Jigsaw blades - how proprietary are they?

[Eric The Viking]

Sorry all - another ignoramus question, but jigsaws have evidently moved on from when I bought my present piece of nastiness (which was really cheap and best ignored).

I'm closing in on a purchasing decision but... if I was a manufacturer, I would know that there is mucho profits in consumables. In the case of jigsaws, that's blades. "Capture" the customer with a machine purchase, and you can make many times the initial profit over time by forcing them to buy only your blades. And you do indeed see this in certain high-end brands, whose blades are really unusual in design (naming no names, as it's obvious if you look).

But what about the more run-of-the mill jigsaws? Bosch, Makita, Metabo and Festool all seem to use the same blade mounting (or at least the blades all look very similar to each other).

Please, if anyone has experience, could you say what you have found works (and what doesn't) between recent models/blades from Bosch, Makita and Metabo?

I've narrowed my machine choice down to one of those three. Why? They're all in the same price bracket, and they all seem to evoke strong "like" emotions from people who do actually like them. Assuming I'm not tying myself into same-brand proprietary blades, I intend (probably) to look at them, then finally choose.

So blade-user advice would be much appreciated!

Thanks, E.

PS: All three seem to have tiny dust extraction ports. This isn't a disaster, as I've been down the same path with sanders, but it would be helpful to know if they are especially awkward for any reason, too.

 

[whatknot]

Thats odd, I have only ever come across two main types of blades, U shank and T shank

Apart from the shank (most are T shank) each has a variety of different types, wood metal, ceramic etc

And we used to sell them, so am unsure what make you refer to that has their own pattern of blades

 

[Phil Pascoe]

https://www.saxtonblades.co.uk/jigsaw-b ... gsaw-blade
I've gone over to using these. I can't see a significant difference between these and Bosch.

 

[Jasper42]

I have a Makita 240 volt about 3 years of use, very happy with it and the blades i’m Using at the moment are from screwfix, no need to be tied to the brand. I’m looking at the makita 18 volt brushless but just can’t justify it to myself as the 240 volts is working so well...

 

[Distinterior]

I have a Festool cordless jigsaw now after my 9 year old 240v Millwaukee went bang last year.
Both jigsaws take the T type fitting blades and I had been buying the Bosch blades for years.
The Festool jigsaw came with 3 blades which I thought I would try and they are slightly thicker and far stiffer than the Bosch equivalent.
I don't use my jigsaw as a precision cutting tool, so can't comment on the accuracy of one blade over another, but I would say I do think the Festool blades are a better quality and do seem to last a bit longer cutting the same materials.

I have recently started using Wurth blades after my Wurth Rep suggested I give them a try. So far so good.....!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I found Piranha good, Punk awful and Screwfix indifferent. Can't fault Saxton yet.

 

[Homers double]

Makita super express blades are my preferred ones, I cut a lot of oak flooring and I find they give the cleanest cut.
The festool rep gave me a handful of various blades in a attempt to convert me to theirs, but I didn't like them.
I think it's a case of trying a few brands to see which you prefer.

 

[Robbo3]

Not much I can add other than to reitterate what has already been said.
Two main types :
T = Bosch & are self ejecting
U = Black & Decker & seem to be more for the DIY end of the market

Once you know the type, select from the various brands available. I'm still working my way through a selection of Bosch blades because they were on offer when I bought my saw some 5+ years ago.
I occasionally used 6" blades on branches which can be quite hairy. I've now changed to a reciprocating saw which is much more suitable for such work - & also has a large range of different blades.
The blades that I use most of are T101AO for tight curves which tend to overheat with the abuse that I give them.