Jigsaws unplugged

Our pro testers took seven cordless jigsaws for a spin to see how their power and precision stack up

By Steve Maxwell

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We put seven cordless jigsaws in the hands of our three experienced tool testers and asked them to evaluate the tools by using them in their own workshop. Each test-er evaluated the tools according to the following criteria:

- Blade change: testers fitted several different blades into each saw and noted how easily blades could be changed.
- Speed control: each saw's speed control was evaluated to determine how smoothly the variable-speed system worked, as well as how much the blade could be slowed for precision work.
- Orbital action: saws can be adjusted to move their blades either in a straight, up-and-down motion for smooth cuts or in varying degrees of a D-shape for more aggressive cuts. Each saw was used with varying degrees of orbital action, and testers noted how each saw cut with, and without, orbital action.
- Sole performance and bevel angle: a saw's swivelling base allows it to cut on a bevel. Testers determined how easy this feature was to use and adjust. Each saw's sole was also evaluated to determine how well it supported the blade, and if the sole could be adjusted for closer cutting to adjoining surfaces.
- Finally, each tool's battery and charger was evaluated to determine how easy they were to use and how sophisticated the charger was at maintaining optimal battery performance.

Safety first

Safety should be a top priority for all workshoppers. It has to be with all the sharp blades and powerful machines we use every day. And while a jigsaw may look like an innocent tool compared with the large tablesaw or the fast-spinng router, you still need to consider how the tool approaches safety.

All saws in the test group have a safety interlock, but some work better than others. The best are found on the Bosch, DeWalt and Hitachi. Their locks flip off and stay off, while all the others are spring-loaded. You need to press and hold the safety locks on the Black & Decker, Craftsman, Mastercraft and Ryobi. That's one more thing to do while you're cutting, and I found it to be a pain. The Mastercraft release is located in such a way that I needed to lift my hand from the grip to activate it.

 

 

Bosch 52318 18-volt jigsaw

One of the smoothest-running saws in the group, and at 92 dB, the Bosch jigsaw was also one of the quieter tools in the test. It ran smoothly with minimal vibration, even at maximum power. The saw has a smooth speed-control trigger for precise cuts at slow speeds when needed. Testers found the Bosch to have the best blade-change system for both speed and ease of use. The blade is simply inserted into the collet, where it locks automatically; no lever or button is required. To remove the blade, simply swing a front-mounted lever over and the blade is automatically ejected. When you need an aggressive cut, this saw can be adjusted to the maximum orbital setting-cutting twice as fast with no noticeable increase in roughness and only minimal tearout. The sole provides a lot of support around the blade; as well, it has a removable, non-marring, plastic sole cover. Testers loved the one-hour charger that senses battery temperature before charging. Overall, this excellent tool has outstanding speed, smoothness and accuracy with great linear power when cutting through a variety of materials.

Test results:

Price: $400
Battery/charger: Included
Battery/charger: Nicad
Blade change: Excellent
Variable speed: Excellent
Operating smoothness: Excellent
Orbital blade action: Excellent
Bevel adjustment: Good
Ease of cutting: Excellent
Sole design: Excellent
Contact: www.boschtools.com; 800-387-8304

 

Craftsman/MD 19.2-volt jigsaw

This saw was smooth and quiet to use. The best feature of the Craftsman: its variable-speed trigger was one of the most precise to operate in the test group. Although smooth, the saw struggled to produce effective cuts in hardwood, moving very slowly through the 1.5"-thick material. The orbital-action setting produced only slightly speedier cuts and it led to a big sacrifice in cutting control. Overall cut quality was adequate in softwoods and with thinner stock, although not stellar. The tool uses a front-mounted plastic yoke system similar to that found on the Black and Decker; however, the Craftsman version is slightly more difficult to use because of stronger spring pressure. Adjusting the bevel angle of the sole isn't overly complicated, requiring you to loosen two Allen screws. As a bonus, the jigsaw has handy onboard storage for the Allen wrench in the base. The saw's sole slides forward to provide support to the material being cut, reducing splinters. Overall, this tool is a functional, no-frills saw that would serve the average home workshopper, especially someone who has other tools with the same 19.2-volt DieHard battery system.

Test results:

Price: $80
Battery/charger: Not ncluded
Battery/charger: Nicad
Blade change: Fair
Variable speed: Excellent
Operating smoothness: Good
Orbital blade action: Poor
Bevel adjustment: Fair
Ease of cutting: Poor
Sole design: Good
Contact: www.sears.ca; 888-473-2772


 

Hitachi CJ18DL 18-volt jigsaw

The Hitachi jigsaw cuts quickly and produces a good-quality cut with no wandering. When switched into the orbital-action mode, it makes an even faster, more powerful cut; the downside of all that power is you forfeit some control. With the third-fastest blade change in the test, the Hitachi's system is better than the collet-release mounted levers found on some others and almost equals the DeWalt for blade-changing speed. One negative feature is the large plastic release lever-testers found that it felt like it might break more easily than the metal levers on the other high-end tools. The bevel angle is adjusted by a single Allen screw, similar to the Bosch's system, with on-board Allen key storage. The sole itself is made from cast aluminum with a machined bottom face. The Hitachi jigsaw comes with a sophisticated diagnostic charger with multi-voltage and multi-battery capabilities. With tons of power, the Hitachi is a muscle car of a jigsaw; but, like a muscle car, at times, it has difficulty handling all the power.

Test results:

Price: $330
Battery/charger: Included
Battery/charger: Li-on
Blade change: Fair
Variable speed: Fair
Operating smoothness: Good
Orbital blade action: Good
Bevel adjustment: Good
Ease of cutting: Good
Sole design: Good
Contact: www.hitachipowertools.ca; 800-970-2299

 

Ryobi One+ 18-volt jigsaw

Many features of the Ryobi jigsaw are identical to the Craftsman, and the resulting performance was similar. The Ryobi cuts thin material, as well as makes all cuts smoothly and accurately. But testers found that using it on thick material was disappointing: it doesn’t have the bite to complete the cuts. The jigsaw doesn’t appear to lack power; it seems to have an inadequate blade angle relative to the wood. The blade moves up and down but just wasn’t able to bite wood properly. The blade-change mechanism is identical to the Craftsman’s, but the plastic guard makes it next to impossible to access the lever without first removing the snap-off plastic guard. This step isn’t a chore to do, but it is an extra step over the others. Once in place, the blade lock-up is solid. The jigsaw has excellent variable-speed performance and the graduation in power is smooth and predictable. When run at the maximum orbital setting, tearout was average, and smoothness was quite good in thinner material. In thicker material, however, the jigsaw becomes difficult to control. The charger handles all Ryobi 18-volt batteries and includes a diagnostic readout with monitoring.

Test results:

Price: $80
Battery/charger: Not ncluded
Battery/charger: Nicad
Blade change: Fair
Variable speed: Excellent
Operating smoothness: Fair
Orbital blade action: Poor
Bevel adjustment: Fair
Ease of cutting: Poor
Sole design: Good
Contact: www.ryobitools.com; 800-525-2579

DeWalt XRP DC330K 18-volt jigsaw

This saw provides excellent cutting speed through the toughest materials, making it one of the fastest-cutting saws in the test. It also is second only to the Bosch as the smoothest- cutting saw. It also possesses one of the few adjustable blowers, which keeps the cutline clear. Testers found the jigsaw’s other features also worked well. The lever-actuated bevel lock is easy to use and tool-free. The sole, complete with a removable, no-mar plastic cover, swivelled easily into position–all the makings of an excellent system. The blade-change mechanism also impressed testers: simply move a wide, metal, spring-loaded paddle on the front of the machine to one side to release the blade; insert the new blade, release the paddle and the blade is locked in place. Cutting with the jigsaw is loud, clocking in at 101 dB. But it made up for that by producing linear and predictable speed control with minimal vibration. Switching the jigsaw into orbital mode for more aggressive cutting produces a much quicker cut with only a light increase in tearout. The combination of tool-less adjustment, raw power, smoothness of operation, cut quality and features puts this saw among the top in the rankings.

Test results:

Price: $350
Battery/charger: Included
Battery/charger: Nicad
Blade change: Excellent
Variable speed: Good
Operating smoothness: Good
Orbital blade action: Excellent
Bevel adjustment: Excellent
Ease of cutting: Excellent
Sole design: Excellent
Contact: www.dewalt.com; 800-433-9258


Mastercraft Power XChange 18-volt jigsaw

Testers found this jigsaw moved around a lot, especially when entering the cut. And it felt like it was working hard to cut through 1 1/2"-thick spruce; that being said, it yielded an acceptable result. The Mastercraft jigsaw is the tallest in the test group, which makes it harder to hold and guide. The saw is one of only two lithium-ion powered tools in the test, and testers liked the unique, full-featured charger. The charger has an LCD touch screen that lists the battery charge status and time-to-full charge information; and it’s also fan-equipped for battery cooling. The jigsaw itself, however, wasn’t as well rated. Testers found that it ran with a fair amount of vibration and was the loudest saw in the test, by quite a margin. Loud enough that if you were using this tool at maximum power, hearing protection should be worn for comfort. Adjusting the bevel angle of the shoe is a little more complicated than for the other saws, requiring a hex key to loosen and tighten two bolts. Once adjusted, the plate held firm. Blade changes are accomplished via a side-mounted release but require the removal of the plastic safety shroud. Overall, testers felt this jigsaw was best suited for light use on thin materials.

Test results:

Price: $130
Battery/charger: Not included
Battery/charger: Li-on
Blade change: Fair
Variable speed: Poor
Operating smoothness: Poor
Orbital blade action: Fair
Bevel adjustment: Good
Ease of cutting: Fair
Sole design: Poor
Contact: www.canadiantire.ca; 866-525-2579


 

Black & Decker Firestorm 18-volt jigsaw

This jigsaw is fairly smooth-running, and about on par with the Mastercraft for vibration and maximum-speed performance. Testers liked the saw’s surprisingly simple yet effective tool-free blade-changing system. To make changes, insert a finger into the large cutout in the plastic front guard to trigger the release lever. Insertion of the blade is relatively easy, and lock-up is solid. The Black & Decker was the only saw without a blade brake. When you release the trigger, the saw takes several strokes to slow to a stop. When set to the maximum orbit setting, the cutting speed improved significantly, but it also increased roughness noticeably and the tool became difficult to guide. The saw’s battery disappointed testers. It is the most basic of the test group, simply clipping onto the charger, unlike the more sophisticated chargers of the other saws. The charger also has no temperature safeguard features that prevent charging when the battery is too warm or cold. While this saw didn’t cut as quickly as the higher-priced units, it did manage to get through the thick material with acceptable speed and average cut quality.

Test results:

Price: $60
Battery/charger: Not included
Battery/charger: Nicad
Blade change: Good
Variable speed: Fair
Operating smoothness: Good
Orbital blade action: Fair
Bevel adjustment: Poor
Ease of cutting: Fair
Sole design: Poor
Contact: www.balckanddecker.com; 800-544-6986

For our money

The Bosch is a smooth and quiet saw that wins top marks because it cuts smoothly and easily through thick and thin material. It also has the ability to make square cuts unequalled by other jigsaws. It has an outstanding blade-retention system, good balance and smooth, linear power.

The DeWalt has excellent performance and the unique ability to cut flush to vertical surfaces. The only downside is that the Nicad battery and heavy-duty construction make this one heavy saw.

 

Budget Pick: The Black & Decker Firestorm handles all the basic jigsaw tasks, and comes at an amazingly low price.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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