comments on Freud FJ85?

[Leo Zick]

Gotta love Amazon gold box deals. $50 today!

Is it worth it though, or are newer saws light years ahead in technology now?

Im coming from using an old craftsman saw. i like it, but its not that stable. the rotating head is amusing though :)

Thanks!

[J. Z. Guest]

Leo: I wouldn't buy it because it isn't UL Listed, and that is important to me.

I may be a bit biased, being a UL engineer, but I believe UL's competitors in the US are the bottom-feeders that tool mfrs. go to to save money & time. (i.e. a "shortcut")

I've also handled them in the store, and they feel quite cheap compared to the Bosches, Milwaukees, and Makitas. Since I believe this to be one of the most important tools in a woodworker's arsenal, I don't think it is good to cut corners to save a few bucks.

The higher end jigsaws have better lateral blade support, which means the blades are less likely to go out of square when cutting thick material than the cheapies.

Save up for a Bosch or Makita. Buy once, cry once. Buy cheap, buy twice.

[Jerome Hanby]

Man, you've doomed me. I never knew about the gold box thing!

[Leo Zick]

Leo: I wouldn't buy it because it isn't UL Listed, and that is important to me.

I may be a bit biased, being a UL engineer, but I believe UL's competitors in the US are the bottom-feeders that tool mfrs. go to to save money & time. (i.e. a "shortcut")

I've also handled them in the store, and they feel quite cheap compared to the Bosches, Milwaukees, and Makitas. Since I believe this to be one of the most important tools in a woodworker's arsenal, I don't think it is good to cut corners to save a few bucks.

The higher end jigsaws have better lateral blade support, which means the blades are less likely to go out of square when cutting thick material than the cheapies.

Save up for a Bosch or Makita. Buy once, cry once. Buy cheap, buy twice.

good to know,thanks for the UL and review.
i have a friend that works for UL. :)

[Charles McCracken]

Leo: I wouldn't buy it because it isn't UL Listed, and that is important to me.

I may be a bit biased, being a UL engineer, but I believe UL's competitors in the US are the bottom-feeders that tool mfrs. go to to save money & time. (i.e. a "shortcut")

I've also handled them in the store, and they feel quite cheap compared to the Bosches, Milwaukees, and Makitas. Since I believe this to be one of the most important tools in a woodworker's arsenal, I don't think it is good to cut corners to save a few bucks.

The higher end jigsaws have better lateral blade support, which means the blades are less likely to go out of square when cutting thick material than the cheapies.

Save up for a Bosch or Makita. Buy once, cry once. Buy cheap, buy twice.

Jeremy,

I can understand your pride in UL since you are an employee but to characterize your competitors as "bottom feeders" ruins your credibility in my opinion. That's like working for Ford and saying that Toyota is crap. If you would care to explain the differences between the UL certification and CSA you will actually be informing the group instead of just seeming petty. Have you actually been to a CSA testing facility? It is obvious to anyone who reads my posts that I work for a commercial venture and I believe that one of the reasons I am accepted by many is because I do my best to only point to the positives of our products instead of throwing mud at my competitors.

Charles M
Freud America, Inc.

[Leo Zick]

Jeremy,

I can understand your pride in UL since you are an employee but to characterize your competitors as "bottom feeders" ruins your credibility in my opinion. That's like working for Ford and saying that Toyota is crap. If you would care to explain the differences between the UL certification and CSA you will actually be informing the group instead of just seeming petty. Have you actually been to a CSA testing facility? It is obvious to anyone who reads my posts that I work for a commercial venture and I believe that one of the reasons I am accepted by many is because I do my best to only point to the positives of our products instead of throwing mud at my competitors.

Charles M
Freud America, Inc.

What do you think of the product?

I have a friend who was a rep for you guys, has this saw, and swears by it..

To each his own, but its nice to hear opinions from people with hands on experience.

[Charles McCracken]

What do you think of the product?

I have a friend who was a rep for you guys, has this saw, and swears by it..

To each his own, but its nice to hear opinions from people with hands on experience.


Leo,

The FJ85 is a Heavy Duty saw with Electronic Variable Speed and can take just about anything you can throw at it. There are more features available on more expensive saws but I believe you will find it is a great value at regular price and a steal at $50.

[Paul Saffold]

I have one and like it very much. You have to decide if spending 3 times as much will get you the features you're looking for. I was pleased and I spent $90 for mine. That sounds like a great deal to me.

[David Gunn]

Leo,

these saws are not "cheap" made. I just got mine in. I am upgrading from a cheap Craftsman to this. The UL listing is not important to me either. I have several tools that do not have UL listings, and I haven't been shocked or had any other problems. I have to agree with what Charles said.
You could go to Lowes and check one of these out for yourself. My local store has a few in stock, that way you could put your hands on one to find out if you like it. Then come home and order it through the Sawmill Creek Amazon store.
Also, if you ever have a problem with your Freud, their customer service will take great care of you, I can promise you that.

[Norman Pyles]

I got the FJ85 from Amazon last week for 50 bucks. I gotta tell you it is a steal at this price. You also get 10 really good blades with it and it cuts like butter. If you like to spend over 3 times as much on a different saw then that's your business.:)

[J. Z. Guest]

Jeremy,
I can understand your pride in UL since you are an employee but to characterize your competitors as "bottom feeders" ruins your credibility in my opinion. ... If you would care to explain the differences between the UL certification and CSA you will actually be informing the group instead of just seeming petty.

Have you actually been to a CSA testing facility? It is obvious to anyone who reads my posts that I work for a commercial venture and I believe that one of the reasons I am accepted by many is because I do my best to only point to the positives of our products instead of throwing mud at my competitors.
Charles M
Freud America, Inc.

The tool would be evaluated to the same standard in either case, UL 745 or UL 60745. (note that the standard is written by UL, except that 60745 is the one that is harmonized with the international standards) The difference is that CSA, ETL, etc. sometimes waive UL requirements (usually performance tests) without good rationale for the sake of turnaround time or price.

No, I have not been to a CSA test facility, but I have had clients present me with CSA test data and reports trying to use that as justification to waive testing for their UL Listing, and we cannot accept them, because when we go over it in detail, there are always things missing. Since CSA is a Nationally Recognized Test Lab, we could accept their data if it did indeed meet the UL requirements.

Charles, I have noticed that you do not throw mud at your competitors, but you also never mention a drawback of Freud products. It's probably your job to do that, so I don't hold it against you. But I'm not here on company business; I just point it out because I believe it personally. Since I also pointed out that I work for UL, it leaves people free to either believe me or write me off as biased.

UL or CSA Listing does not necessarily indicate quality; just that the product conforms to a certain minimum safety standard. I've seen some really poor quality products bearing the UL Mark, but at least I don't have to worry about them burning the house down.

It is just one more thing to be aware of when purchasing a product.

For what it's worth, I accidentally bought a router that is CSA instead of UL Listed. I'm ashamed of myself too. I bought it online and assumed it was UL Listed because it was made by a big, well-known company. (It is a DeWalt DW616) It has been a fine router with no surprises: smooth-running, intuitive, ergonomic design, and good power.

The jigsaw seems good for the price, but the construction seems a bit lacking (there's still mold flashing) and the blade support is not top-notch. Also, no barrel grip models are offered.

Lots of folks seem happy with this jigsaw and with Freud routers, (which are also not UL Listed) so I guess they're not bad tools. It's just a place a corner has been cut, in my opinion. I'm done buying tools based on price; I end up replacing them in the end every time I do it and spending more money.

To the original poster, there's a magazine of tool reviews on the newstands now that has a jigsaw comparison and I believe the Freud is in it.

Here's an older review from Popular Woodworking, which put the Festool at the top of the heap and the Freud at the bottom:
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/upload/contents/335/jigsaws.1103.pdf

My own jigsaw is the older, "Black & Decker Professional" model of the DeWalt featured in that review. No toolless anything, but otherwise, the same except for color. I'm not happy with its lateral blade support and lack of a dustblower / vac attachment and will be upgrading to a Bosch 1591, Makita, or Milwaukee at the first opportunity.

The Bosch 1590 series was not out at the time of publication.

Here's more guidance on buying a jigsaw from Pop Wood:
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/features/jigsaws_new.html

Here's an article on jigsaw technique:
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/techniquearticle?id=14657

[Leo Zick]

well, i purchased it. if its bad, ill return it. im a novice to woodworking, so as long as it trains me and i find good uses for it, ill be happy.

i know there are lots of features on machines that make a huge difference when needed. for example, i dont get router benches. craftsman has a tiny little thing, that when on a proper bench, becomes too tall, but when on the floor, is only 15" high. pointless. so, ill attempt to make my own.
speaking of, i bought a craftsman digital router. i like it. im sure there are much better routers out there, but it seems durable and predictable. it cuts well, easy to adjust and handle. are there better? im sure.

now, when i have the space for a table saw, that ill spend some $ on. :) until then, circular saw :(

[Norman Pyles]

Leo I think you will be happy, with the FJ85 jigsaw.:cool: Don't worry about what the tool snobs think. :)

[Dave Sweeney]

I've had a FJ-85 for years and it's never disappointed me. IIRC, I paid $110 for mine so the current $50 price is more than a bargain. I find it ironic that many of the newer jigsaws on the market today, including the Bosch 1590, now have features that the FJ-85 offered as standard equipment way back in 2002 or 2003 when I purchased mine.

[J. Z. Guest]

Hi Leo.

Did you read the amazon reviews?

They're pretty hit-or-miss. 19 positive (some from folks who don't seem to have used it much) and 6 really bad ones:

http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B0000223OC/ref=cm_cr_pr_link_3?%5Fencoding=UTF8&pageNumber=3

But I guess if you go into it with your eyes open, it will be OK. Based on those reviews, you should check the alignment of the base to the blade and don't plan on using U-shank blades.

[Leo Zick]

Hi Leo.

Did you read the amazon reviews?

They're pretty hit-or-miss. 19 positive (some from folks who don't seem to have used it much) and 6 really bad ones:

http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B0000223OC/ref=cm_cr_pr_link_3?%5Fencoding=UTF8&pageNumber=3

But I guess if you go into it with your eyes open, it will be OK. Based on those reviews, you should check the alignment of the base to the blade and don't plan on using U-shank blades.

ive read reviews there and on epinions. nothing makes everyone happy so i took them with a grain of salt. like i said, if it doesnt work well, easy enough to ship back.

regarding u shank blades - im hoping the t shanks hold better. my old craftsman has u shank and they dont sit right, fall out easily, and with 2 setscrews, take too long to put in.

oh, and thanks for the woodworking mag review. good article! i thought you had to subscribe to view those things.

[Howard Acheson]

I'm a little confused, there is no way that "U" shank blades can be used with the Freud Jig Saw. The saw is designed for the "T" shank blades. There is no way for the mechanism to grip and lock in the "U" shank.

I see nothing in the Freud literature or in the manual that says that "U" shank blades can be used. Maybe I've missed something. I've used my jig saw a number times and the "T" shank blades hold perfectly.

[J. Z. Guest]

...oh, and thanks for the woodworking mag review. good article! i thought you had to subscribe to view those things.

Popular Woodworking is not as uptight as Fine Woodworking and WOOD about posting older articles for free. I'm so impressed with their lack of penny-pinching, I will probably subscribe to them next. I also really like their "I Can Do That" series. Those projects are very basic, but that means they can be made quickly and for gifts. And of course, they can be jazzed up a bit too, hehehe.

Howard, there were at least two or three guys that were complaining about the U-shank blades falling out. Whether they are dummies or saw some print somewhere that said the saw would take U-shank blades, I don't know. Usually, if it is one guy, I assume he's a dummy. Several guys, and I start to raise my eyebrows. ;)

[Leo Zick]

I'm a little confused, there is no way that "U" shank blades can be used with the Freud Jig Saw. The saw is designed for the "T" shank blades. There is no way for the mechanism to grip and lock in the "U" shank.

I see nothing in the Freud literature or in the manual that says that "U" shank blades can be used. Maybe I've missed something. I've used my jig saw a number times and the "T" shank blades hold perfectly.


where in this thread did anyone state using u shank blades with this saw?

[Rick Thom]

T-blades only.
I got one several years ago.. factory refurb. It has lots of power but lacks the blade support to consistently cut at a set bevel, and the bevel mechanism won't lock in at 90 deg. This makes it useless for all but rough jobs. Wasted my money and disappointed on a few projects. Should have bought a bosch or something of that quality.... I guess I am a slow learner(again)!

[Troy Donson]

I'm a little confused, there is no way that "U" shank blades can be used with the Freud Jig Saw. The saw is designed for the "T" shank blades. There is no way for the mechanism to grip and lock in the "U" shank.

I see nothing in the Freud literature or in the manual that says that "U" shank blades can be used. Maybe I've missed something. I've used my jig saw a number times and the "T" shank blades hold perfectly.

You did not miss anything, Howard.

Jeremy Zorns was commenting that you would be unable to use U shank blades if you have the Freud. I am sure he was just informing those who have a huge stockpile of U shank blades waiting to be used that the Freud FJ85 is not something they would want... :D :D

Troy

[Norman Pyles]

Their dummies. HTH:)

[Charles McCracken]

... the bevel mechanism won't lock in at 90 deg...

Sorry if you missed the feature but it does lock at 90°.

[Leo Zick]

Well the saw came Monday, and I played around with it last night. MAN amazon is fast.

Anyway, some comments, hopefully these help others.
-initial impression-nice looking. sturdy. bit awkward of a grip, it is a little deep but once the trigger is held in, its fine, and the counter allows you to hold and guide well. there was some excess motor oil coming through the motor exhaust vents. Wiped it down and assume it was just that-excess.

-blade quicklock - SWEET! so easy. And the 20 free blades it comes with are a good bonus. also got some Bosch T shanks. Very nice blades.

-orbiter function - SPEEDS through wood. i cant keep up with it, it just pulls through. i was testing with a precision blade, but i imagine with a ripping/rough cut blade its even faster.

-control - not bad. i need to learn its not a tight turning precision tool. i was making a sign with my house number. some corners are tough, but thats my fault for trying to navigate a tight radius.

-bevel - seems good. didnt use it. a bit tedious to set, but quick changes shouldnt be needed for it.

-dust - it creates dust. didnt hook a vacuum up to it, but you can lose sight of your cutting line from the dust. my router and circular saw do the same. but hey, its wood.

all in all, so far, so good. i didnt test on thick wood - 1" pine. so it was soft too. plan to get some oak or something for a revisit of my house number sign (the crappy ass home depot pine split on me b/c i dropped it). ill see how it is then.