Best Jigsaw Tool UK –

Motor Size

The motor is of course what gives the operating power to your tool. The bigger the motor, the more power you will have at your disposal. The power of a motor is always determined by a measurement known as Watts.

If you plan on doing a lot of work with your saw, then get one with a more powerful motor. As an example the basic Black & Decker KS500 model has 400 watts whereas the Bosch PST 700E has 500 watts.

More power means more cutting power and it also will mean that the actual jigsaw will not be working as hard all of the time, and therefore will last longer.

Jigsaw Shoe

The shoe is what will rest on the wood as you make your cut. Some of the cheaper saws has a shoe that is made of a very light metal. To be brutally honest, this is just a waste of your money.

If this starts to twist, or bends in any way, then you will never get an accurate cut. You want something like a steel shoe or a cast shoe that will not twist.

Often when jigsaws get dropped this shoe can get out of shape and with lighter metals this will of course be a great deal worse.

Jigsaw Blades

Some jigsaws come with one universal blade that can be used to cut a variety of materials. Other jigsaws will recommend using different blades for different materials. There are two different ways of attaching blade. One is what is called a universal fit, and the other is called a bayonet fit.

Some of the basic machines use a screw to attach the blade to the saw, which is not a very good solution. Others use a clamp that is tightened using an Allen key. The better ones connect by simply pushing them into the saw, and are known as tool less connections. These are what I would personally recommend as they are more secure, and so much easier to change.

The blades of a jigsaw are designed to do their cutting on the up stroke. For most projects that is fine, but if for example you were cutting through a veneer, then it would be useless. For those more delicate jobs, change the blade to a down stroke cutting blade.

There are many types of blades available from really coarse and all the way down to fine. The different brands will all have blades that are designed for use with their saws. Most of them will be able to fit across a range of jigsaws, but always check in the user manual which blades your saw will take before buying those.

Check out our full jigsaw blades guide.

Variable Speeds

This is not an essential feature, but we can tell you that it will make a huge difference to your actual cutting experience. If you can control the speed of the blade, and therefore the cutting action, then you will have a lot more control over producing a better finish. This speed variation also helps greatly with cutting different types of materials. Wood needs for example to be cut a different speed to aluminium.

Bevel Cuts

Some jigsaws allow you to cut a bevel shape as the blade can be angled, but the basic ones will not have this feature. You will remember I mentioned the unintended bevel earlier. However there will be times when you want a proper bevel cut, and it is then you will need to get a saw that can do that type of cut. You really only get that option in the more expensive saws.

So those are the main features and more or less all you need to consider before you make any purchase. There are a couple of other features that you should know about.

Orbital Cutting Action

These are basically dialled settings, that slightly alter the pitch of the blade. So rather than just cutting straight up and down in a vertical position, the blade is angled forwards and makes for a more aggressive cut. It certainly speeds things up quite a bit in the cutting process.

Jigsaw Stroke Length

In simple terms the longer the length of the stroke, then the quicker you can cut through the material. Some jigsaws will have only a 1/2″ stroke, whereas the more expensive ones, are more typically 1″ lengths. Again this feature is all about getting things done quicker.

Jigsaw Stroke Depth

This is actually more important than the length of stroke. The blade length, and particularly how far the blade is exposed below the shoe, will determine what thicknesses of wood you can cut.

The better and more expensive jigsaws will be able to cut thicker pieces of wood. These do vary quite a bit so always check the actual specification on the saw before buying. That will ensure the jigsaw is capable of doing the task.

Blade Guard

Any jigsaw should have a guard for obvious health and safety reasons. We have seen far too many people remove this to try and see the cutting line better. That is a huge mistake.

A jigsaw with a blow function on it means there should never be any problems with being able to see the cutting line. In any case please do not remove the guard as it is there to protect your fingers.

Price Differences When Buying Jigsaws

So with such a wide fluctuation in price, you can bet there is quite a difference between a standard basic jigsaw at around £25 and one that will set you back £100 or more. Let’s have a look at what you should be on the look out for, and then you can decide which grade of jigsaw you actually need.

Most people want a decent quality jigsaw at an affordable price. The reason for that is that unless you plan to do a lot of different projects, then the reality is that you will use this a few times, but for the most part it will simply sit around your garage.

As long as the saw can do what you need it to do for your main projects, then that is all you really need. If you are a professional, a construction worker, or someone who will use this a lot, then you probably already know that you need one at the higher end of the range.

I think around £25-50 should be enough to spend for most people. A professional will probably spend anything between £100-150 to get all the features that they will need. That of course is just a guide and there are plenty of price options in between to suit most budgets.

So now it is time to talk about features. Something like the Black and Decker KS500 we mentioned earlier works really well for basic home use.

Project Ideas for a Jigsaw

It is really useful to have one of these if you plan to do a few projects around the home. One popular use is to cut out the shape of a sink in a kitchen worktop. Whatever the reason you are buying a jigsaw, then believe me, it will get plenty of use.

These can also be used for:

• Trimming Door Heights
• Cutting decking boards
• Cutting Laminate Flooring
• Home Maintenance
• Making Bevels
• Shelving

The amount of use is the one determining factor, that you should consider, when you are going to buy one of these. They range a lot in price, from the very basic at around £25, and go all the way up to around £150.

To be honest if you are only going to be using it for the odd job every now and then, then the Black & Decker model we mentioned above will do the job nicely. There is no need to spend any more than around £25.

If it is going to get a fair amount of use, or you are planning to use it on a bigger project, then go for the Bosch model we mentioned above. The professionals or serious DIY people will more than likely go for the Dewalt or a similar brand.

They are handy for making short cross cuts on boards or for finishing off corner cuts. These are not good for making long straight cuts, and you really should be using a circular saw for that type of work.

I would only recommend using a jigsaw on softwood that is about an inch and a half in thickness. If cutting through harder woods, then the thickness, should be no more than about 3/4″.

You may well ask why there is such a variation in price, and that is what I will cover below in this buying guide.

Cutting Straight Edges with a Jigsaw

A lot of users complain that when they use this type of saw, then the actual cut they achieve is not perfectly straight. In most cases the cut ends up having what is termed a bevel edge to it.

That is usually because people are trying to cut thick pieces of wood. When you try to do this, the thin blade starts to bend, and it is this slight curvature that causes the bevel, or rounded type of cut, along the cutting line.

They are just not made to deal with really heavy work, or really tough woods. The blade tends to bend even more when it encounters hard woods, and that is made worse as the user then applies more force, which causes the blade to bend even further.

Stronger and better made jigsaws will not have as much blade deflection as the lighter ones, where there will be more play in the blade.