Freud FJ85K reviews
Don't buy this saw.
helpful for 12 of 14 people
I bought this saw and it came with a badly warped base. Unfortunately I didn't discover this in time to return it to amazon for a full refund. I sent it to Freud for repair/replacement and got the same base back, only slightly less warped. It won't follow a saw guide because of "drift", in other words the edge of the guide is not parallel to the blade. Basically the engineering on this saw is very ambitious but the manufacturing craftsmanship is terrible.
Addendum: Freud eventually made good by shipping me a new base. If I were to rate the saw now that it has been repaired, it deserves at least three stars. It has a nice powerful motor with variable speed, but maybe it's more powerful than it needs to be. It is fairly heavy, and the motor has a lot of inertia so it keeps on running for several seconds after the trigger is released. The dust collection attachment is somewhat cumbersome, but without it the cutting line is quickly obscured by sawdust. If I had it to do over again I would go for a lighter weight saw with a dust blower like the Black and Decker JS600K, and just be prepared to return it promptly if the base didn't line up just right.
5/11/2006
Can't Beat It For The Money
helpful for 6 of 8 people
This is an excellent little Jig Saw. Although(when I bought it), it was advertised as being able to use both types of jig saw blades. The regular blades do not hold at all. Would recommend.
10/16/2003
Ricardo
This is a top of the line tool that has no comparison. This is
a product I have wished for years to buy, but could never justify paying the retail price; until I saw the product advertised in your magazine at such an affordable price. It performs far beyoond my expectations. I am very happy with the purchase. The precision with which it cuts and performs is remarkable. My wood working friends are shocked when I tell them where and how much I payed for my jig saw.
Thank you!
10/5/2005
decent saw...no bosch though
purchased this saw from amazon when the price came down to fifty dollars recently and after receiving and testing... i find the low price not any great bargain but to be about right for this caliber of saw. basically, make no mistake that this saw is not on par with the bosch jigsaws as some reviews have claimed..or on par with the higher end dewalt or milwaukee or ridgid or hitachi saws for that matter. its the quality of materials used that stands out. when you first pick it up the handle that you hold feels like hollow plastic. secondly, the fit of the plastic no-mar tip and dust port on the saw is very poor. and finally my biggest grip is the trigger feels like it belongs on a toy and does not have a smooth pull that i am used to on other saws. in the end though i give the saw 3 stars because it does the job at hand well enough. it does have a good balance too it and overall i do like the blade change mechanism. as well the saw seems to have plenty of power to make the cuts. if you are looking for a jigsaw to use here and there and for odd jobs then this is not a bad purchase at $50..but if you will be using a jigsaw day end day out or even frequently... then dont hesitate to spend a bit more and get by far the best jigsaw made in the bosch 1590.
4/2/2008
Excellent saw - you won't be disappointed!
This is a well designed saw. My first impression of it was it is heavy, but after using it for a while, I appreciate that weight. It is very easy to control and it has minimal vibration. When I first purchased one, I was concerned by the reviews saying it threw blades constantly. After working with one, I think the problem they are having is they are not pushing the blade in all the way.
There is a spring in the blade lock that you have to compress. If you do not, the lock doesn't completely engage and the blade will pull out with a slight tug. If you pay attention to the position of the twist lock, you can see when it is fully engaged. Once it is locked, it isn't coming out by accident.
I have purchased three of these so far - one for myself, two for friends. I would highly recommend this saw to anyone. Simply put, it makes clean and true cuts.
3/31/2008
Freud Jig Saw
After making up my mind to get rid of the old B&D jig saw, I decided to move up to a professional grade saw. Read up on the Freud and like the features and price. Have use it a few times and I am impressed with the cutting power. Putting a blade in with the quick changer went smoothly. I bought Bosch blades for it and I'm sure they help take advandage of the Freud's power, cuts very quick. Some vibration to it and the noise level is not too bad. All in all, it's a beast. I like it.
1/10/2007
Use more than most....
I am a "tool" guy and have been for years. When I saw this jig saw for a good price last year, right after my Porter Cable stopped working, I bought it.
Its solid, powerful enough, and a tool built with quality. I have owned, over the years, Black&Decker, Craftsman, Milwaukee, Bosch, Porter Cable and DeWalt jig saws. This one, for the uses that I have put it to, ranks right up there with the most expensive saws I've owned, for less than half what I paid for most of them.
Well made in Spain.
3/14/2009
High Quality - Great Price!
We purchased this when it was a gold box feature and got an amazing price for this quality jig saw. We had been borrowing a friend's cheapie jig saw and after using this, I doubt we could ever go back.
3/14/2008
Worked for 2 minutes...
I cut one 1"x3" piece of pine and it quit. I really need to send it in for exchange, but I've been too busy. I better hurry before the exchange policy runs out.
Don't buy this!I would have given this no stars if I could have.
5/8/2008
fabulous!
This is a most amazing tool!It's fast, quiet,versatile,powerful,has a fast blade changing system and the most remarkable price!I didn't know what I was missing until I used this tool. I can't say enough good things about it. And it's made in Spain NOT China! I love it!
5/8/2008
Well Built...Can take a Pounding
One thing I can say is this saw is well built. It mostly remained intact after I smashed it into the concrete a few times by swinging it by the cord. The foot broke off but I'll leave the last star for it's durability under adverse conditions. It won't be ruining any more of my work.
This is hands down the worst tool I've ever bought. The blade wanders left and right as well as at an angle from 90 degrees. It can't track a straight line and definitely can't cut a circle.
Don't waste your money on this sub par knock off of a jig saw.
7/4/2009
Best jigsaw for the money!
Best jigsaw for the money this jigsaw beats the pants off Bosch for less money. I really like my and plus its made in Spain, not China.
5/5/2009
Not for everyday use
If you need a jigsaw every once in awhile, this is the saw for you. If you need to use it quite a bit, this is not the saw for you. The fact that there is only 1 speed when you pull the trigger is so incredibly stupid. Yes, you can move the stupid little wheel at the top and it does work, but why not have a variable speed trigger? That way when you need to make sure that your cut is going to be exactly where you want it to be, you can make the initial start slow, then speed up. I bought it because it was a Freud, it now sits idle in my garage while I use the Bosch at work simply because it sucks. You get what you pay for, that's for sure. Ah yes, and I almost forgot, it comes with the dust port with a guard that is supposed to help with the dust. If you need to use it without a vac, say outside, the stupid little thing keeps falling down, holding dust ON your line which is so incredibly moronic.
4/7/2009
Workhorse
Not the prettiest, nor the nicest, but it does a great job. I use this for making furniture in my home workshop, we use bosch jigsaws at work everyday, (cabinetry and millwork), and my freud does just as good a job. With the blade guards in place, it does have very poor visibility, but i've never used a jigsaw which didn't have some visibility problems, and with the guards off, it's much improved. don't think i could have gotten a better jigsaw for twice as much money.
2/13/2009
Good jigsaw
Got this puppy on the gold-box deal for $69. I use my jigsaw fairly often at work and this saw is on par with top of the line Bosch or Rigid models retailing for $160.
It's got some nice features ... plenty of cutting speed, 6 amps of power and you can control the start-up speed with a dial, which is nice for detail work.
2/17/2008
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