Best Jigsaw Reviews

Jigsaws are a special form of power saw with a narrow, flexible blade. The best jigsaw can easily cut detailed designs and curves out of wood, plastic, laminate countertops, ceramic tile, or even lightweight metals like butter.

Other saws do a better job at long straight cuts or cutting repeatedly to a desired length. But when you are creating decorative pieces or need to cut a curve or a notch, there is no power tool better than a jigsaw. They aren’t difficult to learn to use; a few tips and tricks and a couple hours of practice and you’ll be cutting like a pro.

When shopping for a jigsaw, many people aren’t sure what they should be looking for. It can be tough to balance your budget with your needs and come out a winner. All jigsaw product specs will tell you their product is the best you can get at their price – but which ones are telling the truth?

Best jigsaws at a glance

In the course of our research, we tried out the models, consulted with experts who use jigsaws every day, and read thousands of user reviews. We’re proud to call this the ultimate buying guide to jigsaws, having considered 23 different models and narrowed the list down to the top 5 for you.

Bosch JS470E: the best for most people

The Bosch JS470E is a powerful, feature-rich workhorse that can rip through plywood at warp speed or cut up to 3/8” thick sheet metal. With its vibration reduction, its Constant Response^TM circuitry that helps ensure consistent performance under load, its tool-free blade ejection lever, and its large and convenient lock-on button, there is nothing not to love about this saw.

Black & Decker BDEJS600C: the best cheap for budget-conscious DIYers

At half the price of the next-cheapest model and rich with features, including 4 orbital settings, tool-less blade changes, a powerful 5-Amp motor with variable speeds, a trigger lock, and an adjustable shoe for making bevel cuts, there is no wonder that this is the best-selling jigsaw on Amazon.com. It doesn’t come with its own case, but that would-be necessity seems to lose some importance at this crazy-low price point.

Considerations that you should know

We started our research by identifying the characteristics that matter the most when you are choosing a jigsaw. Which features are vitally important versus nice to have versus not worth the extra money?

There are the features we realized we couldn’t live without:

• – Must be powerful enough to cut through a variety of different materials
• – Must be able to changes blades quickly​
• – Must allow for variable speeds
• – Must have orbital blade action (to keep the blade cleaner and prevent binding)
• – Must be durable and stand up to heavy, long-term use
• – Must offer a good combination of aggressive cutting and smooth finishing options
• – Must allow good visualization of the cutting area

These features are nice to have:

• – A trigger lock to prevent your hand from cramping with prolonged use
• – A padded handle for comfortable holding, since we frequently found ourselves having so much fun we didn’t want to stop sawing
• – Easy bevel angle adjustment without using tools
• – A blower or vacuum attachment to keep sawdust out of the way

These features are appreciated, but aren’t worth choosing an otherwise inferior or more expensive model for:

• – Built-in-light
• – Corded vs cordless (​cordless is not necessarily better; corded machines frequently are more powerful)
• – Extra blades with the saw
• – A shoe cover

Now, let’s break them down:

Factor #1: Power

Depending on blade selection, most jigsaws will allow you to cut many different materials. The thickness and strength of the material you can cut is primarily dependent on the power of the saw. 3 to 4 amp motors are generally enough for light and medium do-it-yourself tasks, but you might want 5 amps or more for most professional projects.

Cordless saws generally have less peak power than their corded relatives, and require frequent battery changes, so you’ll find nearly all the high-end professional saws are corded. The five saws we included in our top picks were all corded models.

The table below summarizes some key measures of power output, including strokes per minute and the material thicknesses that each of these saws can cut, according to their manufacturer specifications.