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I had a very close look at the Carvex as I was after a cordless jigsaw and must admit that after using it and a Metabo cordless at a dealers open day, I bought the Metabo. I have had a Trion for about 10 years have been reasonably pleased with it but the Carvex seemed a backwards step to me. The blade change system on the one I tried was appalling, the blade mechanism was very problematic even though the jigsaw was brand new out of the box and the blade could only be removed using pliers. Not a good start. Plus despite having brand new blades and a Festool rep to set it up it would not cut at 90 degrees.
The fixed (but removable) base was just that, fixed. An adjustable base is available as an extra at £75. In addition, the blade guide system is a carry over from the Trion and needs adjusting every time you change to a different blade thickness and in their wisdom, Festool have decided to not provide a Hex Key mount on the body, it is now loose in the box. The strobe lights are very effective in 'freezing' the movement of the blade but I found it very difficult to see the cut line when the dust cover is down. I know you are after a mains version but the design and features are exactly the same apart from the dust extraction which, as you would expect from Festool, was excellent. The cordless doesn't have dust extraction which is fair enough as you buy cordless to be remote from power.
The Metabo on the other hand has a universal guide system which doesn't need adjusting, the blade mounting is precise and easy and the base is adjustable. It comes with dust extraction should you wish to hook up to an extractor and a very effective built in air blower to keep the cut line visible. It doesn't have the strobe LED lights but its LED light is excellent in err lighting the cut line.
Both jigsaws are Made in Germany, both have a three year warranty but the Metabo case is vastly inferior to the Systainer. I have had the Metabo now for six months and it has been superb. ( Like all my jigsaws it is a barrel grip). The Metabo mains version is exactly the same as the cordless one.
I have bought Festool's for over 20 years now, love them but the jigsaws IMHO are the definite runt of the litter. I wanted the Carvex to be super, sadly it wasn't.
But you ask if there is something miles better and again IMHO there is. Not only miles better but a revelation in jigsaw cutting precision and, in a fit of self indulgent pique and a desire to spend my childrens inheritance, I bought a Mafell P1CC as my Xmas present to me. It is sublime, the dogs danglies, and one of the best engineered bits of kit I have ever used.
