Question for Bosch JS1591 jigsaw owners.

[ken masoumi]

I'm negotiating with a seller to buy his JS-1591 Barrel grip jigsaw,he is honest enough to let me know that two small parts are missing from the saw but according to him:"they do not interfere with the functionality of the saw",as you can see in the picture (2 arrows),the missing parts are the two fingers that help reduce the blade deflecting to the side.
My question is,are they necessary to be there?do they actually do what the are intended to do or are they usually considered a nuisance and therefore removed because they block the operator's view of the cut/blade?
Please help me if you could,thank you.
Here's the picture and the cut & paste from a site I found:


Precision Blade Control

To help reduce unintentional angles caused by the blade deflecting to the side, Bosch includes their Precision Control system, introduced earlier in 2004 on the 1590 jigsaw. Press the red activation button and a pair of "fingers" grasp the blade just above the cutting surface to help stabilize it.

[John C Bush]

Hi Ken, I have that saw and you definitely want the lateral blade control. I was making cuts in thick slabs~~2.5 " thick and noticed they weren't as perpendicular as usual. One of the blade control arms was missing--single retaining screw. Ordered them online and simple fix. I check them now before each use. They are sold in pairs and IIRC S/H cost about as much as the parts. If the price is reasonable for the saw you can restore it easily.

[Bill Orbine]

These guides may have been removed for a specialty blade, like a rasp or diamond cutter. The guides do help with precision cuts with regular blades and it doesn't interfere with visibility.

[Morey St. Denis]

Highly necessary, in my opinion. Especially if you appreciate making well controlled cuts at a precise angle (such as 90 degrees?..) near full depth, with an absolute minimum of blade wander. These mirror-image parts (four including the socket head screw attachments) are comprised of ground carbide guide blocks brazed onto sturdy offset steel "fingers" then electroplated. It's nearly the entire reason that a professional or well informed craftsman would choose these high-end Bosch jig saws over a multitude of more economical brands & models; especially since you apparently desire the better control and balance afforded by the barrel grip model over those with the tall handle. I believe that only $Hilti, $Festool, Metabo & those few Bosch models still built in Switzerland have, (or recently had) a similar design feature on their top jigsaws. I also own the Bosch 1591 and their newer JS572EBL, both in great operating condition. The good news is that these are consumable parts and readily available as replacements. I keep a set of spares on hand, as they are interchangeable between the few Bosch jigsaws with this feature.

[Greg R Bradley]

Highly necessary, in my opinion. Especially if you appreciate making well controlled cuts at a precise angle (such as 90 degrees?..) with an absolute minimum of blade wander. These mirror-image parts (four including the socket head screw attachments) are comprised of ground carbide guide blocks brazed onto sturdy offset steel legs then electroplated. It's nearly the entire reason that a professional or well informed craftsman would chose these high-end Bosch jig saws over a multitude of more economical brands & models; especially since you apparently desire the better control and balance afforded by the barrel grip model over those with the tall handle. I believe that only $Hilti, $Festool, Metabo & those few Bosch models still built in Switzerland have, (or recently had) a similar design feature on their top jigsaws. I also own the Bosch 1591 and their newer JS572EBL, both in great operating condition. The good news is that these are consumable parts and readily available as replacements. I keep a set of spares on hand, as they are interchangeable between the few Bosch jigsaws with this feature.

Morey nailed it.

Don't buy it unless the price warrants the replacement or you already have another 1590/1591 and want another for the bizarre blades that would require their removal, which I've never seen.

[ken masoumi]

Thank you all for your replies ,I knew I could rely on some honest responses here .
Thank you for making my decision easier.

[John C Bush]

OK-- what'd you decide???

[glenn bradley]

It's nearly the entire reason that a professional or well informed craftsman would choose these high-end Bosch jig saws over a multitude of more economical brands & models

That's why I went with the 1591. The control, power, torque under low speed, etc. I know there are other high end jig saws. At the time, the 1591 was the combination of all the features I was looking for at a not too astronomical price. It has been trouble-free and a joy to use for years.

[ken masoumi]

OK-- what'd you decide???

I decided to pass on the deal even though the seller was willing to lower his asking price but I had to order the missing parts myself.
I am still looking ,if I don't find a good 1591 I'll have to consider a new JS572EBL.

[Morey St. Denis]

Ken,

Some key features you may appreciate with the Bosch JS572EBL are switchable LED illumination of the cutting area and switchable blower control to jet away dust from the cut line, especially for when you are not connected to vacuum dust collection. Of course these Bosch jig saws have more than ample power at 7.2 Amps; the 'E' designates Electronic "Constant Response" circuitry to automatically maintain steady rpm under varying load conditions. Speed is variable from 0.8 - 3K SPM by means of a tangential wheel adjustment at the aft end of the barrel just above exit of the power cord, reminiscent of speed control with certain routers. In case you've not yet handled a 'B' grip jig saw, you'll note that there is no trigger that would also accomplish variable speed control of other good jig saws. Power switch is a smooth Go / No-Go thumb slide alongside the barrel grip. I gather that this thumb position works far better if you are conventionally Right-handed rather than an artistic "Leftie". The new 'L' feature indicates that the blue injection molded saw carry-case is of the versatile, interlocking, stackable, and multiply portable L-Boxx-2 series that looks somewhat similar to multiply portable, stackable tool box configurations also employed by Festool.

FYI, it appears that the BOrg is currently promoting a fair price on the JS572EBL at $230, including free home delivery, even better than Amazon at present... Unless that particular on-line promotional pricing might not be honored for delivery to Ontario. Best regards,

Morey

[ken masoumi]

Morey,Thank you for your post,I just ordered a JS572EBL locally,after reading your post I'm convinced I did the right thing buying this model although I never handled a barrel grip jigsaw and I'm a lefty .
I think I'll like the better blade control,the LED light,the ease of blade changing ,the 7.2 Amp power on this saw.

If $230 USD is considered a good price ,then in Canadian $ it would be something like $265,I bought mine for $279.99 which is the lowest I found around here,plus the dreaded shipping ($15) but I still find it a reasonably good price over all.

Maybe it's time to get rid of my old Black and Decker jigsaw now,I never liked that saw from day one.

[Morey St. Denis]

Oops, did not know you were working with B&D! Believe Black & Decker jigsaws were odd in that they used their own 'U' shank blade style. Bosch and about 90% of other quality brands settled on the sturdier & securely locking "T-Shank" design. Your B&D jigsaw blades will not work with a Bosch, best to get rid of all those with the used B&D jigsaw and get yourself a selection of quality Bosch blades. I can especially recommend their several "Progressor" models, these have variable & progressive tooth spacing to eliminate resonance vibration somewhat common to fixed-spaced teeth. The Bosch JS572 is already quite hefty, possessing a powerful motor, smoothly lubricated and superbly counter-balanced 25mm stroke mechanism. With those "Progressor" blades in combination with an Orbital motion setting, it veritably cuts like your going through butter!

As for blade tooth pitch, always choose a blade that will keep at least 2.5-3 teeth engaged in the thinnest material you're likely to be cutting. With sheet goods, divide material thickness by 3, that's your maximum tooth pitch, then invert that fraction to obtain least TPI. Finer teeth result in the smoothest surface finish, fewer TPI go faster in structural lumber or hardwood timber, somewhat at the expense of finish. You likely already knew that, as well as narrower blade widths for tighter turning radii. Bosch makes an excellent selection of surface ground blades intended specifically for optimal cutting in wood, metals, laminates, Acrylic, PVC or other plastics, should you ever have need for those. Let us know how it works out with Left forefinger On/Off switch control, else adapt a dominant Right-hand barrel hold... I don't happen to have my JS572 readily at hand today, just the 1591. Can't for the life of me recall if that switch position might even be interchangeable around to the right side... Enjoy!

[ken masoumi]

Great info on the Progressor blades,I already have some Bosch 20 tpi Wood blades (T101AO) but next time I'm at HD,I'll get some Progressor 18 to 20 TPI wood blades,I never like the aggressive lower tpi blades anyway,and hardly cut PVC/Acrylic .Last year I bought a few Bosch blades for laminate flooring and they were quite good.
I'll post my quick review of the jigsaw soon.
Thank you all.
Ken.

[Morey St. Denis]

So you were able to use Bosch 'T-Shank' blades in your earlier B&D jigsaw?.. You'll also like the Bosch Xtra-clean for Wood such as the several versions of T308Bxx... All are at 12 TPI, but where teeth at the lower half of the blade are more aggressively raked and those nearer the shank have little rake, to better minimize brittle hardwood surface tear-out.

Out of curiosity, that USD price previously mentioned at $229.99 is an HD.com promotional price thru March, I believe. It supposedly includes free home delivery or SO pick-up at any local store of your choice. Allowing for your conversion to Canadian $funds, if ordered on-line there was no possibility of delivery to a local HD in nearby Ontario?..

[ken masoumi]

So you were able to use Bosch 'T-Shank' blades in your earlier B&D jigsaw?...

The B&D jigsaw I own takes T shank blades,but it never cut straight from day one.

Out of curiosity, that USD price previously mentioned at $229.99 is an HD.com promotional price thru March, I believe. It supposedly includes free home delivery or SO pick-up at any local store of your choice. Allowing for your conversion to Canadian $funds, if ordered on-line there was no possibility of delivery to a local HD in nearby Ontario?..

As far as I know only Amazon .com ( selected items only)will ship to Canada,HD,Lowes do not,anyhow,with the USD/CAD $ conversion rate being the way they are,a lot of times it doesn't pay to buy from US vendors,the shipping alone kills a lot of deals.