Festool P420 Jigsaws – Jigsaw Perfection?


Corded or cordless jigsaws are regarded by some users (especially the more demanding ones) as being simply tools for making fairly rough cuts in a variety of materials. Looking at some of the cheaper models available (sometimes costing as little as £30) it would be easy to make this judgement because you often have very little control over the path of the blade once you start cutting. Cheap usually means poor blade guides.


PSC 420 EB (18v Li-Ion cordless) have a number of features in common. We are used to the Festool black and green livery, where all the controls are picked out in a bright lime green. One of the design features I like best is the blade release lever located underneath the main body, some few centimeters away from the blade. All you need to do to release the blade is to push the lever and the blade is actually ejected. Of course you do have to eject the blade safely away from you, but as I have found out the hard way, when jigsaw blades have been used they are hot enough to burn your fingers, so it makes sense to not have to use your fingers to eject them. There is a standard-looking


pendulum selector lever with four positions, and using these intelligently it is possible to maximize cutting efficiency in a wide variety of materials. For example, in metals, it is not advisable to use any pendulum action, whereas in softer materials like


If you invested in a more expensive model costing


over £100 or £150, you could justifiably demand more, and you do get it. These saws have a variety of methods to support the blades, dust blowers, worklights, pendulum action and variable speeds. But some that I have used are still unable to follow a 90- degree angle around a corner, even a fairly wide radius one, without the blade deviating from the right angle. This makes cutting the space for a sink in a worktop for example, a hit or miss process. In fact, I was reading some advice in a magazine recently, where it was suggested that you cut the aperture for the sink roughly with a jigsaw and then used a router bit and guide template to complete the job.


softwood, cutting speeds are hugely improved by using maximum pendulum. The base is another


clever piece of Festool design, and so far as I know is unique. Although the base includes a removable extraction port, a single lever action allows the cast alloy base to be lifted off as one unit. Since Festool has several other bases you could use, this feature saves a huge amount of time – and once again shows the advantages of buying into the Festool system. The thinking has already been done for you – all you have to do is the task in hand. To give a couple of examples:- One of the bases can be used with the Festool guide rail for straight cutting. Another is split down the middle so that it can be adjusted to sit on top of an angled piece of work, making angled cuts into a piece of worktop edge for example, very simple to achieve. Removing the base reveals


the very solid blade guide mechanism. There is a steel roller to provide nearly friction


But I have good news, Festool seem to have made


a pair of jigsaws that will happily cut at 90 degrees in most materials and will do it with such ease and accuracy that you will be astonished. Predictably, the Festool solution is not cheap, but since the amount of time you will save on professional jobs is so considerable, you would probably recoup the extra cost within months if not weeks. Both the PSB 420EBQ (mains powered) and the


6 ToolBUSINESS+HIRE


free movement of the blade, and underneath it is a solid steel guide with a wedge shaped support that holds the back of the blade and prevents the blade twisting. Another innovation is the Festool version of the


chip preventer. This combines with the support mechanism to support the blade so that the blade remains at ninety degrees to the material when required. Using the chip preventer needs a bit of


Independent Review by Peter Brett


care, but is simple to achieve. The disposable clear plastic piece is presented to the grooves in the base until it is nearly level with the blade and then the saw is activated as you push the plastic piece fully into the grooves against a solid edge like a bench top. (No fingers nearby!) The blade cuts a slot that fits tightly to the blade type so that it will prevent chipping along the cutting line. There is a little more wizardry with the worklight


arrangements. Both saws can be operated from either side by a pair of slide switches located low down on the jigsaw head. Normally the four LEDs are very bright and are great at lighting up the cutting area, but they operate as a strobe light for best vision. By pushing both left and right switches in simultaneously and holding them for 10 seconds, the user can select a constant light (no strobe effect) or turn the lights off completely. This may seem like a feature too far, but try it and believe me you will see the point of it Both saws have variable speed control dials, but


the “A” on the dial selects an idling speed start for instant control of the cut, before the automatic speed selection system detects the required speed for the


material being cut. The corded PSB 420 came with the loop handle


option as seems to be preferred by UK users. However, with the two green optional switches on the body, it is possible to use a body grip to control the saw, especially when using the saw upside down. This method seems to be becoming popular since some users say they are able to follow a line better without the line being covered in dust. It also obviates chips in laminates since the blade action is downwards rather than upwards. I had a huge amount of fun using both of these


saws. Most of the time I could barely detect any difference in performance between the corded and corded versions. Whatever the materials I used the cuts were efficient, straight when they needed to be and smoothly curved (and at 90 degrees to the material surface) when they needed to be. I was using the Carvex blades and chip preventers provided by Festool, and no question, these maximized efficiency. I could not find a single thing that I had the


slightest quibble about – even the dust extraction, notoriously difficult on jigsaws, was as efficient as it could be. I have no hesitation in recommending these tools wholeheartedly. They are definitely worth it and you will make up the extra cost in extra efficiency and the sheer enjoyment of using first class jigsaws.


Reply No. 229 www.toolbusiness.co.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36