Craftsman recently announced a new Nextec 12V compact palm-grip jig saw, which boasts an ergonomic shape and low center of gravity for superior control. The design is strikingly different from the new Milwaukee M12 jig saw and Ridgid JobMax jig saw introduced late last year.
The Craftsman Nextec jig saw features a variable speed motor that delivers 1400-2500 strokes per minute, and stroke length is 5/8″. It also features a smooth steel shoe, integrated LED worklight, and LED battery power gauge. There appears to be a tool-free blade change, but the product details we dug up doesn’t mention it.
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One downside to this design is the power switch position, which looks to be too far down on the side of the tool for comfortable one-hand thumb access. Typical full-size top-grip and barrel-grip jig saws usually have easier to reach controls. And although the shoe is described as “smooth steel,” we’d like to see a non-mar shoe or attachable accessory.
MSRP is $40 for the add-on tool, and ETA is Q2 2012.
rob says
I like the $40 price point on this as compared to some of the other 12v jig saws on the market. At that price point this is really in the DIY budget. I am also happy to see Sears/Craftsman continue to expand the Nextec line, I have had good success with it.
James C says
I also like the price, but alas, I have no Nextec tools, so I doubt I’ll ever get this.
So it looks like the trigger is either on or off. I love my jigsaw with not only a variable speed dial, but a variable speed switch (of course, my jigsaw costs 4x as much as this one, so I guess you can’t ask for everything for $40).
Timothy D. says
I love the Nextec line. I have several over the tools, and none of them have let me down yet. I like the price, but when does it go on sale?
Stuart says
“Q2 2012,” which means sometime between April and June. My guess is that they might aim for an early-late May launch to take advantage of June Father’s Day sales.
Dave Skinner says
I am unable to find out how to order this saw alone without getting another battery and charger, which I have because I received a combo kit for Xmas. The order number for the saw alone is “supposedly” 14299, but the sears craftsman web site does no recognize this number. My local Sears tool and appliance has no idea what I can do.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.