The Milwaukee M18 FUEL deep cut band saw is worth it if you regularly cut metal stock on site and want a cordless saw that handles up to 5″ x 5″ in one pass [1]. If you only make occasional light cuts, a smaller tool may serve you better. For more detail, see Milwaukee M18 FUEL Compact Router: What It Handles and Its Limits.
This is a portable band saw built for pipe, strut, conduit and similar metal stock where you can’t easily drag a cord. Its dual-trigger design is meant for safe cutting, and it cuts faster than its corded counterparts [2].
Below you’ll find how big a cut it really makes, what the second trigger changes in your hands, which model number to buy, runtime per charge, pricing, and who should pick it over other M18 cutting tools.
How big a cut can it make
The saw cuts stock up to 5 x 5 inches in a single pass [1]. Anything that fits inside a 5-inch square opening goes through in one cut. You don’t need to flip the piece or cut from two sides.
What “deep cut” means
On a portable band saw, the cut capacity is the size of the opening between the blade and the frame. That opening limits how big a piece you can slide in. Deep cut is the name for the larger-throat version of a portable band saw. Its opening takes bigger stock than a compact model.
A compact band saw is smaller and lighter, and it suits one-handed cuts on small conduit and threaded rod. The deep cut model trades some of that small size for room to take wider and taller pieces. If most of your work involves larger pipe or square tube, the extra opening saves you from finishing cuts with a second tool.
Think of capacity as both width and height. A 5 x 5 inch rating means a square or rectangular piece has to stay within 5 inches in both directions [1]. A round pipe has to have an outside diameter of 5 inches or less.
Stock sizes that fit
These common pieces fall within a 5 x 5 inch opening:
4-inch pipe, measured by its outside diameter
Square steel tube up to 5 x 5 inches, such as 2 x 2 or 4 x 4
Strut channel, including back-to-back double strut
Conduit bundled in small groups, as long as the bundle stays within 5 inches
Angle iron and flat bar, cut flat or standing up
Threaded rod and solid round bar
A quick way to size up a piece is to measure its widest outside dimension. Do that before you buy the saw, and check the pieces you cut most often.
If you regularly cut 6-inch pipe or larger structural steel, it won’t fit in one pass. For those jobs, look at a stationary band saw or a cut-off saw.
What the dual-trigger design does
The dual-trigger setup is built so the saw runs only while you hold it with both hands, which keeps your hands on the handles and away from the moving blade. Milwaukee describes it as a dual-trigger design for safe cutting [1]. The same description appears on the retail listing for the tool-only version [2].
Both hands stay on the saw
A portable band saw has an exposed blade section where the cut happens, and your free hand is the part most likely to drift toward it. With two triggers, that free hand has a job: it holds the second grip instead of steadying the workpiece near the blade.
Picture cutting a length of conduit. With a one-trigger tool, it’s tempting to hold the pipe with your other hand a few inches from the cut. With two triggers, both hands are on the saw, so the pipe needs to be held another way, such as in a vise, a pipe stand or a clamp.
Plan your workholding before you cut
Since you can’t hold the stock and run the saw at the same time, set up the work first. A few setups that work well on a job site:
A bench vise or portable pipe vise for pipe and conduit
C-clamps or bar clamps for flat bar and angle iron
Strut resting in a strut rack or on sawhorses, clamped down
Long stock supported on both sides of the cut so it doesn’t pinch the blade
How it changes grip and control
Two hands on the tool give you more control than one. You can guide the saw straight down through the stock with even pressure instead of steering it with one wrist. That matters on a deep cut, where a wandering blade leaves an angled end that you’d have to grind square later.
Let the saw’s weight do most of the feeding. Squeezing hard and pushing down tends to slow the blade and roughen the cut, while a steady, light hold lets the teeth work.
The tradeoff is speed of setup. For quick, small cuts where one hand on the tool is more practical, a one-handed saw fits better, and this band saw is the choice when you want a square, controlled cut through bigger stock.
Which model number should you buy
Buy the 2729S-20 if you already own M18 batteries and a charger, and the 2729S-22 kit if you don’t. The model numbers look alike, but the suffix tells you what comes in the box, and the first digits tell you which generation and features you’re getting.
Model | What it is | Batteries included | ONE-KEY | Where you’ll see it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2729S-20 | Tool only | No (“-20” means bare tool) | No | Major retailers [2] |
2729S-22 | Kit | Yes (kit version) | No | Milwaukee’s product page [1] |
2929S-20 | Tool only, with ONE-KEY | No | Yes | Tool dealers [3] |
2929-20 | Older listing of the M18 FUEL Deep Cut Band Saw | No | Not stated | Resale sites such as eBay [4] |
The 2729S models are the standard dual-trigger saw, and the -22 kit adds batteries and a charger to the same tool. The 2929S-20 is the version to pick if you want ONE-KEY, Milwaukee’s app connection for tracking and managing tools. The 2929-20 mostly shows up secondhand, so treat it as a used-market option rather than a current retail model.
Tool only vs kit
The 2729S-20 is sold as “Tool Only,” so you get the saw body and nothing to power it [2]. That makes sense if you already run a drill or Hackzall on M18 packs, because any M18 battery you own can go straight into it.
The 2729S-22 is the kit version of the same Deep Cut Dual-Trigger Band Saw [1]. If this is your first M18 tool, the kit saves you from buying a battery and charger separately, which is often the cheaper route overall.
The ONE-KEY version
The 2929S-20 is listed as the M18 FUEL Deep Cut Dual Trigger Band Saw with ONE-KEY, tool only [3]. ONE-KEY matters most on job sites or in shops where several people share tools and you want to keep track of them. For a homeowner cutting conduit or strut in the garage, the 2729S does the same cutting job without it.
Spotting the older 2929-20
You’ll find the 2929-20 M18 FUEL Deep Cut Band Saw on resale sites, sometimes listed as brand new [4]. Read the listing title closely: a missing “S” in the model number means you’re looking at this older version, not a 2929S-20 or 2729S.
How many cuts do you get per charge
Milwaukee rates the cordless Deep Cut Band Saw at up to 78 cuts per charge. [3] For a typical day of cutting strut, conduit or pipe on site, that means you can work through a pile of stock on one battery before you need to swap or recharge.
What 78 cuts means on a job
The practical payoff is fewer walks back to the charger. Milwaukee describes the runtime as eliminating multiple trips to the charger onsite. [5] If your charger sits in the truck or a gang box across the building, that saves real time over a day.
Picture an electrician cutting 10-foot sticks of conduit into shorter runs for a row of boxes. Twenty or thirty cuts on a floor is common, so a single charge can cover that stretch of work with room to spare. A second battery on the charger keeps you going without a pause when the first one runs down.
Treat “up to 78” as a ceiling. The figure comes with “up to” for a reason: thicker or harder material, a dull blade and bigger cross sections all take more energy per cut. Small conduit will get you closer to the top number than solid bar stock near the saw’s full capacity.
How it compares with corded saws
Milwaukee also claims this saw cuts faster than its corded counterparts. [2] That matters because going cordless usually means accepting some loss of speed in exchange for portability. Here you keep the speed and drop the extension cord.
A faster cut also helps runtime in a practical sense. Each cut finishes sooner, so you spend less time with the blade loaded and more time measuring and setting up the next piece.
Getting the most from each charge
A few habits stretch your cut count:
Keep a sharp blade on the saw, since a worn blade drags and burns battery.
Let the saw’s weight do the cutting instead of bearing down hard.
Carry a second charged battery so a dead pack never stops work.
Match blade teeth to the material, with finer teeth for thin-wall conduit and coarser teeth for thicker stock.
For help choosing larger packs or a faster charger, the cluster’s battery and charger articles cover those choices.
What does it cost and where to look
Expect to compare a new tool-only listing at a big-box store against used or auction listings, which can come in lower. The price you pay depends on where you buy and whether you need batteries, so it pays to look in two places before you commit.
What buyers say at a major retailer
The tool-only version (2729S-20) holds a 4.6 rating from 107 reviews at Home Depot [2]. That is a solid score from a reasonably sized pool of buyers, so you can treat it as a fair signal that most owners are happy with it. It won’t tell you how the saw handles your specific stock, so read a few of the lower-rated reviews too. Look for complaints that match your work, such as blade life on thick-wall pipe or weight during overhead cuts.
The tool-only listing means you get the saw without a battery or charger. If you already run M18 tools, that is usually the cheaper route because your existing packs fit.
Used and auction listings
Resale sites such as eBay carry this saw, sometimes for well under what you’d expect to pay new. One listing for a brand-new Milwaukee 2929-20 M18 FUEL Deep Cut Band Saw sold at $237.50 after 11 bids [4]. That gives you a real-world reference point when you judge whether a used or auction price is a good deal. It also helps to read Milwaukee M18 FUEL Cordless Angle Grinders: What to Know.
A few practical habits help when you shop resale:
Match the model number in the listing title to the photos of the tool’s label.
Ask whether a battery, charger or blade is included, since many listings are bare tools.
Look at the blade guides and tires in the photos for heavy wear or damage.
Factor in shipping, which can close the gap with a new unit.
Getting today’s price
Retail prices on cordless tools shift with sales and promotions, so check the current price on the retailer’s product page before you buy. Compare the tool-only listing with the kit price as well, since a kit can cost less than buying the saw and a battery separately.
Who should pick this saw
Pick this saw if you already run M18 batteries and regularly cut pipe, strut, conduit or metal stock that fits within its 5″ x 5″ one-pass capacity [1]. For a plumber or electrician cutting 4-inch pipe or bundles of conduit on site, it handles in one pass what a compact band saw can’t fit.
If you don’t own M18 packs yet, buy the 2729S-22 kit so you get batteries and a charger with the saw instead of the bare tool. If most of your cuts are small, like trimming a single conduit run overhead or cutting into a wall, a one-handed M18 FUEL Hackzall is lighter and easier to reach with.