There are a bunch of different ways to cut rebar. You could use a manual rebar cutter, metal-cutting circular saw, or angle grinder with cut-off wheel, just to name a few.
And now, there’s this new cordless rebar cutter, from Makita, model XCS01Z.
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The new Makita 18V rebar cutter essentially makes use of a drill/driver base with a specialty cutter attachment. This looks to be a 1-piece tool, though, not 2-piece. In other words, the drill portion doesn’t look like it could be removed for use as a drill or driver.
So why does it look like a cordless drill? Probably for convenient and familiar pistol-grip ergonomics. Plus, it retails for $2000 already. How much higher would the cost be if the drill-style motor and handle assembly was designed from the ground up?
There’s no indication that there will be a separate attachment you could attach to your existing drill/driver.
If you watch the promo video, embedded below, you might notice 1-3 numbering on the top of the drill, where the gearbox switch area has a dummy cover. Is this based on a previous Makita 3-speed drill (which the internet says existed, at least overseas), or a new model? Hmm…
Features & Specs
- 1/8″ to 3/4″ cutting range
- Can cut up to Grade 60 #6 sized rebar
- 6.5 second cutting speed
- Cutting head rotates full 360°
- Adjustable stopper aids smooth cutting
- Replaceable cutting blades can make up to 4,000 cuts
- Weighs 24.3 lbs, with battery
- Up to 200 #3 (3/8″) cuts, or up to 75 #6 (3/4″) cuts per 3Ah battery charge
The Makita XCS01Z is sold as a bare tool, so you’ll need a separate battery and charger.
Price: $2000
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First Thoughts
I have absolutely zero need for a tool like this, but I’m betting there are plenty of concrete workers who will drool over it.
If you work with rebar, I have a question for you. How long does it take for you to make a cut with a saw, grinder, or whatever other tool you typically use to cut rebar?
Is 6.5 seconds per cut fast? Slow? Just about right?
Hilton
This almost seems like a joke, something that you would post on the 1st of April. However, as I’m not a building contractor dealing with concrete I have no idea if this would be useful.
The drill body just seems photo-shopped.
Carmelo
An electric rebar cutter/ bender cost around $3000-$4000, and those have a larger capacity. The manual one that cuts and bends (i think up to #5) cost less than $300. Every single project i run involves reinforcement and formwork. I don’t know what the advantage of spending $2000 on that would be. Grinders cost $50, maybe to avoid paying a fire watch.
Stuart
I’ve seen small corded ones for as little as $300.
A tool like this is way outside my familiarity.
Makita seems to have a good handle on the concrete tool market. I would assume that they wouldn’t make this if there wasn’t a market for it.
Josh
The portability seems nice for certain jobs. I’d wager this doesn’t chew batteries quite as fast as a cordless angle grinder does, and it seems more than a little bit safer.
Garrick
How many seconds faster is it than a cordless grinder? Lets say a grinder takes 25 seconds; That’s a saving of 18.5 seconds per cut. At $36/hr for labour time (works out to exactly 1 cent per second) , and a $1850 price difference, the break even point would be 10,000 cuts.
I would think that any concrete forming company could justify it.
Blythe M
There’s no way it takes 25 seconds to cut your average bar, but I like the train of thought.
These style are very useful when hot work is a concern, and also when other people/trades are in close proximity. When I worked forming and pouring multilevel concrete structures we had a few electric/hydraulic units that had a similar cutter head. They are notoriously finicky in cold temps, plus your extension cord gets trampled and cut all the time when strung out over a double rebar mat. If this performs as promised they will sell a lot to the commercial/industrial crowd
gary
I’ve seen similar units (manufactured by BN Products) used on heavy civil projects. The iron workers told me it is a preferred method over a torch when working with epoxy coated bars that have to be patched after cutting. Torching will damage the coating. Of course I’ve also seen grinders being used to do the same tasks. I can also see the benefit if the cutting action minimizes sparks thereby reducing cleanup and potential fire risks.
Dcl
Not really about speed. I can do it faster with a grinder or sawzall.
However If you’re trying to do a big commercial job with an angle grinder you’d probably be spending $2k just in cut off wheels. A electric rebar cutter can do a whole job with one blade. That’s where the cost savings are.
James C
That’s what I’m wondering. For this, cost of replacement cutters divided by 4000 cuts VS cost of gas for torch, cost of blades for recip, cost of wheels for grinders, etc. I wonder how those options would compare.
James
Not my industry or area of expertise, but I can see some of the H&S reps in my company appreciating the lack of sparks coming off of this tool vs a grinder.
Pete
In my area they were building a bridge over I-40. While setting the forms and rebar before pouring concrete it burned down. Someone was using a grinder to cut rebar and wouldnt ya know… Sparks and wood dont mix lol
Carmelo
I wish $36 an hour for a lather in nyc. Their (Local 46) package is around $85-$87 an hour.
The reason this particular tool is not helpful for me, because if I have an electric cutter/ bender on site, I’ll have a generator so I don’t need to worry about batteries. We’ve cut rebar with demo saws and oxy/acetylene torches too.
When i order my material, I get as much as I can cut and bent from my supplier. When I was working in major buildings we would also get (for example) the column rebar fabricated off site, then delivered and picked our site.
I’ve worked with big concrete guys, as a pm and the super for the gc, doing new construction and hundreds of feet of underpinning, all the way to small guys (as their forman) where we just completed a 40’x60′ slab for a 30′ truck lift for NYC mta.
Out of all of those projects, have never seen or had my bosses ask for one of those rebar cutters. What is always on the site , a hickey bar, manual cutter bender, and twisters. I remember buying a cordless rebar twister for around $2800, and that thing didn’t work out either.
Could be helpful to someone else, but for $2G you’re limiting yourself to a #6 (which is more than enough for a lot of slab applications, I had #8’s in my current project), when for $1000 extra you can do a lot more.
I haven’t worked on any smaller projects (less than $5mil) in years. I could be completely wrong if I ever see one onsite.
Acalz
I could see Mobsters using them to cut fingers off LOL. It says you need to replace the cutter after 4,000 cuts I wonder how much that costs?
Mjajohnson
As a concrete worker, I’m pretty confident this won’t catch on very well where I’m at. Everyone around here just uses demo saws for cutting their steel, and if this costs twice as much and only works for rebar, what’s the point? I’m sure the folks at makita aren’t stupid, but I’m scratching my head on this one.
fred
This may be a tool that will appeal depending upon the scale of your work. When I worked – we were the GC only on small scale residential and commercial jobs. On big jobs – we were often just cabinet installers or finish plumbers- but might visit the site early when the ready mix trucks were lined up, the putzmeisters were humming away the rebar station was working at full tilt cutting and bending etc. I don’t see this Makita fitting in on a 44 floor tower project – but it might replace a small BN corded tool on a smaller commercial project. When we were doing the concrete work – more often then not we just used a Jet 220019 manual tool
fm2176
I used to work on a footer crew; #4 rebar in residential construction mostly. A manual cutter worked well and the bends were made with hands and feet. Thicker stuff may require more sophisticated tools, though, I guess.
Doug
Working in the heavy civil/industrial construction sector, I see no practical use. We always use demo saws to cut bar. Why pay $2000 for a tool with one limited use?
Jon
I do a little concrete work here and there: small foundations, pads, and piers.
I use a $250 manual rebar cutter and bender. No power or batteries needed and a really handy and durable multi-use tool.
magic
One commenter had an idea that struck me. Cleanup and noise. In a place like San Francisco, they might push for a sparkless and less noisy tool (the trees can’t handle the scream of a 10,000rpm cutting wheel tearing through steel).
There would likely be savings over cutting wheels and it would be safer. Tons of guys throw 6″ cutting wheels on guard less 4.5 grinders to give them more depth (more cuts per wheel, less downtime). Plus, as it was mentioned, cutting wheels can range from $2-6. With this tool, wheels can’t walk off, and there’s less stuff to go buy or whatever. One and done. One box of cutting wheels (not junk) could run $150.
Don’t know labor savings, and the time/cost per cut can vary significantly by wheel, but I can’t ballpark it, as I don’t deal with rebar.
Nathan
Serious note though I think someone has hit the idea for the sell up. Safey (less risk of fire or other accidental damage), Cleanliness, and maybe a touch on speed.
I bet the replacement cutter isn’t that expensive. IE take down machine, remove _____ and _________ replace etc.
What would be nice – is to see the item made as a add on tool for your drill. IE – some chuck accepting shaft – needs a drill of __________ power requirements. Could be cordless – could be corded even.
Stuart
After thinking about it more, I think know that we won’t see a cordless drill attachment. With an attachment, Makita has no control of speed or torque, which could lead to unexpected or lower performance.
Nathan
Thought about that too – but I was not thinking about only Makita..IE some other company – makes a universal cutter.
but direction clearly state – drill must turn _______ rpm range, and must provide ___________ torque at rpm range. They could even go so far as to recommend models.
Then – drill must be in low gear , must have the clutch set to drill mode, and etc.
Conversely I could equally see such a device being run by impact drivers or even an impact wrench. similar restrictions etc. Then typical, “failure to comply with warnings will result in damanged tool and or . . . . . “
John
When I was still working in Australia my brother and I did domestic flat work like garage floors, driveways and used angle grinders to cut rebar. One day I got a good deal on a Stihl demo saw and bought it….was a waste of money, as it didn’t get much use, so I sold it to another guy.
The Makita at that price…..when the laughter subsides…..I still wouldn’t buy it! But I wouldn’t buy it for $1000 either.
glenn
I do form work and steel fixing as part time job building concrete swimming pools for a company locally.
For years we simply used a manual rebar cutter, which does the job but becomes very tiring when you have to do a couple of hundred cuts.
A couple of the other crews here actually have cordless rebar cutters and they love them. Especially for the kind of repetitive cuts we have to do building pools.
Personally I would like one but for the few times a year I do a pool I cant justify the expenditure. I did however lay out the $165 for an M12 band saw and did all the cuts on the last pool with it.
Did the job perfectly. It takes about 7 seconds per cut on S12 rebar and I did @180 cuts on the one blade which is still decent condition.
It may not be for everyone but it is another option at the price, even if you have to include a $10 blade for every job.
KL
Hmm, I keep looking for something like this to cut 3/16″ rod in welded wire fencing. Bolt cutters work good but after several hundred cuts it gets old. A sheet 16′ long seems to grow by several feet with each subsequent piece…..
conan
I never understood why people that cut rebar do not just use a band saw?
XXIIIFM
Rebar is generally hardened steel, it can be cut with a bandsaw but it chews up blades quick.
Altan
These tools are quite pricy I would say, I have used a corded one which was a very heavy tool and that was quite pricy as well, I would say 75% of the price of this cordless one, but in a big project looking for wire and power is a big headache and waste of time, compare to grinders I would say this tool is more safer, grinder blade can break sometimes if you work with rebar mesh as they can be bent and that can have some pressure on the blade, plus it takes much more longer time to cut with grinder and it is not very safe to work on mesh with a grinder as you can get stuck in the rebar mesh if you move a lot to do a lot of cut and you can lose the balance. You will need to change the grinder blade a lot also which takes time also. This is a great tool and DeWALT should make 60V version of this but not in 2025!
Altan
Makita has come up with a cordless rebar tier as well which I believe we should get a DeWALT version of this…