Gettin’ Jiggy With the Milwaukee M12 Cordless Jig Saw

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milwaukee-m12-jig-saw-mainSeveral years ago, if you had asked me if I had any interest in a cordless jig saw, you probably would have received a very skeptical look. If you told me it was from a 12v product line, laughter might have followed. Last year at a media event for Milwaukee Tool, my thoughts on the feasibility, or even desirability of a 12v jig saw received a jolt. It was my first opportunity to see and lay hands on Milwaukee’s new 12v Max Jig Saw, and suddenly gettin’ jiggy with with a small, cordless jig saw no longer seemed like a bad idea.

Milwaukee sent us an M12 Jig Saw to review and it’s become our go-to jig saw, largely thanks to its cordless and small form factor convenience. It’s a fantastic tool, and here are a few reasons why:

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Hybrid Grip makes for smooth controllable cuts

Hybrid Grip
Typically, you’ll find jig saws in top handle or barrel grip configurations. Milwaukee describes the M12 as a hybrid grip design. The result is a small barrel feel at the handle where the trigger is located. The top of the tool is also smoothly contoured, making it a natural place for your other hand to rest and help control the cut. There are some folks adamantly in the “barrel” or “top handle” camps, and for them, the hybrid design might be like sleeping with the enemy. I found the hybrid design more flexible than a top handle which tends to restrict your hand position more. It also gives you a bit more to hang onto at the top of the tool than the typical barrel design. Even if you’re a barrel or top handle loyalist, give this grip a try and you might just pull a Prius and go hybrid.

Spec’s
milwaukee-jig-saw-blade-guideAt just 3.8 pounds and 9″ long, the M12 Jig Saw is so compact and easily handled, you might find yourself reaching for it even if you don’t need a jig saw. The Quick Lok T-Shank blade mechanism makes changing your blade a breeze. Once your blade has been inserted, a metal blade guide keeps your blade from getting too jiggy during the cutting action. A 3/4″ stroke length and 0-2,800 strokes per minute deliver fast and very controllable cuts.

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Milwaukee's grip and cordless flexibility make turns tighter than Nascar

Manueverability
If you think of your typical corded, full-size jig saw as the limousine of the saw world, then the Milwaukee M12 Cordless Jigsaw is definitely a turbo-charged Mini Cooper. Without a cord to tangle up your arm or to worry about severing with the saw, you’re free to drive the M12 Jig Saw around twists and turns with ease. With a scroll blade attached, you’ll soon find yourself with an uncontrollable urge to cut out complicated celtic patterns just for kicks. The M12 Jig Saw is definitely a nimble performer and delivers more maneuverability than any other jig saw we’ve used to date.

Bevel Cuts
Tool Free bevel adjustment is a touch tricky to seeBevel cuts are a tool free affair with the M12 Jig Saw. A lever at the back of saw enables quick and easy bevel adjustments. You can cut at 0 to 45 degrees, and 15 degree marks are clearly shown on the tool. However, because the degree lines are so close to the saw housing, it can be a little tricky to precisely line up the bevel arrow with your preferred angle. One thing you won’t have trouble lining up is the default 90 degree setting, which is designated with it’s own slot and positive lock. Considering most folks cut at the 90 degree setting, the positive lock is very reassuring. I’ve used cheap jig saws in the past where the bevel lock would loosen during a cut and you would wind up with an accidental bevel cut. That is not something you’ll need to worry about with this saw. Be sure to read the next section for a key tip on setting up for bevel cuts.

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Anti-splintering guard properly removed before a bevel cut

Anti-Splintering Device
The included anti-splintering device is basically a small acrylic window that snaps easily in and out of the base plate. On most jig saws without a blower, seing your cut line and the immediate area around your cut can be a challenge. Since the M12 doesn’t have a dust blower, I suspected this would be an issue. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the anti-splintering device actually does a great job of providing a relatively dust-free window on your cut. One critical point to keep in mind; the anti-splinter device is not intended for bevel cuts. In fact, if you don’t remove it for bevel cuts, you’ll likely splinter your anti-splintering device, resulting in a tragic, ironic end to that little accessory. We found the anti-splintering device useful even when cutting material we were not worried about splintering. The device snaps in and out easily, so make sure you pop that thing out before you dive into any bevel cuts.

Performance

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Fuel Gauge keeps you informed
Milwaukee sensibly put almost all the weight of the saw (which isn’t much to begin with), directly over the cutting area. The result of this design is minimized vibration. While you might expect a smaller jig saw like this to bounce around more than Carrot Top after a week-long meth binge, the M12 is shockingly smooth. I should probably clarify, I have no idea if Carrot Top does Meth, but it sure seems like it. Back to the m12: far from underwhelming, the M12 Red Lithium battery delivered plenty of power and runtime in our testing. Assuming you have a second M12 battery on-hand, with a 30 minute charge time you would need to undertake some pretty aggressive cutting to overtax the M12’s cutting ability. Even a single battery will handle most typical jig saw tasks with ease. It’s a strong performer despite deceptively low voltage for a jig saw.

Bonus Features
Aside from the anti-splintering guard, an integrated LED light helps illuminate your cut line and makes staying on track that much easier. Even in a well-lit work environment, the motor housing of jig saws can create a dark area right where you need the most light. The LED light on the M12 is a welcome addition. Not surprisingly, Milwaukee also included an on-board fuel gauge to help prevent you from running out of gas unexpectedly.

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On-board LED keeps you on track

Conclusion
Jig Saws are great, versatile tools, but it’s not often I get excited about them. The Milwaukee M12 Jig Saw brings enough innovation to this tool that it makes for a very exciting new product. If you plan to cut miles of material or use a saw daily at your cabinet shop, then a corded jig saw is likely still your best bet. However, based on our testing, we think there are few jig saw tasks a homeowner (or even a contractor) encounters that the M12 can’t handle. Best of all, it handles those tasks with cordless convenience, great small form-factor ergonomics and solid performance.

The Milwaukee 2445-21 12V Cordless M12 High Performance Hybrid Grip Jig Saw kit is available from our sponsor Tyler Tool for around $149 and includes the Jig Saw, one M12 Red Lithium Battery, Swiss-made wood blade, 30 Minute Charger, non-marring shoe, anti-splintering device and a Milwaukee branded man-purse (which Milwaukee wisely describes as a “Contractor Bag”). If you’re already on the Milwaukee M12 Bandwagon, you can buy the Milwaukee 2445-20 12V Corldess M12 High Performance Hybrid Grip Jig Saw (Tool Only) which still includes a wood blade, anti-splintering insert and non-marring shoe, for a bargain $119 also from Tyler Tool.

Photo of author

About Marc Lyman

Marc grew up under a brave single mom who "encouraged" home improvement on the family home. Early toddler gifts included a tool set, and even a cordless Bosch drill when cordless drills first came out. In grade school (give or take a few years), Marc's mom said, "We need to cut down some trees. . . . here's a chainsaw." A father figure also involved Marc in many home improvement projects, including a summer of home remodeling in Palo Alto, CA. Toss in some Obsessive Compulsive personality traits researching everything home improvement related. The end result: a genetically pre-disposed, socially sculpted home improvement machine! For his complete profile, please visit our About page. Really, it's worth it.

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5 thoughts on “Gettin’ Jiggy With the Milwaukee M12 Cordless Jig Saw”

  1. I have this model and it is a goo bit of kit but I was surprised that it didn’t come with the orbital action or a small blower to clear the dust in the working area which I found a bit of a problem.

    Reply
  2. I have a small jiggy (OK, get your minds out of the gutter) and although mine is not a “M” it’s a reputable brand and I will always go to it first because I don’t have to drag out extension cords and it’s often more than enough to get some small odd job done.

    For a project however, I would probably go to the wired one. Just because I know I could get though the entire project without having to take a couple 30 minute breaks while the battery recharges.

    Reply
  3. What also would be good information for everybody is how much or how long you can saw on one full battery charge, eg. 35 meters in 40mm pine wood, this would convince people to buy 1 or 2 batteries in the kit. Thanks in advance!

    Reply
  4. I don’t have this brand, but this one looks nice. Mine has the big old 18V non lithium ion, and it’s bulky. I do love the portability though of a cordless Jig Saw(just got done doing some laminate flooring) but didn’t like the bulkiness. I can see where this one would be a lot better.

    Reply

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