Got this saw for xmas. I have a 25 year old craftsman...single speed...got the old screw holds the blade in type mechinism. It's loud and vibrates like crazy....ya know..typical old jigsaw.
br /But its ten times the saw this thing is...Can't cut a straight line even with a guide...and forget following a curved line..ya can't control the %^@#* thing. It wanders all over the place. The blade only falls out some of the time (trying hard to say something nice). Anyway not pleased at all with this skil jigsaw.
br /Had my granddaughter return it and get her money back. Told her to look at my wish list and pick something else out. Can't recommend this tool to anyone.
br /UPDATE...HD keeps losing points all the time. When my granddaughter tried to return this saw, they told her they could could not do a refund, that she could only exchange it for another one, as it was a sale item. She told them she didn't want another as I had told her it was junk...they then told her they couldn't help her and left her standing there holding the box. She called me and I met her at the store and attempted to get the situation resolved. The young "gentleman" from the tool crib suggested that I didn't understand how to properly use the tool and didn't follow the instructions in the manual, and had "probably" damaged the tool, so they were not obligated to issue a refund on the tool. He would exchange it for another just like it, however. We left the store (with the original saw), my granddaughter almost in tears, completely unsatisfied.
br /I've said this before....HD has seen the last of my money and now they have lost another customer. The saw will go under my workbench and probably never see the light of day again.

Yeah I bought the saw, I said for 69 bucks, you'd have to be crazy to buy the 140 dollar one. Then I used it to cut out some circles in plywood at an angle, because I was making trim plates for AC pipes in the rafters. The blade never fell out, but I never got a positive lock on it, and finally it went crooked. The guide plate was funky, trying to adjust it 45 degrees. I messed with it for 1/2 and hour, and then went to the book. Book was vague. p I found that you have to be crazy to buy this saw, unless you want to injure yourself, like lose your fingers, or have blade fly in your face.pThe saw is perfect if you want to cut straight. Circular saw does this better and faster. Marketing is perfect, I believed every word on the box and bought it. This saw is an 5 amp accident waiting to happen. I value my eyes, face and fingers, I'll pay another 70 bucks for that protection.

I originally bought this saw without conducting any online research which turned out to be a huge mistake. I have been using the jig saw for the last month and have yet to get a quality cut with the saw. I tried switching out the blades but to no avail. Do not waste your money on this saw!! I gave it one star becuase it can make a cut, just far from the quality that I would expect.

The main problem with this saw is that the blade isn't held firmly enough by the tool-free clamp to make an accurate cut. I realize that this saw costs about half of what a good DeWalt or Porter Cable jig saw costs, but come on! Make that only 1/3 the cost of a good saw since Lowes is currently blowing these dogs out for $45.pThe lightweight shoe has a sloppy feel to it, which only hurts your ability to make a decent cut. You don't so much adjust the angle of the base as you lock a pin into one of several pre-stamped holes at pre-set angles, and it feels very imprecise.pThe sight light is supposed to cast a shadow where the blade is headed, but I can't bring myself to trust it. I'm thinking of just cutting off the wire that makes the shadow so I at least get the benefit of the light. The selector that lets you choose whether the dust gets blown away or sucked up through the vacum port is O.K.pI haven't found the 360 degree blade rotation feature to be helpful. I'm used to turning the entire saw when making fine cuts, and this feature just seems to make you use two hands do the work of one hand. Since the radius of a cut you can make is limited by the width of the blade I'm not sure why Skil went to the effort to include this feature.pI'm giving this saw a two star rating because I haven't used it a lot and haven't yet hurt myself with it. (...)

Building a deck, 30 cuts, tops. At about 15 cuts, the roller spring fell off. Couldn't figure out how it went back on. Had to finish the job. The blade kept hopping off the roller, and the roller chewed up the back of the blades. Broke 4 blades, because of the roller. Finally got the clip back in, we'll see how it goes. Up and down cuts end up mitered, no control. My other Jig Saw was a 35 year old Craftsman. If I could find a speed controller for it, I'd still be using it. This thing is junk, plain and simple. The ONLY good thing I can say, is that it does move the blade up and down, when it isn't breaking it, or falling out...

If you need to make a casual straight cut in something that you otherwise would hand cut, this may be good enough for you. But if you need to make any kind of curved or scroll cut, forget it. This saw is just not very precise. Curve cuts end up with a non-vertical bias that ruins the piece.
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br /I had a Skil 3/8" VS drill that had play in the bearings and eventually failed after a year or so of light homeowner use. I hate to bash Skil in general, but this the last tool I buy with their name on the side. Their stuff is cheaper for a reason.
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br /This is a case of getting what you pay for. Trust me, you'll want to pay a little more.

Even with TWO edge clamps (both sides of shoe), cut pulls 4-5 degrees to the left with all materials and all blades, even 3/4" flush cut blade, until blade binds or breaks. This on simple straight cuts--wouldn't dare try it at an angle or on scroll work. Will try to get my money back and pay twice for quality I should have bought in the first place.

I just got a 4580-04 and will be swaping out for a unit more than double the price. The unit has lots of power, no problem there. I found the base plate hard to adjust, even though it is supposed to be easy to adjust. Maybe Im just an idot, but things just did not work out with the base. The blower seems to work okay(after I figured out I had the switch in the wrong position), and the built in light and quick change blade system are nice and work well. pWhere I have a problem with this jigsaw is the handle and trigger. It is designed to be squeezed with two or three finger and has no safety button. When you go to pick it up or put it down, you have to grip the handle with you thumb, ring finger and pinkie finger, or you will turn the unit on. I found this awkward and potentially dangerous. I think I will opt for a little better unit. pThis jigsaw is fine if the shoe and handle don't bother you.

After using the saw for less than a week, the blade roller assembly spring broke. This was one of the specific reasons I bought the saw.

Oh how I wish DeWalt would make a saw with the same feature-set as this saw. On paper, this Skil saw looks great - the laser line has come in handy, and frankly, I don't know why any mfg would make a saw these days without a built-in LED work-light - I really like that feature of this saw.
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br /BUT, the saw has serious problems. Whoever designed the trigger must not use power tools that much. The trigger takes the first two to three fingers of your hand, leaving only your pinky and thumb to hold the weight of the saw. If you go to grab it, be ready for a moving blade!
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br /The lack of a trigger-safety in this liability-concerned day and age is appaling.
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br /I'm really surprised there haven't been serious lawsuits directed at Skil for the lack of safety with this tool.
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br /Also, the accuracy sucks - forget 90-degree cuts unless you're cutting in a straight line.
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br /I gave it one star for the worklight and laser, and one star for the scroll feature which is still handy from time to time.
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br /All in all, as much as I *want* to like this saw, I cannot recommend it because of the unsafe trigger and poor accuracy.
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br /Oh yea, the orbital lever got stuck and no longer works. Basically, it's a cheapo "homeowner" saw. You get what you pay for!

Bought this saw a year or so ago and have found it to perform pretty good. I do a lot of woodworking for a hobby but use this tool very little. When I've used it, it has done well however I have never used a jigsaw of better quality so I have nothing better to compare it to. I was bummed when the sightlight burned out almost immediately though. For a tool that I use once a month or less I think I got my moneys worth but if you use it any more frequently and require a lot out of it I would say look in to a higher end tool
br /Ben

Save your money. It is useless. Bit wiggles all over the place making it impossible to follow your cut line. Straight or curved. And the large trigger makes it nearly impossible to pick up without accidentally turning it on setting yourself up for a serious injury. Skil should be ashamed of such a product. Instead they put out another one changing the model # to 4680. Avoid that one too!

This is a full feature jig saw for half-price of comparable Bosch saws. Works great!