Customer Reviews

BOSCH 18V Jig Saw w/ (1) 2.4 A-h Battery Model # 52318

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Years ago I bought my first cordless tools, one a screwdriver and the other a light. Both wound up on the trash heap because it seemed like they spent more time on the charger than in actual use. How times have changed! First 3, 6, & 9V, then 14, 15, 18, 24V. Wow!... talk about power and convenience. As an old time retired contractor (I'm an active 73 yrs. young) I sometime feel like I should begin a movement to erect a national monument to whomever it was that started this cordless tool thing. Talk about utility and convenience! No more frayed or tangled cords (or worrying about cutting through one accidentally) or finding a close enough electrical outlet. This is real freedom from the tyranny of the cord.
Those are the reasons why this Bosch 18V cordless Jig Saw is only the latest to join the arsenal of cordless tools I am accumulating.
While admittedly it might be a mite rich for some pocketbooks, once you have one in your hand you discover that the legendary quality of Bosch comes shining through. And if you admire superb tool engineering as I do you will love this tool.
My last Bosch jig saw was purchased over 15 years ago and today it still provides the same dependable service as the day I bought it. If I had one complaint about the old one (a minor one) it was that I couldn't always remember where I put the long and thin shafted screw driver that I needed to change out the blade.
Well, in the cordless model, Bosch solved this problem in spades. The new blade locking and eject system firmly locks the blade in place and spits out the old blade when you want to do a change out like a ball player ejecting a "chaw."
But the convenience doesn't stop there: the balance is excellent with the placement of the battery (more about the battery later) providing just the right amount of ballast to help keep the weight of the saw on the work surface without the operator having to press harder, thereby allowing more control of the cut.
When you have to do some jig sawing on a surface that you don't want to mar, Bosch provides an easily slipped on smooth plastic cover for the base plate that lets you glide across the surface leaving nary a trace behind. Not a big deal but certainly beats having to look for some masking tape to put over the base plate to protect a delicate surface. The three-position blade selector, which controls the tilt angle of the blade may not be new, but these are: A built in blower to keep the area ahead of the blade clean and the blade guard for the blade to help prevent you from losing a digit are both conveniences that were lacking on my older corded model. Thanks Bosch!
The NiMH battery seems to take forever to run down and when it's completely discharged you're looking at about an hour to recharge. Of course since the battery is NiMH , you can put it on the charger whenever the tool is idle, since unlike the NiCad there is no memory problem
All in all this is a superbly crafted and well engineered tool and even though I have not had it in my possession very long you can rest assured that it will get the same hard (not abused) workout the other saw got and I feel confident it will work just as efficiently and dependably as its corded mate. Nuff said!

Out of all the cordless tools I own this one does the most on a battery. I own the bosch corded jig and have not used it once
since having this one.

The tool is made tough, the grip and balance is almost perfect.
The blade change system is phenominal. If you break a blade just pull the lever and the hot broken blade spits right out on its own!! The put a new blade in just push it in!!!

The 18v jig cuts anything with the right blade and really you can use it most of the day before the battery dies out.

I would NOT recomend replacing your circular saw with it the battery is not that, good but for jig saw work it is the best
and will impress the hardcore professional.

I must correct a previous reviewer however, the battery is not NMH(nickel metal hydride) it is NCAD, which is the standard battery used by all tool companies. He is growsly mistaken and readers should always double check reviewers statements I find
many mis- informations written by novice tool users on the Amazon tool rewiews.

What is cool is that when bosch puts out a battery upgrade it will work on this tool, I just dont know why you would need it.

Top of the line tool. Bosch is releasing a new corded Jig saw
that is just like this one and I will not evan consider it,
because once you have this you have no need for the cord!!!!!!!

I've retired my 25 year old Bosch 1 578 1 jigsaw. This saw has given me excellent service for 25 years, it's only short comings are you need a special srewdriver to change the blade, it doesn't have a cut blower and you have to plug it in. The 52318 addresses all of these. It's a great saw goes anywhere and for me doing pickup work in unfinished house where sometimes the power isn't in that's important. The only thing I didn't like is the funny little wire guard right in front of the blade blocks my veiw of the cut, but a srewdriver popped it right out so everything is fine. Don't know if it will last 25 years but we'll see.

My Bosch 18v Jigsaw is my new best friend. Powerful, superbly ergonomic, wonderfully balanced, and just plain fun to use. How did I manage for 4 years with my old cord-enmeshed jigsaw; the one with the blades which were hard to install and remove, the one with the gasping motor and the flim-flam quality. This Bosch tool oozes quality. The battery charge is deep, and it runs long. If they use jigsaws for medical procedures, this is probably the one - straight out of the box. Stepless variable speeds, easily adjusted bevel base angles, and even a scratch-saver plastic base shoe. (And it comes with a sturdy carry bag every teenager will want to 'borrow' for gym gear.) The Bosch 52318 Cordless Jigsaw is first class. Ths booklet says it will handle 2.75 inch lumber. I believe it. 1 inch lumber is not a challenge at all. 3/4 ply is butter to this hot knife. 6 stars.
****This comment added after another month of use. Don't buy a table saw - this does everything. Just kidding. But I CAN report that after cutting all types of lumber and melamine sheets and metal, the Jigsaw is a SEVEN star machine. Buy one before Big Brother finds out how much fun you can have - you know what happens then. ;-)

I live in the FL Keys, a demanding environment to say the least. I was helping my neighbor by cutting and screwing down some planks on his dock. Yes, the dock is over salt water, very nasty for electrical equipment. Anyway, I used both this jigsaw, brand new, and my 18v bosch drill. The first to cut the boards and the second to screw them down. I put them both away for about 2 months. I pull out the jigsaw to use it and it throws off all kind of sparks and the blade barely moves up and down. The drill runs fine. Neither were directly hit by salt water, but the drill has much less air flow than the jigsaw. Don't know for sure, just know that the jigsaw was expensive to only work for a couple of hours.

I am going to tell bosch about it if they will listen. I really like my other bosch 18v tools and they have worked great for over 2 years. The batteries don't last as long any more, but that is to be expected. The drill however has been my most used power tool and it has worked wonderfully since I got it from Amazon.

Bosch told me to call their Proadvantage Number and I did. The lady there needed my original invoice with date of purchase which I printed off from my Amazon history. I gave them a credit card which they do not change unless you do not return the old jigsaw and had a brand new jigsaw in two days. I am returning the old one. Given that Bosch was very good about replacing my bad jigsaw. I would change this review back to 5 stars if I could.

This is an amazing tool! I have had this tool for about a month and it is the best jigsaw for the job. Cutting wood and other material is not a problem with this little dandy tool. I love that the battery lasts for a long time. It means that I don't have to worry about running out of juice half way through the job. This thing cuts through wood like it was a knife through butter. It also brings a piece so that you wont scratch the material you are working on. It also looks like it is solid piece of equipment that could handle tough usage. Overall, this is a great tool and I give it six stars. And it even came with a 3 year service plan.

I really like to use this saw. It is by far, the best of the several jigsaws, corded and cordless, I have. Cuts are precise and effortless as long as proper blades are used. However, after occasional use, the motor quit. Other reviewers seem to have similar problems. Since the saw is out of warranty, I disassembled it and checked the motor. It was immediately apparent that the shaft was in a bind internally.There was something inside the motor rubbing on the armature that seemed to be causing the trouble. The shaft could be turned by hand but it was way too difficult to do so. The brushes were pulled and looked fine. I didn't drop the saw off a ladder or anything and I don't know that anybody else did either. The only option is replacing the motor if I want the saw usable---and I do! A new motor is on the way so, we'll see how it goes from here. I have to tell you that the Bosch service and parts people have been great to deal with. No long waits on hold and very knowledgable people on their end. I'm giving the saw three stars because it is so good when working and Bosh support has been excellent during this experience. I own other Bosch tools and they are still working fine after much heavier use. This is just one of those defects that happens from time to time. I wish it had happened before the warranty ran out and had to pay $67 for the new motor!

Jigsaw ran smoothly and worked well with good battery life and smooth operation. However, after a modest amount of weekend use it slowed down and then just stopped working. I opened the case and found that the motor had burnt out. The jigsaw had never been used hard. Very disappointing performance for an expensive jigsaw.

I am renovating a house, and this little brute performed perfectly, powerfully, right through cutting out a fiberglass tub, and all sorts of wood. A great purchase. It feels perfectly balanced in the hand. I also like the soft carrying bag that comes with it. Very practical, IMO.

Often people use a tool once or twice and put up a glowing review without really testing the product. I've had this tool for about 2 ½ years now and still love it. I'm a woodworker and have used it a lot. Basically,

It's Powerful
I Love not having a cord
Battery charge last a long time.
Easy to change blades

I recently didn't want to cut some junkie plywood with my nice woodworker II so I used a straight edge and my jigsaw. No problems. I forgot what I paid for it and was surprised to see how expensive it is. Like most quality products it initially hurts to put the money out but you quickly forget about the price and still have a quality tool.