SKIL PWR CORE 20 Cordless Jigsaw (JS820202)

Weighing in at 4.7 lbs, the JS820202 runs about average. It feels solid enough to withstand moderate abuse while remaining light enough to maintain some agility. The metal base is sturdy, but doesn’t include a cover so take care if cutting materials that are easily dented or scratched.

The SKIL maxes out at 3,000 strokes-per-minute. This is among the slowest speeds in this saw class (although it’s only 15% slower than the fastest of the bunch so it’s not egregiously slower). It’ll still be able to cut slow, clean lines through hard materials or faster, aggressive lines through soft materials.

The orbital settings help overcome the slower speeds. With four orbital-action adjustments, the JS820202 can cut clean or fast, depending on your material and task.

A variable speed trigger controls the strokes per minute. A light touch keeps the blade slow while increased trigger pressure delivers higher speeds to the blade.

The base on the JS820202 is easily adjustable. It has positive detents all the way to 45 degrees (both left and right) for quick and accurate bevels. A foot-adjustment lever located at the back of the saw locks and unlocks the base without any extra hex tools.

The blade clamp uses a sliding sleeve mechanism, much like a chuck on a cordless impact driver. To install a blade, slide the sleeve upwards and insert a blade. To remove a blade, slide the sleeve upwards again to release the blade. Unlike most saws on the market, the JS820202 accepts both t-shank and u-shank blades.

SKIL includes a blower and an LED worklight on the JS820202. The blower can be turned on or off with a switch on the side of the saw. The LED light turns on when the trigger is squeezed and remains illuminated for a short time after the trigger is released.

A small but welcome feature is the battery indicator feature of the LED worklight. The light will blink slowly when the battery is running low so you’ll never be left high and dry mid-cut.