MAKITA 18V LXT Brushless Cordless Jigsaw (XVJ02Z)

The brushless motor on this unit is a new entry into the LXT line of cordless jigsaws.  It’s among the heavier saw in this class, but it keeps up with the fastest of the bunch at 3,500 spm.  The stroke reaches the standard 1”, so the XVJ02Z won’t shy away from anything.  With a sufficiently sized battery (MAKITA offers up to 6.0Ah), this saw should be able to cut even the toughest materials for a bit.

MAKITA states that this saw has three orbital settings.  It’s really the equivalent of four using other competitor’s nomenclature.  The XVJ02Z has a zero setting plus three different degrees of orbital action.  Other manufacturers would call this four but MAKITA calls it three.  Just be aware that the XVJ02Z offers comparable (not fewer) orbital settings as some others on the market.

The variable speed functionality is controlled with speed adjusting dial located at the base of the unit.  It has six speed settings for different materials.

A pair of LED lights flood the workpiece with light from the front of the tool.

Note that the XVJ02Z does not include a blower.  We were disappointed to discover this as dust blowers are increasingly becoming a standard for this jigsaw class.

Blade changes are simple with the keyless blade clamp.  It features a latch that automatically clamps down on t-shank blades when firmly inserted.  Blade removal is as easy as throwing the latch all the way to its positive stop.

The beveling base on the MAKITA XVJ02Z is basic.  It pivots to 45-degrees to the left or right. It also requires a hex key to lock and unlock, which is a bit behind the times.  Additional tools for handheld tools are always asking to be lost.  Fortunately it’s not proprietary – it’s just an allen wrench.  Still, it seems to be a design that’s a bit stale.

Finally, we need to mention some safety features that are unique to this saw.  These may be the deal breakers as you’ll either love or hate the functionality of the electronics on the XVJ02Z.

Firstly, MAKITA includes a no-load speed reduction.  This means that under no-load (i.e. before you start a cut and the blade is cutting air) the saw always starts at the lowest setting.  Once the saw detects that the blade is entering the material, it begins to speed up to your desired speed setting on the dial. If a cut is stopped and restarted, the process starts again with the blade starting slowly then ramping to full speed.

If you like starting all cuts slowly, then this will work with your intuition and preferences.  If you like attacking all cuts at full speed, you’ll pull your hair out with this feature.

The second safety measure MAKITA included is a lock switch on the top of the tool.  After the tool is turned on, the lock switch must be pressed before cutting can start.  Pressing the button turns the tool in ‘standby’ mode.  The LED light illuminates and then the saw can start cutting.  If the tool stops cutting for more than 10 seconds, the tool locks and the button must be re-pressed to start cutting again.

This extra step could be useful, especially if you have children around.  Besides that, we felt that this extra step impeded our workflow.  We could just pick up the saw and go – but we had to press another button.  And then wait for the saw to speed up.

These features negatively affected our test cuts but they could improve your workflow and safety concerns.