DeWalt DCS367 Review – The Compact Reciprocating Saw Built

Most reciprocating saws are built for power and reach. The DeWalt DCS367 is built for something different – access. With a body length roughly 30% shorter than a standard full-size saw and a weight that sits below most comparable tools, it is designed specifically for the confined spaces that stop a full-size saw dead: under kitchen units, inside stud walls, inside boiler cupboards, behind bath panels, inside ceiling voids. For a plumber or electrician working in existing properties all day, this is not a marginal difference in ergonomics – it is the difference between a tool that works and one that stays in the van.

We ran the DCS367 through a full residential renovation – bathroom strip-out, kitchen removal, first-fix carpentry and some structural timber work – over six weeks. The brushless motor is the centrepiece of the specification: it delivers consistent torque regardless of how hard the tool is being pushed, extends battery life compared with a brushed equivalent and should outlast the body itself in normal trade use. The 22mm stroke is shorter than full-size tools but that is an inherent feature of the compact form rather than a compromise – the geometry that makes the tool short also limits how far the blade can travel per stroke.

Overview and first impressions

The DCS367 is noticeably smaller in hand than any full-size reciprocating saw. At 310mm from the back of the body to the blade clamp it is short enough to operate one-handed in most situations, and the over-moulded grip puts the hand in a position that keeps the blade square to the cut without having to brace against anything. The grip angle – slightly forward-raked relative to the blade axis – reduces wrist rotation under load in a way that becomes meaningful on a long working day. This is a tool that has clearly been designed with the physical demands of continuous confined-space work in mind.

The tool-free blade change operates via a top-mounted collar that rotates 90 degrees to release and lock. It is smooth in operation and can be worked with a gloved hand, which matters more than it sounds at 7am on a cold site. The keyless blade mechanism accepts all standard reciprocating saw blades. Variable speed from the trigger gives useful low-speed control for starting cuts on round pipe without the blade skating off the surface – a feature that gets used multiple times per day in trade work even if it seems trivial on paper. DeWalt’s LED work light sits above the blade clamp and provides adequate illumination in the dark service voids where this tool spends much of its working life.

The body balance is particularly well managed for one-handed use. The battery – even a 5.0Ah pack – sits at the base of the grip and acts as a counterweight to the blade assembly forward of the handle. In practice this means the tool sits level in the palm under load without the blade-heavy nose-down sag that makes some compact tools tiring to hold steady. That stability matters in tight spaces where you cannot brace the tool against a surface.

Specifications and scores

How it performed in our tests

The short stroke length puts the DCS367 at a genuine disadvantage on bulk timber cutting. Through 47mm softwood it takes around 6-7 seconds at full speed – noticeably slower than a full-size tool with a 32mm stroke. Through 100mm hardwood it slows further, to around 18-20 seconds, which on a site doing lots of structural timber would become a source of frustration. That is not what this saw is for. Where the DCS367 earns its keep – and earns it convincingly – is on the tasks that send other saws to the floor. Cutting a 22mm copper pipe behind a kitchen unit with 90mm of clearance: 5 seconds, clean cut, no awkward positioning. Trimming a 63mm plastic soil pipe in the void under a first-floor bathroom, reaching from the access panel: tool fits, blade reaches, cut made cleanly. These are the scenarios where size wins over stroke length every time.

Vibration levels during one-handed operation are impressively managed. The brushless motor runs smoother than brushed alternatives under similar load, and the grip geometry keeps the tool seated naturally in the palm during cuts. After a full day of confined-space work – something we replicated across multiple test sessions – fatigue was noticeably less than with a larger tool held awkwardly at arm’s length. The tool’s low vibration is a concrete benefit that shows up across a full working day rather than just a brief test.

Battery system and runtime

The DCS367 draws from DeWalt’s 18V XR platform – one of the most established cordless ecosystems in the UK trade market. FLEXVOLT 18/54V batteries run in 18V mode in this tool, giving access to larger cell capacity without any incompatibility. For most confined-space work involving pipes, plasterboard and light timber, a 3.0Ah battery lasts a full morning without issue. The brushless motor makes better use of each amp-hour than earlier brushed designs, and the relatively light cutting loads typical of confined-space work extend runtime further than the headline battery spec suggests.

Heavy continuous use – cutting out a full bath surround or removing all the pipework from a large bathroom in a single session – will draw a 3.0Ah battery low before lunchtime. For full-day site work without returning to the van for a recharge, a 4.0Ah or 5.0Ah battery is the right choice. DeWalt’s rapid charger returns an XR battery to full in under an hour, which fits naturally into a lunch break without disrupting the working pattern.

Performance and limitations

The DCS367’s performance ceiling is determined by its stroke length and that is not something that can be upgraded. Where a 32mm full-size saw rips through bulk timber quickly, the 22mm stroke means slower cutting on anything thicker than about 50mm. Structural timber work – cutting floor joists, trimming ridge boards, dealing with large-section hardwood – is noticeably slower and would benefit from a full-size tool. The DCS367 is not a substitute for a full-size reciprocating saw on sites with heavy timber demands. It is an addition to the toolkit, not a replacement.

Final verdict – is it worth it?

The DCS367 is a specialist tool that does exactly what it claims with no apology for what it does not. It is compact, light, brushless and genuinely able to reach and cut in positions where nothing else can. For a plumber or electrician who spends half their working day in service voids, under sinks, behind bath panels and inside ceiling roses, this is not a luxury purchase – it is a productivity tool that pays back in reduced time spent awkwardly wrestling a full-size saw into impossible spaces. That argument is straightforward and the tool makes it convincingly.

Against the full DeWalt reciprocating saw range it sits as a companion rather than a competitor. It would pair naturally with a larger full-size model for a trade user who needs both confined-space access and bulk timber speed. On its own it is limited by stroke length but not by quality – everything about the build, the balance and the brushless motor is exactly what you expect from a premium XR tool. The price is fair for what it is, though it will only feel justified if access is genuinely a daily challenge on the work you do.

For DeWalt XR platform users doing trade work in UK homes – the millions of Victorian terraces, Edwardian semis and 1960s flats where services run through tight ceiling voids and floor channels with barely enough clearance to get a hand in – the DCS367 is a tool worth carrying. It will not replace a full-size saw but for a specific and very common class of UK site work, it will outperform one.