Makita DJV181 and DJV182 Cordless Jigsaw Review

Brushless motors in your cordless power tools aren’t the future; they’re the reality right now. Each year sees the big power tool manufacturers engineer brushless motors into more and more of their stable of cordless tools.

However, this isn’t just a gimmick to get you to upgrade your tools for the sake of it. Brushless motors offer you serious benefits, especially when you couple them with larger capacity li-ion batteries.

Makita hasn’t been slow to launch updated versions of your favourite cordless tools which include brushless motors, and we’ve got an exclusive videos of two brushless jigsaws on Toolstop TV, the DJV181 and DJV182.

Now, the obvious benefits of the DJV181 and DJV182 running off brushless motors are simple but compelling;

• Smaller size. Brushless motors are smaller, therefore they allow the body of the tool to be reduced in size. Which leads to…
• Lighter weight. And this means you’ll be able to handle and use the jigsaws for longer without fatigue
• Longer runtime. A huge benefit of these jigsaws is that even though they’re cordless, they’ll run for ages. That’s because the motor requires less current from the battery to do the job
• Longer lifetime. Brushes are probably the first thing to fail in a brushed-motor power tool. And brushed-motors build up lots of harmful heat, which can reduce the lifespan of your expensive cordless tool.

To read more about the benefits of upgrading to brushless cordless power tools, read our article here.

There’s one other key thing that you need to know. While both jigsaws are available naked (body-only, ie. no batteries or charger come with them), they are available with 4Ah batteries and are compatible with the brand new 18V 5Ah Makita batteries, which you can read about here.

So, if you’ve got a spare Makita 3Ah or 4Ah battery just sitting on the charger all day, you can take the most cost-efficient upgrade route and buy the naked version. Or you can spring for the 4Ah option and get 2 batteries and charger. And if you have other LXT Makita cordless tools that are compatible with 4Ah batteries, you’ll be able to use one of your 4Ah batteries on it! The options are mouthwatering…

The first thing you should notice, and you expect this from a brushless tool, is the compact size. It also features a body grip, ideal for profile cuts. As is the case with the DJV182, it doesn’t have a trigger. This new safety feature from Makita means that you press the unlock switch, one of which is conveniently located either side of the front of the jigsaw. Press the unlock button, then the power button, and the soft-start/no load motor kicks in and you’re ready to make your cut.

All of this combines to reduce the vibration you experience when you start cutting. And once the motor has been switched on, the twin bright LED lights illuminate even the darkest areas, helping you to keep an eye on your cutting line. And it also includes a blower which will clear away the dust and debris from your cutting line as you go.

Tool-less blade change is virtually a requirement on modern jigsaws, and it’s present on the DJV181, more on that later, along with the new dust extraction pipe.

The 3 stage orbital action is controlled by the familiar switch on the side of the jigsaw, giving you full control over the blade when you’re cutting thicker material, as is explained in this guide.

The motor outputs 390W of power, variable via the control dial, which gives you the ability to move from between 800 and 3,500 strokes per minute.

All combined, the Makita DJV181 will allow you to make the following cuts:

• Max. in steel: 10 mm
• Max. in wood: 135 mm
• Max in aluminium: 20 mm

The DJV182, as you can see, features the tradition bow handled grip, and like the DJV181, it features the new unlock button. It’s located on top of the handle, press it once and the motor comes to life, again featuring the soft-start/no load, and you’ve got 10 seconds to start your cut before the motor automatically switches off.

All the same features found on the DJV181 are in place, including the 3 stage orbital action and the adjustable aluminium base plate with protective cover (use the supplied allen key to loosen the plate to then select the angle of bevel).

As mentioned above, the jigsaw benefits from the tool-less blade change. However, inserting the blade is even easier. Simply slot it into the holder and it automatically locks into place. Then rotate the front collar to eject the blade

The dust extractor has been improved. No longer does it clip on, but sits more robustly in place at either side of the jigsaw via the screw attachment. The LED job light and dust blower are situated near the blade holder, again allowing for clear cutting lines.

As with the DJV181, the motor’s speed is controlled via the variable speed dial, and benefits – as always – from Makita’s well-known comfortable ergonomics.

All combined, the Makita DJV182 will allow you to make the following cuts:

• Max. in steel: 10 mm
• Max. in wood: 135 mm
• Max in aluminium: 20 mm

Makita’s 18V cordless power tool range is growing all the time, with over 70 tools now available for you to buy and use with your LXT batteries. And we’re absolutely confident that either of these jigsaws will be a huge benefit to anyone who relies on a compact but powerful jigsaw that’ll run and run on one charge, while being dependable thanks to the brushless motor.

We want to hear what you think of these 2 jigsaws!