pingvinlakrits
Member
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2007
- Messages
- 1,093
lordinteriors: while I am not from the UK I would like to chime in as I actually own all three of the top contenders:
The Bosch is fairly cheap and very robust, except it doesn't collect dust that well. The new larger Bosch is not a better jigsaw; apparently it has a flaw that the repair centers have found: the mechanism does not withstand the power of the tool and the plunger breaks and damages the machine if pressed too hard. The "original" Bosch is more durable. If it came with Quick In / Fast Fix for the blades I would have still used it as my premier jigsaw. The Bosch lacks only a soft start and fast blade changing mechanism, and dust collection is not top notch to put it mildly.
The Festool has the Trion "claw" which does a marginally better job than the Bosch. Both do a good job when the going gets tough. I like the Festool though it does feel a bit slippery at times (I say that because the Makita has IMO a better grip). I find it harder to see the blade than with the Bosch but the machine works well.
The Makita has a LED light and changes blades fast, it also has a soft start. It has an awkward and small dust collector and the the blade deflects far more easily than both the Bosch and Festool jigsaw. The blades pop out of the blade guide rolls far too easily, they are shallower than on the Bosch/Festool. This has rendered it useless for my purposes (cutouts doing rot repairs) which is a pity as I got it as an "upgrade" when my Bosch was in for repair, I even fitted it with a pigtail. I still have it but see no use for it, really.
I toyed with Milwaukee/AEG as well but their blade guide rolls were similar to the Makitas and I think they would have the same problem.
Ranking for value is Bosch/Festool/Makita
Ranking for performance is Festool/Bosch/Makita
If Makita had gotten the guide rolls keeping the blade in place I would have ranked it first for both value and performance. Now it is only suitable for thinner materials.
The Bosch is fairly cheap and very robust, except it doesn't collect dust that well. The new larger Bosch is not a better jigsaw; apparently it has a flaw that the repair centers have found: the mechanism does not withstand the power of the tool and the plunger breaks and damages the machine if pressed too hard. The "original" Bosch is more durable. If it came with Quick In / Fast Fix for the blades I would have still used it as my premier jigsaw. The Bosch lacks only a soft start and fast blade changing mechanism, and dust collection is not top notch to put it mildly.
The Festool has the Trion "claw" which does a marginally better job than the Bosch. Both do a good job when the going gets tough. I like the Festool though it does feel a bit slippery at times (I say that because the Makita has IMO a better grip). I find it harder to see the blade than with the Bosch but the machine works well.
The Makita has a LED light and changes blades fast, it also has a soft start. It has an awkward and small dust collector and the the blade deflects far more easily than both the Bosch and Festool jigsaw. The blades pop out of the blade guide rolls far too easily, they are shallower than on the Bosch/Festool. This has rendered it useless for my purposes (cutouts doing rot repairs) which is a pity as I got it as an "upgrade" when my Bosch was in for repair, I even fitted it with a pigtail. I still have it but see no use for it, really.
I toyed with Milwaukee/AEG as well but their blade guide rolls were similar to the Makitas and I think they would have the same problem.
Ranking for value is Bosch/Festool/Makita
Ranking for performance is Festool/Bosch/Makita
If Makita had gotten the guide rolls keeping the blade in place I would have ranked it first for both value and performance. Now it is only suitable for thinner materials.