carvex 420 corded or cordless?

[Dan1210]

hi guys thinking of selling my psb 300 and going for the new carvex, now the decision is either corded or cordless? what do you use? i find i hardly use my jigsaw and the cordless might just cut it...
the only thing that worries me is having a flat battery right when you need it! although i think im gonna go for a new c drill too, which might be the deciding factor. I see a lot more people with cordless jigsaws now but they have never really caught my attention until now,  another thing is most of my work is on site not in a workshop. Thanks.

 

[Dan1210]

oh and body grip vs d handle, i have always preferred the d handle myself...

 

[ajones]

I would not buy any festool jigsaw and why you need adjustable blade guides that must be adjusted every time you change the blade is beyond me..

 

[Davej]

oh and body grip vs d handle, i have always preferred the d handle myself...

I would think if  you get it with 2 batteries then  that would alleviate the problem of battery dying on you , as  soon as you sense it fading just swop . The  D handle grip is pretty slim on the carvex compared to trion , and any other jigsaw  for that matter , but you can use it upside down if needed and hold the body and use the switches on the body . It really comes down to just what you use it for and for how long you use it in any given time frame . I have a 400 corded as i use it for prolonged periods so dont want hassle of always stopping to swap batteries. The carvex has had a bit/ lot of  mixed reviews and seems a bit of a lottery wether you get a good or bad one , fortunately i have a good one but still not sure wether its really worth the premium price over other makes .

 

[Dan1210]

I would not buy any festool jigsaw and why you need adjustable blade guides that must be adjusted every time you change the blade is beyond me..

my psb 300 has been great! never had to adjust anything on that, i saw peter parfitts video on the carvex and i did see him adjusting the blade guides, is this the case for every blade change?

 

[ajones]

I would not buy any festool jigsaw and why you need adjustable blade guides that must be adjusted every time you change the blade is beyond me..

my psb 300 has been great! never had to adjust anything on that, i saw peter parfitts video on the carvex and i did see him adjusting the blade guides, is this the case for every blade change?

I do not own one, I have tryed it at the kempton park/d&m tools thing, it cut ok I was told the guide need to be adjusted every time the blade it changed

I own the mafell p1cc no guides needed simples... but no cordless version.

 

[jmbfestool]

The old model carvex was rubbish but I have  found the new model to be alot better.

I like the new carvex now.  I have the cordless version because like you're self I hardly ever use my jigsaw really.  So setting up a lead just to jigsaw something annoyed me not only that less wire mess.

Depending on what thickness material your cutting the batterie life is okay.  If you will be using the carvex for longer periods the corded is best but if your going to use it once in a blue moon for long periods then having 3-4batteries can keep you going.

Warning though you can drain the batteries very quickly if you pushed it hard.

I own 8 batteries so I can keep my self going for a while!  [tongue]

 

[vajoiner]

Dan, I got a corded body grip last week. Mostly doing kitchen and bedrooms at the moment .
I Also have a cordless Makita , so got a corded for switching the vac.
Martin

 

[skids]

I would not buy any festool jigsaw and why you need adjustable blade guides that must be adjusted every time you change the blade is beyond me..

my psb 300 has been great! never had to adjust anything on that, i saw peter parfitts video on the carvex and i did see him adjusting the blade guides, is this the case for every blade change?

I do not own one, I have tryed it at the kempton park/d&m tools thing, it cut ok I was told the guide need to be adjusted every time the blade it changed

I own the mafell p1cc no guides needed simples... but no cordless version.

And it's only twice the price of the Festool!

 

[ajones]

I would not buy any festool jigsaw and why you need adjustable blade guides that must be adjusted every time you change the blade is beyond me..

my psb 300 has been great! never had to adjust anything on that, i saw peter parfitts video on the carvex and i did see him adjusting the blade guides, is this the case for every blade change?

I do not own one, I have tryed it at the kempton park/d&m tools thing, it cut ok I was told the guide need to be adjusted every time the blade it changed

I own the mafell p1cc no guides needed simples... but no cordless version.

And it's only twice the price of the Festool!

its twice the jigsaw, oh and its not a trion in a new pair of trousers [doh]

 

[RC]

My old Carvex 400 cordless didn't really give you warning before the battery is dead. So pre-empting when to swap batteries is hard. I swapped for a corded barrel grip 420 but I never go onsite and needed the corded version for CMS use.

 

[Stone Message]

Body grip and battery power...

I really thought that a battery would be a nuisance for a jig saw but I take it with me on little outings. Jimmy the jigsaw meets my friends at the wood yard and shows them how easy it is to win bets cutting through railway sleepers. Then, if he is good, he is allowed to cut some normal wood to length so that it fits on the roof rack. He never lets me down, keep on the straight and narrow and never makes mistakes.

Peter

 

[Julian Tracy]

I sold the couple of Trion's I had specifically for the fact that the blade guides on the Trion needed to be adjusted every time you changed to a different width blade.  As someone that uses their jigsaw for a lot of metal work as well as wood, adjusting those guides is a PIA.

The Bosch (1590 series) has auto-adjusting guides as well as a much lower price (price diff not so much now as the Bosch has been re-positioned at a higher price, and the Trion has had a price drop...)

Don't be fooled by the latest Bosch jigsaws - they don't have the lower blade guides at all, the earlier 1590/91 series are the saws to have.

JT

 

[Stone Message]

I sold the couple of Trion's I had specifically for the fact that the blade guides on the Trion needed to be adjusted every time you changed to a different width blade.  As someone that uses their jigsaw for a lot of metal work as well as wood, adjusting those guides is a PIA.

The Bosch (1590 series) has auto-adjusting guides as well as a much lower price (price diff not so much now as the Bosch has been re-positioned at a higher price, and the Trion has had a price drop...)

Don't be fooled by the latest Bosch jigsaws - they don't have the lower blade guides at all, the earlier 1590/91 series are the saws to have.

JT

I can understand that automatic guide adjustment would be an improvement (provided it was not at the expense of accuracy) but it really only does take a very  short amount of time - maybe as little as 15 seconds - about the same time that some people spending rubbing their PIA !

Peter

 

[festoolviking]

Hi Dan

I've got the 300 with the "barrel grip" and I will never go back to a D handle. The reason for that is that with the barrel grip I can get good control with the saw upside-down which is the way I use it when I do fine work. You get a nice cut on the good side which is facing up letting the blade cut IN to the good side. This way you don't have to worry about the splinterguard since that's on the rough side (unless it's visible).
When you turn the saw upside-down you can see and follow the cut-line easier and the most part of the dust is below the workpiece.
When I do rough cuts I use it the "normal" way, since it's hard to see the line with the dustshroud on.
When cutting curves it gives me good control holding the top-handle with one hand and steering the saw with my other hand holding the "barrel". I know it takes some time to get used to cutting upside down but once you get the hang of it, it'll give you more ways of using a jigsaw.
This is of course just my opinion and I'm pretty sure many will disagree. I would advice you to try out the barrel-grip as I describe and try the same with a D-handle. And finally, why not keep your 300 and get a second one then you'll have two and you can have them set with two different blades, saves you adjusting everytime you change blades.

Festoolviking

 

[Dan1210]

thanks for the info chaps! there was a few times today when racking out my van i wished i had a cordless jiggie, the only thing that concerns me about the barrel grip is its either on or off, with the d handle you get the trigger which is easier to control if you get into trouble...

 

[Stone Message]

thanks for the info chaps! there was a few times today when racking out my van i wished i had a cordless jiggie, the only thing that concerns me about the barrel grip is its either on or off, with the d handle you get the trigger which is easier to control if you get into trouble...

I felt the same way at first but after a while you get used to the new approach. If you had never seen a barrel grip with a dead man's handle you would not worry now.

Peter

 

[Dan1210]

Hi Dan

I've got the 300 with the "barrel grip" and I will never go back to a D handle. The reason for that is that with the barrel grip I can get good control with the saw upside-down which is the way I use it when I do fine work. You get a nice cut on the good side which is facing up letting the blade cut IN to the good side. This way you don't have to worry about the splinterguard since that's on the rough side (unless it's visible).
When you turn the saw upside-down you can see and follow the cut-line easier and the most part of the dust is below the workpiece.
When I do rough cuts I use it the "normal" way, since it's hard to see the line with the dustshroud on.
When cutting curves it gives me good control holding the top-handle with one hand and steering the saw with my other hand holding the "barrel". I know it takes some time to get used to cutting upside down but once you get the hang of it, it'll give you more ways of using a jigsaw.
This is of course just my opinion and I'm pretty sure many will disagree. I would advice you to try out the barrel-grip as I describe and try the same with a D-handle. And finally, why not keep your 300 and get a second one then you'll have two and you can have them set with two different blades, saves you adjusting everytime you change blades.

Hey thanks for your advice and I think you are right for what I would get 2nd hand for my d handle trion it's worth keeping and having the barrel grip cordless!

Festoolviking