Skil 9 IN. Wood With Nails Reciprocating Saw Blade

Why I reached for this blade

Mid-remodel, I needed to open up a stud bay that had clearly seen a few decades of “creative” fastening—galvanized nails, stray screws, even a bit of metal flashing buried near the bottom plate. I grabbed the Skil 9-inch wood-with-nails blade because I wanted something that could power through construction lumber without folding at the first spark. Over a few weeks of deck teardown, subfloor patches, and wall demo, I kept this five-pack in my bag to see how it held up against the usual nail-laden suspects.

Build and design

This is a bi-metal, variable-pitch blade (5–8 TPI) with a 9-inch length and a standard reciprocating saw tang. The variable tooth pitch is meant to reduce vibration and improve chip evacuation; in practice, it also helps prevent the classic “machine-gun chatter” you get when coarse, uniform teeth rake across plywood faces or nail heads. The 9-inch length is the workhorse size for demo: long enough to reach into cavities and make flush cuts, but not as whippy as a 12-inch.

Fit and finish are clean. The body isn’t overly thick, but it’s not a flimsy sheet either. The Swiss-made label tracks with what I felt in use—teeth are well formed with consistent set, and the spine stayed straight longer than bargain-bin blades I’ve used.

The pack includes five blades, which matters for demo work. You’ll burn blades when you’re hunting for buried nails; there’s no getting around that. Having multiples lets you move fast without babying the cut.

Setup and compatibility

I ran these on a Skil SPT44 and a couple of other common saws. The tang locked in securely across the board. If your saw takes standard reciprocating blades, these fit. They’re listed as compatible with Skil’s SPT44A-00 and SPT44-10, but nothing about the shank is proprietary—no surprises here.

Cutting performance in nail‑embedded wood

In clean pine and fir 2x lumber, the Skil blade is assertive. With the saw set to a medium orbital action and the shoe tight to the work, it sliced through doubled 2x4s quickly while maintaining a fairly straight line for a demolition blade. The 5–8 TPI pitch puts it in the “fast and rough” category, which is exactly what you want for framing. Tear-out isn’t a concern when you’re opening a wall, and the tooth geometry makes quick work of pitchy, resinous stock.

Hit a nail, and the behavior is predictable: a few sparks, a pitch change, and then the cut continues. The blade doesn’t stall on bright common nails, and it tolerated coated decking screws surprisingly well. Bi-metal teeth aren’t magic—you will round over the cutting edges if you plow through metal non-stop—but for incidental metal in wood, this is what these blades are built for. After a few studs’ worth of nails, the teeth still had bite, though the cut speed dropped a bit and required more feed pressure. That’s normal for bi-metal in this class.

On subfloor work (3/4-inch OSB over joists with ring-shank nails), plunge starts were controlled and easy. The long nose lets you angle in without the blade bucking. Chip ejection was decent; I didn’t see the blade load up with dust even on long cuts, which I attribute to the variable pitch.

Vibration and control

Skil touts reduced vibration, and while a recip saw will always shake, these blades do transmit less chatter than many coarse-tooth demolition blades I’ve used. Two things help: the variable tooth pitch and the blade body stiffness. Using the shoe properly—locking it into the work and letting the teeth feed—matters just as much. With that technique, the saw felt composed, and I could steer through cuts around electrical boxes and studs without the blade walking wildly.

That said, a 9-inch blade will flex if you’re aggressive. When I tried to flush-cut a stubborn cedar fence post below grade (never a great idea), the blade bowed and wandered. That’s more about user error and the realities of dirt and grit than the blade itself, but it’s a reminder: this is a demolition blade for wood and nails, not a dirt saw or pruning specialist.

Speed vs. cut quality

Speed is this blade’s wheelhouse. In stacked 2x material, it kept pace with other bi-metal demo blades I regularly use. Cut faces are rough, as expected with 5–8 TPI, but consistent—no big gouges or sudden grabs. For finish-sensitive work, you’d choose a finer TPI blade and avoid nails entirely. For demolition and framing adjustments, this strikes the right balance.

Durability and blade life

Bi-metal is a sensible middle ground: tougher and more heat-resistant than plain high-carbon steel, more affordable than carbide-tooth demolition blades. In my use, one blade handled a half-day of mixed demo—cutting out three nailed studs, removing two deck boards with screws left in, and trimming subfloor around a vent—before I retired it for a fresh edge. Could I have pushed it longer? Sure. But I prefer to keep cut speed up rather than lean on a dull blade and heat the work.

If you regularly saw through a pile of screws or hardened fasteners, carbide-tooth blades will outlast this by a wide margin, at a higher price per blade. For most remodel and deck work with incidental metal, this Skil option hits a practical durability-value sweet spot.

Where it shines

• Tear-outs of wall sections, old framing, and plate cuts where nails are inevitable
• Deck board removal and flush cuts against joists
• Plunge cuts in subfloor and sheathing
• General rough carpentry where speed matters more than finish

Where it struggles

• Cutting near dirt, masonry, or roofing granules—abrasives will wipe teeth fast
• Long, precise straight cuts where flex must be minimal
• Continuous cuts through hardened fasteners; consider carbide if that’s your day-to-day

Little usability touches

• The 9-inch length gives good reach for cutting doubled members and getting behind trim without overextending the saw.
• The variable pitch helps start cuts cleanly, especially when you’re plunge-cutting into OSB or plywood.
• Heat buildup was reasonable; I didn’t blue the blade unless I forced the feed. A modest stroke rate and letting the teeth do the work kept it cool.

Value

Sold in a five-pack, the cost-per-blade is attractive for jobsite realities. Swiss-made manufacturing shows in the consistency; none of the blades had alignment issues or burrs out of the pack. If you’re tearing into a remodel and expect to chew through several blades across the week, this is a smart stock-up item.

What I’d change

• I’d like a slightly thicker body option for applications where deflection is a concern. The current stiffness is fine for general demo; a beefier spine would improve straight-line accuracy in deep cuts.
• A carbide-tooth companion in the same 9-inch, nail-embedded category would be a welcome addition for users who hit metal constantly.
• Offering a mixed-length pack (6-inch and 9-inch) could cover more scenarios; the 9-inch is versatile, but a 6-inch is handier in tight cavities.

Tips for best results

• Keep the shoe planted against the work to control vibration and reduce tooth chatter.
• If you feel the cut hit metal, moderate the feed and let the blade chew through at its pace; forcing it just overheats the teeth.
• Avoid dirt and masonry contact; if you must cut near the ground, dig out around the work to save the blade.
• Use a medium orbital setting and moderate SPM for the best balance of speed and control.

Recommendation

I recommend the Skil 9-inch wood-with-nails blade for remodelers, carpenters, and DIYers tackling demolition where wood and metal meet. It cuts fast, stays controllable, and survives the incidental nails and screws that derail ordinary wood blades. While it won’t outlast carbide in metal-heavy situations, the durability is solid for a bi-metal design, and the five-pack delivers good value for jobsite use. If your workday is mostly framing lumber, subfloor, and deck boards with the occasional fastener in the path, this blade earns a spot in the kit. If you’re sawing through hardened fasteners all day, step up to carbide—but expect to pay for it.