Ridgid Jig Saw

[durango dude]

I just picked up a Ridgid Compact Orbital Jig Saw from Direct Tools for $35 (with tax!).

The company is having a 25% off everything sale.

I bought it at a nearby outlet store. It's a re-manufactured, along with the extra 25% off.

I cut a few sample boards yesterday ---- and am thrilled by the solid feel of this jig saw. There's far less vibration.
Certainly worth the price I paid.

There's drawbacks that I see;

a) Bevel gauge is hard to read.
b) No variable speed dial.
c) Slider power switch does not feel natural.

Afraid my Ryobi is going to take a back seat, unless I need variable speed. I rarely need to cut on an angle, so it's a non-issue.

[leehljp]

Do you mean "ORBITAL" jigsaw?

[durango dude]

Do you mean "ORBITAL" jigsaw?

um...... yeah (head slap)

[leehljp]

I don't have any experience with Ridgid tools per se other than a few times using a friends tools for a few minutes. I did purchase a Porter Cable jig saw back in 2000 and thought that it should be a good one just because it was so heavy and a PC. At that time, PC was a great brand. However, that was the most vibrating jig saw I had ever used. Learned a lesson on that. In 2011 (I think) I broke down and got a Bosch. I enjoy that Bosch a lot; however I think ANY jig saw will feel great after using the heavy PC. I think that the Porter Cable jig saw was designed big and heavy to counteract the fact that it probably didn't have any counter balancing inside. . . at least that is what it felt like.

[cwsmith]

I've had a Ryobi orbital jig saw (JS550L) for a few years now and like it. It has a scrolling head and three or four selection orbital action. I don't use jig saws all that much, and even less in these past few years. But for some reason I have four of them. My first was a Craftsman which I bought back in the 60's, IIRC, and my late FIL bought me another Craftsman back in the 80's for Christmas one year. Both of those work okay, but are pretty feature-less compared to today's saws. Two years ago when I was cleaning out my late in-laws house I found an old Sears 315.27750 sabre saw which is about as basic as you can get. Not sure how old that is, but it's sort of a beige-gray hammertone color with a toggle switch at the top rear of the motor. It still works!

I like the "orbital" feature on the Ryobi JS550L, as you can adjust just how aggressive you want that cut.

CWS

[twistsol]

I have a number of Ridgid tools and one of the nice things about them is the lifetime service agreement. I don't know if this applies to refurbs or not. I have a 5" sander that is now almost ten years old and has had the switch replaced a couple of years ago and after loaning it to a neighbor, doesn't turn on. I also have a couple of batteries that will no longer charge and I expect that Ridgid will take care of all of those issues. I've had no issues with any of their other tools. The only problem is I have to bring everything to the north side of Saint Paul for service now that that 7 Corners Hardware closed up shop. 7 Corners was across the sttreet from my favorite Italian resturant which made it too convenient for my budget.