What Jigsaw?

[andy]

Hi, I'm fed up with my cheap jigsaw & would like to buy a decent one.

I don't need a top of the range professional model since it's only for hobby use.

Any recommendations?

Andy.

[dom]

I know you said not the most expensive, but this fab:

can't fault it in any way.

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

[dingbat]

Blue Bosch, ideally barrel-bodied

Currently the lead model is the GST135, but you can usually get "last years model" for a substantial discount. It's the same basic machine, you just don't have quite so much power and cut capacity.

The "135" is the claimed max thickness in softwood. I use an older 70, a 135 and a "millenium" GST2000 that's somewhere inbetween. Unless you're near the limit you just can't tell them apart and it's the lack of vibration you're buying here, not raw grunt.

[The Medway Handyman]

Have a look in Wickes. Their 'Black' range is OK for DIY, their 'Grey' Pro range is superb.

[John Rumm]

It is not quite that easy to call IME, the grey stuff is badged versions of various makers kit (although generally the better quality stuff). Some is very good (like their version of the Freud200E is ok - shame they charge more for it than Freud!), some is just "ok". I don't know who the OEM is for their jigsaws.

Having used both, I would say the Makita 4340 is on par with the blue bosch jigsaws (universally acknowledged as first rate!), although better value:

have one, and can commend it for its speed, accuracy, smothness and ballance. If you turn it on and place it on the table, it will simply sit there without jumping or vibrating about at all!

[Piers James]

Bosch or Makita. I've got the Bosch GST 100, which is no longer available, but go for a similar model. I know you said you didn't need a pro tool, but the build quality, weight and stability of the Bosch Blue/Pro tools make it worth the cash. The blades are also brilliant. I was amazed how the clean cut blade for wood cut my kitchen worktop with absolutely no blemishes to the surface whatsoever. BTW, I am just a DIYer.

[Andy Hall]

You don't need to demean yourself.

You're a DIYer - not *just* one. :-)

[The Medway Handyman]

Are we all losing the plot here? The OP was asking for a jigsaw for hobby use, not a top of the range professional model.

No point suggesting the Bosch/Makita stuff at £150 ish. No hobby user wants to pay that for occasional use. The Wickes Grey jobby at under £50, made by Kress in Germany with a 3 year warranty is an ideal choice. Unless you are a power tool snob.

[John Rumm]

The difficulty here is the requirement for a "decent model" and being fed up with "cheap" jigsaws. All the jigsaws I have used seem to fall into two camps - let me call them "low" and "high" end for want of a better name. Often the only difference between the 15 quid ones and the

50 quid ones is the feature list and the life expectancy. In use they still feel and perform about the same. There seems to be little middle ground.

Well the Makita is £114, there is also a Freud at about £95 usually.

I have not tried the wickes one and would be keen to do so given the chance. Perhaps that geniunely is "middle ground" - it would be nice if there were such a thing.

I can only describe the first time I used a "proper" jigsaw as a revalation. I had read that there was an appreciable difference, but without experiancing it, it was hard to understand what that meant. The reality was, that it totally changed how I perceived what the tool was, and what applications I felt it could be suitable for.

I have used some top of the range "consumer" models before (i.e. the £60 sort of ballpark) Black & Decker. They had more features (tool-less blade change, blower, light, pendulum etc). But still felt and operated like a low end tool. The base plate is still pressed steel (rather than cast) and a bit flexible, the blade guide still allows the blade to wander and slant, it still vibrates your hand and gives a rough cut. It can't cut a dead straight line for love nor money or hack the end off a

8x2" in three seconds flat. In summary they share little in common with either the Makita I have now, or the Bocsh GST2000 I have borrowed. which are simply a class appart.

[dom]

Exactly as my experience. I regarded them as a tool to be avoided if there was another way to do the job - until I tried a pro model.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Trouble is hobby use may well still require accuracy, and that is something the cheap end of jigsaws ain't good at.

I've had a Bosch PST 700 PAE for a number of years and it's been heavily used. And I'm very pleased with it - although it was quite expensive at the time. Recently the SDS blade changing mechanism failed - it has a sort of ratchet clutch to prevent overtightening. The replacement part cost

1.50 from my local agent.

[Pete C]

Not one I own myself:

Whatever you get, check how much play and give there is in the blade holder and support roller.

If it's about the same as your current one, send it back, as it probably won't cut better.

cheers, Pete.

[Piers James]

the point is that most of us have had a "cheaper" (£50) saw and weren't happy. Moreover, like one of the other posters, I was gobsmacked the first time I used my Dad's Makita at good it was to use etc etc. It's worth the extra outlay going for a pro model.

[dingbat]

Not for jigsaws. There's enough of a difference to matter.

If someone's paying me, I'll put up with anything I have to. If I'm doing it for fun, I want it to be fun or there's no point in doing it.