jigsaws

[clive griffiths]

I am looking to get a new jigsaw, it will probably be between a Festool cordless or a Mafell ,i know they are expensive but tools help me to make money,anyone out there got any of these.
Thanks.
Clive.

 

[Ollie78]

There was a thread here where someone recently bought the Mafell.
I tried the Mafell at a show and it really is very good, you can tell its a well built machine. A slight caveat being the special blades it is uses are pretty expensive
( though it can use normal ones too) and that you have to buy the tilt base separately.
I like the fact that they have removed the guide wheel which is the problem for most jigsaws, I am surprised they don't do a battery one.

I am sure the Festools are very good as most of their stuff is decent, and if you already have some batteries it could be cheaper.
The decision is tricky and both will be good,
If it was my money I think I would get the Mafell.

Of course the jigsaw I currently use is a 10 year old Makita 18v lxt !!

Ollie

 

[clogs]

not battery but mine is a corded festool....it's vibration free but so was my Makita pro jig saw
that died after 20 odd years of prof use.....
dont think it's worth the extra to go geen n black.....

 

[jonw1664]

I am looking to get a new jigsaw, it will probably be between a Festool cordless or a Mafell ,i know they are expensive but tools help me to make money,anyone out there got any of these.
Thanks.
Clive.

I have the corded Mafell which replaced a very old Bosch, it is absolutely superb, the lack of the guide wheel is a really good design. I also watched an interesting skill builder video where they explained that our continental cousins use the jigsaw from below the workpiece, seemed weird but I have tried it a few times and there are definitely circumstances where it is a better approach. But as regards the saw, the mafell is an 11/10

 

[Doug71]

I have an older Festool corded jigsaw, it does all I need but I don't really use it that much.

For me cordless is the way forwards with jigsaws, they are one of the tools where the cord causes nothing but problems. I keep meaning to go cordless but I don't know what model to buy! I am on both Festool and Makita battery platforms so one of those is the obvious choice, normally I would just go Festool but the Carvex does seem to get mixed reviews.

There is an online diy fix for the Carvex, I can't believe Festool haven't sorted it if it really is a problem

 

[Spectric]

Going by the reviews on jig saws then the Mafell wins because it is the only jigsaw that uses a thicker blade without that roller guide and delivers precision unmatched by the others, you can also reverse the blade and cut from underneath. Everytime I need a curved cut on ply my credit card starts trembling because the next jig saw I buy will be the mafell,

https://www.timberwolftools.com/blo...-nbsp-the-and-quot-handheld-band-saw-and-quot

 

[skeetstar]

I'd love a mafell, but I have a festool Trion. My view is that the Trion isn't any better than Bosch or Makita, for a heap more money. That tungsten guide is a pain to set up, if too loose its no use at all, if too tight, it heats the blade and you can get a nice display of sparks. I've got the body grip version which has an on/off switch I'd much prefer a release trigger as the control like the handle grip model. I have a few Festool tools, but the jig saw is my only regret.. not because its such a bad tool, but because it was a lot of money for what it is, didn't deliver on the marketing hype and because there were/are other brands that can do the job for less.

 

[Linwoodjoinery]

Mafell jigsaw owners - what is the maximum thickness of oak the jig saw would cut a curve in would you say?

 

[Spectric]

Mafell jigsaw owners - what is the maximum thickness of oak the jig saw would cut a curve in would you say?

The person who may be able to answer this is @Job and Knock but not seen him for a while, anyone else heard from him?

 

[MikeK]

I'd love a mafell, but I have a festool Trion. My view is that the Trion isn't any better than Bosch or Makita, for a heap more money. That tungsten guide is a pain to set up, if too loose its no use at all, if too tight, it heats the blade and you can get a nice display of sparks. I've got the body grip version which has an on/off switch I'd much prefer a release trigger as the control like the handle grip model. I have a few Festool tools, but the jig saw is my only regret.. not because its such a bad tool, but because it was a lot of money for what it is, didn't deliver on the marketing hype and because there were/are other brands that can do the job for less.

I had a blue Bosch 18V jigsaw for field work and was happy with it, but sold it with my mobile kit. When I was shopping for a Festool replacement, I wanted the Carvex, but the Festool reps talked me out of it. They said the Carvex was their most returned tool because of poor customer satisfaction. They recommended the Mafell P1 cc or the Trion, but stay away from the Carvex. The dealer had three or four Carvex saws, one Trion barrel grip saw, and two of the D-handle versions in stock, but none of the Mafell saws.

With no delivery time for the Mafell, I bought the Trion barrel grip saw because it is more comfortable for me to use. I have been happy with one exception. With the dust shroud and splinter guard installed, it is difficult to see the blade. The Carvex has a LED to illuminate the blade area.

I never had a problem adjusting the blade guides. It was a set once and forget operation for me.

Everytime I need a curved cut on ply my credit card starts trembling because the next jig saw I buy will be the mafell,

My credit card is screaming at me to buy the P1 cc. If anything happens to the Trion, I will replace it with the Mafell.

 

[Spectric]

Having read the review where they compare the P1 to a bandsaw, then already knowing how versatile the bandsaw is then you just think of how useful would a handheld bandsaw be, yes only a matter of time.

 

[Distinterior]

I currently have a cordless Festool jigsaw....The main reason I bought it was because I already had a few 18v Festool tools & chargers, so I bought the "Bare" option.
Previously to that, I'd had a 240v Millwaukee jigsaw that went bang about 3 years ago.
I've never considered a jigsaw to be a precision tool, so to me they all seem much of a muchness and I've never pushed one to its claimed capacity of cutting.
Years ago, I used to use a jigsaw on every job, cutting out sink & Hob cutouts in kitchens but I very rarely do wooden or laminate type worktops any more, so my jigsaw is very rarely used.

 

[Spectric]

I've never considered a jigsaw to be a precision tool, so to me they all seem much of a muchness

Same as me, anything over 12mm and you no longer got a 90° cut so thought of as a roughing tool which you then can clean up with the router. This P1 seems to have taken the old jig saw to new levels of precision but I think only because of that thick rigid blade.

 

[clive griffiths]

Thanks to all you guys for your thoughts and advice.

Well yesterday I went to my local Axminster store as they had the both makes there, but there were no new festool cordless, there was a return repair ( no guarantee ) cordless barrel handle but by the time I put a battery on I dont think there is much difference in weight with the Mafell.

Decision made, next week I am getting the Mafell price at the moment is £400 so looking forward to it .

Clive.

 

[Reffc]

I go for power and reliability and built quality when it comes to jigsaws. I wouldn't dream of spending Festool money for a non precision tool. I like and currently use a Makita barrel bodied 4351 corded jigsaw which I find very good.