DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hi,

I am planing a few projects in and around the house where I will need a jigsaw. I could hire one but as I will need it a few times it might be better to buy one.

I've made the mistake before of buying a cheapish power tool (a bosh cordless drill from Homebase) which wasn't up for the job (now bought a DeWalt).

I don't want to spend too much but it should be a solid build up for the job. Ideally I would want a cordless one.

Do you have any recommendations? I know DeWalt is good but normally too expensive. I've seen some Erbauer Jigsaws on Screwfix. Are they any good?

Thanks for your help

I would go for makita look on ebay for the best deals

I'd recommend the Draper 76218 Pt400V 230V 400W Jigsaw. I brought it a few months ago and its a great power tool! I brought mine from http://www.bamfordtrading.com as it was the cheapest I could find, hope that helps

I know this is an old post on a "recommendation for electric jigsaw" but feel it is worth commenting in order to help out any members that are unsure of what would be a good buy.

Taking users budgets into account. as with most things i feel you will ultimately get what you pay for, however an electric Black & Decker Jigsaw has seen me complete many tasks perfectly especially as regards home DIY. For cutting wood up to around 50mm maximum thickness my trusty jigsaw has not missed a beat, i have also used it on thin sheet steel for a small engineering project at work. The exact model of jigsaw i own is no longer produced by this power tool manufacturer but the nearest model to it as of now appears to be the Black & Decker KS500. Remember, most home users will not want to cut metals such as hard Sheffield Steel, but will want to cut occasional pieces of timber, perhaps for in the home or garden, or for use on a hobby basis. For professional use you need to look at a higher specification range of tool such as those sold under the Bosch, Dewalt, Hitachi, or Makita range. I can remember a work colleague having a "Blue" Bosch 2000 jigsaw and it would tackle large sectional pieces of wood like it was going through butter.

There is another alternative too though! If you need a heavy duty tool for carrying out a particular work task, perhaps in your business, have you thought of hiring one? You could buy an inexpensive one such as the Black and Decker for the odd jobs you have too carry out that its capable of, and hire a heavy duty trade jigsaw when you need to?

I hope this reply is of use to you.

If you can afford one, buy a festool body grip psb 300 or similar. I've had one for seven years and its still as good as day one, even a used one from eBay would be a good buy. Brand new you get 3years warranty and in the event of theft, you only pay £100 pounds for a replacement.
Promise you won't own a better jigsaw.