Festool Carvex PS 420 EBQ Jigsaw Review – 561593

Did you know that in 1946 Albert Kaufmann designed the first Jig Saw?  He replaced the needle in his wife’s sewing machine with a blade.  I am sure after his wife saw what he did, he spent many nights sleeping on the couch.  Lucky for us, his many nights on the couch made our lives much easier in todays world.  Now almost all the major brands have a Jig Saw.  Well that might be the case, but no one has the Carvex by Festool.  I give it to Festool, they could have sat back and said we have a great Jig Saw, but they didn’t.  They took it not only one step further, but one giant leap forward and pretty much left everyone in the dust.  If you thought you have seen everything cool about a Jig Saw, let me just say you haven’t seen anything yet until you’ve seen the Carvex by Festool.  Not only is the Jig Saw revolutionary and impressive, but the attachments will blow you away also.

Wow, where do I start except by just saying this jig Saw is awesome.  Now if you are not a hardcore woodworker or don’t plan on becoming a woodworker, this may not be for you.  If you’re serious about your work, want something to make your life easier and produce a superior outcome, this is your jig saw of choice.  When Festool designed this jig saw, they stepped up their game.

Picking up the saw, it has a very nice balance and feel.  The saw feels solid and is easy to maneuver around.  For me, it is taking some time to get use to the on/off switch.  I am so use to using a jig saw with a variable speed trigger.  With the Carvex, you just push a button forward that is located on the front of the tool and it is on.  Designed for the lefty or righty.  There is a separate dial to control the speed.  I am a huge fan of long power cords.  I hate dragging around an extension cord or fighting with a short cord.  Festool designed this with a nice long cord to eliminate this problem.  If you already didn’t know, this saw has a brushless motor. The motor produces a speed of 500-3,800 spm and uses a T-Shank blade.  Okay, the depth of cut, here you go:

• Wood – 4-3/4″
• Non-ferrous metals – 3/4″
• Steel – 3/8″

Okay now what really matters, the use and outcome.

As you would expect with Festool, it does have a dust collection port and works great with their vacuum.  Where the power cord plugs into the back of the saw, it does pivot, so you can get into tighter sports by just lifting up on the cord.  In regards to line of sight, it’s very nice.  The Carvex uses 4 high intensity LED lights to help light up your work area.  In fact, they sync with the speed of the blade to help you see the cut much better.  Oh yeah, after your done, you can eject the blade so you are not touching a hot blade.  To insert a new blade, you put in and turn.  No messing with levers, etc. while trying to insert a new blade.

One great thing about this is the accessory kit, which is sold separately.  You can do circle cuts and more.  It even has a butterfly shoe for various bevel cuts.  Now I could really go on and one about this saw, but it is just one of those tools you have to have in your hands to really appreciate what it has to offer the woodworker.

My only question is how tough is this jigsaw?  While we have used this saw a lot, we haven’t had it for a long time.  Is this saw really that tough?

• Festool 561593 Carvex PS 420 EBQ Jigsaw
• Festool 497709 Accessory Kit for Carvex Jigsaw

Now two things that I am getting use to.  First is the switch.  The more I use the switch, the more I am getting use to it.  I do like it, but for me it just takes a little time to get use to.  The other item is angle cuts.  While I love this jig saw, you do need an attachment for bevel cuts.  So the guy who buys this jigsaw and wants the quality of Festool will still have to invest more money for some basic cuts.  To get full use out of this jig saw, you really need to buy the accessory kit.  So if you’re not intending on getting the accessory kit, I would go with a different Festool jig saw.  If you are serious and want the ultimate jig saw, this thing rocks.  Now that I have this jig saw, I just wish I had more time I could spend in my shop and work on some cool projects.

I didn’t cover all the cool things to this saw because I didn’t want to bore you, but this thing is the best and what you get with the saw, it’s worth every penny.

This is the mother of all Jig Saws.  There are Jig Saws, then there is the Carvex.