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For wood, I don't think it will matter. I'd not worry about the stroke length, as I think the shorter stroke length is better for harder materials (nails, bolts) where short and fast are going to win the race.
A Sawzall is a demolition tool of sorts, designed to cut through nail ridden wood, sheetrock, fiberglass, sheet metal, bolts, pipe, whatever.
Wood is about the easiest thing it will cut.
You can also buy longer blades for bigger branches if you need it. I have one that's got to be 10 inches.
And corded is the last thing you want for yard work. I can imagine screwing with the cord trying to get in position in/on a bush or branch, no thank you. The modern LION batteries are twenty times better than the cheap stuff from target. I like my Makita tools, don't have their sawzall though.
Personally I own a big old Milwaukee corded one, which I bought for auto body work, but which is a universal tool.
For a middle aged woman to use mostly for occasional tree branch trimming, I would probably select first on weight, with other considerations secondary.
Because I don't do a lot of work around the house right now, I think corded tools are better. With batteries, you have to decide whether to leave them on charge forever, using energy, or take them out of the charger in which case you have to wait half a day for the battery to charge before you can use the tool. With a power cord it doesn't matter whether you last used it yesterday or 10 years ago, you plug it in and go. For someone who uses the tool regularly I think the new cordless are great.
As far as which tool to use for the job, I own, and use, and recognize a place for, all of these:
hand operated loppers (good for up to about 3/4")
Little 10" long hand saw
Bow saw
Pole saw in saw mode (not so good for a long flexible branch that sways back and forth with every stroke, excellent for cutting next to a trunk; tiring)
Pole saw in lopper mode (good for up to about 3/4-1"; tiring)
Sawzall (probably good for up to 6-8")
Electric chainsaw with (I think) 12 or 14" bar; requires more caution in use than the others; really gets the job done up to big stuff.
Axe.
I don't have a gas chain saw but I haven't needed to use one out of reach of an extension cord (yet). I haven't tried one of the wee chainsaws, but I question whether they are dramatically better than the Sawzall for little jobs, plus you can use the Sawzall for other things. I don't have a strong opinion, tho.
I have a Porter Cable corded sawzall that I bought on sale at Lowes. I think I paid about $50.00 or so; just remember it being a very good deal.
I use it for general home repairs, as needed. I also use it to cut garden edging, trim branches, and particularly for cutting ornamental grasses at the end of the season. A great tool for yard word and absolutely NO problems with the saw whatsoever.
As for the corded/battery issue I am done with batteries. My electricity must be the wrong kind because my batteries don't seem to last more than a couple of years. There is nothing worse than taking a tool off the shelf for occasional use and having the battery be dead and gone--no longer accepting a charge. $50 or more to replace a battery makes the whole thing very distasteful.
I have no problem with running an extension cord and going about my work with no fear of the thing dying in the middle of a project. I have yet to cut a cord or have issues with it getting in the way. I am all for reliability and batteries just aren't there yet.
For tree and shrub work, I would ask you to consider a battery powered chain saw. They are available in 10", 14", and 16" bar lengths. No noise, no fumes, no gas, no pull start. It works like any other cordless tool - quiet, lightweight, and very safe to handle.
Using a sawzall is using a saw made for one thing, for another thing. Awkward at best. You will not have the reach. Get one of the small cordless chain saws, which are frequently used by women and older people. They are not scary at all, and are made to do that particular job.
Excellent advice and you are 100% correct. A sawzall used on branches is a recipe for disaster. The recip action has a tendency to wildly jerk things that aren’t constrained solidly. A chainsaw is much more forgiving and you won’t cut yourself accidentally, if you’re being reasonably careful.
Milwaukee by far makes the best Sawzall. They are the ones that invented it and still to this day make the best. There are a couple of different sizes of them and for simple stuff like the OP is going to use it for, the large model isn't really needed. The largest, heavy duty sawzall is a little heavy so that may be another reason you wouldn't want the large one. Just go to Home Depot (Lowes doesn't carry Milwaukee at this time because of some sort of exclusive agreement Milwaukee and Home Depot struck up) and pick them up and feel the weight and determine which one you like. You won't go wrong with either model and it will last your lifetime.
Skillsaw brand is cheap junk these days. Avoid that brand at all costs.
As for the stroke length, it all depends on what you will be cutting. Since the OP says tree limbs, that is wet wood which will tend to grip and bind the blade. A shorter stroke length would tend to be more desirable, however, this can all be handled by using the proper blade for the job at hand. They make all sorts of different blades with different tooth designs and teeth per inch for specific purposes. I have even seen blades for cutting tree limbs before. With that said, there is a huge difference in the quality of sawzall blades depending on the brand. Milwaukee makes some of the absolute best so you would be good going with theirs.
1st off will not argue w/anyone that Milwaukee makes the best electric Sawzall. 10 years from now u just run a cord to it and off u go. If u have a rather large yard and for convenience sake don't underestimate the 20v DeWalt battery operated Sawzall, combine it with a drill and impact you have allure bases covered. With 2 batteries and a charger, you will never run out of power. No cord to get tangled up or trip on, way more convenient. Course the batteries will die one day and they aren't cheap to replace. Have many hours with both, in fact, have burned up and destroyed a few of each over the years, lol. We don't play nice with tools in my line of work, for small to a medium job the Dewalt is the tool, for a big job just bite the bullet and run the extension cords. JM2C's for what it's worth You can't go wrong either way. Make sure you wear eye protection and good gloves
Have cut a pile of limbs with a Sawzall(Live outside of New Orleans, Katrina and a dozen or so hurricanes over the years). ....small limbs just put the blade on top of limb and chop them off, bigger limbs cut halfway from the bottom then cut the top of the limb. It's truly amazing how much you can clear out in a short time. Have also used to cut roots out on monster tree stumps, used an electric Milwaukee to do this with, the Dewalt wouldn't have made it Course used a chainsaw to chop up the monster trunk and limbs off the house and shed(super dangerous if you're not really careful).
I have both a corded Milwaukee and a cordless Home Depot DeWalt saw.
They both have their purposes.
The Milwaukee is a 15 amp saw, I believe, and is perfect for fairly heavy work, limbing up trees and shrubs, reducing downed limbs, etc. It is a beast.
For small jobs, like pruning crape myrtles, I reach for the cordless saw first. It is nice not to watch a cord closely, and easy to reach into interiors of limbs and bushes.
But, having had it for about 14 years, replacement batteries are New Old Stock, expensive and hard to find. Ebay….
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You can't go wrong either way. Make sure you wear eye protection and good gloves
Course used a chainsaw to chop up the monster trunk and limbs off the house and shed(super dangerous if you're not really careful).
