DeWalt Breakaway reciprocating saw blade set with case

Why I grabbed this set

I’ve been carrying the DeWalt breakaway blades in my electrical/plumbing kit for a few months, mostly for EMT, copper, and light-gauge steel. The hook for me was the breakaway design—being able to snap off a worn front section and keep working with the fresh half is clever and, as it turns out, genuinely useful on jobs where reach changes from cut to cut. After living with the set, I’ve got a good sense of where it shines and where it won’t replace your other recip blades.

Design and build

The blades are bimetal with a .042-inch-thick body and a 14/18 TPI variable tooth pattern. In hand, the extra thickness is noticeable; these are stiffer than many general-purpose recip blades. That stiffness pays off in straighter cuts on thin metal and fewer kinks if the shoe catches or the material vibrates. The trade-off is a touch more drag, especially in thin sheet, but the variable pitch mitigates chatter well.

This particular set includes six 6-inch blades and two 9-inch blades. The breakaway system is the defining feature: 6-inch blades snap to 4 inches, which leaves roughly 1 inch of cutting capacity afterward; 9-inch blades snap to 6 inches, leaving about 2 inches of capacity after the break. The teeth are optimized for metal—galvanized pipe, copper, EMT, metal studs, and conduit. If you’re looking for wood demo performance, these aren’t the right blades.

The blades come in an Expandable ToughCase that actually fits in a tool kit box. It’s compact and doesn’t pop open in transit, and it has enough space to stash a few extras once you’ve broken blades down to shorter lengths.

The breakaway mechanism in practice

Snapping the blade is straightforward. I get the best results by clamping the blade in a vise at the scored break line, then bending the long end back and forth a couple times. You can also pinch the blade in the recip saw’s shoe and bend it against the workbench in a pinch, but a vise keeps the break cleaner. After the snap, the surviving half locks back into the saw with no slop or wobble. That was my concern going in; in use, I didn’t notice any extra vibration from the break interface.

A few tips:
- Wear gloves and eye protection—freshly broken edges are sharp. I hit the break edge with a file if I’m pocketing the stub in the case.
- Don’t wait until the teeth are totally dead to break the blade. Snapping a little earlier preserves more of the “fresh” section and gets you the most out of the design.
- Keep an eye on capacity after the break: 1 inch on a 4-inch stub is great for shallow work but won’t reach past fittings or insulation.

Cutting performance

On 3/4-inch EMT and 1/2-inch copper, these blades are fast, controlled, and predictable. The variable 14/18 TPI tooth pattern keeps the blade from snagging when the wall thickness changes (like hitting a seam or stepping from stud to track). I usually run the saw at medium speed, let the teeth do the work, and the blade tracks straight without wandering. The thicker body helps avoid the “banjo string” vibration that thin blades can develop on long cuts.

Light-gauge steel studs and track are similarly clean—there’s less tearing than with coarser wood/demolition blades, and the bimetal teeth hold up through several cuts before they lose their bite. On galvanized pipe, progress is steady and heat manageable if you don’t lean on the saw. If you push too hard, you’ll glaze the teeth sooner than you expect with bimetal, so let the speed and tooth geometry do the work.

Where these aren’t at their best:
- Thick solid stock or stainless. Bimetal can do it, but it’s slow and you’ll burn through teeth. A carbide-tipped blade is the better choice for frequent heavy cuts.
- Mixed demo where you’re jumping between nail-embedded wood and metal. The tooth count is too fine for fast wood removal.

Durability and value

Life per blade is good for bimetal. The .042-inch body resists twisting and buckling, so you’re less likely to ruin a blade from a bind. And the breakaway doubles your useful runtime—more, if you break early and avoid running a dead section against hot material. Compared to premium carbide recip blades, total life is shorter, but the breakaway design changes the math. For everyday work in EMT, thin-wall conduit, and light-gauge steel, I reached for these more often than my carbide set because they cut smoothly and the replacement cost per cut stays sensible.

The only caveat is the set composition: you get six 6-inch blades and only two 9-inch. If you cut larger-diameter pipe or need extra reach often, you’ll burn through the 9-inchers quickly. For me, a follow-up purchase of a pack of 9-inch breakaways balanced the kit out.

Ergonomics and control

Kickback and chatter are minimal when you let the blade establish a kerf. The progressive tooth spacing helps the cut start without skating, and the thick spine tracks accurately on plunge cuts through stud track. On the flip side, that thickness makes the blade less flexible for flush cuts around obstacles. If you depend on flex to hug surfaces, you’ll need a thinner blade for that task.

Heat management is typical for bimetal: back out and clear chips on longer cuts, particularly in galvanized. A dab of cutting fluid on pipe makes a noticeable difference in tooth life.

Storage case

The included case is more than a throw-in. It’s compact, holds the full set plus a couple broken-down stubs, and it nests neatly with other DeWalt cases. It’s not water-sealed, but it does keep teeth from chewing up the inside of a tool bag. The transparent lid makes it easy to see when you’re running low on 9-inch blades.

How it compares

Against general-purpose demolition blades, the breakaway set is cleaner, faster, and far longer-lasting on metal, with much better control. Against carbide-tipped metal blades, it gives up longevity on tough materials but wins on cost and versatility in tight spaces thanks to the stubby post-break lengths. The breakaway feature is the standout—no other tweak gives you that much more use out of a bimetal blade with so little fuss.

Who it’s for

• Electricians, plumbers, and HVAC techs cutting EMT, copper, conduit, and light-gauge steel.
• Maintenance crews that need tidy, controlled cuts in occupied spaces.
• Anyone who values a compact kit and the ability to shorten a blade to fit tight quarters.

Who should look elsewhere:
- Demo crews focused on wood and mixed materials.
- Fabricators frequently cutting thick stainless or cast; go carbide.

Pros and cons at a glance

Pros
- Breakaway design meaningfully extends blade life and adds stubby-length versatility.
- Stiff .042-inch body tracks straight and resists buckling.
- 14/18 variable TPI cuts metal cleanly with low chatter.
- Useful, compact case that integrates with kit boxes.
- Made in the US.

Cons
- Only two 9-inch blades in the set; heavy users of longer blades will need extras.
- Less flexible for flush cuts than thinner blades.
- Not ideal for heavy stainless or mixed-material demolition.

Recommendation

I recommend the DeWalt breakaway set for metal-focused users who want reliable, controlled cuts and a smarter way to stretch bimetal blade life. The combination of a stiff .042-inch body, a well-chosen 14/18 TPI pattern, and a breakaway mechanism that actually works adds up to real day-to-day benefits, especially in electrical and plumbing work where reach changes constantly. If your workload leans heavily into thick stainless or demolition in wood, supplement with carbide or wood blades. For everyone else working in EMT, copper, and light-gauge steel, this set earns a spot in the bag.