Festool Cordless Jigsaw Close to Perfect?


Sometimes there are things to look forward to in life, and in my life as a writer about tools, one of my treats is to get my hands on a Festool – any one will do. This is because anyone who has the slightest knowledge of Festool will know that the company unashamedly aims to design and make premium quality tools. The downside for me, and many others, is that we sometimes can’t afford to buy them, but boy, do we enjoy using them when we have the chance. What all Festool tools have in common is the


commitment to design and functional excellence allied to the finest quality in manufacture. However much others may demur, this commitment results in a system of tools that meet the most demanding standards and as such, are great to use. The particular Festool in the spotlight this month is the


PS 400EB range of jigsaws. This comes in two forms, the PSC version is a body grip model favoured on the Continent and the one on test here, the PSBC, which has the more familiar (to us) loop handle. New users should take some time to look at the jigsaw and get familiar with it because it is absolutely bristling with features, many of which are unique and some that are only seen on corded top-of-the-range jigsaws. The black body of the jigsaw is made from a high quality


plastic moulding with a rubber overmould on the motor casing. The 18v lithium ion battery pack slides onto the back of the body behind the handle where it clicks positively into place. The smooth loop handle is quite slim and holds the safety button and green on/off trigger. It is not possible to lock this trigger on, but for continuous usage there is a push switch, operable from both sides of the body to suit left or right-handed users. Pushing this switch makes the motor start and continue and it will stop just as soon as the user pushes the switch again. I really liked this feature because your hand is low down on the body where it is more on the centre of gravity for better control of the cut. Speed selection is via the speed selector wheel with 6 positions. The user can select a speed from 1 to 5 or use the “A” setting that allows the electronic speed control to take over, depending on some types of material being cut. Very smart! The system for setting the pendulum action is conventionally placed and has 4 positions. Around the blade and the plunger, Festool has wisely limited access for


fingers. A very functional and safe sliding blade guard slides down to cover the blade above the cut completely during use and also helps provide some dust extraction by preventing dust from spilling forward. The next bit may be welcome for those who have ever tried to change a hot or sharp jigsaw blade. The blade is released by pushing a sliding switch on the bottom left side of the body. This engages with the lugs on the SDS chuck that holds the blade and it is just released into your waiting fingers. One of the safest and easiest blade release mechanisms I have seen. Inserting a new blade is just a case of pushing it into the plunger slot and giving it a quick twist where it locks into place. Another area where this jigsaw departs from the conventional is the way in which the cast alloy bases are used. To cut an angle you have to change the base to an


angled base. Sounds complicated? Not really with a Festool. A simple lever on the base releases the whole casting and the required one is slid on and fixed by closing the lever. I noted five types of base, the standard flat one, the angle base (adjustable for angle) the inverted “V” for cutting on cylinders and rounded shapes, the circle cutting base and the guide base that works in conjunction with the Festool guide rail system. The changeable base system is easy to use, but uses five bases, so it is bound to be more costly, However, it is a very accurate system and is not compromised, so once again the user can achieve the most accurate results possible. Dust extraction works pretty well and is achieved by having a clip-on spout that fits to the back of the base. Battery charging via the diagnostic charger is quick too,


often taking less than half an hour. All the features in the world would be no good if they didn’t work well, so I spent a happy afternoon in my workshop cutting up whatever lumps of material I could


find to challenge the Festool PSBC 400 EB. Crosscutting a 25mm thick lump of elm proved to be pretty easy as I expected because the coarse teeth of a standard jigsaw blade are made for it. What I didn’t expect was that the saw felt like corded saw in use – it really had that much power and oomph. I hate metal cutting, and do it rarely, because of the noise, but with the right blade in place, I cut alloy and mild steel up to 2mm thick with no real effort apart from gritting my teeth! My big test for a jigsaw is cutting worktops, especially shaping the corners to fit sinks. Most jigsaws fail at this, but this one made a pretty accurate job. You have to watch the feed rate, but I managed to keep a nearly right-angled cut all the way round the corners. One of the ways in which I judge power tools in particular is how quickly you become familiar


with them. The operation of this saw is intuitive an efficient – within ten minutes I felt completely at home with it. That is how you can recognize quality design. Design is also linked to better productivity and improved accuracy when doing jobs - So maybe I can make my case for investing in high quality (Festool?) tools? Festool Systainer cases are legendary. The jigsaw came in one, securely packed and held for


safe transit, with spaces in the case for charger, spare battery, spare bases and blades. The systainer cases can be used separately or can be locked together with other cases and loaded on a trolley. This helps to keep your Festool system together, if you are lucky enough to own a few Festools!


Reply No. 211 16 ToolBUSINESS+HIRE www.toolbusiness.co.uk


Independent Review by Peter Brett


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