Adding another Ridgid cordless tool to my discontinued 24V combo kit, this cordless jigsaw is the fourth in my current collection but is my only ‘cordless’ jigsaw. Featuring Dual Select, this tool is capable of either the Ridgid 18 volt or 24 volt batteries.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Features:

	Works with both 24 volt and 18 volt battery systems
	Variable speed switch – for easier speed control and precise starts
	Dual bevel cutting – base allows both right and left bevel cutting
	Tool free blade clamp – makes blade changes faster and easier
	Tool free shoe adjustment – allows adjustment of shoe with one hand

Experience:

I have a lot of comments about this new tool of mine so I will keep the experience comments to a minimum. I’ve taken this new jigsaw on a few jobs. These pictures are mostly from a cabinet job. A jigsaw is put to use fabricating cabinets, making the various cuts and cut-outs necessary to fit things together. I haven’t had the chance to cut arches from 12/4 oak yet but I cut a few 2x pieces and a bunch of poplar wood and birch ply so far. Here’s what I found out:

Comments:

I have a few comments about this saw.

The plastic pieces around the blade are for what? Cheap crap that doesn’t belong on a contractors tool, that’s the first thing I noticed. A good shake and they both fall off. I read the lower piece is a blade guide? Seems to me it’s all part of a dust collection system that doesn’t exist. I actually put them in my glove compartment because they’d break in my toolbox.

In my opinion the plate sucks. Why? It’s got eased edges. Precisely the reason I went with the Porter-Cable 7549 over the Bosch long long ago. Talk about blade guides, the P-C 7549 has the best I know of. Anyway, the Ridgid R883 has a weird plate as you can see in the picture. Maybe half of the time a jigsaw cut is in the middle of material allowing you full use of the base. Most of my cuts start at an edge – often I’m just trimming a bit off.. so what happens with rounded edges and these long 1/2″ wide arms protruding on either side of the blade? You have just half an inch of plate resting on wood… and of that 1/2 is beveled so you really don’t know what 90º to the material is. I don’t always get to use the whole plate flat on the material. Today there were cuts when only the first inch of the 1/2″ wide plate was resting on wood.

I don’t like the soft plastic plate and don’t trust it to be a durable surface or precise. I’d prefer a flat steel plate with the mechanics above. The very first thing I did when I took this out of the box was look at the base and then take the formed plastic wrapping off to see if it would lie flat without it. Sorry, that’s what’s between this tool and the material. Trying to get me to believe it’s not a piece of crap is going to be hard.

Battery life is not really an issue with these 24V batteries that last a long time and charge in minutes… but weight is. With a 24V battery the Ridgid R883 is by no means lightweight. Nor is it easily manuevered inside a cabinet.

It’s ironic that I both love the batteries soft no-slip rubber coating; really handy for setting down these tools, but when sliding this jigsaw along a vertical surface I noticed the battery was sticking to the wall.

My last comment regards a real bugger I experience all day today. Most of the time I don’t have the luxury of moving a nice flat piece of material onto saw horses and cutting freely. Most of the time it’s trying to get a tool up in a joist bay or inside a cabinet and wedging my arms around pipes, blocking, bracing whatever.. to get a grip on the tool so you can pull the trigger. WTF!! It’s not working! Well with corded tools the bitch is getting all situated to go and finding it’s not plugged in but with this cordless jigsaw there is a trigger safety and I can tell you that almost all day today when I couldn’t choose which hand held the jigsaw and I had to reach around to hold it, that button was not easy to push. (On the plus side, once you’ve got the trigger started you can let go of the lock.) …but it sucks dealing with a locked trigger. I used two hands, one holding the handle and trigger and one to reach in and push the unlock-please button.

That’s a bunch of negatives but I’ll say that I’m glad to own this tool. It’s great having cordless with the 24V power. It’s great having a cordless jigsaw as this one moves freely from the outside tool station to the indoor task location throughout the day. I trust it’s pretty decent, I bought one. That in part is due to the fact I have and thoroughly like my Ridgid 24V Cordless Combo Pack and already have the batteries.

Although I’m guessing you can buy this with a case, the Ridgid R883 may be the first cordless power tool I’ve bought that didn’t come with battery or carrying case. Just a saw in a cardboard wrapper.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

Links:

The Ridgid 883 Cordless Jigsaw at Ridgid.com

Knowing the available jigsaws on the market, I purchased the Porter-Cable 7549 over the longtime popular Bosch 1587 because of it’s flat baseplate and superior blade guides. The base edges on the Porter-Cable are straight and flat as opposed to the narrow plate with curled edges on the Bosch. I felt the Porter-Cable would be more accurate when used against a fence and lie better on flat surfaces.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Experience:
My Contractor-grade Porter-Cable Jig Saw has been part of my everyday toolbox for more than a decade. I still use this jigsaw on a regular basis and it performs ideally. I have cut curves in everything from plywood to Azek to laminate, even thin metal. On a 2008 project, I cut 60+ arches from 5/4 oak ranging up to 6′ in length. Doing siding jobs regularly my Porter-Cable Jig Saw is most often used for cutting shapes in thin clapboard or shingles to fit around the odd shapes of fixtures, outlets and trim. This saw replaced my first jigsaw, the Bosch 3238VS.

Comments:
I have used this saw without fail for so long it would be hard to complain just based on it’s quality and service. Being very picky about my tools, I never regretted buying the Porter-Cable over the Bosch and am still happy with my choice. I have no complaints with this tool. It’s accurate, takes two different shanked blades, has a great base plate and runs with Porter-Cable reliability.

Links:

Porter-Cable 9543 Jig Saw on Amazon.com

Porter-Cable 7549 on ToolPartsDirect.com

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Features:

• Variable speed trigger
• Three position stroke control
• Adjustable base plate
• 3.15 Amp
• Scintilla SA – Switzerland

Experience:
I got the 3238VS as a gift. I had asked for the Bosch 1587 VS which, 20 years later, is still for sale but I was happy to have a jig saw at the time and used it for years. Every carpenter knows how necessary a jig saw is on site. From coping to just about any irregular cut this is a tool that is always in my truck box. I replaced my Bosch 3238VS with the Porter-Cable 7549 and most recently added the Ridgid R883 Cordless Jigsaw to my bag.

Comments:
I was never really happy with this jigsaw. With a 1587 on site, this always seemed like the homeowner model and just didn’t quite please me. With it’s modest fence, allen-key adjustable plate and odd shaped body the 3238 performed it’s duties despite my disfavor. Sometimes, the proof of a craftsman is in his ability to make due and that is what I felt I was doing with this saw. Not quite contractor grade features but it cut and it’s a Bosch.

I still use this saw in my shop today because I keep the others in a Knack box or on my truck so I shouldn’t knock it too hard. Imagine, 20 years in my abusive hands and it’s still cutting straight!
Links:

Bosch 1587AVSK Jig Saw at Amazon.com – The one I wanted, still available all these years later.

Bosch 1590EVSK Jigsaw – The one I’d buy today.