festool jigsaws

[pingvinlakrits]

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.

 

[Peterm]

Hey there.

I'm london-based and have the Festool Trion with the body/barrel grip; nice machine, though it was my first 'serious' jigsaw so I don't have much to compare it to. The Bosch 1590 that's so well-regarded here isn't available in the UK, so your choices are pretty limited; if you want a barrel-grip jiggy in Britain, then it's the Trion or a Makita 4351, basically!

There's no question cut-line can be hard to see, but I can live with it - as I say, I don't have much to compare it to, which may be a blessing
For me, the barrel grip makes perfect sense, and using a top-handle jigsaw seems very odd now. Dust collection on the Festool is so-so, but better than nothing, and for the record I've never considered using my jigsaw upside-down!

The Festool is more expensive than the Makita (surprise) by about ?100 or so, but I don't regret buying mine.

Hope this helps, Pete.

 

[nate858]

I have had my Festool barrel grip jigsaw for a year. And once you get used to the sight line, there is not a better  jig out there.  I personally look straight back at the saw  ahead of the cut and have had very good results.

 

[pingvinlakrits]

PeterM: I love your avatar. It is very cool!

 

[Peterm]

PeterM: I love your avatar. It is very cool!

Thank you! It's a Venetian letterbox/doorbell and whenever we visit I become mildly obsessed with them. As far as I can tell they're not intended to be face-like, just some of them are. More photos of them here if you're interested

Cheers, Peter

 

[lordinteriors]

thanks to all you guys im from the uk but appreciate everyones contribution to my post

thanks again
lee

 

[robski]

hows it going lee? the first barrel grip jigsaw i ever used was the festool and i hate using anything else now, its extremely comfortable and if your cutting out sections in large sheet materials (i build a lot of exib stands) or working over head you get much better reach because of the way your hand is placed. i totally agree with nicko you never get good extraction with any jigsaw and i dont even bother plugging mine in now.

 

[richard.selwyn]

Dear Peterm,
I just got back from a week in Venice and wasted a good half an hour watching someone making those door buzzer thingies out of stone through the dusty window of his shop.  I had never noticed that they have a face like quality - your photos are great!

 

[lordinteriors]

hello agaiafter alot of thinking i went ahed and ordered the trion on tuesday and received it today the company registered my tool for the 3 year warranty aswell so i am more than happy, however i havent had a go with it yet so i will let you know how i get on with it and for my next job where i will be using it quite a bit i will post my first set of pictures on fog thanks for all your advice guys

lee