Greenworks Commercial 82V 12

When cordless cut-off saws came out, they certainly had their uses. But it’s the advent of 12- and 14-inch models that give us the best option to cut the cord and kick the can on the widest range of applications. We got our hands on the Greenworks Commercial 82V 12-inch cordless power cutter to get a better idea of what this battery-powered option can handle.

When Greenworks set out to create a cordless 12-inch power cutter, the design team had to give it a beefy motor. The brushless motor they chose produces 2.5 kilowatts of power—the equivalent of a 3.4 horsepower/50cc gas engine. It turns the blade at 5428 RPM with an edge speed of 279 feet per second.

With that kind of work potential, feel free to cut concrete blocks and pavers, or tackle rebar and concrete pads. Your only limit is the blade’s 4.3-inch max cutting depth.

Putting the wheel to concrete, it’s a smooth-cutting saw. You can definitely stall the wheel if you try to push it, especially at the maximum depth in concrete/asphalt. However, if you let the motor keep the RPMs high, it melts right through.

Aside from the convenience of a cordless platform, you also don’t have the gas and emissions of traditional models that eliminate the ability to work inside. On the other hand, you don’t have to worry about finding an outlet or popping breakers the way you do with corded electric models.

Greenworks has a 3-stage control system to get the saw to operate. First, you need to press the power button to activate it. Then press in the mechanical trigger safety on the left side and pull the trigger.

Your LED light control is next to the power button. Once you turn the power on, press the light button to turn it on or off. You don’t need to press the trigger to activate it.

Speaking of the trigger, it is a variable speed design. In most cases, you want to cut at full speed, but if you do need to slow down the blade, you can feather the trigger.

Greenworks pre-installs a water delivery system into the saw. It uses a standard garden hose connection and requires a pressurized water source. There’s a valve next to the top handle that makes adjusting the water flow easy.

Power cutters are loud and even more so while you’re cutting. Many gas models are rated over 100 decibels, but Greenworks’ design sits at 94 decibels. While that’s still high enough that you’ll need to use hearing protection, it’s a significant reduction.

With the blade and a 4.0Ah battery, you have a working weight of 19.3 pounds on our scale (Greenworks specs 19.5 pounds). If that sounds light for a power cutter, you’re right. Husqvarna’s K 770 with similar performance weighs 22 pounds before you add gas and oil. Hilti’s Nuron cordless power cutter is 19.6 pounds bare and has a working weight of 26.5 pounds once you add two 7.9Ah batteries.

To adjust the wheel guard, there’s a release to the left of the wheel. Pull it back and turn the guard to the position you want it. The release is spring-loaded, so it returns to its original position when you let go. Give the guard a little tug to make sure it settles into one of the detents before you start cutting.

Hiding underneath the shield on the left side of the cutter are three strong magnets. These capture any small pieces of metal you might get while cutting rebar while allowing airflow to the motor. There’s a scrench that comes with the saw and you can use the slotted screwdriver end to access them. We recommend checking and cleaning as necessary after each use.

You can get this model as a bare tool or kit. The bare tool is $439.99 if you already have batteries and a charger. Even if you do, you might still want the kit for the value proposition. It’s $699.99 and includes the tool, a 4.0Ah battery, and an 8-amp dual port rapid charger.

That said, we recommend grabbing an extra battery or two. The charger in the kit gets a 4.0Ah battery back to a full charge in 30 minutes, so a total of three batteries can help you work continuously.

Check out Greenworks’ 2-year cost comparison that puts the Greenworks Commercial 82V Power Cutter up against a gas model.

If you’re looking for a lightweight cordless power cutter with a deeper capacity than the 9-inch models running around, the Greenworks Commercial 82V 12-Inch Power Cutter is an excellent choice. It makes quick work of concrete blocks and pavers and is a better option than corded saws for cutting channels in areas you can’t use gas saws.

Looking ahead, Greenworks also has a 14-inch model in the works that boasts 4.3kW of power. We’re expecting that one to be available closer to the first quarter of 2024.

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