Popular Woodworking 2003-11 № 137, страница 86

Grizzly G8994Z

Even though the Grizzly didn't perform remarkably well in any category, it's very affordable and does an adequate job for the occasional user. Built on a 10-year-old Bosch design, the blade change requires a special screwdriver inserted through the top of the saw and is awk-ward.The shoe is a reinforced stamped-steel plate, unlike the majority of cast aluminum/steel shoes on the others. It performed slowly in the speed test and had

Hitachi CJ120V

The Hitachi proved to be a better-than-average performer with low vibration, very good performance in the curve test and an amazingly good time in the speed test, but at the cost of some terrible tear-out. It has a nice dual-action lever-style blade release.The one-piece cast shoe has a positive lock at 0° with a set-back stance for tight cuts. The variable-speed control is on the trigger in

Makita 4341FCT

The Makita has a great dual-action lever-style blade-change system, a soft-start motor to avoid accidents and electronic feedback to maintain torque in the cut. It's also available in a top-handle design (4340FCT, $160). In our tests the Makita offered a smooth cut and handled the curves with little effort.Also included is a task light, mounted to shine on the cut.This might sound like a throwaway feature, but it actually proves very beneficial. The shoe is marked for bevels at 15°, 30° and 45° but

Metabo STE105 Plus

The Metabo also sports the nice lever-style blade-change system, but it hasn't been updated with the dual-action system to make it even nicer.Available in a barrel-grip and top-handle (STEB105, $174) design, it has a soft-start motor that incorporates the electronic feedback, assisting with torque maintenance during heavy cuts (though it didn't test that way). Performance in the speed test was good with little vibration.We had some

Milwaukee 6267-21

Milwaukee has put together a nice jigsaw.We tested the barrel-grip design, but it's also available in a top-handle (6266-22, $140) design. The performance of this saw was OK in the speed test (with some vibration) but did better in the cornering test, with a nice cut and not much hesitation. It offers a toolless shoe adjustment that we like, with positive stops at 0° and 45°. The tool includes a 10-position blower (nice!) and a wand for vacuum connection.Variable-speed adjustment is in the motor

tear-out problems. It also proved to be seriously underpowered in the curve test. The variable-speed motor (trigger-mounted switch) had trouble maintaining torque and fought the curves. The shoe requires an Allen wrench to adjust and can interfere with the blade when set to 45°. So it's not great, but if you need a jigsaw only occasionally, it's a bargain. (grizzly.com)

the top-handle model and at the rear of the pommel on the barrel-grip model. The saw doesn't have a blower, but includes a vacuum wand attachment. The saw is pleasant to use, performs well and has no serious flaws. Unfortunately, it has some tougher competition in the Makita and Milwaukee that shine slightly brighter, keeping this one from our top accolades. (hitachi.com)

includes a positive lock only at 0° and requires a wrench to make the change. It does offer a setback stance for tight cuts.The variable-speed control is mounted at the rear of the motor housing and the tool offers no blower, though a dust wand is an optional accessory. It's priced a little higher than most of the rest of the pack, but the features and performance made it our favorite in the affordable price range. (makita.com)

trouble handling the saw through the curves. The shoe (adjusted using an Allen wrench) is the most unique that we saw, offering positive stop locations for 0°, 15°, 30° and 45° bevel settings - very nice. No blower is included, but a dust collection wand is. The Metabo also offers a five-position orbital setting, as with Ridgid, giving us more choices for aggressive cuts. This is a good saw, but not good enough to pull top honors. (metabousa.com)

housing. It offers a very easy dual-action lever-style blade change. It had one of the best quality cord sets, but also tested out as the loudest one. Priced competitively with the Metabo and Makita, we think the features and performance make this a saw worth serious consideration (even more so in the more affordable top-handle version ). But taking everything into consideration, it finishes a whisker away from our top honors. (milwaukeetools.com)

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