Buying Guide for Jigsaws

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21 points to consider before buying a jigsaw

Great! We’ve decided to buy a jigsaw. But in the market, there are so many brands producing so many different models that we can find a wide variety of jigsaws for sale, making it challenging to find the one that will best meet our needs. It’s time to do a bit of research to make a decision, so let’s look at the different options and features we’ll encounter to make it easier to select our ideal jigsaw.

Mini summary (more detailed at the end): For me, there are some basic points, considering a jigsaw for beginners or those starting to advance in DIY, which are:

• It should be a jigsaw from a good brand with recognized quality.
• Better if it has speed regulation.
• From 450W onwards. And not less than 400W. This is for beginner DIY.
• With a quick blade change system. To change the saw blades without the need for tools. Nowadays, almost essential.
• Buy good quality saw blades. A jigsaw with a bad blade is like a good car with worn-out tires.
• People may disagree, but for me, the pendulum (or orbital, as you prefer to call it) system of the blade never seemed important, unless you have to make many cuts or long cuts where precision is not necessary and you don’t mind chipping a bit more. Or if you need to cut thick wood without much precision, as it helps with the cut and cools the blade better.

Yes, it seems very basic. Do we need more? Do we want a jigsaw that can handle all the projects we have in mind? ➡️ Then let’s look at 21 points that can influence when working with a jigsaw and that we can consider before making our purchase, whether we are buying our first jigsaw, looking for a better one than we have, or needing to buy a professional jigsaw. There are so many different models that choosing the most suitable electric saw can be complicated.

The jigsaw PST 650 is one of the best-selling jigsaws on Amazon, it’s the one I use most often and in my opinion has a great quality-price ratio. But I use it practically only for cutting wood. If you are looking for a jigsaw to cut metal often, you should look for a jigsaw with variable speed. Keep reading 😀.

💎 21 points to consider before buying a jigsaw:

Some like the stroke length may not be key factors in most purchases, but it’s good to know all these points.

1. What will you use the jigsaw for? A cheap and low-power jigsaw may be sufficient for very occasional use and simple cuts, but if you want to take DIY seriously, I recommend buying a good quality machine of at least 500W. And for more professional and intensive uses, we can go to jigsaws of more than 600W. Read more.

2. The grip system of our jigsaw is important. For DIY, jigsaws with a D-shaped or bow handle are usually used, but many professionals prefer the barrel grip that doesn’t have a handle. Because they can handle it more precisely when cutting curves or because they grip it better for inverted cutting. Read more.

3. Pendulum jigsaws have a system that allows faster cutting at the expense of less precision and more splintering. Mine doesn’t have it, and I don’t miss it. But it is a feature that professionals who often need to make many cuts quickly appreciate. Read more.

4. It is important that the jigsaw has speed control, especially if you plan to use it to cut metal. But the one I have doesn’t have it, and I don’t miss it. Read more.

5. It is always useful if the base can be tilted to change the cutting angle of the jigsaw. Although it is challenging to achieve precise cuts with the exact vertical angle we want to cut. Read more.

6. Modern jigsaws usually come with a quick blade change system. But these curious blade clamping systems can vary greatly from brand to brand and even within different models of the same brand. Read more.

7. Some jigsaws have a connection for a vacuum system at the back. But unless they are designed consciously, vacuum systems on jigsaws usually don’t work as well as we would like. Read more.

8. On the other hand, I find the sawdust blowing system on some jigsaws interesting. This system allows us to see the cutting line better by not letting sawdust accumulate in front of the blade. Read more.

9. Some jigsaws come with a small LED light that allows us to see better where we are cutting. But let’s not neglect the lighting of the workshop or the area where we are going to work. Read more.

10. Generally, all jigsaws we can buy come with a simple side guide that “hooks” with screws or small knobs to the base of the jigsaw. It helps to make straight cuts in some specific cases. Some jigsaws don’t come with it as standard. I hardly use it. Read more.

11. We will find jigsaws on the market with basically two types of bases: stamped metal sheet or pressure-cast aluminum alloy. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Read more.

12. A trigger lock button on the jigsaw is very useful and appreciated when making long cuts. Read more.

13. Also, when using the jigsaw for a long time, all those vibrations can take a toll on our hands and wrists. Some incorporate a vibration reduction system. Read more.

14. Some jigsaw models allow for inserts in the base to make cleaner cuts. But you will only see it in a few models, and not necessarily the cheap ones. Read more.

15. Having a plastic cover on the jigsaw base is interesting if we are going to cut both metal and other soft materials like wood or plastic. The plastic base of the jigsaw protects the soft materials from any burrs the metal base may have. Read more.

16. Battery vs. corded jigsaws. Which to choose? I always preferred corded, but today, batteries are much more reliable and durable than before. Read more.

17. The stroke length is the difference between the highest and lowest position of the blade. It affects the thickness we can cut and the manageability and precision of the cut. Read more.

18. The cutting depth of a jigsaw … but doesn’t it change just by swapping the blade for a longer one? Yes, but we shouldn’t ask our jigsaw to cut too thick material, which is why manufacturers specify cutting thicknesses for different materials. Read more.

19. The blade guide wheel helps the saw blade to make as linear a movement as possible without sideways flexing. In low-quality and very cheap jigsaws, this wheel is usually not of good quality and may have a lot of play. A good quality machine has a guide wheel that better guides the saw blade. And it will stay in place longer without breaking if we do a minimum of maintenance and lubricate it a bit from time to time. There are even professional models with a double system that reduces play, improving the precision and stability of the blade’s vertical movement.

20. It’s great to have a case to store our jigsaw, especially if we use it occasionally or often move it from place to place for work.

21. Warranty and repairs. Some brands give us an extra year of warranty if we register our purchase on their website. It is also interesting to know if the brand has a repair service nearby in case it breaks down outside the warranty period.

What am I going to use the jigsaw for

The first thing before buying a jigsaw is to know what use we are going to give it. As I said at the beginning, it’s not the same to be starting in DIY and do-it-yourself as to be a professional or start doing professional work. And jigsaw brands make jigsaws for each case.

Focus on what you need before buying a jigsaw: occasional use, simple DIY tasks, a passion for woodworking and do-it-yourself, professional use, intensive use …

And on the materials you think you will cut with the jigsaw: only wood, metal very occasionally, I am going to cut metal often, narrow pieces, thick pieces, wood boards …

But keep in mind that buying an inferior model will subject the tool to excessive stress or will not give you the desired results.

However, buying a higher model will allow you to keep advancing as you improve your skills and projects. But don’t overdo it 😄 , as if it’s your first jigsaw, a too-powerful one can be difficult to handle.

Having said that, the use we give to the jigsaw is directly related to the power. Although not strictly. The power is measured in watts (W) for corded machines or in volts (V) if they are battery-powered.

Jigsaw with or without handle?

Consider the type of grip. I prefer jigsaws with the typical D-shaped or bow handle. Barrel grip jigsaws, with a handle-like protrusion in the form of a barrel, do not convince me for DIY.

However, barrel grip jigsaws tend to have higher power and seem to allow more precise cuts when handled correctly. They also work better when we have to hold them in hand and work with them inverted below a board, for example, to achieve a clean cut on the top side of the board to be cut.

The thing is, barrel grip jigsaws are gripped closer to the cutting surface, supposedly allowing better pressure and more precise cuts. But I find them uncomfortable to use.

It might depend on how you like to grip these jigsaws, but I would say barrel grip ones are for professionals with experience handling jigsaws. While those with the typical D-handle seem more comfortable for DIY.

Also, the power button on barrel grip models tends to be harder to operate, especially in cheaper brands.

I bought one of those cheap barrel grip jigsaws and wasn’t convinced, so I ended up mounting it as a table jigsaw.

I now also have a professional Bosch barrel grip jigsaw, and it’s an incredible tool, but not for beginners as it is quite heavier than DIY ones. I might review it on this website.

Pendulum jigsaw, Yes or No?

First, is an orbital jigsaw and a pendulum jigsaw the same? Yes. I suppose orbital refers to the blade tip drawing a path similar to an orbit when the system is active, while pendulum describes the movement as similar to a pendulum.

Orbital jigsaws have the option to activate the pendulum system for the blade. When this system is active, the jigsaw cuts faster, as if it had more power, at the cost of causing a cut with more splinters and less precision.

The pendulum system is usually adjustable and can be set to several positions. In position zero, it doesn’t act, and the jigsaw cuts normally with the blade moving straight up and down.

Interesting when we are going to make many cuts, for example, to pre-cut parts of boards, and want to cut quickly. But it makes the machine more expensive.

Although for a professional who will make many cuts without needing them to be precise, it is interesting that the pendulum system allows quick cuts of thick wood strips, and as the motor will work with more ease, it increases its lifespan. The blade also cools better during the cut, increasing its lifespan.

Barrel grip jigsaws usually have a pendulum system for the blade. It’s not as common in D-handle jigsaws.

Honestly, I rarely needed or used that system. The jigsaw I use 80% of the time on my YouTube channel doesn’t have it, and the table jigsaw has it deactivated. Even so, it’s a feature highly appreciated by professionals.

In DIY wood projects, where most of the cuts we make are the final cuts to be sanded, we won’t miss not having bought a pendulum jigsaw.

Jigsaw with cutting speed regulation

When manufacturers talk about the cutting speed of the jigsaw, they refer to the speed at which the blade moves in strokes per minute or spm. But be careful, because as we just said, instead of specifying the motor’s revolutions per minute (rpm), manufacturers specify the number of strokes per minute in idle. A stroke is an up and down movement of the blade: an up plus a down is a stroke 😲 . Although, of course, it depends directly on the motor speed (or are there already ones with gears 😂?).

It’s important to be able to regulate this cutting speed. For wood, we use high speeds so the teeth of the wood blades cut it correctly, while for metal, we need to go at lower speeds to allow the small teeth of the metal blades to cut correctly, not overheat, and not wear out prematurely.

The best of the best is for the jigsaw to have automatic blade speed regulation based on the resistance it encounters while cutting. But buying one of these machines has to be a good outlay.

But, is it really important that the jigsaw you’re going to buy has the typical cutting speed regulation wheel? No, if it’s for DIY and you only cut wood and some plastics or metal occasionally. And now, anyone can disagree with me 😂. The one I use doesn’t have it, and I don’t miss that feature, as I practically only cut wood.

If you plan to use the jigsaw for very diverse tasks, cutting various materials, then it is important to regulate the cutting speed.

Feed speed

I invented the term feed speed to compare two jigsaws cutting the same material. When I talk about the feed speed of the jigsaw, I refer to the speed at which the jigsaw advances while making the cut. How quickly we advance cutting the material we’re testing various jigsaws on. It’s not about specifying the exact speed but making a comparison between cases when I do reviews or comparisons. It’s not a data you’ll find in the manufacturer’s specifications.

Cutting angle of the jigsaw

Jigsaws can also make 45-degree vertical cuts. The base or shoe can be easily modified with screws or other quick-release systems to tilt it relative to the blade. The base usually has marks or grooves to adjust it to 45º and sometimes other inclinations.

I’ve never seen a jigsaw that couldn’t tilt the base for vertical miter cuts, but don’t get too excited as making very precise 45-degree cuts with a jigsaw is challenging.

But if it’s to cut a decorative bevel with the jigsaw, then the precision of the vertical cutting angle doesn’t matter so much. Sometimes the cut bevel is hidden at the bottom of the board and is made just to make it easier to fit the top edge against a wall or other surface.

The jigsaw base can usually tilt to 45º on both sides. And in some models also to 30º with respect to the vertical.

Blade clamping and quick-change system of the jigsaw

I would say always look for a jigsaw with a quick blade change system. But lately, almost all of them come with it. Almost all. Being able to change these small saw blades without using tools is one of the best things about these machines.

My impression is that a good quick-change blade system on a good quality jigsaw holds the blade more correctly and therefore helps to cut more precisely.

In some models, this system even ejects the blade itself, so we don’t have to touch a blade that will be hot after cutting with the jigsaw.

Also, check what type of blades the jigsaw you’re going to buy accepts, the upper part of the blade that goes into the machine’s connection system. Most jigsaws are for T-shank blades, which is practically the standard. And most jigsaw blades available are T-shank.

Moreover, even if you have old blades with another type of connection, usually U-shank, forget about them and buy a machine for the standard blades, or it can be challenging to find blades when you need them. Although some U-shank blades are still available.

Connecting vacuum to the jigsaw

Some jigsaws may have a connection for a vacuum tube. But the shape of the base and the way these saws work make dust extraction inefficient.

However, in higher-quality and more professional machines, the vacuum system is optimized to work more efficiently.

Sawdust blowing system

Some jigsaws incorporate a system to blow the sawdust accumulating in front of the blade. A great help that allows us to see the cutting line in front of the blade without having to blow it ourselves. But don’t forget to wear a mask to avoid inhaling that dust.

It’s a feature that only some models have, and not necessarily the most expensive ones. It’s very useful and appreciated when we have to make long cuts following a cutting line.

Jigsaw with LED light

The LED light to see well where we are cutting is great if we don’t have good lighting, but let this not be what makes the jigsaw you’re going to buy more expensive.

Sure, it’s a great help not to strain our eyes, but if necessary, don’t forget to improve the lighting of the workplace.

Side guide for the jigsaw

Many jigsaws come with a simple side guide for making straight cuts parallel to the edges of the boards we are going to cut. It’s worth checking if it includes one. Although I hardly use that guide (if ever), so it won’t be a determining factor when buying one jigsaw or another. But sometimes it’s quicker to use this side guide than to adjust a slat as a guide.

Jigsaw with laser guide light

For when you don’t want to bend down so much to see where the jigsaw blade is going, the laser guide is supposed to help make straight cuts. But don’t let this make your jigsaw more expensive.

To make perfectly straight cuts with the jigsaw, the best is a side guide, a good quality saw, and a good blade. Poor quality blades usually don’t give good results.

I don’t think the laser guide light of a jigsaw is very useful for curved cuts.

The base of the jigsaw

The jigsaw base is usually metal. And the most common are stamped steel bases, where the base is a steel sheet given the characteristic shape. But we can also find bases of aluminum alloy shaped by pressure casting.

The jigsaw base is quite important for comfortable and precise cutting, as it is the first element responsible for absorbing the vibrations caused by the rapid back-and-forth movement of the blade.

Jigsaws with stamped steel bases:

💚 Advantages: Helps reduce vibration. We can slightly deform it to achieve a more perfect 90º or 45º angle of the blade (but without overdoing it, or we can spoil it).

❌ Disadvantages: It is easy to deform if it takes a hit, but we can restore its shape.

Jigsaws with aluminum alloy bases:

💚 Advantages: Is the base lighter? I have my doubts. It’s also more rigid, so if we hold the jigsaw well, we can cut more precisely.

❌ Disadvantages: They are more rigid bases, so they don’t flex during the cut and don’t reduce vibration like stamped metal ones. If they take a hard hit and break or twist, they are harder to restore.

In general, aluminum alloy bases are used more in professional jigsaws, intended for people with a lot of experience handling these saws. They usually come with a plastic cover to cover the metal base when cutting wood and plastics. If we use the jigsaw to cut metal and its base is very scratched or with burrs, we will put the plastic base when cutting wood and plastics to avoid scratching those soft materials.

The jigsaw trigger lock button

The jigsaw trigger lock button may seem unimportant, but when making long cuts, locking the trigger is a great help to work more comfortably. It is more comfortable to guide the jigsaw while letting it make the cut.

I repeat, it may seem unimportant, but keeping the hand pressing the jigsaw trigger for a long time is what tires me the most when cutting with the jigsaw. Locking and being able to release the trigger and guide the jigsaw with both hands is much more comfortable. But always attentive in case it is necessary to give a single touch to the trigger to release the lock and let the machine turn off.

A lock button should be easy to activate and release without problems when pressing the trigger again. This allows us to keep the saw running, but gives us peace of mind knowing we can easily turn it off with a single trigger touch.

Jigsaw with vibration reduction system

Cutting a lot with the jigsaw tires the hands and wrists. That continuous jigsaw rattling gradually takes a toll on our hands and wrists. The base helps absorb part of the vibrations, but if the jigsaw has a vibration reduction system that reduces them even more, that’s a win for comfort. If we use it a lot, our hands will appreciate it in the long run.

I already know how it goes, we buy our first jigsaw, learn to handle it, look for ideas, make projects … and after a few years, it would be impossible to count the hundreds of meters of cuts we’ve made. Anything that helps reduce those small but continuous vibrations is welcome.

Inserts and clean cuts with the jigsaw

As I said above, some jigsaws have a base with a special area where a simple insert can be fitted as an anti-splinter system. This holds the wood during the upward cutting movement of the blade, which prevents the blade from dragging the wood upwards on the top side. This way, the blade cuts the wood fibers better and with fewer splinters.

It will probably lose effectiveness with the lateral movements of the blade, which will wear down that insert, but the insert model I know is cheap, so it can be replaced without major problems.

But, does it work? A resounding YES. The downside is that very few jigsaws with that anti-splinter insert are made. But well, I have a video on my channel where I show how to make a base for clean cuts with the jigsaw. And it also works.

Plastic cover for the jigsaw base

Some jigsaws come with a plastic cover that is placed under the metal base. We already saw it when talking about the jigsaw base.

It is interesting if you plan to use your jigsaw to cut both metals and softer materials like wood or plastic. Cutting metals can cause scratches and burrs that will later leave marks on the wood or plastic surfaces we need to cut. That plastic cover will prevent the base of our jigsaw from leaving those marks on the softer materials. Don’t put it on to cut metals, or you’ll ruin it.

Battery vs. corded jigsaw

I personally prefer a corded jigsaw as I always work in my DIY and woodworking workshop. But nowadays, batteries are of good quality and durable, so a battery-powered jigsaw allows many cuts before needing to recharge. And some come with more than one battery.

💚 Advantages of battery-powered jigsaws: No need for a power connection in the work area; no cables to worry about or get in the way.

❌ Disadvantages of battery-powered jigsaws: They weigh more as they have to carry the battery; you have to remember to charge the battery; the weight distribution changes compared to a corded one, so you need to get used to it.

Stroke length in jigsaws

Stroke height or length: It is the distance traveled by the blade holder between its most retracted and most extended position. So it’s the length the blade tip will travel between its closest position to the jigsaw base and its furthest position. In other words, from the highest position to the lowest when the base works horizontally. It is independent of the blade length.

The greater the stroke length, the higher the linear speed of the blade (for the same spm or cutting speed), and also the greater the number of teeth acting against the material to be cut in each blade movement, allowing a faster feed speed.

Jigsaws with a greater stroke length can cut thicker wood, expelling the generated sawdust more efficiently.

Also, the greater the stroke length, the more teeth work in the cut, affecting the teeth’s sharpness preservation and thus the time the blade will continue to make quality cuts.

Imagine your jigsaw has a very short stroke and you use it to cut metal sheets. Then it would always use the upper teeth, wasting those below.

But if it has a shorter stroke length, the saw cuts more slowly but makes cleaner cuts, vibrates less, and is more manageable. Yes, this allows more precise cuts, but it abuses the upper teeth of the blade. A problem could be that if you don’t have patience, you might try to push the machine, forcing it to cut faster than it asks for.

Barrel grip jigsaws usually have a shorter stroke length for more precise cuts.

D-handle jigsaws usually have a longer stroke length for more ease of cutting.

Jigsaw cutting depth

What is the cutting depth or capacity of a jigsaw?: Talking about the cutting depth of the jigsaw may seem absurd. Yes, okay, we can change the blade for a longer one and have more cutting depth. And I tell you, there are very long jigsaw blades. Or isn’t it? Well, manufacturers usually specify the maximum cutting depth referring to the maximum thickness of the material to be cut. They usually tell us the maximum cutting depth for wood, for metal (sometimes specifying aluminum or steel), and for plastic for which each of their jigsaw models is designed. So, if you try to cut something thicker, you will strain the machine.

In general, it refers to the maximum thickness of the wood we can cut, but as I said, sometimes they specify the maximum depth for other materials: maximum depth in wood; maximum depth in aluminum …

Keep in mind that the thicker the wood to be cut, the more likely the blade will twist vertically. A good quality jigsaw with a special blade made of a slightly thicker and more rigid metal sheet reduces this problem (although in my experience, it doesn’t eliminate it completely).

Summary of how to choose which jigsaw to buy:

1. If it’s your first jigsaw and you plan to use it occasionally, look for one of at least 450W. I wouldn’t recommend buying one below 400W, unless it’s for very occasional use or you have a very tight budget.

2. It should be from a recognized brand. Nowadays, we can buy quality jigsaws at an affordable price.

3. If it’s the first time you’re going to use a jigsaw, vibration reduction systems are appreciated. They don’t work magic, but they are appreciated.

4. If you’re going to cut metal and wood, a jigsaw with a speed variation system will be useful when cutting metal parts (it’s advisable to reduce the cutting speed to cut metal). If you’re only going to cut wood, it’s not so necessary. The one I usually use for wood doesn’t have it.

5. A pendulum jigsaw is useful if we need to make many cuts in wood without caring much about the cleanliness of the cut. Or when we need to make longer cuts quickly without caring about the cleanliness of the cut. In DIY, we usually don’t make so many cuts of that style to be in such a hurry to make the cuts. And often we try to make the final cuts as clean as possible, so I almost never needed or missed the pendulum blade system.

6. Going back to quality jigsaws, these usually have a better quick blade change system, which holds the jigsaw blade better and helps achieve better precision when cutting.

7. And good quality blades will greatly improve the quality of the cuts we make with our jigsaw. Don’t buy cheap jigsaw blades.