Milwaukee M18 FUEL Jig Saw Review | 2737-21 with 5.0Ah Battery

M18 FUEL Jig Saw
Jigsaws are a powerful tool to have in your workshop or your tool bag on the job site. Especially when the jigsaw is cordless and you have the freedom to do what you wish and not be tied down with a cord. They are a flexible tool that allows for quick cuts to break down material, coping cuts, circular, convex, and concave cuts, and much more! With a variety of brands, styles, and battery platforms, picking the right jigsaw can be a tricky decision.

Milwaukee Tool is making that decision easier with the release of two new FUEL Jig Saws.  Our interest in the Milwaukee M18 FUEL Jigsaw 2 kit started because this new tool has a wider range of strokes per minute than some of the others (0-3,500 spm).  Not only does it have a dust blower, but it has a switch to turn it off and port to allow for dust collection through a vacuum.  The 4-position orbital action lever a huge plus when working with different types of materials and different cut qualities needed.  Speed is one of the benefits of the orbital action and couple that with the torque of the new FUEL Jig Saw and one can cut some large material pretty fast.  The bevel adjustment is tool free and the blade attachment has a spring release to help shoot hot blades out of the Jig Saw.

Multi-Application Tool
There are many styles of jig saws designed for different uses.  Milwaukee is catering to both types of uses for a Jig Saw by making a D-handle and a Barrel-Grip model.  With the wide range of strokes per minute, the variable speed trigger on this unit gives it a lot of control and the ability to cut up to 3,500 spm with a 1" stroke.  After some longer cuts, the blade ejector keeps your hands safe from hot blades and allows for a smooth transition to a new material.  The ability to change how much air blows around the blade to keep chips and sawdust away from the cut line is a huge plus.  In the past, that wind was supplied by my lungs.  This unit allows you to choose from very little to a good amount of air to keep the cut line clean.  The ability to adjust this is a great convenience depending on the location you are working in.  Since you can use this tool in so many places, it seems fitting to be able to control this.  When cutting on a vertical surface, there is no need to blow the dust chips all over, so it might as well be turned off to limit the mess to a smaller area.  Adding dust collection via a vacuum allows for clean and safe indoor use.

The 4-position orbital mode also helped cutting in other materials go a bit faster while also allowing me to dial it back for a bit cleaner cuts in thin wood.  It’s nice that this tool can be adjusted to work with the materials you are using.  Many of the jigsaws of today allow you to adjust to different orbital actions, some less than others, but it is still a nice feature.

Overall
It seems that many of the 18-volt jig saws are designed more as a general use jig saws while the smaller ones have a barrel style grip with their use designed to be more for fine woodworking and intricate cuts.  In our use, blade deflection was very minimal in thicker wood with the thick blades provided.  Blade deflection increases with thinner blades as expected.  If you are in the market for a new jigsaw, we think you will find this tool to be comfortable and familiar.

[jimzeleny]

Bought a 4" carbide blade for my Milwaukee jigsaw and used it to cut up old plastic lawn chairs into manageable pieces to send to the dump. Saw work just great and I was using 1.5 A-h batteries for this project.

[mateuskate]

*I've had some time🌗 to get used to using the saw now and I think its a good one. It feels very solid and well made - great Milwaukee Jig Saw quality. I like the settings it has for the eliptical blade movement and blowing dust out of the blade path. The quick blade change lever is easy to use but wont be accidentally bumped. I feel that this is a tool that will last me many years. I was considering the next model up to get the additional blade stabilization, but I think most of the blade flex happens below the foot of the saw anyway were there cant be any support. I think usage technique can make up for most blade flex and you also have to realize that this is a fact of life with a jigsaw and use it accordingly.*

[SpookyNeo]

Impressive unit ! I've been waiting for a replacement of the non-Fuel jigsaw before buying one. I think this is the one :) Thanks for the review ! I always trust your reviews. Keep them coming and keep being honest in your reviews.

[HifiVega]

A cordless jigsaw is invaluable to me. That dust blower alone almost sells me on this saw.

[gratefulliving]

Thank you. Helpful information, clearly expressed. Your apparent awareness of what the the viewer sees and hears, and needs to see and hear, are excellent. Top quality presentation by smart guy.

[am]

The advancement in these cordless tools is amazing.

[joeframer]

Great video, love to see it compare to the two new Dewalt jigsaws....also Festool makes the best cordless jigsaw, hands down..with the best corded jigsaw by Mafell

[joeld]

Love the video. Glad to see that there was a review on the Milwaukee. I am in the market for a new jigsaw in replacement of my corded Dewalt jigsaw.

[tommygunaussiecarpenter]

I can't wait until these hit the Australian market have one on order great review mate very thorough just like all your videos avid subscriber

[toddreimer]

Great vid! FYI the Milwaukee cordless chainsaw is awesome! Cuts well & battery life is amazing. No pull starts!

[dannyh.]

You really have to give it to Milwaukee for being consistently and progressively innovative !

[TheGothicHangman]

When it comes to portable jigsaws they’ve been around since 1947 and were acquired by Bosch. They definitely have made most of the innovations and the dominant styles we use today. The Milwaukee looks great, they make fantastic tools, still it looks like the Bosch top handle 18V model. The blower and tool free change are nice additions admittedly, and a light is always primo. Though comparing a 12V tool to and 18V tool seems pointless, they won’t have the same power. The 12V Bosch Barrel Grip is a fine tool, especially great for fin scroll work, it definitely doesn’t match the power of my 18V Blue cordless. Great review nice to see how it works, did you like it with that vacuum?

[ScotchAddict]

Great review. Thanks for the info. You know why they made it big right? It’s so that next year they can come out with a smaller gen2 version and get us Milwaukee fanboys to salivate and upgrade!

[eosjoe]

Nice review. I would imagine the oscillation components and the built-in blower helps contribute to a slightly larger tool size.

[johnjrambo]

Great video just got one of these today

[quaphan]

Hi bosch brushed $200 jigsaw ..vs this milwaukee fuel $350 which would you buy???

[promo]

got this jiqsaw today, europe version its made in germany,
but damn that thing is very loud
is that normal?

[danieljulian]

I got the kit and got a dud. The trigger doesn't engage and turn on the jigsaw sometimes and it also will just stop in the middle of a cut. Probably a simple wire disconnected inside and I'm certain Milwaukee eService will fix it. When it has been working, it's great!

[shanesubashe]

Any tips for helping to decide between this and the M12? I can't decide which is best for me.

[AndrewBrowner]

have a recommendation for metal cutting blades for jig saws? would they handle spme 14guage or 1/8 plate, probably make alot cleaner circle, curve then the angle grinder even if a little slower