STANLEY STSJ6501-A9, aka DeWalt DW349, or simply a jigsaw

I've already written about a Stanley tool in my review of its electric drill. Since the drill is fine and more than meets my needs, I decided to buy a jigsaw to help out with the one I already have. So during this review I'll occasionally compare it with mine, and at the end I'll take both apart and compare not just their exteriors, but their insides too.

I'm not someone who makes a living renovating apartments, but I still use a jigsaw a lot, mostly on wood, though sometimes on laminate or particleboard. I've recently started using an oscillating saw more, but it's hard and pointless to cut large quantities with one.

So, the jigsaw arrived in a cardboard box. I knew it wouldn't come with a plastic case, but I was still a little disappointed, since my old one is also stored in its original cardboard box, which has become pretty battered over the past 8 years.


The back has the usual marketing and technical specifications.


I have a lot of tools, but about half of them are stored without cases too. Why don't manufacturers package their products in something convenient, rather than just something that can survive the trip to the customer?
It all looks neat, but this kind of storage is only suitable for careful use at home.


The package includes:
1. Jigsaw
2. Blade
3. Manual and warranty card
4. Plug adapter (provided by the store)

The package is minimal. It really needs a guide rail and an adapter for connecting a vacuum cleaner, but more on that later.


They included a lot of paperwork, but it's all in Chinese, which I can understand, and I don't see much point in it anyway.


The manual is in English. It's a shame it's not in Russian, but I'll take what I can get.
Again, it's not all that useful, but it's better to have one.


The plug adapter and a wood-cutting blade. The blade is for fast, rough cuts; I rarely use blades like this, since I usually need to work carefully. But if you need to cut something quickly and the cut quality doesn't matter much, it'll do just fine. I'd say that's acceptable.
As for the adapter, I don't recommend using it. In my opinion, it's unsafe.


The old jigsaw also came with blades, but not only do they have a rather odd shank shape, and one of them is bent, they also don't fit it :)


And here's the star of the review. The color is the classic one for Stanley and DeWalt tools...


Rated power: 650 W; no-load stroke rate: 800–3200; stroke length: 20 mm.
The first drawback I found: it has a plug with flat pins. I don't recommend using adapters; replace the plug instead.


The cable's protective "tail" is fairly long, and the cable itself is flexible. No complaints there.


The handle has rubberized sections on the top, bottom, and front. It feels great in the hand. You'd have to try pretty hard to get this wrong, though when I was choosing my first jigsaw, I did come across some uncomfortable ones.


The handle has a fairly wide trigger with a lock-on mechanism. I'm used to simply holding the trigger down, but some people may find the lock useful.
The trigger isn't quite as convenient as it could be. It's fairly soft, which is nice, but you have to press it quite far to switch the jigsaw on. If you ease off the pressure even a little, the jigsaw switches off. This was much less noticeable on my old jigsaw. Maybe it just takes some getting used to, or perhaps it's designed that way for safety, but I don't find it very convenient.


Jigsaws use triggers without speed control; the speed (or, more precisely, power) control is located on top. The speed control is continuous, but is "virtually" divided into 7 settings.


The base plate has an extra plastic cover that improves sliding and reduces damage to the work surface. That's a plus.


There's a reminder on the side showing how to secure it.


To remove the cover, slide it forward—which makes sense, since if it came off by sliding backward, it would come loose while sawing :)


If you're working on surfaces where damage isn't a concern, it's better to remove the cover, since there's no need to wear it out unnecessarily.
The base plate is flat, with no protruding parts.


There are wire loops at the front, though I never figured out what they're for.
The slot for installing a guide rail is immediately obvious, but the rail itself and the screws to secure it are missing. This was probably the first thing that really disappointed me. The old one didn't have a rail either, but it's much more convenient to use one, since it serves as a guide.
Having to clamp on a piece of metal is a minus for the manufacturer, in my book.


Unlike my old jigsaw, this one has a tool-free blade clamp. You can see the black "lever" at the front. To install a blade, push it up, insert the blade, and release it. I rarely need to change blades while working, but I tried it and found it quite convenient, so that's a plus.


On the left side there's a switch for the "pendulum" action, which moves the blade forward and backward while cutting. Like most jigsaws (including my old one), it has three settings. This mode increases cutting speed but can reduce cut quality. I'm used to working without it, but I used the pendulum action when cutting OSB for the floor, since speed mattered and cut quality didn't.


To adjust the base plate angle relative to the blade, you don't need any extra tools here either. Move the lever on the side out of the way and turn the base plate.


The base plate tilts up to 45 degrees in either direction.


The tilt angle has fixed settings at 0/15/30/45 degrees. For more precise positioning, there's a mechanism with detents. In theory, it should lock "automatically," but in practice there's a little play—about 1-2 degrees. Actually, that's not quite right: there's play until you tighten the mechanism, but before tightening, the play is there, and after locking, the base plate stays in the position it was in beforehand. So if you set it to +1 degree, that's where it locks. Not very convenient, although my old jigsaw had "continuous" adjustment, so I had to set the angle using a square.


Almost forgot: it has a work light that turns on with the motor. There's no "fade-out," which is a shame. In the short time I've been using the Milwaukee tool, I've gotten used to the light staying on for a while after switching off. It's genuinely convenient.
By the way, the light isn't very bright, but it shines "where it needs to."


The tool weighs about 2470 grams without the cord and 2625 grams with it.


I found a job for the new jigsaw right away—one that the old one doesn't handle very well anymore because of the play that's developed. I needed to trim a couple of door casings to length.
Even after this small test (though I did some other work with it later), I can say that:
1. The new one runs more quietly and a little more smoothly.
2. It vibrates less than the old one.
3. It handles "long runs" well; the blade doesn't wander.
4. The switch isn't very convenient. I occasionally relaxed my grip and the jigsaw switched off, but that was down to being used to the old one.
5. There's no way to connect a vacuum cleaner, which is a real drawback since I was cutting indoors.
6. I only noticed the work light by accident :)


During testing, I cut a board that I'd previously put through the wringer with drills, but in this case the door casing was MDF, which is fairly soft.
In any case, the cut is clean. I covered the front face with one layer of masking tape and cut from the back.


While cutting, I needed to trim the end at an angle, and noticed that at the extreme positions of the base plate, the blade almost touches the cover. The trimming itself went without any problems, but I think that if the saw blade shifts sideways, it will start scratching the shoe.


Now it's time to see what's inside, but first I'll show you the jigsaw I compared the one under review with during use, and whose internals I'll compare it with.


The new jigsaw is a little more compact, although they feel about the same in the hand.


Their specifications are different, though. The old one is rated at 810 W, compared with 650 W for the new one and 500 W for the DeWalt DW349. I deliberately chose a tool with less power than the old one because I never used it at full power anyway. So why have a powerful, heavier tool when it's overkill for my needs?
The old one runs at 3,000 strokes per minute, compared with 3,200 for the new one, so for all practical purposes they're the same. But the old one has one big advantage: you can connect a vacuum cleaner to it.


The new one doesn't have this feature, although even on the old one it was so rarely useful to me that I used it maybe five times at most. It still has the batteries I put in after buying it 8 years ago.
The old jigsaw has a laser guide, but it usually cuts wherever it wants, not where the laser points :)


To take the housing apart, I had to use not only a screwdriver but also a small adjustable wrench. The screws were so tight, and I don't have a large screwdriver. Well, I do have one, but it wouldn't fit through the holes for the screws.


Overall view with the jigsaw disassembled.


There's very little grease. Maybe that's normal, but I thought there should be more.


The commutator assembly and rear bearing look good. The commutator has been undercut quite deeply, but the marks on the segments made me a little uneasy.
Oh, I almost forgot: these photos of the internals were taken after the tests.


1. The cable is secured with a metal clip, and a terminal block is used for the connection, which is a little unusual. I'd even say it's not quite right in this case, since vibration could gradually cause the connection to deteriorate.
2. The power-control triac is mounted on a small heatsink.
3. Power switch, rated current 6 A.
4. Power-control and work-light power supply assembly. The light and its power supply are the first things I'd like to improve.


Overall view of the jigsaw's electronics board.


The work light—how much can such a small LED really illuminate?
Well, it does provide some light, but in my opinion it's not bright enough. I used a jigsaw without a work light for 8 years before this, but you quickly get used to a good thing and want more.


The armature winding is almost completely protected, which is a big plus, especially in demanding conditions. I'll show you a little later how this is done in my old jigsaw.



The gearbox has a fairly substantial counterweight (I think that's what it's called).


When running, the counterweight (at the top in the photo) moves in the opposite direction to the blade drive. The two photos show it at the ends of its travel. This arrangement reduces vibration—ideally to zero, though that's almost impossible in real life.


In motion, it looks like this GIF. It also shows the pendulum mechanism, but I think that's even better.


The baseplate's pivot mechanism locking assembly. The housing of this unit has a hole for fitting an adapter to connect it to a vacuum cleaner, but the adapter itself isn't included :(


I happened to come across a spare parts website online, which lists the parts themselves as well as an exploded view showing all the parts.


Now let's take a look inside and compare it with my old jigsaw.
I actually opened it up quite a while ago to clean out the wood dust, but for some reason I was still expecting it to look worse.


There's practically no grease left, so I'll probably have to wash everything out and regrease it.


Overall view. The first thing I notice is that the motor is noticeably larger. And dust has gotten almost everywhere.


The commutator assembly looks no worse than the one in the Stanley; it even has a choke next to each brush.


The speed control and power switch are roughly comparable to the Stanley's. The switch lock mechanism is designed a little differently, but as I mentioned above, I don't use that feature anyway.


I wouldn't say I've done all that much work with it (by my standards), but it's sucked in quite a lot of dust.


In my opinion, the mechanism looks a bit simpler than the Stanley's.


But the overall operating principle is identical: the blade drive mechanism and counterweight move in opposite directions.


The laser emitter and its button. The design is very simple; the manufacturer didn't even bother powering it from the mains. The laser's current draw is low enough that batteries do the job, but personally, I find the light more useful than this laser guide.


The armature protection, on the other hand, is the standard kind—a wire with enamel insulation. In this respect, the Stanley is much better thought out.


A side-by-side photo of both jigsaws disassembled.
Obviously, it's not really fair to compare a new tool with a well-used one, but the photos do show that the old one has a more modest mechanism, while the new one has a smaller motor.
Here's another interesting point: the original DeWalt DW349 is rated at 500 W, while this one is rated at 650 W. It's hard to say how accurate that is in practice; I don't have anything else to compare it with.


While putting this review together, I happened to come across two tool catalogs: one from DeWalt for power tools, and another from Stanley for hand tools.
Stanley was founded in 1843 and is one of the oldest companies. It used to focus mainly on making hand tools. For example, the photo on the right shows a catalog and an adjustable wrench from it. The photo on the left also shows a small pocket screwdriver, but I couldn't find it in the catalog. Both tools were given to me by the Mastersity forum for helping its readers.


In 2009, Stanley merged with Black & Decker and became Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. Since the company didn't make power tools, it began expanding its range by selling tools from the similarly large DeWALT under its own brand. DeWALT has in fact been owned by Stanley since 2010.
So, in effect, DeWALT is a subsidiary of Stanley, just focused on a different area. Stanley's portfolio includes companies such as DeWALT, Black & Decker, Facom, Bostitch, Porter-Cable, and MAT Industries, LLC.

This photo shows a page from the DeWALT catalog and the Stanley jigsaw.


And here, as they say, spot the 10 differences :)
Unfortunately, there's one important difference: the price. When I bought it, I gave in to a bout of shopaholism (even with the discount), since I could have bought a DeWalt DW349 here for the same money. I hope this doesn’t make the review any less useful, since branded tools tend to have more consistent specifications from one unit to the next than no-name products.


A quick summary of the pros and cons:
Pros
Good build quality
Well-balanced mechanism with smooth action
Built-in work light
Easy blade changes.
Reinforced protection for the armature windings
Additional plastic base plate.

Cons
No ruler (edge guide)
No vacuum adapter.
The power plug needs to be replaced
Price.

My take: This is a fairly well-made tool. I have no complaints about the build quality or how it works. The action is smooth, and it has more than enough power for my needs. The work light is a nice touch, though I wish it were a little brighter. I was disappointed that the kit doesn’t include an edge guide or a vacuum adapter. The latter was the bigger disappointment, since I often need to cut things at home, and connecting a vacuum noticeably reduces the amount of dust.

That’s about it. As always, I’m happy to answer any questions.