Cordless recip saw or cordless jigsaw?

[cjard]

Looking at 6 piece cordless kits from hitachi and makita and the only difference in tools terms is that the makita has a recip saw and the hitachi has a cordless..

..so a question for the pros out there.. On site do you find a jigsaw or a recip saw more usefulness? The sort of tasks I'll be putting it to are the lighter things (the main fabric of my timber frame was done by the fitters) like making a platform for the bed to sit on, building drawer units, shelves and fitted wardrobes into the stud walls etc

I've a feeling the jigsaw is the handier tool for these tasks because recip saws seem a bit thug like; less precise than a jigsaw at least. It should also be noted that I have both an electric (corded) recip and jigsaw (but I've not used either much in my professional life as a software engineer) so this q is specifically about which one makes the better and more useful tool in CORDLESS form

Ta

 

[ntb]

Reciprocating saws are basically demolition saws. Sounds like you are constructing rather than deconstructing - so jigsaw. Then again, I wouldn't use a jigsaw for the sort of tasks you mention.

That said, I would choose Makita over Hitachi for performance, quality and the range of other bare 18V tools in the range.

 

[^woody^]

I've rarely used my jigsaw, it has limited practical use and not is versatile. It's only value is for non-straight cuts in thin board, and they have limited power as a cordless, and struggle with thicker timber

The reciprocating saw on the other hand, probably gets the most use and is always wanted to be borrowed by others . Trees, timber, metal, brick its done them all. I have not used the corded one for years.

And it's "only" a Ryobi.

 

[cjard]

Reciprocating saws are basically demolition saws. Sounds like you are constructing rather than deconstructing - so jigsaw. Then again, I wouldn't use a jigsaw for the sort of tasks you mention.

That said, I would choose Makita over Hitachi for performance, quality and the range of other bare 18V tools in the range.

I've been pleased with my brother's hitachi cordless pair, they've taken an absolute kicking over 6 years and though they sound tired now they still work well

Not saying the jigsaw will be my only saw, just saying if I had to get one kit or the other and the difference was purely the jigsaw vs recip, which might I find more handy..

Good point about the other accessories


Another example.. I'm lining the walls with kingspan and osb. Around an arch opening I'm just overshooting the materials and I'll trim later.. Jigsaw or recip. Sounds like a demolition task really. The neat work will be in mounting plasterboard on the osb ..

 

[big-all]

if both kits have the "missing tool "as a "naked" option i would just go on the kit you like
looking at
battery capacity[ah]
extra tool cost
extra range off tools
cost off extra batteries
service backup
gtee/ warranty inclusions exclusions
unbiased reviews
recommendation
and stacking and storing

 

[ntb]

Don't get me wrong, Hitachi are fine - I have some of their kit. It's perfectly good for light trade. The other consideration is ergonomics. I settled on Makita due to the range of tools but I prefer DeWalt ergonomics i.e their drills feel nicer in my hand.

A big kit may be cost effective but not if it includes stuff you don't need. It may be better to get a decent Combi and Impact driver in a set with batteries and charger and then add bare tools as you need them.

Fwiw, I'd take a cordless circular saw as my first choice over a reciprocating or jigsaw.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

For installation work, as opposed to building it, a jigger is very useful especially if fitting melamine-faced or laminate-covered stuff, e.g. kitchen plinths (scribed), worktops, etc. Recip saws are demolition tools and TBH battery-powered ones hammer the batteries and unless you are only making one or two cuts they just don't have the battery life. A low cost DIY model recip saw is actually more useful

 

[ntb]

For installation work, as opposed to building it, a jigger is very useful especially if fitting melamine-faced or laminate-covered stuff, e.g. kitchen plinths (scribed), worktops, etc. Recip saws are demolition tools and TBH battery-powered ones hammer the batteries and unless you are only making one or two cuts they just don't have the battery life. A low cost DIY model recip saw is actually more useful

True, they do eat through batteries but it's not quite that bad. Last week I hacked up an 8*6 shed to reclaim most of the T&G from the roof and walls. It took just over one 4Ah battery. For hours of demo, mains is a must but it's very rare that the cordless isn't enough for me and sometimes, there is no mains.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I am on a building at the moment where we are cutting out 1-1/2in pitch pine flooring bracing up then cutting out 6 x 3in joists before fixing trimmers. I am currently working on the 5th and 6th floors. For this type of work cordless is completely useless - as are my legs after walking down to the charging station and back for the 4th time in a morning because the recip had emptied my four available 4Ah 18 volt batteries. I am now using a corded recip which not only cuts faster, but has orbital action (faster still) and I don't need to run about every time I flatten the batteries. Just for good measure our rip saw is a 1600watt 9inch one because smaller machines cannot cut this flooring. Sometimes size and capacity are important!

 

[ntb]

Never mind reciprocating saws, sounds like you need a chainsaw!

 

[big-all]

as an aside
18v dewalt stuff tends to be around the 400w mark so does quite well against the mains powered stuff

 

[noseall]

Our corded (Ryobi) recip gets some stick. We use it for demolition work and rip outs mainly. We use the Bosch bow saw style blades and they will rip through 9" x 2" in seconds.

The jigsaw gets used for plasterboard cut-outs and sheet material shaped cuts and is used a lot less often.

 

[FortJefferson]

Then again, I wouldn't use a jigsaw for the sort of tasks you mention.

Neither would I, it sounds like you need a track saw.

 

[ladylola]

A low cost DIY model recip saw is actually more useful

Funnily enough I brought one from aldi many moons ago . Corded and cheap , the clip fell off the box almost immediately but the tool itself has stood up to a lot of work. I've used cordless ones and they have their uses but wouldn't be my first choice. As mentioned more of a demolition tool , less accurate although saying that I've successfully used one to saw rub. The main advantage I could see for the cordless is for demolition work where power isn't always available .
To be quite honest I'm not that keen on the cordless jigsaw either , I'd rather have a corded one but if buying a kit where it's an either/or question then I'd go for the jigsaw.