Reciprocating saw

A reciprocating saw comprising:

• a motor defining a motor axis, the motor including a front end and a back end, the front end including a front face defining a first vertical plane, and the back end including a rear face opposite the front face, the rear face defining a second vertical plane parallel to the first vertical plane;
• a lower gear case subassembly including a first driveshaft portion, and a counterweight configured to be driven by the motor to reciprocate via the first driveshaft portion;
• and
• an upper gear case subassembly including a second driveshaft portion, and a spindle configured to be driven by the motor to reciprocate relative to the motor via the second driveshaft portion, the spindle being configured to reciprocate along a spindle axis parallel to the motor axis, the spindle including a rear end nearest to the motor;
• wherein the first driveshaft portion is coupled to the second driveshaft portion by joining the upper and lower gear case subassemblies;
• and
• wherein the spindle is arranged above the motor such that, as the spindle reciprocates forward and backward for each drive cycle, the rear end extends into a space defined between the first and second vertical planes during at least a portion of the drive cycle.