it has taken way to long, but here it finally is: our first video of our very extensive jigsaw test and review series. and we'll start right away with a highligt: the bosch gst 18v-li s, that's the 18v cordless jigsaw from bosch professional in the barrel grip version. to find out what this saw is really capable of watch our many different test categories coming up right away. but first let's watch some close-up shots of the saw and listen to my voiceover, explaining the jigsaw's features [not a literal translation]. i have right here the gst 18 set consisting of the practical l-boxx and two 4 amp hours batteries. this is definitely one of the more expensive sets which bosch professional has lent out to us. butif you already have 18v batteries from bosch "blue, you'll be able to enjoy
cordless sawing for way less money. we've got the barrel grip type - as an alternative you could also get the d grip version. with the barrel grip the battery is mounted vertically on the back of the saw, as you can see. there are three orbit settings, a continuously variable speed adjustment and a slide switch to turn the saw on and off. the saw blade can be switched using an sds "fast switching" mechanism. the base plate is made of cast aluminum and should therefore be pretty study. also with regards to maximum power, the saw won't have to hide. it can cut up to 120mm thick wood. and that's probably way more than you'd really need from a jigsaw [not a literal translation]. you're probably all excited about what the saw gst18 from bosch professional is really capable of and i don't want to keep you in suspense any longer. we'll start right now with
our new brand new jigsaw test series through which we'll send a total of 14 [actually 13] jigsaws over the coming weeks. and so we're starting our first test category with our very first candidate. first up we'll saw into a piece of edge-glued pine without any kind of guide rail. that works pretty easily with this jigsaw and the result is quite presentable. the outer edge is very straight and also the cutting angle is nearly perfect. we'll repeat the same thing with hard wood, beech to be precise. again, we are very happy with the edge and the cutting angle. by the way in both scenarios, we have used a
particularly think and sturdy saw blad, which is supposed to help with straight cuts. it won't find in any saw, though. next up, we'll try a guided cut along a rail. not really one of the core competencies of a jigsaw. but because those saws are often supposed to be good at everything you throw at them, definitely a viable test scenari. i'll stop the video at three points now. one frame before the wood is cut through. right at the point we're cutting through and one frame after. as we can see the saw blade is not moving to the side. this might sound pretty obvious, but we'll see throughout the coming weeks this is everything but guaranteed. [not a literal translation]. also the cutting angle leaves us satisfied.
next up will be a test scenario much better suited for any jigsaw: the circle cutting test. after every quarter of a circle, the radius is reduced severly. we want to now how well the saw manages to hit the desired track and of course what the resulting cutting angle looks like. the cut is pretty smooth and comfortable. we don't deviate much from the small black line. but looking at the cutting angle, we'll have to substract some points here. now, we'll have to admit that many saws produce some issues with this test. it is designed to be challenging, but from a pro saw, we'd have expected a bit more. next up would be a beveled cut. but we're using the barrel grip version of the gst18, so we can't perform any bevel cuts. you'll need the d grip version to do bevel cuts.
with the barrel grip setup, the battery is in the way preventing you from tilting the saw to the side. the gst 18 comes with a splintergaurd, so naturally we have verify whether it's any good. for this we'll saw with maximum orbit settings into a piece of coated fiber board. next, we're putting in the splinter guard and repeating the cut. and wow, the difference is remarkable. that is, by the way, a result very well reproducable with other bosch saws, but often not possible with competing saws. right at the end we'll verify the specified maximum cutting depth of 120mm in wood. as you can see in this real-time [not sped up] scene, this is quite unproblematic for the saw. additionally, we have verified teh noise level. it is definitely appropriate for such a powerful saw,
there are some candidates performing much worse in this test. at this point, i have to mention some more subjective impressions from using the saw. you can defnitely feel that you're working with a professional tool here. even though the circle cuts were not perfect, you can at all times be happy about a saw which can make very smooth cuts through wood without an annoying cable sticking out the end. i won't have to say much about the bosch 18v eco system. it is fanstatic. there are batteries in all sizes and a huge variety of cordless power tools. still, you should dare looking over the edge towars the competition. and there is plenty of competition for 18v jigsaws in this price range, such as dewalt or makita.
especially the latter of which is always fun to compare to the bosch saw. i won't say any more but you can guess which video will be up next. but first let's draw some conclusions to the bosch gst 18v-li s battery powerd jigsaw: at any point the saw makes it very clear that it's a pro tool. it is very well made, makes cuts without annoying vibrations and is quite easy to guide through the material. in mot test scenarios the the cut and cutting angles were perfect. only if you're trying to cut curves [ouch, what a bad pun] you might not be eternally happy with the gst 18. in this case just wait for our next video review of another pro jigsaw. but if such small radii aren't your daily business and especially if you already own some blue bosch pro
power tools form the extensive eco system. then you can definitely add this cordless saw to your collection of tools. because the battery makes this saw much more flexible and it definitely doesn't lack any power because of it. and if you're about to buy it in a set with the giganctic 4 amp hours batteries, you won't run out of juice any time soon! i'll use this outro to say thank you to each and every one of you. we've grown to more than 200 subscribers now and that's even though there haven't been a lot of new videos lately. only from all the existing cordless drill videos which have already been online. that is absolutely amazing!!! i'm really looking forward to all the up-coming videos and your comments, likes and shares. it takes so much time to produce one of those videos, so i'm really happy that you appreciate them so much.
ok, now, let's not forget you're seeing two teaser clips up on the screen. on the left side there's the bosch gsr 18 from the same eco system as this saw. and on the right sight you can see the competition from makita. [thanks to our international viewers for watching!!]