Carvex, Mains or Cordless

[knickam]

Good Day Everyone,

First post from a wannabe Festool Nut.

Very much a hobby woodworker and starting to change over to festool gear.

At the moment looking to get a Carvex Jigsaw to replace my ageing dewalt cordless in the next couple of weeks.

It will be used in the garage with plenty of available power points.

I like the feel of the lighter mains model but would I miss the flexibility of a cordless model?

What would be your choice, Lighter mains model or the cordless version?

Cheers
Ian

 

[yetihunter]

Do you either own or plan to purchase a dust collector/vac with an auto-start function?

 

[knickam]

Yes I have an auto start dust collector and the corded version would take advantage of this.

Its just I have seen some mixed reviews about how effective the dust collection is on these saws.

 

[chrisrosenb]

I have the corded version in my shop. I never saw an advantage to using a cordless jig saw in the shop.
I have a corded & cordless in my work truck. The cordless gets used as much as the corded.

If you lower the  chip guard, dust collection is not bad. It is even better with the chip guard lowered & using a splinter guard.
Dust collection is awful if the chip guard is not lowered.

 

[Staniam]

If you have Festool drills in either 18v or 15v it could make sense getting a cordless. Having owned both and in your same situation I would opt for the corded. The nice thing about the Carvex is the cord is on a vertical swivel which makes it easier to do circles. The cordless would make more sense for jobsite but if you're in the garage go with the corded and take advantage of the auto function of the extractors.

 

[DB10]

Try doing a search on hear, as this subject has been brought up a few times recently with good arguments for both versions, Personally I like the freedom of no hose or lead on my jigsaw, dust on any jigsaw is what it is.

 

[Acrobat]

I have the carvex cordless and a corded other brand jigsaw. The convenience of cordless is good and I tend to use it more but the battery doesn't last too long so factor in extra for the charger and a spare battery if you're just getting the basic kit. Heavier with the battery too.
I like the fact the cord doesn't get in the way like a corded version so I am able to manoeuvre it around easier, I found no matter where I positioned the saw the damn cord sooner or later was a pain.
Having said that, the vac hose is a drag for a jigsaw and even with it there's still plenty of debris so if you want real freedom then remove the cord and vac hose but suffer the battery life and dust.
One last thing, if you have CMS table now or in the future you may think of placing a jigsaw module in it (or make your own) so best get the corded version as you can plug it into the CMS on/off switch rather than having to reach under and fumble for the jigsaws on/off switch itself as I have to do currently. The cordless will fit but it's tight, and of course Festool does not officially recommend placing the battery version in the CMS table-probably for that reason.
Get some spare zero clearance inserts as you'll find they get used and abused easily. Give the new tool a good look over, in my case I have had to send my carvex back twice for repairs- little blade adjustment grub screw keeps falling out. I feel it's a rather poor design having to adjust with an little allen key when the rest is all tool-free adjustment. I wish they would come up with a better way to set the blade guides. Apart from that its a good tool.

 

[bobfog]

I'd get the corded version, the Bosch 160 GCE corded version, that is.

It sends shivers down my spine when people introduce themselves as looking to "change over to Festool"!

Festool have about half a dozen tools that are truly special, the rest are just non-descript competitors in a wide market. Don't be a fool and think that you need every tool Festool offer at great expense that is not needed.

 

[Holmz]

I'd get the corded version, the Bosch 160 GCE corded version, that is.

It sends shivers down my spine when people introduce themselves as looking to "change over to Festool"!

Festool have about half a dozen tools that are truly special, the rest are just non-descript competitors in a wide market. Don't be a fool and think that you need every tool Festool offer at great expense that is not needed.

The OP could poke into the search function "Carvex" or "Carvex issues"

 

[ear3]

If you see yourself getting other Festool cordless tools, like the drills, the TSC55 or the soon to be released HKC, then I would say go for the cordless.  You can then ditch both the cord and the hose, and be completely unobstructed when you do curved or circle work.  I have the corded version, but when I'm doing precision work on the jigsaw I take off the hose, because it snags very easily and so can mess up a cut.  You can get around this by elevating the hose (either the boom arm, or some contraption you rig up yourself, like hooks hung from the ceiling of your shop), but that option is not always available.  And unlike other tools, where it's not a big deal to sling the hose over your shoulder, because of how most of us use the jigsaw -- leaning over the tool and getting your head pretty low to the work surface to track the progress of the cut -- the over the shoulder hose option with the Carvex isn't all that viable.

 

[knickam]

Thanks for the reply lads,

Just as I thought pros and cons for them both.

Will get my hands on them before I make a purchase.

If you use the jigsaws without dust collection are you still able to see your cutting line or do you have to keep blowing the dust away to see it?

 

[knickam]

I'd get the corded version, the Bosch 160 GCE corded version, that is.

It sends shivers down my spine when people introduce themselves as looking to "change over to Festool"!

Festool have about half a dozen tools that are truly special, the rest are just non-descript competitors in a wide market. Don't be a fool and think that you need every tool Festool offer at great expense that is not needed.

Oh I am not planning on changing every tool to Festool, At the moment all I have a TS55 and a domino.
I am more than happy with most of my dewalt gear.
I have never been totally happy with my dewalt jigsaw that I have had for well over 10 years so thought I would go for a carvex as I can use it with the guide rails if required.

The bosch you quote is a highly rated jigsaw by a lot of people as is the carvex.
As I don't really have the opportunity to do a hands on comparison before I buy I will have to pay my money and see if I am happy with my decision.

 

[chrisrosenb]

Thanks for the reply lads,

Just as I thought pros and cons for them both.

Will get my hands on them before I make a purchase.

If you use the jigsaws without dust collection are you still able to see your cutting line or do you have to keep blowing the dust away to see it?

The Carvex does not have a built in dust blower, so if the user does not use dust collection, the user has to provide the dust blower or guess where the cut line is.

 

[Svar]

I don't use dust collection with jigsaw because:
a) the hose is an obstruction when doing complex curves.
b) unlike router or circular saw, jigsaw does not create much of airborne dust (with blower off). Easy to cleanup afterwards. Even better with cutting metals when chips simply drop on a nice pile.
If you are not doing heavy cutting cordless is a good option.

 

[Staniam]

I don't use dust collection with jigsaw because:
a) the hose is an obstruction when doing complex curves.
b) unlike router or circular saw, jigsaw does not create much of airborne dust (with blower off). Easy to cleanup afterwards. Even better with cutting metals when chips simply drop on a nice pile.
If you are not doing heavy cutting cordless is a good option.

Very true for most jigsaws, the Bosch JS572EBL actually has very, very good dust extraction. The dust shroud completely encloses the front of the saw and the dust spout swivels which essentially takes away the "stiffness" 9f the hose.

 

[RADuffy]

I have the corded carvex, and I love it. I had a makita and a porter cable before it, and being a finish carpenter I have used most of the others available, the DeWalt corded and cordless, other porter cable corded and cordless, and several different models of bosch's offerings. I opted for the corded option because I honestly always am near a plug or have an extension cord at hand, I also do have a festool vac. My brother just borrowed my carvex to build some corbels on a project he's doing. He owns about 6 different jig saws of the varying brands listed above and he was blown away about the crispness of the cut, no tear out on 4x4 cedar, and zero blade deflection. I am not saying that some of the other brands cannot match that type of cut, I'm just saying that I've never used one that can duplicate those results. For what it's worth, I'd say if you are a hobbyist, working from your home shop, save yourself a few bucks and go corded!