Mastercraft 5A Orbital Jigsaw with Laser
4.6
5
26
27
Excellent
This jigsaw is excellent. I purchased Bosch 5-pack blades at Kent (made in Wisconsin, US / Not China) and I can just cut away building Adirondack Chairs. It feels great cuttiing shapes, very ergo and easy to use.
May 29, 2013
Poor value, even on half price sale
Picked this unit up on sale for $38, made some test cuts, and promptly returned it. PROS: the laser line is very helpful, indicating clearly the blade's destination during freehand cutting; the laser line can be turned off when desired, e.g. when cutting reflective materials like metal or plastic laminate; tool-less blade clamping system holds the blade securely, quickly and easily, and ejects it easily when desired; blade guard swings out of the way nicely during blade changes; stroke length is ample; stroke speed can be adjusted while cutting; includes a flimsy but usable edge guide. CONS: much noisier than other jigsaws with more powerful motors; very pronounced vibration; the motor exhaust blew sawdust up to 3 feet in all directions, making a mess despite the saw's vacuum attachment being connected to a powerful shop vac during all cuts; during cuts against a clamping edge guide, blade consistently tracked slightly to the left rather than straight; spare blade holder on the saw's side is a cruel joke; no storage case.
April 13, 2013
Great Machine
An excellent machine. I've had it about a year and would recommend it to anyone. My only complaint is that the vacuum attachment for dust is very thin at the end near the blade and mine broke off.
November 8, 2012
Good deal
Bought this on sale at half price, awesome piece of tool to have
August 30, 2012
Good mid-level jigsaw
I used this in building a deck and pergola. Held up quite well, and I'd definitely recommend it.
Pros:
-Super easy to use
-handy and lightweight
-on-board blade carrier helps with portability
Cons:
-blades won't last long
-need to go really slow when making tight turns during a cut.
August 30, 2012
Jigsaw straight cut .
Mastercraft 5A jigsaw is a good saw to use to cut straight lines because of the laser in front . It is a good buy for the price and gets the job done.
August 22, 2012
Why pay more?
Got this a few weeks ago to do some house renovations, I was very surprised at the build quality which is that of a much more expensive jigsaw. For the price, it does an excellent job at cutting almost anything. I have cut wood flooring, pvc pipe, 2/4 studs, 3/8 plywood and copper pipe all with no problems at all. The laser sight is excellent for staying on track. The bevel cuts where always true and the top mounted speed control is very handy. when doing wood flooring i recommend the #1 orbital setting to negate splintering. I would strongly advise using Bosch or other high end blades in this jigsaw and it uses both T an U shank blades if you want a pro result. all in all 5 stars and highly recommended
February 3, 2012
Great Saw
I had a Makita for 35 years . The blades became hard to find & the blade holder broke so I bought this saw.
Appreciate the laser, on & lock on switch . The no tool quick blade change is terrific.
I use it to cut metal & wood in a Chev van restoration project. A bit heavy but really does the job.
Glad that I bought it.
September 15, 2011
a great product
the product was good the laser helped so much and the vacuum attachment is very handy it suck the saw dust right up and the obit is good but it dose not cut very sharply in a 2x4 or 2x6
September 10, 2011
For this price range, a good jigsaw
If you use this saw to cut plywood or 3/4 inch boards and use the right blade you will find this saw follows the cut line closely and the cut will be 90 degrees. This also holds true if you are doing bevel cuts.
I found five amps is enough to deal with hardwoods and 2x4s and even this sheet metal if you use the right blades. The blade will wander off the vertical if you use the saw to cut a 2x4, though. Unlike some saws, motor vibration isn't enough to shake the shoe out of alignment when making vertical cuts. I did have a problem with alignment when I was making bevel cuts. I had to keep checking the angle and adjusting it.
This saw uses T blades. You can remove them with one hand. If you are making curves or bevel cuts the blade will sometimes gets pulled out of the holder.
The saw doesn't come with a case, but that's often the case with jiggies in this price range.
Dust bags on jigsaw are a joke, but this one has a dust collection port that can be connected to a 1.25" shop vac. Turn on the shop vac and you have a so-so but really noisy dust control system. (It will encourage you to invest in ear protectors.)
If you buy a GOOD set of blades (and I mean Bosch or DeWalt, not MasterCraft) you will find this good saw will make cuts quickly and accurately.
March 4, 2011
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