jigsaws: Bosch 1790EVSK vs. Milwaukee 6266-22

[Adrian Mariano]

My old Bosch jigsaw fell off the bench and the sole plate is bent. Repair cost is "no more than $105". So rather than gamble I figured I'd just get a new saw. The question is, should I get the new Bosch

1790EVSK which has a new blade changing mechanism and a supposedly superior blade guide, or should I instead go for the Milwaukee 6266-22 which is $30 less and has a dust collection port. (The dust collection would be nice sometimes, as the blower really sprays the dust all over the place and makes cleanup a chore.)

Has anybody used both of these tools? How do they compare?

[GTO69RA4]

I'm personally a Bosch guy, but everyone I've heard from say the Milwaukee's just as good, maybe with a better blade lock. I think it boils down to a personal thing.

If you don't mind me asking, are you keeping your old saw? I have an old Bosch or two that's needed parts, but probably not worth buying replacements at normal costs. Want to sell yours to use in repairing mine?

GTO(John)

[Lew Hodgett]

I don't know about your Bosch, but my Bosch has had the crap kicked out of it including being dropped from about 12 ft onto a concrete floor.

Have bent the sole plate several times.

A 4# drill hammer and a good vice and all is well.

What the heck to they want $105 minimum for anyway?

Just curious.

[Leon]

I have the Milwaukee. I have had it about 6 years and still like it alot. That said, with the Bosch finally having a good blade change setup like the Milwaukee, pick a color.

[Never Enough Money]

Have you considered the Makita 4340FCT? I think it "feels" better than any?

[Edwin Pawlowski]

That was maximum, not minimum. At maximum price, most companies usually just give you a new or reconditioned unit. Ed

[Adrian Mariano]

Hmmm. I've never been able to take a bent piece of metal and make it flat again. Not sure if it's lack of tools, or lack of skill. But I don't have high hopes that I can fix it to my satisfaction.

Bosch has a system where you drop your tool off somewhere, they ship it to a Bosch repair shop where they repair it and ship it back. They won't tell me how much a new foot plate will cost, only that it won't be more than $105. So I can gamble on it being a reasonable amount, or just buy a new saw.

To the person who wondered about the fate of the old saw, I figured I'd list it on ebay (accurately described) and see what I could get for it. The recent thread on ebay gives me high hopes. :)

[Adrian Mariano]

If the tools are really equivalent, then the choice is clear since the Bosch is $30 more. But are they? The Bosch claims to have a fancy new blade control system to give a straighter cut. I've never even seen the Milwaukee in person, though, so I really can't compare them.

[Leon]

Have you considered just ordering the base plate and replacing it yourself?

[Adrian Mariano]

[Leon]

Oddly, the Milwaukee was in the $160 range 6 years ago. The saws always seem to be more expensive as drastic new features are introduced. Still, I went to the Bosch site and noticed that this new saw was classified and or grouped in the "Residential Use" category on the Home page "yesterday". That was a surprise. I wonder if this is actually going to replace the older model or if there will be a more HD version yet to come. IMHO it does look like it has more plastic than the 1575. Either way, I world want to put my hands on both models being considered. I was going to buy the Bosch 6 years ago until a salesman pointed out he Milwaukee setting beside the Bosch. With that "drastic" new blade change feature on the Milwaukee and comparable feel, I left with the red one. On the smooth setting and a good Bosch blade, I "almost" get as good of cuts as my WWII on my cabinet saw..

[Lew Hodgett]

Have never considered a jig saw to be a precision cutting device, so for me it is NBD; however, YMMV.

I've got a Bosch service center less than 30 miles away and they have always bent over backwards to help me.

Why not call the Bosch service center nearest you and order a new sole plate.

My guess is $15, maybe $20 tops plus throw in another $5 for UPS shipping.

Sure a lot less than $105.

HTH

Lew

are

[Adrian Mariano]

Can you tell me a way to do that? As far as I can tell, the only way to obtain the replacement plate is to go through the whole repair system and have them install the new plate. Certainly the guy I talked where I would have to take the tool said that was how it worked and he could not give me a price for just the foot plate.

[Mark Jerde]

That stinks.

Have you considered affixing a piece of hardboard or similar to the bottom? You could use washers, wedges, etc. to get the (new) baseplate at a 90 degree angle to the blade.

My $0.02.

-- Mark

[Never Enough Money]

Yes -- it seesm to be Bosch friendly review....

Several reviews on Amazon of the Bosch 1590 complain of intense heat in the front -- so hot you can't touch it.

The Amazon reviews of the Milwaukee 6266-22 are good -- it's actually made by Bosch - they say -- design by Milwaukee though.

[Leon]

The Milwaukee IS NOT made by Bosch. It is made by AEG, another German tool company.

[Lew Hodgett]

I already did.

Nonsense.

Tell that guy to take a hike.

Lew

[Adrian Mariano]

The nearest Regional Bosch service center to me is a few hundred miles away. The place I called was a "RapidRepair Partner" on the list of "local service centers". They told me that all they could do was ship it to the regional service center. They couldn't sell me the part or even give me a price for it. I didn't try calling the service center directly, though. I'd say your price is reasonable, but my gut feeling was that with this repair service it would probably actually cost $50 what with the labor and shipping two ways.

[Lew Hodgett]

NBD, UPS can handle that.

Screw them.

So what good are they?

Sounds like they have a personal problem.

What is to ship two ways?

You make a call, order a part, they ship it, end of report.

Lew

[Never Enough Money]

Thanks for that important correction. I was misled by an Amazon review(er).