Customer Reviews

Milwaukee 6266-22 Top Handle Orbital Jig Saw

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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 I found out the 6266-21 has been superceded by the 22.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.

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!

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.

I just bought this unit today and tried on several 2x2's crosscuts and rip cuts, and there is no strain on the saw at all. It felt like I was slicing butter with a hot knife. Very very smooth. I'm glad I waited for this one, instead of buying the slightly more expensive Bosch. I read some reviews on the 6266-21 model and could not figure out why the cutter has to see the blade cut. With this saw, all you have to follow is the guide on the tip of the saw. One thing that should or be made available to the market is a rip fence or a straight guide for this saw. Although the cuts are smooth, it still definitely need a fence to make straight cuts. I own several Milwaukee tools and so far, none of their products were disappointing. Although, DeWalt has some nice high powered tools, the price they ask for are just ridiculous. Their jig saw that has 5.0 amps costs close to ($$$), and this jig saw which has 6.2 amps costs ($$$). Buy this tool, you will like it alot. I know I did, and will for a long time. Plus it comes with 5 free blades and a case.

My old Black & Decker jigsaw wasn't up to the task of cutting metal siding for my new barn. I needed a heavy duty tool and knew that Bosch and Milwaukee were the top contenders. After using both, the Bosch was the one I returned. Here's why. The Milwaukee is more powerful (6.2A vs. 5A), very easy blade exchange (slide the lever vs. screwy fooling around with upper knob), no tool req'd for plate tilt, and less expensive. The drawbacks are the non-variable speed trigger and the excessive time for the blade to stop. The metal siding is now complete and I couldn't have done it without my Milwaukee (I did use Bosch blades).

It was time to replace my 30 year old Craftsman scroller saw, and I read a review of the Milwaukee jig saw that rated it very high. I bought one about two months ago, have used it several times, mainly during a kitchen remodeling, and I find it to be everything Milwaukee claims it to be. It cuts through wood like butter, is much quieter than my old saw, and blade changes are a snap with the T-shank blades. The only problem I have had with is the clear plastic shield in front of the blade, and the plastic 'anti-splinter device', both of which occasionally fall off the saw. It has a very long cord for a portable power tool, which is very convenient, and comes with a nice carrying case and a plastic shoe cover. Milwaukee lists an edge guide/circle cutter attachment for it, but apparently it is not yet available. This saw is made in Germany (maybe by Bosch?), and I'd recommend it to anyone.

This saw is a big improvement over the 21. Keyless shoe adjustment, more power, bigger shoe. Don't know why the one
review said this tool doesn't have a dust collecotor port; it does! Quality machine, made in Germany. Recommend strongly.

Couldn't decide between this saw and the Bosch. Since I (like a lot of people) was replacing an ancient Craftsman, I knew that I'd like either one. The things that tipped me to this saw over the Bosch were the really fast blade change mechanism, the toolless bevel adjustment (no allen wrench required), and my past experience with Milwaukee tools - They ALWAYS work. So far this saw has been no exception. Powers through counter tops with ease - no binding, even on really tight radius turns. Smooth cuts through 2" lumber. Even a couple of nice minor touches: Good case with room for everything, and a really long cord.

I'm sure I would have liked the Bosch, but I have no complaints about my Milwaukee purchase (saved a few bucks too).

I finally broke down and bought a new jig saw after becoming completely disgusted with my old Craftsman. The old saw was too light (vibrated excessively), underpowered (blade would bind on curved cuts and freeze up the saw even with new blades), and had a novel "feature" in which the blade could be rotated to facilitate making curved cuts. Unfortunately, the lock on the blade rotation had too much play and therefore it was impossible to make a straight cut. Also, changing blades was cumbersome and required the turning of 2 set screws. While that model was the epitome of what a jig saw should not be, the Milwaukee is a shining example of a good one. First, it has plenty of power and has yet to bind on me. Second, it has orbital action that not only speeds up cutting in wood, but also helps stabilize the blade and keep it from deflecting side to side. Third, it is fairly heavy and almost vibration free. Fourth, it has a tool free blade changing system that works great. Finally, it comes with a long power cord and I have not yet needed to use an extension cord with it. I would have considered the barrel-grip version, but it is much more exspensive for basically the same features. I admit that I bought the Craftsman many years ago while in college and I had little money. But a jig saw is usually used to make precision cuts, which requires a good quality tool. So although you may be able to get by with a cheaper drill or circular saw, don't skimp on a jig saw. The Milwaukee is a great perfomer at a very competitive price.

This is a follow-up to my previous long-winded review. I gave it 5-stars this time, so the average will be 4.5. I'm still not happy about the non-variable trigger, but this saw has noticeably less vibration than the Bosch. Even though the Bosch could start at lower speed due to the variable trigger, the Bosch still jumped quite a bit when transitioning from stopped to the lowest speed possible by slowly squeezing the trigger. So there was no advantage there. Once running, the Milwaukee was smoother. And everything about the Milwaukee's adjustments is just better. For example the shoe tilt is tool-less, the positive stops are better, and the non-marring shoe cover doesn't require a bunch of screws.

So I'm now returning the Bosch to get back the Milwaukee again.