Name: DEWALT DCS369 Circular Saw
Brand: DEWALT

Summary

The DCS369 is DEWALT’s ATOMIC 20V MAX cordless one-handed reciprocating saw, not a circular saw. It is the smallest and lowest-vibration saw in its class but also one of the slowest cutters, so check your material first: it suits thin conduit and PVC in tight spaces, not 2x lumber.

Strengths

The smallest saw in its class, 12.5 in long and 3.13 lbs bare.
Lowest vibration in the class, scoring 100 against 94 for the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Hackzall.
The only one-hand saw in the class that includes a belt hook.
The shoe grips 2x material and the pivoting shoe helps in confined spaces.
Brushless motor, tool-free blade changes and an LED worklight.
Owners describe it as light in the hand with plenty of power for light cutting.

Weaknesses

Slow cutting: 6.04 s on 3/4 in EMT, the second slowest result in the class, and 12.77 s on 3 in PVC.
Not a saw for 2x lumber; it needed 52.62 s on a nailed 2x10 against 32.91 s for the Milwaukee.
The short 5/8 in stroke clears chips poorly on anything but the thinnest wood.
No variable-position shoe, which some owners disliked.
The 3-year warranty is shorter than Milwaukee’s 5-year on the Hackzall.
No published runtime figure, and only one rigorous independent test exists.

Verified specifications

Motor	brushless.
Stroke rate	0–2,800 SPM, variable speed.
Stroke length	5/8 in.
Weight	3.13 lbs bare tool; 4.6 lbs measured with a 5.0Ah battery installed.
Length	12.5 in front to back.
Power source	DEWALT 20V MAX battery; the DCS369B bare tool is sold without battery.
Blade system	reciprocating saw blades longer than 3-1/2 in; the manual says not to use jigsaw blades.
Features	pivoting shoe with claw, tool-free blade release, variable-speed trigger, lock-off button, LED worklight, belt hook.
Warranty	3-year limited, 1-year free service, 90-day satisfaction guaranteed.
Kit contents (DCS369P1)	5.0Ah battery, charger, two blades, belt hook and tool bag.

Full research notes and sources

Cutting performance

Slow cutting is the defining weakness, and the measurements show it. Cutting 3/4 in EMT, the saw averaged 6.04 s, second slowest in the class against 1.79 s for the fastest. On 3 in PVC it took 12.77 s versus 5.47 s for the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Hackzall and 4.50 s for the class-leading Ridgid. A 2x10 in pressure-treated pine with five embedded 16D nails and 5 lbs of added load took 52.62 s, against 32.91 s for the Milwaukee.

The reason is the geometry. A 5/8 in stroke at 2,800 SPM moves less material per stroke than a 7/8 in stroke at 3,000 SPM, and short-stroke one-hand saws clear chips poorly on all but the thinnest material. Testers say plainly that this is not a saw to reach for when cutting 2x.

Vibration, size and handling

Where it loses on speed it wins on control. In the head-to-head with the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Hackzall 2719, it is 12.4 in against 14.0 in and 3.2 lbs bare against 4.1 lbs, with 4.6 lbs against 5.7 lbs once the 5.0Ah battery is fitted.

That size and weight is the point for electricians, plumbers and HVAC techs working overhead or inside a wall cavity. Owner comments in a ToolGuyd thread praise the compact one-hand format and the balance of low weight with usable power. The overall matchup against the Milwaukee finished 5–5, with DEWALT chasing compactness and Milwaukee chasing cutting performance.

Blades, shoe and upkeep

The blade release is tool-free: you twist the shaft lock open and swap the blade. The manual recommends bi-metal blades for longer blade life and asks that you clean the non-metallic parts of the tool and use the right blade for the material. Blades must run longer than 3-1/2 in, and jigsaw blades are explicitly not allowed even though the compact frame invites them.

The shoe pivots but does not adjust its position, which one commenter criticized as shortening blade life. The blade change itself takes seconds, and the brushless motor needs no brush replacement.

Is it worth it?

The saw is a niche buy, and the deciding factor is your material and your platform. If you already run DEWALT 20V MAX batteries and need to cut EMT, PVC, copper, conduit or do pruning-style work in confined spaces, the bare tool is a sensible purchase. If you must cut 2x lumber or speed matters more than size, pass: models with a 7/8 in stroke are substantially faster.

ToolGuyd reported the bare tool at $129 in Home Depot stores in October 2019, with the Home Depot website showing $149. Pro Tool Reviews cited $129 for the bare tool and $279 for the kit in January 2020, and $149 bare with a $269 kit in its head-to-head. The class ran from roughly $99 to $159 for the bare tool. For existing platform owners the kit premium is hard to justify, so the bare tool is the value play. Your real running cost is a battery and charger if you are not already on 20V MAX, plus replacement blades.

Which model this is

This page covers the DEWALT ATOMIC 20V MAX cordless one-handed reciprocating saw, base model DCS369. The listing for the bare-tool version is ASIN B082BTT92H.

Three versions exist: DCS369B, tool only; DCS369P1, a kit with a 5.0Ah battery, charger, two blades, belt hook and tool bag; and DCS369E1, bundled with a DEWALT POWERSTACK battery. The current instruction manual is Type 1, part NA384354. Do not mix this tool with the two-handed DCS367 compact reciprocating saw or the 12V MAX DCS312.