The Jigsaw of choice?

[A.Lee]

I'm now in the market for a jigsaw. I'm leaning towards a mains powered one, though could be tempted by a cordless at the right price. I currently have a couple of Dewalt 18v XRP tools, so a bare unit from ewalt would suffice(they are £120ish on ebay), but I'm wary of relying too much on battery power - i.e. - would the battery have enough power for cutting out the sink hole, a hob hole, as well as one end of a worktop without going flat?

So any thoughts on a mains powered one, or stick with cordless? And which to go for?

Thanks Alan.

[Andrew Mawson]

relying

By far the best jigsaws I've used have been Bosch professional mains powered ones. I have a pretty well brand new 240v one that is kept for best, and the fairly knackered 110v one I use on grotty materials. Even the knackered one beats a cheap B&D one !

AWEM

[John Rumm]

I would agree the Bosch blue barrel bodied ones are among the best. My Makita 4340 also seems equal in performance, and very good for smoothness and lack of vibration.

[Andy Hall]

Festool, Bosch GST series, Makita.

I have the Bosch GST - very smooth and precise.

I've use the Festool and it's a bit nicer, but quite a price delta.

I've also had a go with a Makita 4300 series and that was also very respectable.

The build quality of these is better than DW.

Unless you specifically need cordless, I don't see a reason to go for one and if then go for a decent 18v one such as Bosch. However, I would want to check ergonomics very carefully because that's a heavy battery pack and may influence the behaviour.

[Lurch]

On Fri, 24 Aug 2007 18:01:56 +0100, alan@darkroom.+.com (A.Lee) mused:

Possibly, maybe. If you're doing all that on a regular basis then I'd go for a mains one.

I wouldn't cut ends of worktops with a jigsaw though, much better to use a decent circular saw with a decent blade and a clamped straight edge of some sort.

I'd go for a Makita or DeWalt, they're the only 2 professional jigsaws I've used and both have been spot on. My Makita is an old heavy metal bodied thing, BV4001. I think the newer barrel bodied type Makita ones are a bit smoother in operation.

[dom]

Same as the other posters, Bosch GST135 - top tool.

[The Medway Handyman]

Yup! John made me buy one recently. Incredible machine - its a jigsaw Jim, but not as we know it.

You won't believe what a jigsaw can do until you've tried one of these.

[mike]

Another vote for Makita, mine's great; powerful, accurate and smooth.

I've never tried any cordless ones though so can't really comment

Cheers Mike

[kaiser]

Bosch have always been the market leader in jigsaws. Many won't remember the Bosch / Scintilla name, They were the best barrel jigsaws ever made and there are still some working examples being used today. The nearest thing available to buy now is the Bosch GST range, superior to all the Makita's and Dewalt's ect.

[Piers James]

My vote goes to the Bosch blue range. Although the Makita 4340, which I have also used, is probably the equal of my GST-100.

[Andy Dingley]

Except for it still being marked on the Bosch jigsaws made by Scintilla.

(Yes, they're still the best choice)

[Gilly]

Bosch GST-100 is an excellent machine. Used and abused it mine for years. Very tough & accurate.