Jigsaw buying guide: how to choose a jigsaw in South Africa
A jigsaw is the first saw most people buy and the one most people buy badly. The cheap ones wander off the line, chatter through melamine and snap blades. A good one, fitted with the right blade, cuts curves in 40 mm hardwood, scribes a kitchen plinth to a wonky floor and trims a worktop for a sink without tearing the laminate. The gap between the two is not the motor; it is the blade guide, the orbital action, the base and the blades you put in it.
This guide explains what to look for, compares the Bosch, Makita, DeWalt, Metabo and Festool jigsaws we stock at Power Tool Services in Cape Town, and ends with a blade selection table. Prices are from our store on the day of writing; delivery is nationwide and free over R2,000. Browse jigsaws and cordless jigsaws.
Barrel grip or D-handle?
Most jigsaws have a D-handle (also called top handle or bow handle) with the trigger under your fingers. It is intuitive, it lets you push down firmly, and it is the right choice for site work, rough cuts and anyone who uses the saw occasionally.
A barrel grip jigsaw has no handle on top. You hold the body of the saw, low and close to the work, with the switch on the side. Your hand is nearer the blade, so you feel what it is doing and steer tight curves more precisely. Cabinet makers, sign makers and anyone cutting templates tend to prefer barrel grip. The trade-off is less downward pressure and a learning curve. Festool's Carvex PSC 420 is the barrel grip saw in this guide; Bosch's GST 150 CE barrel model is currently out of stock.
Orbital (pendulum) action
A plain jigsaw blade moves straight up and down. Orbital action adds a forward push on the up-stroke so the teeth bite harder and clear chips faster. Every saw here has three or four orbital settings plus zero. The rule is simple: maximum orbit for fast rough cuts in softwood, zero orbit for clean cuts in laminate, melamine, metal and tight curves. Leaving the orbit on full while cutting a worktop is the most common cause of a chipped edge.
Blade fitting: T-shank only
All the saws in this guide take T-shank blades, the Bosch-originated standard with a T-shaped tang. The older U-shank is dead; avoid any saw that needs it. Tool-free blade changes are standard now, but the mechanism matters: Bosch's SDS lever, Metabo's Quick system with blade ejection, and Festool's FastFix all let you swap a hot blade without touching it.
Blade guidance, base and stroke
A jigsaw blade is thin and long, and under load it bends. Better saws hold the blade in a roller or guide jaws just above the base so it cannot drift into a bevelled cut; Festool's Carvex uses a three-way guide with carbide jaws for exactly this reason. A cast aluminium base stays flat, and an anti-scratch cover is worth having on finished surfaces. Stroke length of 26 mm is the modern standard and clears chips better than the 20 to 23 mm on older designs. Variable speed is essential for metal and plastics. Rated depth in wood runs from 68 mm on the entry Bosch to 135 mm on the DeWalt, but anything over 50 mm in hardwood needs a long, stiff blade and a patient cut.
Corded or cordless?
A jigsaw draws little power, so cordless makes sense if you already own batteries. Brushless 18 V saws from Bosch, DeWalt and Makita now match corded tools for speed. Corded still wins on price and for a saw that never leaves the bench.
The jigsaws we recommend
Bosch GST 680
The Bosch Professional GST 680 (from R889) is the cheapest jigsaw we are happy to sell. A 500 W motor, 20 mm stroke, 68 mm cutting depth in wood and 10 mm in aluminium, bevel to 45 degrees each way, T-shank holder and 2 kg weight. It is a corded D-handle saw for occasional DIY, and it is a Bosch, so spares and blades are everywhere.
Bosch GST 90 BE
The Bosch Professional GST 90 BE (from R3,729) is the trade corded saw. A 650 W motor, 500 to 3,100 strokes per minute with an accelerator trigger for smooth pilot cuts, 90 mm depth in wood, 20 mm in aluminium and 10 mm in steel, tool-free SDS blade change, and a dust extraction set, anti-splinter guard and case in the box. It weighs 2.6 kg.
Metabo STEB 100 Quick
The Metabo STEB 100 Quick (from R3,829) is the pick for mixed materials. A 710 W motor with Vario-Tacho-Constamatic electronics holds the stroke rate under load, four-stage pendulum action, 100 mm depth in wood, 25 mm in non-ferrous metal and 10 mm in sheet steel, a 22 mm stroke and a bow-type top handle. The Quick system ejects the blade so you never touch a hot one. It ships with a chip blower, a push-down protective glass and a 4 m cable at 2.1 kg.
DeWalt DCS334NT
The DeWalt DCS334NT (from R4,359, bare in TSTAK) is an 18V XR brushless D-handle saw with a 26 mm stroke, up to 3,200 strokes per minute, four-position pendulum action, 135 mm depth in wood and 10 mm in metal, tool-free bevel to 45 degrees both ways, keyless T-shank blade change, an LED light and a dust blower. It weighs 2.1 kg and takes any DeWalt 18 V battery.
Bosch GST 185-LI
The Bosch GST 185-LI (from R2,699, bare) is the best-value cordless saw here: an 18 V brushless motor, up to 3,500 strokes per minute, 26 mm stroke, four-stage orbital action with speed selection, SDS blade change, 125 mm depth in wood, 20 mm in aluminium and 10 mm in steel, bevel to 45 degrees, 2 kg without battery.
Festool Carvex PSC 420 EB
The Festool Carvex PSC 420 EB-Basic (from R10,339, bare in Systainer) is the barrel grip, cordless, precision choice. An 18 V EC-TEC brushless motor runs 1,500 to 3,800 strokes per minute through a three-way blade guide with parallel-adjusted guide jaws that keep the blade square in thick stock. Four pendulum stages, 120 mm depth in wood, 20 mm in non-ferrous metal and 10 mm in soft steel, a stroboscope light that freezes the blade visually on the cut line, tool-free base and blade changes, and only 1.7 kg. It ships with two blades and a splinter guard. If curves need to be right first time, this is the saw.
Comparison table
| Jigsaw | Power | Grip | Stroke | Orbital stages | Depth in wood | Weight | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bosch GST 680 | 500 W corded | D-handle | 20 mm | not stated | 68 mm | 2.0 kg | R889 |
| Bosch GST 185-LI | 18 V brushless | D-handle | 26 mm | 4 | 125 mm | 2.0 kg (bare) | R2,699 |
| Bosch GST 90 BE | 650 W corded | D-handle | not stated | not stated | 90 mm | 2.6 kg | R3,729 |
| Metabo STEB 100 Quick | 710 W corded | D-handle | 22 mm | 4 | 100 mm | 2.1 kg | R3,829 |
| DeWalt DCS334NT | 18 V brushless | D-handle | 26 mm | 4 | 135 mm | 2.1 kg (bare) | R4,359 |
| Festool Carvex PSC 420 | 18 V brushless | Barrel | not stated | 4 | 120 mm | 1.7 kg (bare) | R10,339 |
Specifications come from the manufacturers' data on our product pages. Bare tools exclude battery and charger. Prices are correct at the time of writing.
Blade selection table
The blade does more for cut quality than the saw. Bosch's T-shank codes are the industry shorthand and fit every saw above. Prices are per pack from our jigsaw blade collection.
| Blade | Material | Best for | Thickness | Orbit setting | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T101B Clean for Wood | HCS, ground teeth | Softwood, chipboard, ply, clean straight cuts | 3 to 30 mm | Low or off | R69 (5) |
| T144D Speed for Wood | HCS, side set | Fast rough cuts in softwood and ply | 5 to 50 mm | Full | R75 (5) |
| T101AO Clean for Wood | HCS, pointed teeth | Tight curves in thin ply and laminate | 1.5 to 15 mm | Off | R79 (5) |
| T101BF Clean for Hard Wood | Bi-metal | Hardwood, laminated panels, HPL worktops | 3 to 30 mm | Off | R165 (5) |
| T308BP Precision for Wood | HCS, taper ground | Square cuts in thick stock, joinery | 5 to 50 mm | Low | R155 (5) |
| T118A Basic for Metal | HSS, wavy set | Thin sheet metal | 1 to 3 mm | Off | R49 (3) |
| T101A Clean for PC | HSS | Perspex, polycarbonate | 2 to 20 mm | Off | R219 (5) |
| T345XF Progressor | Bi-metal, progressive pitch | Timber with nails, pipes, profiles, demolition | 3 to 10 mm metal, under 65 mm timber | Low | R165 (3) |
Makita and Festool make equivalent blades with their own codes; the Festool S 75 and S 105 series fit the Carvex and any T-shank saw.
Our pick for...
- Occasional DIY: Bosch GST 680. Under R900 and it takes real blades.
- Corded trade saw: Bosch GST 90 BE, or the Metabo STEB 100 Quick if you cut metal and plastics as well as wood.
- Cordless on a budget: Bosch GST 185-LI. Brushless, 26 mm stroke, under R2,700 bare.
- Cordless for DeWalt owners: DCS334NT.
- Precision and curves: Festool Carvex PSC 420. The barrel grip and three-way blade guide are in a different class.
- Makita owners: the Makita range has corded and 18 V brushless jigsaws in stock with 135 mm capacity.
Frequently asked questions
Which jigsaw blade for laminate worktops?
A clean-cut bi-metal blade (T101BF) or a reverse-tooth blade (T101BR) with the orbit off. Cut from the underside where possible, support the offcut, and run the saw slowly. A splinter guard in the base helps.
Why does my jigsaw cut at an angle?
The blade is bending. Causes are a worn or too-fine blade for the thickness, forcing the saw, orbit on full in hard material, or a saw with poor blade guidance. Use a thicker blade (T308BP or T144DP), slow down and let the saw cut. The Festool Carvex guide jaws exist to solve this.
Can a jigsaw cut metal?
Yes, with the right blade and the orbit off. The Bosch GST 90 BE and Metabo STEB 100 are rated for 10 mm steel; the cordless saws here manage 10 mm too. Use a T118A or T118B blade, slow speed and a little cutting oil.
What is the difference between a jigsaw and a reciprocating saw?
A jigsaw cuts from above on a flat base and is for accurate, curved or internal cuts. A reciprocating (sabre) saw is a demolition tool with no base, held like a rifle, for cutting pipes and timber in walls. See our reciprocating saw range.
Do you repair jigsaws?
Yes. We are an authorised dealer for every brand in this guide and repair tools in our own workshop in Cape Town. Blades, splinter guards and carbon brushes are in stock.
