A jigsaw is the power tool to have if you need to cut curves and complex shapes in wood, plastic, and metal. They have powerful electric motors that move a reciprocating saw blade thousands of strokes a minute, cutting through materials much quicker than with a manual saw. In this post, we pick out the best budget jigsaws you can buy.
Page Contents
Features to Look Out for on a Jigsaw
- Adjustable Baseplate – An adjustable baseplate lets you make angle cuts up to 45 degrees for bevelled edges.
- Lock-on Button – A lock-on button allows continuous operation of the jigsaw without the need to hold the trigger down.
- Pendulum/Orbital Action – A cutting action that thrusts the blade forward on the cutting stroke so a jigsaw can cut through materials like wood faster.
- Sawdust Blower – A feature that blows away sawdust from the cutting line to give you better visibility.
- Variable Speed Dial or Trigger – Adjust the cutting speed of the blade to suit the material being cut.
Jigsaws Featured
Top Pick | Top Pick | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
WESCO WS3772 | BLACK+DECKER KS801SEK | Ryobi RJS750-G | Bosch PST 800 PEL | Makita 4329/2 |
£41.99 | £47.99 | £53.76 | £56.98 | £64.00 |
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WESCO WS3772 850W Electric Jigsaw
- Adjustable pendulum action
- Variable speed control
- Adjustable baseplate
- Lock-on switch
- Tool-less blade change
- Dust blower
- LED work light
- Parallel guide
- 2 year warranty
- No cutting guide
- No plastic carry case
Includes
In case you’re wondering who WESCO is, they’re a brand of competitively priced power tools from the same company that owns WORX. To say the WESCO 850W Electric Jigsaw is good value for money is a big understatement. At the time of writing, it’s the most affordable and powerful jigsaw on our list and it comes with the most accessories. The WESCO comes with 10 cutting blades for wood, metal, and ceramic. Also included is a parallel guide arm and a vacuum adapter.
The WESCO WS3772 has a powerful 850 W motor and offers a maximum cutting depth of 100 mm in wood and 12 mm in steel. These figures are quite impressive, especially when compared with the other jigsaws on the list. A lever on the side lets you choose from four pendulum settings and next to that is a switch for the dust blower. The other controls you’ll find include a switch for the LED work light, a variable speed thumb-wheel and a lock-on button for continuous use. Finally, you can adjust the cutting angle on both sides to 15°, 30° and 45° for mitre cuts and the jigsaw comes with a hex key to help with this.
Overall, the WESCO WS3772 is a well-specced jigsaw that’s excellent value for money. It comes with everything you need to cut straight out of the box and it has a two-year warranty in case it develops a fault. The only thing not included is a plastic carry case. Some DIYers will find this jigsaw too powerful and heavy for their needs, but for everyone else, this is one of the best budget jigsaws you can buy.
Check availability + priceBLACK+DECKER KS801SEK Autoselect Pendulum Jigsaw
- Autoselect dial technology
- Adjustable baseplate
- Lock-on switch
- Tool-less blade change
- Lock-on switch
- 2 year warranty
- No cutting guide
- No dust blower
Includes
The BLACK+DECKER KS801SEK is a 550 W pendulum jigsaw that’s fitted with an intuitive Autoselect dial. The dial has five presets to choose from that are represented by different icons. Rotating the dial automatically sets the speed and amount of pendulum action to suit the cutting task shown on the icon. For example, if you’re going to cut sheet metal, you just rotate the dial to the metal icon. This will set the speed of the jigsaw to the slowest and turn the pendulum action off. It’s a simple idea that works well and takes out the guesswork.
The KS801SEK has a maximum cutting depth of 80 mm in wood and 5 mm in steel. It can use U and T-shank blades and changing these is easy thanks to the tool-free blade change system. The baseplate is adjustable and you can set it to left or right bevel angles of 22.5° or 45°. Next to the jigsaw’s trigger, you’ll find a lock-on switch for continuous operation. Finally, at the back of the jigsaw is a dust extraction outlet for you to connect a vacuum cleaner.
To sum up, the BLACK+DECKER KS801S is an easy-to-use jigsaw that can cut through wood, metal and plastic to a good depth. It has a good range of features and DIY novices will find the Autoselect dial very helpful, as it will automatically optimise settings for the best results. However, those who are more experienced and want full control over all aspects of their jigsaw may find the pre-sets restrictive.
Check availability + priceRyobi RJS750-G Jigsaw
- Adjustable baseplate
- Line Assist cut guide
- Lock-on switch
- Dust blowing function
- Tool-less blade change
- Dust outlet port
- 2 year warranty, 3 years when registered
- No plastic carry case
- No pendulum action
- No variable speed
Includes
The Ryobi RJS750-G is a compact jigsaw with a 500 W motor that can deliver up to 3,000 strokes per minute. It’s able to cut to a depth of 75mm for wood and 6mm for steel and has a flip down cut guide to help you follow a marked line. The RJS750-G’s adjustable baseplate allows angle cuts up to 45 degrees and it comes with a hex key to adjust it. At the back of the jigsaw, there’s a detachable vacuum port attachment for connecting a vacuum cleaner, but you’ll have to remove it and the cut guide if you want to adjust the baseplate. Other useful features include a Sure Lock button for continuous use without the need to hold down the trigger and a sawdust blower at the front.
The RJS750-G does lack a few features that other jigsaws have at this price level. First, it doesn’t have a pendulum cutting action, and second, there’s no variable speed control. These features are very useful and it’s a shame they don’t exist in this model.
So, would we recommend the Ryobi RJS750-G? If you’re in the market for a compact and lightweight jigsaw for the odd spot of DIY around the house, then the Ryobi is a good option. However, if you want a jigsaw that can cut through wood and plywood as quickly as possible, consider a jigsaw that offers a pendulum cutting action.
Check availability + priceBosch PST 800 PEL Jigsaw
- Adjustable pendulum action
- Variable speed trigger
- CutControl guide
- Adjustable baseplate
- Dust cover
- Splinter guard
- Integrated saw blade storage
- Tool-less blade change
- Bosch Low Vibration
- 2 year warranty, 3 years when registered
Includes
The next jigsaw to make it onto our list is the Bosch PST 800 PEL. This is the model up from the PST 700 E and features a more powerful motor that allows it to cut through wood up to 80 mm deep. It uses the Bosch SDS system for quick and easy blade changes and has an adjustable baseplate that you can swivel to make mitre cuts up to 45 degrees.
The Bosch PST 800 PEL features a variable speed trigger so you can adjust the stroke rate during operation and a lock-on button for continuous operation. There are four pendulum cutting action settings that you can choose from using a lever and a switch to turn on the sawdust blower to help to improve cutting line visibility. The CutControl feature allows the jigsaw to be guided precisely along a marked line, while the splinter guard helps make cleaner cuts. At the back of Bosch is a dust outlet port for you to attach a vacuum cleaner, but you will have to buy an adapter (part no: 2 609 256 F28) which costs around £5. Finally, at the bottom of the jigsaw is a storage compartment that can hold up to six cutting blades.
At the time of writing, the Bosch PST 800 PEL cost just a few pounds more than the Ryobi RJS750-G, which makes it very good value for money. It has an extensive range of features that aim to make cutting easier for DIY users. The Bosch PST 800 PEL comes with one cutting blade and a plastic carry case.
Check availability + priceMakita 4329/2 Orbital Action Jigsaw
- Adjustable pendulum action
- Variable speed dial
- Adjustable baseplate
- Dust cover
- Lock-on switch
- Dust outlet port
- 2 year warranty, 3 years when registered
- No plastic carry case
- No tool-less blade change
- No dust blower
- No cutting guide
Includes
The Makita 4329/2 is another jigsaw on our list that features both straight-line and pendulum cutting actions. Like the Bosch, there are four pendulum settings that you can choose from by using a lever. Position 0 is for straight-line cutting with no pendulum action, which is best for steel and clean cuts in wood. Switching to position 3 turns the pendulum action to its highest setting for fast cutting in wood. The Makita can cut through a maximum depth of 6 mm in steel and 65 mm in wood. Although the figure for wood is 20 mm less than the Bosch, most users probably won’t be cutting materials that deep.
A key feature of the Makita 4329/2 is the adjustable baseplate that’s used for angle cuts. To adjust the baseplate, you just loosen the bolt on the back of the base with the hex wrench. Another useful feature is speed dial at the front of the jigsaw that allows you to vary the speed of the cutting blade simply by turning it. However, there is one difference between the Makita and the other jigsaws that some may consider a negative. Whereas other jigsaws use a tool-less system to change blades, the Makita 4329/2 has stuck to the traditional method of securing blades in place with a screw. Therefore, each time you want to change a blade, you need to unfasten the screw with the hex wrench.
Overall, the Makita 4329/2 is a solid piece of kit that keeps things simple. If that’s what you’re looking for, then the Makita is a worthwhile purchase. It comes with one blade and a hex key, but no carry case. There are several optional extras that you can buy for it, including a rip fence to help with straight and circular cuts, an anti-splintering device and a cover plate that protects delicate surfaces from damage.
Check availability + price
Jigsaw Comparison Table
Top Pick | Top Pick | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
WESCO WS3772 | BLACK+DECKER KS801SEK | Ryobi RJS750-G | Bosch PST 800 PEL | Makita 4329/2 |
|
Rating | |||||
Power | 850 W | 550 W | 500 W | 530 W | 450 W |
Speed | 0 – 3000 spm | 1500 – 3000 spm | 3000 spm | 500 - 3000 spm | 500 - 3100 spm |
Max Depth - Wood | 100 | 80 | 75 | 80 | 65 |
Max Depth - Steel | 12 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
Pendulum Action | |||||
Adjustable Base Plate | |||||
Tool-less Blade Change | |||||
Lock-on Switch | |||||
Cutting Guide | |||||
Dust Blower | |||||
Splinter Guard | |||||
Weight | 2.24 kg | 2.2 kg | 1.8 kg | 2 kg | 1.9 kg |
Warranty | 2 years | 2 years | 2 or 3 years | 2 or 3 years | 1 or 3 years |
Price | £41.99 | £47.99 | £53.76 | £56.98 | £64.00 |
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Updates
- 21/08/21 – WESCO WS3772 850W Electric Jigsaw added.
- 20/08/21 – BLACK+DECKER KS801SEK Autoselect Pendulum Jigsaw added.