Milwaukee M18 Fuel Jigsaw

[Chet]

Submitted on the old forum by Chet

This jigsaw was first released around August-September of this year and Mrs. Claus was nice enough to leave one for me under the tree.  I received the tool only because I have the batteries already from other tools.  It came a clear shield for just in front of the blade to help with dust collection and a dust collection adapter pictured to the right of the saw.  It also has an LED light.  I have messed around with it for a little bit and here are some first impressions.
The light does a real nice job of lighting up the work area.   It has a veritable speed trigger that works pretty well.  On the right side of the body there is a switch for a blower (pictured below)  In its's forward position towards the "X" the blower blows the dust toward the dust collection and when you move the switch toward the back, or blower symbol, it blows the dust away from your line when you aren't hocked up to dust collection.  It did a great job of this, but when hooked up to the dust collection I would rate it somewhere around a 6 to 7 out of 10 because some of the dust created by the down stroke still ends up on the floor.
But I have to say, this thing has amazing power and I was really pleased with what I have seen so far.   I was cutting some 4/4 stock and you could go just about as fast as you wanted.  The blade I was using gives a pretty smooth cut, not one you would generally use for breaking down your stock.  The brushless motor gives you around 3500 strokes per minute according to the specs and when you pull the trigger you get the feeling that is a pretty accurate number.   I did take a piece of 8/4 oak that was 9 1/2 wide and it took just a bit over 10 seconds to go through it following a straight line I had mark.  If you didn't want to be that neat with your breaking down of stock, it could probably be faster and with a more aggressive blade I am sure it would get through it in no time at all. 
With the battery attached it weighs 6 1/2 pound which is a little heavy but it has real nice balance so the weigh isn't bad at all.  The "D" handle is nice and has a good feel to it.  I have a Bosch jigsaw that I have had for a number of years that is still in great shape but it will be nice to have this one for breaking stock, just grab and go, no extension cord needed.

Follow up posts

1) Good initial thoughts Chet. I always hated using a jigsaw until I went to the barrel grip Festool. The D-handle always created issues because I'm left eye dominant but right dominant.

2) Thanks Chet! Now you got me thinking about spending money.. A cordless option for breaking down stock is a great option to have!

3) They have a barrel grip model, or they will have, I think it was supposed to be out late this year.

4) Yep, they do..

www.amazon.com/M18-Fuel-Barel-Grp-Jigsw/dp/B07J1TBDVQ/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1546009044&sr=8-7&keywords=Milwaukee+M18+Fuel+Jigsaw

5) Thanks Chet for the review. As I may be or not be known for my material breakdown with a circ saw, this may be something I need to look into. 

6) For the record, I have the Festool corded option and wouldn't pay that price for their jig saw ever again. If I were in need of a jig saw today, this is probably the direction I'd go.

7) I agree about the price of the Festool jig saws and not paying the price again, but I do like using it.