The Ryobi One+ Jigsaw : It's Adequatious
Written: Mar 19 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A good cordless jigsaw with a few drawbacks
Cons: Weight, cut path, storage
The Bottom Line: I like this jigsaw. Its got a few poor marks, but hey, $50
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| AVaddict's Full Review: RYOBI 18.0V Cordless Orbital Jig Saw OJ1802K |
Overview
The Ryobi cordless orbital jigsaw is part of the One+ line of tools from Ryobi. They are called this simply because it a whole line of products working off a single battery type. This is not particularly unique, most companies have adopted this approach and have varying names for it. This unit works off the same 18v battery that all the other One+ tools do. This saw can be purchased just by itself or as part of the “Renovator Combo Kit”. By itself, it does not come with a battery or charger, that would have to be purchased separately if you didn’t already have them from another combo kit. The batteries run $40 for 2 and the charger will run you $20 more unless you get the in car charger which runs $10 more.
This is not my first Ryobi tool. I have hand and belt sanders, drills, saws, and table tools, many of which run off the same batteries. So far reliability has not been a problem for any tool of theirs that I own. I have had this jigsaw for about 6 months and have beat on it to say the least. When I originally purchased it, it was simply an excuse to get another One+ toy, and I did in fact use it for that project, but since then however I have been using it for all sorts of things I simply didn’t foresee at the time of purchase. That’s a good thing, lemme tell ya, because it has been critical on some of my more recent kitchen projects including my new sink, microhood install, and some intricate stuff for the handrails on my recent deck work. BTW, my 18v One+ circular saw did all the grunt work for that deck, beautifully I might add.
Use
I have seen a common complaint about many of the Ryobi tools, specifically in the One+ line and that is that they all tend to be heavier than some competing brands. In this case I would agree and for that matter in most cases I would agree, however it is far more marginal than some may have you believe. As I mentioned in my most recent review and will continue to mention because it speaks to how fatiguing this product may be for some, I’m a big guy, so quite literally, a few ounces here and there just doesn’t phase me. The case with this particular product is that a lot of the time, in contrast to say a power drill and doing drywall for 10hrs, much of the time the surface being cut will actually support the weight of the saw, ie, its flat, so the energy used is just pushing it around.
There isn’t anything amazing about this jigsaw, it’s just a cordless jigsaw and for the most part does a pretty good job. It has a 4 position cam which limits blade movement, Ryobi says from “smooth to aggressive cutting”, but the reality is I keep it jammed forward because otherwise the cut can wander in harder materials like ½” oak ply. Well, that and it would take forever. The saw also features “blade storage” on the handle. I’m not sure what blades anyone at Ryobi thought they were going to store in here. Standard T-shank blade (like the Bosch T101D) do not fit and are actually almost 1.5” too long. The saw actually comes with two amusingly tiny little blades that have limited use in my opinion, other than the fact that they are terrible blades, but you might get away with one staying sharp through your first tiny project.
The actual speed of the saw is variable through the trigger and is rated at 0-2000 stroke no load speed. I have no way of knowing what its true speed is as I cut something, but I can say that the speed is actually pretty easy to modulate with the trigger. This is fairly handy whether working with soft material in general or hard material in close quarters. As I mentioned earlier, this model uses T-shank blades that everyone and their uncle makes and that can be found at almost any hardware store. I prefer Bosch blades, but my dishwasher is also a Bosch, as are my heat guns, and the aftermarket fuel pump in my Honda….maybe I’m biased. In use, the blades are easy to install and remove requiring little pressure, but a little attention should be paid when seating a new blade as sometimes it takes a little nudging to get it to seat.
Battery life on this unit, for the most part is actually better than average in my opinion. When doing a lot of the cabinet work I was surprised how long I was getting out of the charges because all the work was on solid 5/8” oak, not ply, the real thing. That gets big ups from me, because as much as I like the One+ circular saw, its run time is awful regardless of blade used. I mentioned it is a little on the weighty side and I pointed out the speed is easy to modulate, but one of the other minor issues I have found is not so much being tired lugging it around, but more just hand fatigue. The trigger is easy to modulate, but it is a strong pull, so in this respect, I can easily see that aspect of this model being fatiguing for a long project. I know I finished more than one rubbing my right palm.
This units base can pivot from 0-45deg in either direction for angled cuts. In most situations, I might consider routing whatever it might be if you have the bit and you can pull it off. The base has little indentations, but not the precision marking you might expect on a nice circular saw or mitre deck. In other words, last resort. The tool to adjust the base is onboard as they are for all Ryobi tools and doesn’t have a tendency to fall right off like an older Sears unit I sort of replaced with the Ryobi.
Conclusion
This is a decent cordless jigsaw. It is nothing spectacular, but I am not going to call it poo. I will have this saw for years and have no doubt I will use it often, however, a lot of the impetus to buy with was the convenience of synergy with all my other cordless tools from Ryobi. There really is something to be said for convenience. It has performed well on most of the surfaces I have used it on and isn’t daunted by even a solid inch of birch ply, though I did have to go reeeeaaaaalllly sloooooooow. It is rather hefty, but any fatigue you may encounter while using this will likely come from the trigger/grip issues I talked about earlier.
Sure one could go to someplace like Harbor Freight or the discount conventions that roll through every now and then, but for fit and finish, the reliability of a known and reasonably respected name like Ryobi, the ease of a single power source for everything, I’d say this is a solid bet, especially for a 50 spot. I do like this model better than any of the cheapy corded saws I have owned or used even with the downsides. If you already own other Ryobi One+ tools, this is kind of a no-brainer if you need a jigsaw.
btw, for those might not know the word adequatious, it is perfectly cromulent.
Recommended:
Yes
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Location: Texas
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