Years ago I bought my first cordless tools, one a screwdriver and the other a light. Both wound up on the trash heap because it seemed like they spent more time on the charger than in actual use. How times have changed! First 3, 6, 9V, then 14, 15, 18, 24V. Wow!... talk about power and convenience. As an old time retired contractor (I'm an active 73 yrs. young) I sometime feel like I should begin a movement to erect a national monument to whomever it was that started this cordless tool thing. Talk about utility and convenience! No more frayed or tangled cords (or worrying about cutting through one accidentally) or finding a close enough electrical outlet. This is real freedom from the tyranny of the cord.brThose are the reasons why this Bosch 18V cordless Jig Saw is only the latest to join the arsenal of cordless tools I am accumulating.brWhile admittedly it might be a mite rich for some pocketbooks, once you have one in your hand you discover that the legendary quality of Bosch comes shining through. And if you admire superb tool engineering as I do you will love this tool.brMy last Bosch jig saw was purchased over 15 years ago and today it still provides the same dependable service as the day I bought it. If I had one complaint about the old one (a minor one) it was that I couldn't always remember where I put the long and thin shafted screw driver that I needed to change out the blade.brWell, in the cordless model, Bosch solved this problem in spades. The new blade locking and eject system firmly locks the blade in place and spits out the old blade when you want to do a change out like a ball player ejecting a "chaw."brBut the convenience doesn't stop there: the balance is excellent with the placement of the battery (more about the battery later) providing just the right amount of ballast to help keep the weight of the saw on the work surface without the operator having to press harder, thereby allowing more control of the cut. brWhen you have to do some jig sawing on a surface that you don't want to mar, Bosch provides an easily slipped on smooth plastic cover for the base plate that lets you glide across the surface leaving nary a trace behind. Not a big deal but certainly beats having to look for some masking tape to put over the base plate to protect a delicate surface. The three-position blade selector, which controls the tilt angle of the blade may not be new, but these are: A built in blower to keep the area ahead of the blade clean and the blade guard for the blade to help prevent you from losing a digit are both conveniences that were lacking on my older corded model. Thanks Bosch!brThe NiMH battery seems to take forever to run down and when it's completely discharged you're looking at about an hour to recharge. Of course since the battery is NiMH , you can put it on the charger whenever the tool is idle, since unlike the NiCad there is no memory problembrAll in all this is a superbly crafted and well engineered tool and even though I have not had it in my possession very long you can rest assured that it will get the same hard (not abused) workout the other saw got and I feel confident it will work just as efficiently and dependably as its corded mate. Nuff said!

Out of all the cordless tools I own this one does the most on a battery. I own the bosch corded jig and have not used it oncebrsince having this one.pThe tool is made tough, the grip and balance is almost perfect.brThe blade change system is phenominal. If you break a blade just pull the lever and the hot broken blade spits right out on its own!! The put a new blade in just push it in!!!pThe 18v jig cuts anything with the right blade and really you can use it most of the day before the battery dies out.pI would NOT recomend replacing your circular saw with it the battery is not that, good but for jig saw work it is the bestbrand will impress the hardcore professional.pI must correct a previous reviewer however, the battery is not NMH(nickel metal hydride) it is NCAD, which is the standard battery used by all tool companies. He is growsly mistaken and readers should always double check reviewers statements I findbrmany mis- informations written by novice tool users on the Amazon tool rewiews.pWhat is cool is that when bosch puts out a battery upgrade it will work on this tool, I just dont know why you would need it.pTop of the line tool. Bosch is releasing a new corded Jig sawbrthat is just like this one and I will not evan consider it,brbecause once you have this you have no need for the cord!!!!!!!

I've retired my 25 year old Bosch 1 578 1 jigsaw. This saw has given me excellent service for 25 years, it's only short comings are you need a special srewdriver to change the blade, it doesn't have a cut blower and you have to plug it in. The 52318 addresses all of these. It's a great saw goes anywhere and for me doing pickup work in unfinished house where sometimes the power isn't in that's important. The only thing I didn't like is the funny little wire guard right in front of the blade blocks my veiw of the cut, but a srewdriver popped it right out so everything is fine. Don't know if it will last 25 years but we'll see.

My Bosch 18v Jigsaw is my new best friend. Powerful, superbly ergonomic, wonderfully balanced, and just plain fun to use. How did I manage for 4 years with my old cord-enmeshed jigsaw; the one with the blades which were hard to install and remove, the one with the gasping motor and the flim-flam quality. This Bosch tool oozes quality. The battery charge is deep, and it runs long. If they use jigsaws for medical procedures, this is probably the one - straight out of the box. Stepless variable speeds, easily adjusted bevel base angles, and even a scratch-saver plastic base shoe. (And it comes with a sturdy carry bag every teenager will want to 'borrow' for gym gear.) The Bosch 52318 Cordless Jigsaw is first class. Ths booklet says it will handle 2.75 inch lumber. I believe it. 1 inch lumber is not a challenge at all. 3/4 ply is butter to this hot knife. 6 stars.br****This comment added after another month of use. Don't buy a table saw - this does everything. Just kidding. But I CAN report that after cutting all types of lumber and melamine sheets and metal, the Jigsaw is a SEVEN star machine. Buy one before Big Brother finds out how much fun you can have - you know what happens then. ;-)

I live in the FL Keys, a demanding environment to say the least. I was helping my neighbor by cutting and screwing down some planks on his dock. Yes, the dock is over salt water, very nasty for electrical equipment. Anyway, I used both this jigsaw, brand new, and my 18v bosch drill. The first to cut the boards and the second to screw them down. I put them both away for about 2 months. I pull out the jigsaw to use it and it throws off all kind of sparks and the blade barely moves up and down. The drill runs fine. Neither were directly hit by salt water, but the drill has much less air flow than the jigsaw. Don't know for sure, just know that the jigsaw was expensive to only work for a couple of hours.
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br /I am going to tell bosch about it if they will listen. I really like my other bosch 18v tools and they have worked great for over 2 years. The batteries don't last as long any more, but that is to be expected. The drill however has been my most used power tool and it has worked wonderfully since I got it from Amazon.
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br /Bosch told me to call their Proadvantage Number and I did. The lady there needed my original invoice with date of purchase which I printed off from my Amazon history. I gave them a credit card which they do not change unless you do not return the old jigsaw and had a brand new jigsaw in two days. I am returning the old one. Given that Bosch was very good about replacing my bad jigsaw. I would change this review back to 5 stars if I could.

This is an amazing tool! I have had this tool for about a month and it is the best jigsaw for the job. Cutting wood and other material is not a problem with this little dandy tool. I love that the battery lasts for a long time. It means that I don't have to worry about running out of juice half way through the job. This thing cuts through wood like it was a knife through butter. It also brings a piece so that you wont scratch the material you are working on. It also looks like it is solid piece of equipment that could handle tough usage. Overall, this is a great tool and I give it six stars. And it even came with a 3 year service plan.

GREAT Saw, can be used in lieu of a circular saw and can cut through anything ! But the blades take practice changing !
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br /The secret is the blades and Bosch now makes the blades available for different manufacturer jig and saber saws.
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br /Let me say there has never been any piece of wood or board this thing hasn't been able to rip through, I've even cut down mid size tree and the stump with the rough wood blade.
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br /The variable speed trigger is smooth so you can use this saw for fine craft work too.
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br /Just like every other reviewer, I have to reiterate the blades are tedious to change, it is a tool less system that has to be finessed. TIP: When it arrives and you've made a few cuts, practice removing and replacing the blades until you have the routine down. This is important because the blade will warble if it isn't tight, this happened to us but no one was injured.
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br /If you already have a nice jigsaw and want the same cutting power, see if Bosch is offering their blades for your model, the bi-opposition teeth design is the real secret.

This is a first class, quality tool, if I could give it more stars I would.