Milwaukee 6266-22 Top Handle Orbital Jig Saw

by Milwaukee

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

When it comes to power and performance, few jig saws can match the 6.2 amp Milwaukee top-handle, orbital jig saw. This versatile workhorse delivers clean, accurate cuts (straight line, beveled, curved, and internal cutouts) through metal, plastic, and wood. Blade speeds of 500 to 3,000 spm are controlled electronically and can be adjusted easily on the fly with the twist of a dial. Orbital action (four settings) and shoe angle (45 degrees in either direction) are also easy to adjust and maintain for just the right power and cut. An all-metal gear case and cast-aluminum shoe provide added stability and durability. A non-marring shoe cover protects the workpiece from damage, and a built-in sawdust blower keeps the work surface clean ahead of the cut, for added visibility. As with any tool of its kind, the jig saw does vibrate a little, especially at its higher settings. Fortunately, it's not as bad as one might expect, thanks to a vibration dampening mechanism that permits quieter, smoother operation. --Carl Thress

Product Description

Dial speed control. Orbital action with 4 adjustment levels for faster cutting. Dust collection port for attachment to vacuum. Quik-Lok blade change system. Uses T-shank JigSaw blades.

STANDARD EQUIPMENT: Blade assortment and carrying case.

SPECIFICATIONS: 5.7 amp motor, 450 to 3100 strokes per minute. 1 inch stroke length.

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Product Details

Product Manual [1.98mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 3.2 x 11 x 17.5 inches ; 9.4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 10 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B00006JKXH
• California residents: Click here for Proposition 65 warning.
• Item model number: 6266-22
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #199,870 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Jig Saw Available, October 29, 2002

By 

Greg (Smyrna, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Milwaukee 6266-22 Top Handle Orbital Jig Saw (Tools & Home Improvement)

This jig saw is the best there is. As a counter top fabricator,
I use a jig saw daily. I recently gave my Milwaukee 6266-21 to
my assistant, and went to buy another. I found out the 6266-21 has been superceded by the 22. Great improvement on a suberb
product. The base plate is now larger, and diecast aluminum. It is also now allows keyless adjustment. There is a tight distance to nose for cutting in tight corners. Not sure what the other reviewer meant about no vacuum port, put the 22 has one. This saw
is the most powerful in the industry, and is very low vibration.
Made in Germany, this saw also has Milwaukee's life time warranty. I recommend this saw highly. Better than the Bosch, and
an improvement over the 21. A life time investment.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not happy with jump start; and a few minor gripes, August 30, 2003

By 

Christopher Janicki (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Milwaukee 6266-22 Top Handle Orbital Jig Saw (Tools & Home Improvement)

I bought this saw to replace a bottom-of-the-line saw I've had for years. The first nice thing I noticed was the total lack of vibration, even at the highest speed... very impressive to me after living with the rattle of my old saw! I didn't think such balancing was even possible. The speed range was both lower and higher than my old saw, and smoothly continuous. All adjustment controls were larger and easier than competing saws. Extremely solid materials/construction overall (exceptions noted below), and great carry case too.

The list of advantages over my old saw is too numerous, but here are the negative comparisons, in reverse order:

1. Much heavier, although I suppose that's to be expected of a quality tool.

2. Fit/finish of the saw's plastic casing (not the carry case) was same or worse.

3. The trigger itself was not variable!

The biggest flaw for me was that non-variable trigger. So on startup at the highest setting, the saw jumps due to its high torque. I often stop a long cut half-way through to reposition myself or the work... I'm afraid this jump will damage my work when continuing a cut. I tried adjusting the speed dial while holding the trigger, but this is just too awkward. I will be returning this saw (probably for the Bosch) for this reason. (Even my old saw had the variable trigger.)

There were two clear plastic parts that disturbed me:

1. A shield that fit in front of the blade was very thin and would easily pop off if knocked directly. Worse, it needs to be removed to angle the blade. I didn't realize this until I tried to adjust the angle and probably nearly broke it. It's made of that very tough (polycarbonate?) plastic, but it still seems like a loss/breakage liability.

2. An anti-splinter device slips onto the non-marring plastic shoe, and the metal shoe too. It's flat with a slot for the blade. This piece is solid, but a little difficult to remove, and harder to correctly slip back on. It can't be used when angled.

A pet peeve of mine on all tools is angle adustments. This one does have excellent positive stops at -45, 90, and +45 degrees. It is a little better than most at small adjustments... the tool is marked in 15-degree increments (embossed in the metal shoe, not a crappy sticker like some), but the scale is just too tight to be very accurate. Not important for most work I know, but that's why it's my personal pet peeve.

I thought the speed dial was recessed a little too deep. It takes more finger flicks to adjust it across the range than I'd like. (Seven, for me.)

Everyone touts the blade release on this saw. It was very easy to operate, but I found it tricky to insert the blade exactly far enough to lock straight. It seemed too easy to set the blade shallow, which would cause the blade to be twisted against the anti-splinter blade slot when releasing the spring-loaded mechanism. Maybe it's just me?

Summary: I would have *loved* this saw, even with the minor gripes, if it weren't for the non-variable trigger. If you don't care about that... go for it!

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's A Feature - Not A Flaw, June 17, 2004

By 

Darrell Koller (Ballwin, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Milwaukee 6266-22 Top Handle Orbital Jig Saw (Tools & Home Improvement)

Another reviewer sited the lack of trigger controlled variable speed as a reason for returning this saw and choosing another brand. I typically don't like to contradict other reviewers as everyone has their own technique and application. I would, however, like to offer a bit of a different insight into the matter. When negotiating an intricate cut, any change in SPM will impact the accuracy of the cut. I always find it advantageous to maintain a constant speed throughout a cut. Maintaining a constant speed can be difficult when the speed control is integrated with the trigger. When performing an intricate cut your grip pressure often increases and decreases in and out of the turns. An increase in grip pressure can result in more displacement of the trigger and subsequently a sudden change in SPM (and an inaccurate cut). I personally like the fact that Milwaukee has made the speed adjustable via a separate control. Unlike the other reviewer, I have not noticed high torque jumps with this saw. When I need to restart a cut I always insure that I have backed the saw sufficiently away from the uncut material. This is a great saw, and though it initially seems that trigger integrated speed control would be convenient I think the separate speed control is a well thought out design. Perhaps Milwaukee may want to implement a soft-start feature if it is widely perceive that start-up torque jump is an issue. Personally I wouldn't find such a feature valuable enough to merit an almost certain increase in price.