I'm a homeowner who will give light to moderate use of a jigsaw. Which would you suggest as the best one for such use? Can I get by with a $49 Skil at HD, or should I go with something at $100+? Thanks! Squanklin
Grizzly has a "managers special" for a Bosch clone and an exacto knife set for around $70.00. I recently purchased one and it's acceptable at the price.
Unless you don;t mind it being a rubbish jigsaw while you are using it, go up-market. The difference is a better balanced mechanism and more accurate cutting.
I like the Bosch barrel-bodies (Swiss made by Scintilla)
I have the "Orbital" Skil.
I picked up a Delta Shopmaster scroll saw to play around with when it was on sale at Lowes for $40 one day. Not the best tool, but it suppliments the scroll saw and sure does come in handy since I don't have a bandsaw.
Jay
If you do not mind the vibration that may make it difficult to follow a line, if you do not have to follow a line closely, if you do not need to have a "square as possible to the surface" cut, and will use it for relative short periods of times, get the cheap one. No need to buy better if it is going to sit on the shelf 99% of it's life with you.
If you think it will come close to seeing moderate use or high on the lite side save yourself some frustration and get a saw in the $100+ range. Milwaukee makes a great saw and Bosch has a great saw. Look for the "NEW lever operated" blade release model from Bosch.
I would warn against Skil, B&D, and DeWalt. The DeWalts are huge and there are numerous complaints about it spitting out its blade during operation. I have had this happen to me also so it is not an urban legend.
The "I'm a homeowner" part to me suggests that you might be getting this for "construction" uses, such as cutting the odd hole for a junction work, etc. If that is the case and you don't mind not-terribly-accurate rough results (often the case if things are going to be covered up anyway), a cheap one will do you fine for light usage. If you need to do finer work, you will need to spend more to have any hope of not tearing your hair out or doing a lot of post-sawing work.
You will get lots of "buy the best you can afford" advice here, but that is silly; buy the one that suits your needs. If you need to do fine work, pay up. Otherwise, cheap out.
The problem with cheap jigsaws is not their durability but their precision. A Bosch with one of their "progressor" blades gives an amazingly smooth cut--if you've not seen it you won't believe that a jigsaw can cut like that. A cheap saw will give you a rough cut no matter what kind of blade you use. I don't think that there is any other power tool for which the difference in cut quality between "cheap" and "good" is so large.
Coastal Tool has Bosch for $139 and shipping--you won't be sorry you paid the price.
You'll have to determine how much jigsawing you really want to do. "Moderate" use means you might want to get a quality unit. Unlike a circular saw, where the $29 cheapy would be OK for a homeowner occasionally cutting a 2X4, a $29 jigsaw just will not cut a curve with the same eas and accuracy that a $150 jigsaw will. I've never tried the $49 Skil so can't comment on that unit. I have a Milwaukee which works extremely well, and the Bosh jigsaws also are rated at or close to the top. One thing I can advise on, unless your needs are very undemanding, don't even bother with a saw that does not have a roller guide behind the blade.
IMHO, it's not a question of usage, but of quality.
I rarely use mine, but when I need it, I want good results. I didn't think it was a big deal until I tossed my $49 Craftsman away for the Milwaukee a couple of years ago.
Wow, what a difference. It wasn't me, in this rare case, it was the tool.
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