totally agree with 01. Scoring with the circular will stir up alot of dust but if you are actually cutting the four sides of what you mentioned you cannot imagine how much dust you will kick up with the recip saw. And the blades you will go through to get it done would astound you. Can be done, but I wouldn't be able to pick anything up for a week after attempting that job with a recip saw.
Sledge away.

 

[NCAAFBALLROX]

Personally, I would never EVER go after any kind of brick or mortar with a SawZall / Recip unless I wasn't concerned about a gawdawful mess.

Cement saw & correct blades + someone there with a shop vac sucking up my debris... that's the way I'd dapproach it.

You can also use a 4½" or even 7" grinder with a masonry blade. We use a grinder for all of our chimney cut in's where we're adding a cricket or taking out the old 'point work'.. .

 

[Luke Duke]

Definitely go with a sledge hammer. Cover anything else in the room that you don't want to get nicked/dented. There will be pieces of cinder block flying everywhere. Don't even think about doing this without safety glasses and probably a mask.

 

[BigWill]

call a rental yard and get an electric chipping hammer. Think handheld jackhammer. That is better than sledgehammer.