Dewalt Model DCS 438 cut off tool portable circular power saws
1 report to CPSC, the latest made Feb 25, 2023. A report isn’t a recall.
Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. CPSC’s own search is on saferproducts.gov.
At a glance
From SaferProducts.gov, released Oct 25, 2026.
- 1report to CPSC
- Feb 25, 2023the latest report was made
- Feb 25, 2023the earliest
- 0with the company’s comments
- Brand
- Dewalt Model DCS 438 cut off tool
- Maker
- Black & Decker (U.S.) Inc.Makers, importers or sellers, as the reports name them
- Product
- Portable circular power sawsCPSC’s product type: Portable Circular Power Saws (code 832), in Home Maintenance and Structures: Tools & Hardware
By month
The numbers, as a table
| Month | Reports |
|---|---|
| February 2023 | 1 |
How badly anyone was hurt
- No one hurt 1 CPSC: Incident, No Injury
As each report says it, in short words; CPSC’s own words are under each.
The reports, as CPSC published them
Reports people made to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC publishes each one after sending it to the company named, and doesn’t guarantee they’re accurate. A report isn’t a recall.
Each report is the words of the person who made it, as CPSC published them. The company’s comments, where CPSC published any, are set apart as the company’s own.
CPSC, SaferProducts.gov public database export. Released Oct 25, 2026. Updated daily.
-
No one hurt Made Feb 25, 2023, sent to the company Mar 1, 2023, published by CPSC Mar 15, 2023
The product, in the report: Dewalt DCS 438 Cutoff Tool
Product: Dewalt Model DCS 438 cut off tool. Purchased new approximately January 18, 2023. When I operated the tool I quickly realized that the cutting wheel rotates in a direction opposite to the markings on the tool itself and opposite to what I feel is the intuitive direction of rotation. Specifically, when I press the forward/reverse button to the right (in the direction indicated by the letter “F” on the handle) the cutting wheel rotates clockwise (as seen by an observer looking at the tool from its left side) which is opposite to the direction indicated by the “F” arrow on the guard that shields the user from the cutting wheel. Sparks generated by cutting metal travel upwards toward the operator. Conversely, when I press the button to the left (in the direction indicated by the letter “R” on the handle, the cutting wheel rotates counterclockwise which is opposite to the direction indicated by the “R” arrow on the wheel guard. Sparks generated by cutting metal travel downwards away from the operator. This does not appear to be a mere labeling problem, because the directions of the “F” and “R” arrows on both the handle and on the wheel guard are as shown in the users’ manual. I reported the problem to Dewalt, and their customer service representative shipped me a replacement tool which, by all appearances, is also brand-new. However the replacement tool suffers from the same problem as the original tool, i.e. it rotates in the wrong direction - in reverse when the switch is set to forward and forward when the switch is set to reverse.
I believe this is a safety issue for the following reasons: The cutting tool rotates at 20,000 RPMs. It can cut through metal and would make short work of flesh and bones. Because it’s a rotating tool it’s susceptible to kickback or kick-forward depending on the direction of rotation. Therefore, the tool needs to rotate in a direction indicated by the markings on the tool so that the operator can be keenly aware of what direction of rotation to expect when he squeezes the trigger. The fact that “wrong-direction” operation occurred on two different tools selected at random suggests to me that the problem is widespread. Obviously, a user could simply get used to the “wrong direction” operation, however with a dangerous tool such as this one, the operator should not have to make that kind of mental adjustment.
Date below is the date of my trouble ticket to DeWalt. Actual date of occurrence is probably a day or two earlier.
There are two barcodes on the packaging, the one reported below and X003G8KJRD.
I attempted to upload 14 photos twice (all less than 100 MB) but got error message - something about a proxy server. Will be glad to try again if someone can fix the problem.
I still have the second replacement tool and will file a second report if you ask me to.
- Model
- DCS438B
- UPC
- QR00L1DKP55WD
- Serial number
- None evident on tool or packaging
- Bought from
- Online via Amazon
- Bought
- Jan 8, 2023
- Where
- Batesville, Indiana: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 71, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand Dewalt Model DCS 438 cut off tool, made or sold by Black & Decker (U.S.) Inc.
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
CPSC’s disclaimer
Disclaimer: CPSC does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of the Publicly Available Consumer Product Safety Information Database on SaferProducts.gov, particularly with respect to information submitted by people outside of CPSC.
Word for word, from the disclaimer in CPSC’s export.
Sources
Sources
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U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, SaferProducts.gov public database export.
Released Oct 25, 2026 and checked Oct 25, 2026. Updated daily. Public domain (U.S. Government work). CPSC asks to be credited, and that no endorsement be implied.
Reports of harm are from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), on SaferProducts.gov. CPSC does not endorse Hearth Record.