On 16 Dec 2004 05:22:58 -0800, "Squanklin" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>I'm a homeowner who will give light to moderate use of a jigsaw. Which
>would you suggest as the best one for such use? Can I get by with a
>$49 Skil at HD, or should I go with something at $100+?
I had a discussion similar to this with a friend of mine shortly after
I bought my Bosch barrel grip jigsaw (the only correct choice, by the
way). I have always appreciated good tools and have never minded the
price one has to pay to get them. Harbor Freight bottom feeders could
outfit a whole shop for what I gladly pay for a single tool.
That said, the crux of our discussion (he would have fit nicely in
that HFbf category if he even cared about tools enough to take a
label) was that after he recovered from the shock of me paying $150
for the saw, he said, "I could buy an el-cheapo, cut my paneling (the
minor project for which he needed a jigsaw in the first place), and
throw it away, FIVE TIMES for that price."
Given his niggardliness, I had no retort.
Only you can answer the "can I get by" question.
But, trust me, there is a difference in the tools.
- -
LRod
Master Woodbutcher and seasoned termite
Shamelessly whoring my website since 1999
http://www.woodbutcher.net
here is the thing, I have a el-cheepo skill, I use it one every other year,
maybe. I would rather spend the money on something I'll use a lot more
offten
LRod wrote:
> On 16 Dec 2004 05:22:58 -0800, "Squanklin" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>>I'm a homeowner who will give light to moderate use of a jigsaw. Which
>>would you suggest as the best one for such use? Can I get by with a
>>$49 Skil at HD, or should I go with something at $100+?
>
> I had a discussion similar to this with a friend of mine shortly after
> I bought my Bosch barrel grip jigsaw (the only correct choice, by the
> way). I have always appreciated good tools and have never minded the
> price one has to pay to get them. Harbor Freight bottom feeders could
> outfit a whole shop for what I gladly pay for a single tool.
>
> That said, the crux of our discussion (he would have fit nicely in
> that HFbf category if he even cared about tools enough to take a
> label) was that after he recovered from the shock of me paying $150
> for the saw, he said, "I could buy an el-cheapo, cut my paneling (the
> minor project for which he needed a jigsaw in the first place), and
> throw it away, FIVE TIMES for that price."
>
> Given his niggardliness, I had no retort.
>
> Only you can answer the "can I get by" question.
>
> But, trust me, there is a difference in the tools.
>
> - -
> LRod
>
> Master Woodbutcher and seasoned termite
>
> Shamelessly whoring my website since 1999
>
> http://www.woodbutcher.net
On 16 Dec 2004 05:22:58 -0800, "Squanklin" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>I'm a homeowner who will give light to moderate use of a jigsaw.
Unless you don;t mind it being a rubbish jigsaw while you are using
it, go up-market. The difference is a better balanced mechanism and
more accurate cutting.
I like the Bosch barrel-bodies (Swiss made by Scintilla)
--
Smert' spamionam
Squanklin wrote:
> I'm a homeowner who will give light to moderate use of a jigsaw. Which
> would you suggest as the best one for such use? Can I get by with a
> $49 Skil at HD, or should I go with something at $100+?
The "I'm a homeowner" part to me suggests that you might be getting this
for "construction" uses, such as cutting the odd hole for a junction
work, etc. If that is the case and you don't mind not-terribly-accurate
rough results (often the case if things are going to be covered up
anyway), a cheap one will do you fine for light usage. If you need to do
finer work, you will need to spend more to have any hope of not tearing
your hair out or doing a lot of post-sawing work.
You will get lots of "buy the best you can afford" advice here, but that
is silly; buy the one that suits your needs. If you need to do fine
work, pay up. Otherwise, cheap out.
Grizzly has a "managers special" for a Bosch clone and an exacto knife set
for around $70.00. I recently purchased one and it's acceptable at the
price.
--
Rumpty
Radial Arm Saw Forum: http://forums.delphiforums.com/woodbutcher/start
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Squanklin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm a homeowner who will give light to moderate use of a jigsaw. Which
> would you suggest as the best one for such use? Can I get by with a
> $49 Skil at HD, or should I go with something at $100+?
> Thanks!
> Squanklin
>
I have the "Orbital" Skil. http://tinyurl.com/59nbe It works fine for me.
Advise:
1. Take your time and remember to turn from the back, not from the front (am
I describing that well?) The aim is to keep sideways pressure off the blade.
It makes a big difference.
2. Keep blades fresh.
3. For this saw, the "Orbital is fairly useless unless you are hacking off
something. It WILL need to be cleaned up due to extreme splintering if in
orbital.
4. The variable speed is minorly useful.
5. Blade changes are super-easy.
6. I have yet to find a use for the miter feature at the base.
I picked up a Delta Shopmaster scroll saw to play around with when it was on
sale at Lowes for $40 one day. Not the best tool, but it suppliments the
scroll saw and sure does come in handy since I don't have a bandsaw.
Jay
"Squanklin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm a homeowner who will give light to moderate use of a jigsaw. Which
> would you suggest as the best one for such use? Can I get by with a
> $49 Skil at HD, or should I go with something at $100+?
> Thanks!
> Squanklin
>
Squanklin wrote:
> I'm a homeowner who will give light to moderate use of a jigsaw. Which
> would you suggest as the best one for such use? Can I get by with a
> $49 Skil at HD, or should I go with something at $100+?
The problem with cheap jigsaws is not their durability but their precision.
A Bosch with one of their "progressor" blades gives an amazingly smooth
cut--if you've not seen it you won't believe that a jigsaw can cut like
that. A cheap saw will give you a rough cut no matter what kind of blade
you use. I don't think that there is any other power tool for which the
difference in cut quality between "cheap" and "good" is so large.
Coastal Tool <http://www.coastaltool.com> has Bosch for $139 and
shipping--you won't be sorry you paid the price.
> Thanks!
> Squanklin
--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
"Squanklin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm a homeowner who will give light to moderate use of a jigsaw. Which
> would you suggest as the best one for such use? Can I get by with a
> $49 Skil at HD, or should I go with something at $100+?
> Thanks!
> Squanklin
If you do not mind the vibration that may make it difficult to follow a
line, if you do not have to follow a line closely, if you do not need to
have a "square as possible to the surface" cut, and will use it for relative
short periods of times, get the cheap one. No need to buy better if it is
going to sit on the shelf 99% of it's life with you.
If you think it will come close to seeing moderate use or high on the lite
side save yourself some frustration and get a saw in the $100+ range.
Milwaukee makes a great saw and Bosch has a great saw. Look for the "NEW
lever operated" blade release model from Bosch.
I would warn against Skil, B&D, and DeWalt. The DeWalts are huge and there
are numerous complaints about it spitting out its blade during operation. I
have had this happen to me also so it is not an urban legend.
"Squanklin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> I'm a homeowner who will give light to moderate use of a jigsaw. Which
> would you suggest as the best one for such use? Can I get by with a
> $49 Skil at HD, or should I go with something at $100+?
IMHO, it's not a question of usage, but of quality.
I rarely use mine, but when I need it, I want good results. I didn't think
it was a big deal until I tossed my $49 Craftsman away for the Milwaukee a
couple of years ago.
Wow, what a difference.
It wasn't me, in this rare case, it was the tool.
Squanklin wrote:
> I'm a homeowner who will give light to moderate use of a jigsaw. Which
> would you suggest as the best one for such use? Can I get by with a
> $49 Skil at HD, or should I go with something at $100+?
> Thanks!
> Squanklin
>
I have a Craftsman (Rinky-dink model IIRC). It's difficult to change
blades and it vibrates enough that cutting along a line is a real
challenge (one I have always lost). I would love a Bosch but I can't
justify it. I just don't use it enough. Catch-22?
mahalo,
jo4hn
In article <[email protected]>,
Squanklin <[email protected]> wrote:
>I'm a homeowner who will give light to moderate use of a jigsaw. Which
>would you suggest as the best one for such use? Can I get by with a
>$49 Skil at HD, or should I go with something at $100+?
>Thanks!
>Squanklin
>
You'll have to determine how much jigsawing you really want to do.
"Moderate" use means you might want to get a quality unit. Unlike a
circular saw, where the $29 cheapy would be OK for a homeowner
occasionally cutting a 2X4, a $29 jigsaw just will not cut a
curve with the same eas and accuracy that a $150 jigsaw will. I've
never tried the $49 Skil so can't comment on that unit. I have a
Milwaukee which works extremely well, and the Bosh jigsaws also are
rated at or close to the top. One thing I can advise on, unless your
needs are very undemanding, don't even bother with a saw that does not
have a roller guide behind the blade.
--
Larry Wasserman Baltimore, Maryland
[email protected]