digitalbot
Established Member
I don't know if anyone has got one but has anybody had any problems with the Bosch GST 135 BCE jigsaw at all. I'll be more specific on the problem if somebody says yes.
Bosch jigsaw
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Lord Nibbo
Established Member
I've got one but with no problems.
Another Dave
Established Member
Got one.
Never had a problem with it, except that it made me want to replace all our other jigsaws with them!!
Never had a problem with it, except that it made me want to replace all our other jigsaws with them!!
skipdiver
Established Member
I got one but try as i might couldn't get it to cut straight.Blade wandered all over.Took it back and they said they would replace it as it was probably faulty but i had been put off and got an Atlas Copco/AEG one instead.No problems with the new one.
Lark
Established Member
i got a bosch jig saw. and it really good. i got the 50 Bosch blades from ebay as liked it. plus blades where only about £10 for 50.
and had a old black and decker and used to hate using it very slow and well just useless really
. where the Bosch cuts very fast and stays straight.
and had a old black and decker and used to hate using it very slow and well just useless really
. where the Bosch cuts very fast and stays straight.
forrestdale
Established Member
digitalbot":1i9bb0vv said:
The GST135BCE seems to be the darling of the jigsaw world, and you won't find many people who have had problems. Indeed, quite a lot of people who have tried the much more expensive Festool PS300/PSB300 prefer the Bosch.
Having read lots of positive reviews about the GST135BCE, I went and bought one a couple of years ago, but I didn't get on well with my one at all.
(There are photographs to illustrate problems 1 to 3)
Problem 1. Thicker genuine Bosch blades (eg the 1.7mm thick T144DP, supplied with he saw) didn't fit into the groove in the support roller. This meant that the "Precision Control System" (PCS) guides on either side of the blade did not give sideways support to the blade when pendulum mode was off, as the blade could not move back far enough to fit between the guides. Since neither the support roller nor the PCS guides properly supported the blade, there was very little lateral support at all.
Problem 2. Because the blade wanted to seat itself in the roller, but couldn't, after less than a minute of running, the support roller has started to wear a groove in the back edges of the blade.
Problem 3. This happened when the saw was put into any of the three pendulum modes with the 1.7mm thick blade and the PCS guides were engaged. The blade started to move back, but was obstructed from doing so by the PCS guides which had clamped shut behind it (see Problem No 1). However the blade continued to push back until it sprung the guides apart, and the blade then entered the gap. When the pendulum action moved the blade forward again, the guides clamped together, only to be forced apart again on the next cycle. The PCS guides ended up being continually forced back and then apart, and this repeated movement, at up to 2,800 times a minute, would have damaged the mechanism very quickly, as the guides are designed to remain stationary.
Problem 4. In the case of thinner blades, which did fit into the roller, the PCS guides clamped onto the side of the blade but pushed it to one side, resulting in a 1mm movement at the tip of the blade. The guides did not seem to be centred on the blade.
Problem 5. The soft-start feature was almost undetectable, and the saw jerked due to torque reaction every time I started it.
Problem 6. Whilst smooth and quiet at speeds 1 and 2, at speeds 3 to 6 the saw got rattly and I started to worry that there was something wrong inside. Vibration was also increased, and overall I was disappointed by the smoothness, vibration and noise. At speeds above 3, it felt and soundeds rougher than the 10 year old B&D Pro jigsaw I had previously. Oddly, the rattles and vibration were more severe when the pendulum action was off, which is the opposite of what I'd expect. I noticed all this before fitting any blades at all.
Problem 7. On two occasions, the T144DP blade refused to eject, and only did so when I gently started the saw.
Problem 8. On several occasions, the blade release mechanism got stuck in the open position, and pressure had to be applied to close it, rather than it springing shut on its own accord.
All in all, I was majorly disappointed in this much-heralded saw.
I returned it to the supplier and replaced it with a DeWalt DW331K which works brilliantly and is one of my favourite tools. It is super-smooth with no vibration.
Forrest
chippy1970
Established Member
I bought this one last year to replace my old one that I must have had for over 15 years.
I was tempted to go for the top 135 one but had heard about problems on them.
The one above that I bought is simple not a lot to go wrong and also it has the screwdriver method for fixing the blades this helps keep the blades straight compared to that stupid sds fixing they brought out a few years ago.
I do have a cordless bosch 14.4v one that has the quick release blade holder and thats been fine until the batteries died.
I was tempted to go for the top 135 one but had heard about problems on them.
The one above that I bought is simple not a lot to go wrong and also it has the screwdriver method for fixing the blades this helps keep the blades straight compared to that stupid sds fixing they brought out a few years ago.
I do have a cordless bosch 14.4v one that has the quick release blade holder and thats been fine until the batteries died.
Lark
Established Member
Bosch GST 75 BE Jigsaw
is the one i use and like.. came free with the Bosch table saw i brought
works well
is the one i use and like.. came free with the Bosch table saw i brought
works well
digitalbot
Established Member
I'm glad you all said that.
I got mine about two years ago this summer and it's been nothing but trouble. Been back twice to Bosch for repairs. I found it very difficult to get a straight cut, both along the length of the cut and in the vertical, even using a guide batten. The blade would wander and skew and the bottom of the cut in the vertical would often be 5mm out from the top. And as forrestdale has mentioned, i've had problems with the blades too, especially overheating to the point that they change colour to a lovely blue in the middle third. It seems to be the "precision guides" are biting on the back of the blade and causing so much friction that the blade starts to smoke in the cut. Or after looking at the pictures that forrestdale posted, it could well be the guide roller or a combination of both. But why it should happen on a straight rip cut in 1" pine I cannot even guess at. The back of the blade gets worn down to almost a knife edge. I must have gone through about a dozen blades in this way and they have only managed one or two cuts each, in both soft and hardwood. I've tried cutting with the guides disengaged and various other permutations and I get the same result. The guides on mine are also are not centered parallel with each other - mine have been changed twice - and when engaged one is always lower than the other by about 1mm/1.5mm resulting in uneven sideways pressure. There is no adjustment available in the little allen bolts that hold the guides in place either.
And after looking at the photos the problem that forrestdale posted I cannot say that mine has a forward or backward position. I've looked at it again tonight and moved the blade by hand and by mains power and it seems to stay stationary no matter what pendulum setting you put it on.
On a plus note, the new T308B extra clean blade by bosch is excellent. I tried it on some 1" ply and there was not a splinter on the top or the bottom. Looked like it had been cut with a laser it was that smooth. But that went blue after about the third cut! I'll just have to get a jigsaw I can use it in now.
So whilst we are on the subject, has anybody got any opinions on the Metabo ones
I got mine about two years ago this summer and it's been nothing but trouble. Been back twice to Bosch for repairs. I found it very difficult to get a straight cut, both along the length of the cut and in the vertical, even using a guide batten. The blade would wander and skew and the bottom of the cut in the vertical would often be 5mm out from the top. And as forrestdale has mentioned, i've had problems with the blades too, especially overheating to the point that they change colour to a lovely blue in the middle third. It seems to be the "precision guides" are biting on the back of the blade and causing so much friction that the blade starts to smoke in the cut. Or after looking at the pictures that forrestdale posted, it could well be the guide roller or a combination of both. But why it should happen on a straight rip cut in 1" pine I cannot even guess at. The back of the blade gets worn down to almost a knife edge. I must have gone through about a dozen blades in this way and they have only managed one or two cuts each, in both soft and hardwood. I've tried cutting with the guides disengaged and various other permutations and I get the same result. The guides on mine are also are not centered parallel with each other - mine have been changed twice - and when engaged one is always lower than the other by about 1mm/1.5mm resulting in uneven sideways pressure. There is no adjustment available in the little allen bolts that hold the guides in place either.
And after looking at the photos the problem that forrestdale posted I cannot say that mine has a forward or backward position. I've looked at it again tonight and moved the blade by hand and by mains power and it seems to stay stationary no matter what pendulum setting you put it on.
On a plus note, the new T308B extra clean blade by bosch is excellent. I tried it on some 1" ply and there was not a splinter on the top or the bottom. Looked like it had been cut with a laser it was that smooth. But that went blue after about the third cut! I'll just have to get a jigsaw I can use it in now.
So whilst we are on the subject, has anybody got any opinions on the Metabo ones
Im supprised to hear of your problems with the jigsaw, i can honestly say ive never had any problems of that nature with mine.
After a while mine started to become erratic and speed up and slow down to the extent it wouldnt even start. Set it down and pick it up again and away it went. Sent it in for repair, suggesting the brushes needed replacing.
Got it back with no new brushes (didnt need them) they said that they couldnt find anything wrong with it. A few days later the same problem ??
The salesman told the repair guy to fit a new variable speed and switch (free of charge). No problems since.
Perhaps you and forrrestdale have bought saws from a faulty batch ??
I would definately ask for a refund especially since it has been in for repair twice for the same problem and it hasnt been fixed.
If the metabo jigsaw is anything like their random orbital sander it should be very good.
Cheers,
Gary.
After a while mine started to become erratic and speed up and slow down to the extent it wouldnt even start. Set it down and pick it up again and away it went. Sent it in for repair, suggesting the brushes needed replacing.
Got it back with no new brushes (didnt need them) they said that they couldnt find anything wrong with it. A few days later the same problem ??
The salesman told the repair guy to fit a new variable speed and switch (free of charge). No problems since.
Perhaps you and forrrestdale have bought saws from a faulty batch ??
I would definately ask for a refund especially since it has been in for repair twice for the same problem and it hasnt been fixed.
If the metabo jigsaw is anything like their random orbital sander it should be very good.
Cheers,
Gary.
have had mine for about three years now, and what a PITA it has been. Some days it has been great, and on others it has had the same problems as the other's. Sometimes so bad that I have had flashes and sparks come off from the blade when it has unseated itself, I never use it for fine work now, just use it for the rough stuff if at all.It was dear too,but I figured you get what you pay for. should have gone for the DeWalt.
Decklan
Decklan
digitalbot
Established Member
Oh yes..the sparks.
I forgot about those.
Got them from mine too. Quite worrying when it's a new blade and you're only about 3" into the cut. And then the wood starts to smoke and you know something is definitely wrong.
That's one of the main problems being an amateur at this. You are pretty much doing it in isolation and you never quite know if you are making a mistake or it's the tools or some other factor.
That's why this site is so damn good.
I for one am very greatful to everybody on here that shares their knowledge and years of experience on this subject. Wish i'd found it 10 years ago. It would have saved me a hell of a lot of problems and heartache.
I forgot about those.
Got them from mine too. Quite worrying when it's a new blade and you're only about 3" into the cut. And then the wood starts to smoke and you know something is definitely wrong.
That's one of the main problems being an amateur at this. You are pretty much doing it in isolation and you never quite know if you are making a mistake or it's the tools or some other factor.
That's why this site is so damn good.
I for one am very greatful to everybody on here that shares their knowledge and years of experience on this subject. Wish i'd found it 10 years ago. It would have saved me a hell of a lot of problems and heartache.
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