Jig Saw: mafell or . . .

[rst]

A awful lot of jigsaw problems is, in my (not so humble.. 50 years of experience) opinion, is user error and expectations.  When I use my 40 year old Skilsaw, I'm shoving thru thru hard because I know that it will cut anything from steel to concrete.  What I don't expect is for it to give me a cut that will be within 1-2mm for start to finish.  I also have a 30 some year old Bosch that I have cut aluminum, glass, wood, and steel.  I have the two Carvex', corded and cordless and both cut to my expectations.  I use my tools to make parts for commercial refrigeration part replacements and they work great for me. I have made thousands of $s worth of parts in the last ten years and I have no complaints regarding anything I've fabricated in that time frame. 

 

[MrToolJunkie]

I agree that practice is a key part of any woodworking process and I also agree that you need to have the right expectations for what a tool can and cannot do. For me I need as accurate a cut as possible on certain joints in furniture. Other methods may require lots of jigs or I just do not feel safe using that method. In these scenarios the right jigsaw works very well. So it provides me with value for what it does. Might not be the same for other users and some folks only want to spend a certain amount for the tool. All understandable and that is why it is good for lots of options in the market. 

 

[rizzoa13]

Every time I pick up the t-loc for my P1CC I smile because using it is enjoyable. I've had plenty of other jigsaws and every time I'd go to grab them I'd grimace. That's not really a metric you can put a dollar sign to, but I put a lot of stock in my happiness so take it for what it is.

 

[abates]

So I went ahead and bought the Mafell.  I figured I had most of the money from selling my Carvex, I only had to chip in the extra 260 (which bought me the angling base and a small track and shipping).  A few questions for those of you who own one, does it get pretty warm when you are using it?  I bought one from the UK, 110v 50hz but was told by the seller that Mafell uses universal motor that works on 120 and 60hz.  But I was cutting out some corbels yesterday and noticed it was warmer than I remember a jigsaw being.  I am probably being hyper vigilant because it is an expensive jigsaw.  Any feed back would help.  Cheers,
Abe

 

[MrToolJunkie]

Barrel grip saws can get warm, especially when working them hard. I do not think mine has gotten uncomfortably warm, but it definitely warms up on the handle and the knob. It is the same with every other barrel grip saw that I have used. I would not worry too much about it unless it is too hot to even handle.

 

[Cheese]

But I was cutting out some corbels yesterday and noticed it was warmer than I remember a jigsaw being.  I am probably being hyper vigilant because it is an expensive jigsaw.  Any feed back would help.  Cheers,

I was using mine this weekend to cut some 5/16" aluminum plate. It did get warm but not unpleasantly so, I chalked it up to just being the nature of the beast.

 

[abates]

So I am really enjoying the jig saw.  It has been very useful on my install last week.  I do miss the led light though. Anyone have thoughts on adding a light to a jig saw? 

 

[bobfog]

I recently picked up the Mafell for a bargain price on eBay. I also have the Bosch 160(UK model). My opinion, it’s a lovely tool, and a pleasure to use. But there is absolutely nothing it can do for my required usage, that I can’t do with the Bosch. So I’ll probably sell on at a profit.

 

[Steven Owen]

Hi all, thanks for pushing me to clarify what I am looking for. My Bosch was a d-handle and I didn't realize until I went to the barrel grip of the carvex that I like the starter and speed control of a trigger switch on the d-handle.  The carvex switch was hard to reach.  But with the start button being what it is, I did like the barrel grip quite a bit.  I guess grip is not a big deal to me.
Gimmicks are not important to me (lights, acceleration before start, etc). Most of the blades I use are small fine cutting wood blades for sink cutouts in counter tops, cutting out electrical access in the back of cabinets, cutting jigs for router templates, or cutting corbels.  I am a professional woodworker, but again, I don't use the jigsaw a ton.  It's just that when I do use it, I want it to work well.  Never had the results that the carvex promised and it seemed like every time I used it I broke two blades from the heat build up on those guides.
I will continue to think on it.  What I do with a jig saw tells me I only need a cheap tool, but my aversion to cheap tools tells me I need the mafell. Sometimes I hate being a consumer. . .

Abates:

Don’t overthink yourself into a corner either.  You’re not a heavy Jig Saw user.  We’re all guilty of making purchases that are largely driven by our egos rather than by necessity. 

The Mafell Jigsaw is the best of the best.  It’s designed for people who are using their jig saws on a daily basis for regular project work.  They need the speed the Mafell offers to finish projects on tight deadlines.  They make a living with their tools so tools that save time are valuable to their work. 

The Bosch 572 is a Mafell made jig saw.  It shares a lot of parts with the pricier Mafell version.  The 572 can cut just an cleanly as the Mafell with a high quality blade but not at full throttle. It will take you longer to make a clean cut with the 572.

You can use the Mafell track with the Bosch 572 track adapter from Europe.

The biggest benfit of the Mafell is its speed.  It cuts accurately at blazing fast speeds.  A cut that takes 3 minutes on the Bosch 572, the Mafell can do the same cut in a minute and a half.

Your project won’t look any better and your cuts will not be any cleaner because you used the Mafell over the Bosch 572 or the Festool Carvex.

 

[Holmz]

...
...  The Bosch 572 is...
track...

Does the same angle foot go onto the 572? (I am not sure if that was the Bosch Jiggy I was looking at or if it is a newer release).
The foot looks identical...

As to the tracks, I believe that they are made by Bosch... One either gets the red printed Mafell version of the Bosch rail, or the same rail with teal coloured printing that says Bosch.
Mine are teal as "in country" they sold them... and there was free shipping.
The tools do not seem to care a lot about the colour/color.

The tracks are good, and the joining connector and clamps can be gotten with a bag.

 

[Svar]

The Bosch 572 is a Mafell made jig saw.  It shares a lot of parts with the pricier Mafell version.

P1 is made in house in Oberndorf just like most of Mafell tools. Its a small company with less then 300 employees. JS572 is made at Bosch factory in Switzerland. Other than both being barrel grip I can't think of anything that is similar between these saws.
You might be thinking about MT55 and GKT55. Those are indeed similar and one is made under licence.

 

[McNally Family]

So I went ahead and bought the Mafell.  I figured I had most of the money from selling my Carvex, I only had to chip in the extra 260 (which bought me the angling base and a small track and shipping).  A few questions for those of you who own one, does it get pretty warm when you are using it?  I bought one from the UK, 110v 50hz but was told by the seller that Mafell uses universal motor that works on 120 and 60hz.  But I was cutting out some corbels yesterday and noticed it was warmer than I remember a jigsaw being.  I am probably being hyper vigilant because it is an expensive jigsaw.  Any feed back would help.  Cheers,
Abe

Congratulations on your new jigsaw purchase! 

 

[Steven Owen]

...
...  The Bosch 572 is...
track...

Does the same angle foot go onto the 572? (I am not sure if that was the Bosch Jiggy I was looking at or if it is a newer release).
The foot looks identical...

As to the tracks, I believe that they are made by Bosch... One either gets the red printed Mafell version of the Bosch rail, or the same rail with teal coloured printing that says Bosch.
Mine are teal as "in country" they sold them... and there was free shipping.
The tools do not seem to care a lot about the colour/color.

The tracks are good, and the joining connector and clamps can be gotten with a bag.

Bosch and Mafell collaborate on a lot of tools.  It’s good for many of us on tigher budgets that can more easily afford to buy the blue versions.

Unfortunately I don’t believe you can put the Mafell footing on the 572 without doing some modifications yourself.

 

[antss]

Which tools besides the xxt55 are they collaborating on ?  After a quick browse of bith catalogs , nothing jumps out at me.

A Festool buyout of Mafell makes little economic sense.  There is much product overlap and Festool isn't big enough to assimilate a similar operation like Mafell and see any kind of sizable return by shutting the doors and eliminating competition.    Mafell's spcialty tools that FT doesn't have like morticers, groovers , ect.... don't really offer a growth market either. So, an acquisition for diversification doesn't look promising either.

 

[Holmz]

So I am really enjoying the jig saw.  It has been very useful on my install last week.  I do miss the led light though. Anyone have thoughts on adding a light to a jig saw?

https://www.wildearth.com.au/buy/black-diamond-icon-headlamp-black-500-lumens/BD620629BLAKALL1

 

[Steven Owen]

Which tools besides the xxt55 are they collaborating on ?  After a quick browse of bith catalogs , nothing jumps out at me.

A Festool buyout of Mafell makes little economic sense.  There is much product overlap and Festool isn't big enough to assimilate a similar operation like Mafell and see any kind of sizable return by shutting the doors and eliminating competition.    Mafell's spcialty tools that FT doesn't have like morticers, groovers , ect.... don't really offer a growth market either. So, an acquisition for diversification doesn't look promising either.

Several the higher priced Bosch Jig Saws and Bosch Sanders have Mafell parts.  Several motors in in different Bosch saws use some Mafell technology. 

Stanley bought Dewalt, Porter Cable and Black and Decker.  There’s lot’s of duplicate skus there.  None of the business lines are hurting.  Technology is traded across the brands to reduce costs when it makes sense. 

A lot of battery technologies designed by Black and Decker are used by Dewalt and Porter Cable.  Several saw and motor designs are shared between Dewalt and Delta.

Bosch might be the one to buy Mafell one day.  Festool would be a better parent than Bosch.  At least Festool understands the high-end tool market.  Bosch has a shareholder culture which never good for a small and beloved brand.

 

[Holmz]

Which tools besides the xxt55 are they collaborating on ?  After a quick browse of bith catalogs , nothing jumps out at me.

A Festool buyout of Mafell makes little economic sense.  There is much product overlap and Festool isn't big enough to assimilate a similar operation like Mafell and see any kind of sizable return by shutting the doors and eliminating competition.    Mafell's spcialty tools that FT doesn't have like morticers, groovers , ect.... don't really offer a growth market either. So, an acquisition for diversification doesn't look promising either.

A) Several the higher priced Bosch Jig Saws and Bosch Sanders have Mafell parts.  Several motors in in different Bosch saws use some Mafell technology. 

B) Stanley bought Dewalt, Porter Cable and Black and Decker.  There’s lot’s of duplicate skus there.  None of the business lines are hurting.  Technology is traded across the brands to reduce costs when it makes sense. 

C) A lot of battery technologies designed by Black and Decker are used by Dewalt and Porter Cable.  Several saw and motor designs are shared between Dewalt and Delta.

D) Bosch might be the one to buy Mafell one day.  Festool would be a better parent than Bosch.  At least Festool understands the high-end tool market.  Bosch has a shareholder culture which never good for a small and beloved brand.

I labeled those.
A - which tools? The GKT55 and MT55? What else?

A - What does a fact of B have to do in any way with the arguments of set A

A - - What does a fact of C have to do in any way with the arguments of set A

D - Better parent in what sense? I do not think a 100 year old respected company needs a parent.
It is like convincing them that they need a master...

 

[Steven Owen]

Which tools besides the xxt55 are they collaborating on ?  After a quick browse of bith catalogs , nothing jumps out at me.

A Festool buyout of Mafell makes little economic sense.  There is much product overlap and Festool isn't big enough to assimilate a similar operation like Mafell and see any kind of sizable return by shutting the doors and eliminating competition.    Mafell's spcialty tools that FT doesn't have like morticers, groovers , ect.... don't really offer a growth market either. So, an acquisition for diversification doesn't look promising either.

A) Several the higher priced Bosch Jig Saws and Bosch Sanders have Mafell parts.  Several motors in in different Bosch saws use some Mafell technology. 

B) Stanley bought Dewalt, Porter Cable and Black and Decker.  There’s lot’s of duplicate skus there.  None of the business lines are hurting.  Technology is traded across the brands to reduce costs when it makes sense. 

C) A lot of battery technologies designed by Black and Decker are used by Dewalt and Porter Cable.  Several saw and motor designs are shared between Dewalt and Delta.

D) Bosch might be the one to buy Mafell one day.  Festool would be a better parent than Bosch.  At least Festool understands the high-end tool market.  Bosch has a shareholder culture which never good for a small and beloved brand.

I labeled those.
A - which tools? The GKT55 and MT55? What else?

A - What does a fact of B have to do in any way with the arguments of set A

A - - What does a fact of C have to do in any way with the arguments of set A

D - Better parent in what sense? I do not think a 100 year old respected company needs a parent.
It is like convincing them that they need a master...

I’m not telling you it will happen.  The possibility is always there.  No ever believed Porter Cable would sell out to Stanley.  No one would have ever thought Freud would become part of Bosch.

Consolidation is just a fact of life in many businesses.  If asked my if Apple would buy Beats 5 years ago, I would’ve told you no way.

The number one rule in business, “everything is for sale at the right price.”

 

[Tommy2000]

In my experience,
The Festool is also a saw which helps in the boosting the speed and the productivity of the work It helps in gaining more efficiency and bring proper and more precision to the work.

The Festools are considered to have better services as compared to the Mafells and this is the reason people tend to shift towards the Festools.

Therefore, I high recommended Festool Jagsaw, Hope can help you.

Reference source: Festool Jagsaw review

 

[Cheese]

In my experience it’s all what you need. Cutting 3/4” or thinner material...the Carvex and Trion are fine. I own both and prefer the Trion unless you’re cutting in the dark where the Carvex excels.
Now the Mafell...ah the Mafell...it’s the best of the best...cutting 2” timber and the cut line is within 1/2 degree or less of perpendicularity. If you are cutting 1” timber, perpendicularity would be expected to be in the 1/4 degree range.