We have learned that a new Dewalt 20V Max brushless jigsaw tools is on the way. So far, we only know that it is coming to Australia, but it seemed like an interesting new development to post about.
It should not be too surprising. Brushless motor technology has come a long way, and prices seem to be different than just a few years ago.
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Milwaukee has new brushless cordless jig saws on the way.
I can’t tell you much else. Dewalt’s not ready to officially announce the new tools, and evidence of them are buried on the web, in places like Pinterest, Google web caches, and Instagram, pointing to now-taken-down Home Depot product pages, or Canadian retailers hosting pixelated images.
The new top handle jigsaw, DCS334, features a 26mm cutting stroke, 0-3200 spm cutting speed, 0-45° bevel capacity, and maximum cutting capacity of 135mm in wood, 10mm in steel. It also features a 4-position pendulum action, tool-free adjustable shoe, and non-marring cover.
Here’s an Australian retailer previewing the new jigsaw, hence the 18V XR branding:
Let’s look at other recent (and semi-recent) releases in the cordless power tool industry:
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Milwaukee came out with a new cordless sander.
Porter Cable came out with a new cordless sander. (And Craftsman now too.)
Festool came out with new hybrid-powered sanders.
Ridgid has a cordless belt sander, even.
Ridgid has a compact brushless router.
Bosch even came out with a 12V Max cordless router, reviewed here.
What else do you think Dewalt will come out with next? I’m thinking that they’re putting the final touches on top handle and barrel-grip brushless jigsaws for the North American market, and am starting to really expect new a Dewalt brushless sander, and maybe a cordless trim router. There is definitely a need for such tools, and it’s reasonable to predict that the jigsaws will precede or launch alongside other carpentry or finish-work tools.
Chris
I was so hyped for this tool. Was going to preorder it from acme the second they put the page up. But I learned it doesn’t have a blower and a dust collection adapter hasn’t been mentioned. I’ve never been so dissapointed over an upcoming tool before. I hope it’s just a prototype and they update it before release.
ca
Amen. Though the blower on my jigsaw has never worked anyways.
Mike
It has a blower
Farid
It’s interesting how it’s marked 18V for oversees, Vs. 20V for US (sorry if this was discussed before)
Stuart
https://toolguyd.com/dewalt-20v-max-18v/
It’s a marketing thing.
JP
If they release it over seas frist let them buy it. I won’t
Corey
That’ll show em…?
Nathan
well I was about to ask if anyone else sees a barrel grip in the body of that jigsaw or I was just crazy. I mean if they were to put 2 switches on there it would be about perfect. Infact that would be an interesting first. a jigsaw that was both top hand and barrel grip with triggers for both applications. (and probably a selector switch)
anyway yes I would expect it to have the blower and possibly some version of a cut line light. I’m intrigued for certain. Looking for a new jig saw and leaning towards a bosch barrel grip corded device.
to that end – I do sort of want to see a dewalt branded cordless 5 inch RO sander. I mean I’ve thought about buying the PC or craftsman one and making a battery adapter.
Chance
No cutline, but yes there’s a blower. RO is coming soon.
JC
The new xr sander has been spotted along with barrel grip jigsaw and trim router all on the 20V max platform. Router is a carbon copy of their corded trim router and is compatible with the accessories for the corded version i.e. plunge base.
OhioHead
Post the link please.
Stuart
They’re not visible anywhere shareable at the moment. Only pinterest, Instagram cache, etc. No legitimate sources.
Jigsaw: https://sydneytools.com.au/dewalt-dcs334n-xj-18v-xr-li-ion-cordless-brushless-top-handle-jigsaw-skin-only
OhioHead
Awesome – thanks gang!
Chris
https://toolcraze.net/dewalt-dcw210b-20v-max-brushless-5-random-orbit-sander/ Here’s the sander.
Chris
https://toolcraze.net/cordless-dewalt-20v-dcw600b-brushless-compact-router-spotted/ Here’s the router
Cr8on
Trim router: http://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/toolsinaction/monthly_2018_08/DCW600B-us-version-router.jpg.073dcc316fd903062f615a4e9cc6aa10.jpg
Barrel jig: http://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/toolsinaction/monthly_2018_08/dcs335n.jpg.99f195534b0920ebc64dd9d15304a533.jpg
R.O. sander: http://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/toolsinaction/monthly_2018_08/DCW210B-aug18.jpg.03ddc5db9162a2b3c917efa50c227851.jpg
Framer joe
Ya absolutely, there is a D handle jigsaw and barrel grip jigsaw and trim router and 5″ orbital sander like the SBD but the battery is sideways not vertical…..stay up to date on …tools in action forum…there are pics of everything…..jigs have a blower
Chris
Everyone is saying no blower
Chance
It doesn’t have a blower lever or “switch” as previous models did, but yes, it has a blower.
JoeM
Want one. Everything I love about my 331, but doesn’t heat up as much, as little as it does already. To Efficiency and Beyond!
Yeah, I’ll shut up now.
Chris
This is a discussion about tools. Let it out!
JoeM
Oh, I was done with the tool talk part… I just wanted to shut up before I said anything even more cheesy than “To Efficiency and Beyond!” and make a fool of myself. No regrets, just realized how dopey that sentence sounded.
OhioHead
Serious question, how do the 2018 DW jigsaws compared to Bosch w/ vibration, etc.?
Altan
Cordless Brushless Router looks so tall, as a guy had mentioned in a forum it would be so tall with flexvolt battery on.
Cordless 5″ Sander is fine, variable speed. Just the battery positioning is a bit strange, should stand vertically on the tool. I hope it can be connected to vacuum cleaner or dust collector, not just to a simple bag.
Brushless cordless jigsaw should 60V not 18 volt, at least it has variable speed option and LED light, looks a bit shorter than the other cordless jigsaw, totally the design does not look to catchy to me. Waiting for Flexvolt one.
Chris
I don’t think they’ll release a flexvolt jigsaw. A lot of the flexvolt tools are big industrial contractor tools. I don’t see a demand for a large jigsaw.
Corey
Flexvolt jig would be unwieldy as all hell… I’ve got a handful of FV tools, which I love, but they’re not exactly stand-ins for regular day 18v’s. They’re power houses, and sized accordingly. Of my collection, I’d say the grinder is the most easily handled, thankfully. But the recip, and worm style saws are tanks, and I’ll forgo applying ergonmics to my table saw lol back to the point: an FV jig would be ridiculous lol slap a 2/6ah on a 20v and then try to imagine the whole saw built to match that size issue.
Raoul
Does anyone else here find a need for a Flexvolt jigsaw and what is it? I’ve had cordless jigsaws since the the first 18v one from the 90’s (early ’90’s?). I’ve never found myself wanting more power or runtime on a jigsaw. Perhaps I am not using it to it’s full potential but I always gravitate towards a different saw if I ever need either.
JoeM
Well Raoul, I have the 20 Volt DCS331, the Brushed version of this new XR Brushless Jigsaw. Runtime isn’t an issue with the 331, but heat is, sometimes. Not a lot of heat, but you can definitely tell the motor heats up when the blower isn’t activated. The heat out of the side vents is obvious. Not uncomfortable, or dangerous, but a Brushless model that stays cooler is, at the very minimum, an improvement on the 331.
The “Need” isn’t there, but any increase of efficiency in the 20 Volt family (18 Volt XR overseas) is a welcomed addition. If not for battery life, then for standardizing the long-term life of the tools. If it heats up less, as little as it already does, then it could easily survive heavy use for much longer than its Brushed sibling. It’s about having the Jigsaw last 15, instead of 10, years. Give or take, of course.
The reality is, the original lineup of Brushed tools were already just fine the way they were. But, similarly, if you can make them even better by making them run cooler, require less service, and last longer, then so much the better. If DeWALT had an exact set of every original Brushed tool that I own, but in an XR Brushless version, I would be happy to buy them, even if I wasn’t throwing the older models away. Simply because I would feel safe that all the tools will last.
I hope that rambling helped a little.
Raoul
Joe, I have the 331 myself and I never had a reason to complain about the heat. It gets warm but nothing alarming. I agree with your complete assessment and will Ebay my 331 for a newer brushless version assuming it works as well or better. Some brushless variable speed tools I have aren’t as variable speed as brushed tools and the jigsaw is one tool I want complete variable speed. Not sure if I’m explaining the variable speed correctly but some brushless tools have noticeable speed steps on their variable speed. Instead of the smooth variable speed we have come to know on the brushed tools. Some new brushless ones feel more like they 10 speeds.
I was wondering who needs a Flexvolt Jigsaw. As mentioned below 2x can be taxing on a jigsaw. I’ve done it and the regular works ok but I usually go for a band saw if I need thick material. Not so much for the power but for the perpendicualr cuts.
JoeM
Ah… Sorry Raoul, I think I got a little fixated on this new 334, and skipped over your first sentence. My mistake, I just got excited. And, yeah, I never meant the heat off the 331 is a bad thing. I just got fixated at the difference between the 331 and this new 334 Brushless. The 331 heats up, yes, but as I noted, never in a bad way. In summary, I think the 334 would simply last longer in ownership terms, due to the increased efficiency. I will, again, blame my over-excitement on the miscommunications. My Bad.
A FlexVOLT version of these standard Jigsaws may be capable of longer strokes, I think. As listed above, this one has a pretty standard 26mm stroke length. Also noted is that some people have a problem with the power the DeWALT cordless Jigsaws put into cuts being somewhat low. I believe a FlexVOLT version might resolve this issue, and perhaps introduce a couple new features, not common to the Jigsaws now. Room for a Dust Removal system on one side, in place of the blower for example. Or, perhaps something similar to the shadow line cast system that is on the Miter Saws, where it shines an LED behind the blade, and you can see a straight line, exactly the width of the Kerf of the Jigsaw blade? And, perhaps, an actual speed setting on board, instead of the small increments that we normally “See” while pulling the trigger now?
Or, if we’re truly getting outrageous here, perhaps it is capable of working more in metals, or stonework? If we’re talking a FlexVOLT model, seeing an XR Brushless model is a good way to gauge whether or not it will step up to the larger model. They have been making a few FlexVOLT tools in XR Brushless models, thinking of the 7-1/4″ Circular Saw. The two systems are linked by the switchable battery already, so I would expect some more interplay between the model lines when it comes to the Jigsaw. As noted in other comments, they’ve done heavy industrial Jigsaws on older lines before.
Altan
If you want to cut 2×2 timber and specially angle cut the power is not enough, DeWALT had 36V, 28V and 24V cordless Jigsaw as well, so it was not just 18V or 20V Jigsaw which they produced, if you do cut thin sheets then yes, I would say 20V is OK, But my friend does maintenance in a lot of restaurants and he needs to do a lot of things with minimum tools, I did work with him a lot of times long ago and was headache using jigsaw for 2×2 timbers cutting in length. For US maybe 20V is OK, everybody has van, you can carry a lot of tools, but in London parking is a huge problem for having car/van and not too many builders want to have a van, motorbike is more convenient.
nils
wow that’s really interesting. What’s his tool kit consist of if he’s doing stuff on motorbike?
Altan
Well, he has a lot of tools, but he can not carry all of them always, maximum three tools in boxes and a bag with hand tools.
Nathan
Knowing your 2×2 is metric but regardless of that what are you cutting that the saw wasn’t enough for. I cut 2X wood on occasion with my 18 volt device and it works fine. slower yes – but fine. I do make sure i have a sharp blade. now when I’m cutting it’s because there is a curve or other shape I need which is also part of the slow. SO I’m surprised.
regardless sounds like an interesting problem to have working large city europe like that. I bet it’s the road taxes that are as much an issue as parking. or so I’ve heard.
Altan
I meant 2″ x 2″.
Yes, slowly you can cut, I have even cut a very hard cast iron with 1cm thickness with 18V Jigsaw, but in half an hour I could cut 12cm only!
When you are used to normal speed doing it slowly becomes so annoying.
satch
I like that these companies are not sitting on their hands with newer brushless tools. I was kind of afraid they were going to stop with drills and impacts. Well, not stop but but take their jolly time rolling them out. I think it is a fair statement to say that brushless is the only real way forward in cordless technology. Anything brushed is little more than a tweak to 120 year old technology.
I know. Most would say I am crazy. It is battery tech that will drive research. And while that is very accurate, the only way to fully realise those gains are through the efficiency and reduced heat of brushless motors. The 3 pole motor controllers that regulate current to the motors will even effect the battery life. All this will be refined over the next 20 years. Maybe faster if we keep the demand up. Good on SBDC for at least getting the tease out there. Now if only Bosch would make one in 18v brushless and give me a reason to actually consider a cordless model alongside my grand old 1587.
Nathan
so without a picture from the dewalt brand page – I assume the 334 model will be a top handle device like the 331?
is there actually talk of a barrel grip job?
Chris
It’s coming, be here this fall
JoeM
Do you mind if we ask where “Here” is, Chris? Not your address, that’s oversharing. What country are you in for this “Here” statement?
And, do you have any links, or images, or anything to show us as proof? This 334 will have a top D handle, but are you saying you’ve seen something that says there will be a DeWALT Brushless Barrel Grip Jigsaw in the 20/18 Volt XR line?
Altan
DCS335 is the barrel grip and will be available in the UK within almost 10 days,
JoeM
Altan, my good sir, do you have any links or anything to show that? I’d love to see what it looks like.
I BELIEVE you, but I’d just like to see it for the enjoyment of seeing it.
Altan
https://www.its.co.uk/pd/DCS335-Dewalt-18V-Lithium-ion-Cordless-Brushless-Body-Grip-Jigsaw-Body-Only-_DEWDCS335N.htm
I called DeWALT UK and they told me end of August it will be available.
I think it has better design than the other version.
JoeM
That’s so cool! Thank you, Altan! I look forward to adding it to my own set of tools eventually!
And I look forward to the ToolGuyd reviews as well. It seems to be more Pistol Grip than Barrel Grip. But, that may have advantages in tight spaces!
Mike
Why is Australia getting this Jigsaw before us we should be the first to see all new products but it seems Australia and Europe always come first
JoeM
Logic seems to completely evade the marketing departments of these tool companies.
You’d think, on LAUNCH, you’d want to offer it at the widest audience you can, so you can make as much initial purchase money back possible, right? Apparently the Executives and Marketing people in charge would prefer the smaller markets to get a taste of the products to gauge whether it will sell in the large markets.
Which, I might add, doesn’t make any sense, since the larger markets don’t buy the same tools, at the same rate, as the smaller markets. So their market analysis is totally flawed on launch. They’re shooting themselves in the foot, if you ask me.
And, I might add, I’m from Canada, and I think Canada and the USA should have simultaneous launch dates for everything. We share seasons, work forces, and even natural disasters sometimes. If a tool is needed in the USA, it’s needed in Canada at the same time. We SHOULD be considered the SAME Tool Market! Overseas should NOT get tools before the North American market!
Altan
There is no “should” or “should not” in business 🙂
There are a lot of tools which DeWALT has made them just for US and Canada, like Wall Scanner, Plumbing and electrical tools, we don’t complain the way you complain about this issue! And we generally pay one and half to two times more for the same tool in Europe, if we look at this issue with a business mind then Europe should come first, simply because it makes more money, let’s say money talks and should talk!
Regards
Stuart
There are lots of reasons behind everything, and I have become accustomed to accepting that there are factors I am not aware of. I don’t have to like it, but it makes me a little more forgiving.
Sometimes there are supply constraints, other times maybe a brand wants a smaller “test market” first. Maybe they’re shipping to where demand is higher. Maybe packaging is different. Why delay release in one territory because it’s delayed in another?
Altan
I do mostly agree with you, I have a friend who has got PhD in Political Science and International Relations and when I discuss something about politics, he tells me we can not be sure about anything, we can just guess! We try to guess the policy of these tool manufacturers and discuss to understand the reason for every step they take, this is like a puzzle for me and I enjoy it, I am quite IQ-ist but that does not mean that every IQ person would solve the problems and do guess well always, I do personally believe DeWALT being an American brand always treats American market better that the rest of the world, with keeping the price lower and making more tools for American market, to hide this policy sometimes (rarely) they do treat others a bit better, you would just notice it when you compare them in details. I have accepted that already that we have to pay more for tools in Europe and anything which is made for America I can purchase it from US websites and I would not mind about the warranty. I do care about good tools for a few reasons, speed, accuracy and safety.
Altan
Why not? Prices in Australia are much higher than the US and even the EU. If you would like to pay two to three times more then I would say yes you are right 🙂
JoeM
But they’re higher due to import fees, and currency conversion differences, not actual value and profit from the tools. The foreign MSRP gets adjusted for these added expenses. You folks don’t actually make them any more money than anywhere else on a per-unit basis.
Why not before the North American Market? Because you’re equally important to the company, and should have the SAME release dates as we do. Canadians like myself tend to pay about 10% more, give or take a few percentage points. But, we are doing so because of the border crossing, plus the currency exchange. We don’t earn any tool company, other than Lee Valley-Veritas Brand, any more per unit than any other country does. The difference being that Lee Valley manufactures much of their product line here in Canada, where the company was founded. And that is true for most companies as well. In the actual place it is made, and the company is located, that is where the tools make the highest profit margin for the company. It may not make them the most profit total, but per tool/per unit sold, “Home” has the highest profit per unit.
Bosch blades are probably cheapest to buy for German citizens, for example. Since Bosch, and its engineering division, are located there. That is probably where Bosch-buying citizens can buy their tools and blades for the least amount out of their pocket, and make the most per sale for Bosch. Veritas is like that for Canadians. It gets a little more messy when you get into giant multi-national companies with manufacturing that goes worldwide, but it will stay true. Chinese made will probably make the most in China, Japan in Japan, and so on, and so forth.
With regards to the HUGE Multinationals, like TTI and SBD, there should be no excuse for being able to have simultaneous release dates, even in small quantities. I don’t know about you, but I think Australia and the UK deserve to be treated on an EQUAL plane for these companies. The only differences between their “Home” market, and everyone else, is Population Density. So, really, they should ship simultaneously, with a sample size proportional to the “Home” market that is scaled by population density.
Australia and Canada have about a 50% difference in population: Canada is close to 40 Million people, Australia about 25 Million. Compared to SBD’s “Home” of the USA at 300+ Million people, if they manufacture 10 million units for “Home”, then they should ship at least 100 thousand to Canada, and at LEAST 60 thousand to Australia. Not enough demand? Fine, that lowers their shipping cost over the next quarter, as they are slowly bought up by later purchases. More Demand than what was sent? Backorders! Everyone is used to Backorders at this point! The difference being, the time between launch, and the first quarter earnings, they get real time data on what needs to be stocked!
I’m sorry if I’m ranting. I just don’t find what they’re doing to be anywhere near sensible business practices. They don’t treat anyone outside the USA with the respect they deserve. At some point, you owe your shareholders the stability of knowing their invested money is guaranteed to grow based on global loyalty increasing every quarter, and year-over-year. The value may dip in a single fiscal quarter, but with a plan that grows quarter-over-quarter instead, it encourages long-term investment instead of hot-swap investment.
Altan
I have seen German made products are sold 10 times cheaper in the US compare to the UK and 7 times cheaper in the US compare to Germany, A lot of Wiha bits and accessories are sold for much lower price in US, How comes you produce in Germany and ship them to US and then you buy it from the US?! I have bought a lot of Wiha bits from http://www.kctoolco.com which is an American website and even though I had to pay a lot for the shipping and also I had to pay a lot for import tax still was better! I have tried to buy from other American websites and the website was not allowing me to pay even, after doing a lot of thingswhich took two hours finally I could put my address there and pay but the day after I got a full refund and and email saying that I have to pay within US with an American card! I was going to save $700 in US currency, was four years ago. I would advise any British who wants to buy tools more than £2000 just buy a ticket to US and pay for one week hotel and buy all the tools you wanted to buy in US instead of buying them in UK, you will pay the same price in both case but at least you can visit US for free!
I know prices are a bit higher in Canada but just a bit, I always check amazon and other websites from a lot of countries, I have tried to buy from Canadian amazon but they don’t ship to UK it seems.
We suppose to discuss this jigsaw here but we talked about other things more, it is not right! If we want to discuss these things we better ask Stuart to help us to discuss it in details in another page. My logic works in a Germanic way about discussion and I like to discuss things within the subject. A bit we can go out of the subject, it can be fun but if we do it more it seems a bit medieval to me tbh.
JoeM
It’s all good Altan. Our INTENT was to discuss the saw, and we did. We just went on a tangent about a specific aspect of its existence: Initial Release Location/Date. That’s all.
Maybe we’ll get an article, or a post on the Forum, where we can really get into the details and talk more on the general focus on Release Dates and Demographics, and we’ll go into it some more there. But this revelation that they are coming out with the DCS334 D-Handle, and DCS335 Barrel-Grip Brushless Jigsaws really needed this aside where we at least VENT about how much we may want these tools where we are, and voice our frustrations over how the big name multinational tool companies don’t do what we’d like them to do.
If we didn’t, we’d probably explode, holding it all in!
But, you can look at this one way for sure: Folks like you and I can have a completely civil, completely calm chat about this kind of heated topic, and in a way… bond over a common issue. We’re still strangers to eachother, and we’re not invading eachother’s privacy, but we can have a civil conversation, and agree we’re not happy with things as they are. Then, tomorrow, move on to another topic on ToolGuyd and know when we’re posting there, that we can trust, or feel safe in, talking about the subject from a point of view that is being read or listened to by the other. We know where we stand with eachother in a way. So, if and/or when one of the company reps happens to read one of Stuart’s posts for the comments, they’ll see our conversations back and forth. Our comfort with eachother is also beneficial in the extremely rare case that those who have some say over all this might be reading it.
I, for one, am simply anxious to see, and potentially buy, the new Brushless Jigsaws in Canada. I have ZERO intention of getting rid of my 331 Jigsaw, because, frankly, there’s no need. But, I am one for saving up to buy things for their usefulness in the long run, just as much as I’m for buying things I need immediately. And for THAT, I tend to express myself quite extensively on the subject. I ramble from time to time, basically. And sometimes that’s a good thing.
Altan
Just this brushless cordless jigsaw is being sold for £200 which is almost $270 in US currency, the bare unit! Who would pay this price in US?!!!
Nathan
Yeah also use case and the like in the other regions make it useful to see how the tool is accepted and perhaps find a weakness that needs revision. you’d be surprised how many times a thing is revised prior to a north america launch. So it wouldn’t surprise me if this was released in europe first purely because of the common use cases there vs here. I can’t recall the last time I saw a carpenter use a jig saw on a building project around me.
meanwhile all that aside I want to see this mythical 335 barrel grip job.
JoeM
I second this wish to see the 335.
Altan
Joe, I have sent the link for you here to see DCS335 with much clear photos and full description. It seems North American version will be more covered with black rubber as I have seen a photo of that also. I do agree with most of the things you said, Tool manufacturers should do what we want because we make money for them, specifically the guys who use tools. I don’t want to raise the issue of abandoning a brand because it does not listen to its users, but they should understand that there would be a point for the users that they will say enough is enough! They should not push the limits a lot also.
I have waited for DeWALT wall scanner DCT419 for ages in the UK and still waiting! The reason I have not bought it from the US is the warranty issue, it is more electronic than other tools to me and I do not trust new electronic tools too much. I have always felt there is a specific working time set for electronics by the manufacturers. Nowadays no TV works for 20 years without being repaired but when I was child a TV would work for 20 years! It is just an example, I can see it in tools, in laptops, in mobiles, furniture, washing machines, everything basically even properties…
JoeM
I saw the link up above! Thank You, sir!
As to the Wall Scanner… I can explain that delay for you a lot easier. The 418 AND the 419 are glitchy. Since the launch of that tool, there have been waves of “This is malfunctioning” being reported. It’s up and down the timeline posts of DeWALT US Facebook page, going back to the launch date of the tool (The DCT418), AND its redesign post-software-and-hardware-update (The DCT419), so I am not surprised it didn’t make it to the UK. The way it is SUPPOSED to work, and the way it ACTUALLY works are not matched up.
It’s one of the tools I want as well, but, I want it to be done RIGHT. It used to be called the Radar Scanner, and then it got renamed the Wall Scanner. That little LCD on it is supposed to have a graphical approximation of what it senses behind the wall, whether it be studs, wires, pipes, or bricks. But, in a lot of cases, it gets it wrong, or the tool crashes. They were really ambitious about it, and it didn’t work quite right. I think they keep it under the table these days, quietly updating it, quietly giving support to anyone that buys one. But they don’t make a huge deal of it anymore, due to its history of failures.
Your view of Electronics is correct, but it’s not the situation for THIS particular tool. There is, indeed, a built-in obsolescence to Computer Technology these days, and it is built into every piece of Technology we own now. With processor, programming, and other Hardware advancing in complexity over the past 20+ years, the requirement to support older systems becomes a burden that new technology has to bare. In order to lessen how much compatibility any given piece of technology has to accommodate, they build in components that deliberately deteriorate with time, forcing an upgrade. This isn’t a conspiracy theory, or some sort of wacky rant about some evil consortium or something. This is standard practice of all tech companies now. If they make the number of items being serviced a very small group, then it is easier to keep service people trained and able to find parts for it. If people were to keep things as long as 15-30 years, like they used to do before the Tech Bubble of the late 1990’s, then they would have to keep storehouses full of replacement parts for models they didn’t make, and take up an exponentially larger amount of space for said storage with every new model. With them releasing between 1 and 50 new models of everything they sell on a YEARLY basis, that becomes impossible. So, instead they now keep the service window short, only between 3 and 5 years, with the unused parts from certain pre-determined obsolete models getting recycled for raw materials on a regular basis.
“They don’t make things like they used to”… You’re right to think it, we all do. But, that said, although the original Tube Amps are the truest, most warm and accurate amplifiers you can ever hear, the Tubes for them were too expensive to maintain, and are only rarely made at all anymore. We’ve been forced to move on to increasingly advanced digital systems, that don’t cause as many faults as the analog system did, don’t use as much electricity, and function far more efficiently than the old ways did. They are also relatively easy to switch out, when a new version comes along. Take the old system computer, unhook the wires, slide the new version in, plug it in, and power it back on. Upgrades take hours instead of months. Makes things less expensive for everyone.
THAT said… Unfortunately it also gets expensive replacing things as a user. For that, I have no explanation. This is extremely unfair, but it fits into the axiom “Life’s not Fair” rather well. I can say with SOME certainty that this is the case here. The world is not conspiring to make our lives as consumers difficult, but it has been the result that we have been handed by the progress we’ve made. I have no good answers to this, I simply share your frustration with it. If I was the wealthiest man on the planet, I still couldn’t solve this problem for the world, no matter how much I increased pay to my employees, funded charities, or bought the votes of corrupt government officials with the intention of making it easier for consumers. The world would STILL become increasingly disposable, and hard on consumers, far beyond my capacity to help.
Justin
Back when Dewalt changed to the lithium 18v battery (pre-slide 20v batteries) they re-released all the 18v tools with the smaller battery footprint EXCEPT the jigsaw. Only way I was able to get the new style jigsaw was to buy one from the UK on ebay and have it shipped to the US.
When I was looking for it, I found the normal power tool kits in the UK included the jigsaw and not the reciprocating saw. So we got the new reciprocating saw style, and they got the new jigsaw.