How to use a Bosch cordless jigsaw
Updated: 21 October 2026
A blade change with the pack clicked on is the mistake this page is written to stop. You already have the saw. The order is battery off, blade and guard, pendulum matched to the material, shoe flat, and the blade stopped before you lift it. This is a method, not a ranking. Which body to buy is on the [Bosch cordless jigsaw comparison](/hub/power-saws/bosch-cordless-jigsaw). Products Compared followed Bosch’s UK DIY guides and the UK vibration and noise regulations. There is no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
A blade change with the pack clicked on is the mistake this page is written to stop. You already have the saw.
A blade change with the pack clicked on is the mistake this page is written to stop. You already have the saw. The order is battery off, blade and guard, pendulum matched to the material, shoe flat, and the blade stopped before you lift it. This is a method, not a ranking. Which body to buy is on the Bosch cordless jigsaw comparison. Products Compared followed Bosch’s UK DIY guides and the UK vibration and noise regulations. There is no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Pendulum | Blade in the scope | Grip | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Bosch Bosch Professional GST 18V-125 S | 4-step | T 144 D | Barrel | 9.6 | about £207.12 | View offer |
 Bosch Bosch UniversalSaw 18V-100 Amazon Edition | Not on the listing | 15-piece set | Top | 9.4 | about £65.27 | View offer | |
| Best value |  Bosch Bosch EasySaw 18V-70 | No step in the scope | T 144 D | Top | 9.2 | about £57.99 | View offer |
On this page
Battery off before you touch the blade
Slide the battery off before you open the clamp, fit a guard, or clear a jammed blade. Bosch’s splinter-guard page says the same, and it adds gloves. A tool-free clamp is still a spring and a sharp tooth. The EasySaw has no pendulum step to dial. On the other saws, leave the orbital lever until the blade is seated and the pack is still off. Chargers are 230 V and need a BS 1363 plug. Push a T-shank blade in until it locks, then tug it. The T 144 D and T 111 C blades in these scopes are not a laminate down-cut.
Pendulum and stroke rate
Pendulum speeds thicker wood and lifts the fibres you hoped to keep. Bosch puts it at 0 for a clean edge, for shelves of about 20–30 mm, and for plastic and metal. A higher step is where speed matters more than the face. The EasySaw has only the speed trigger. Plastic and aluminium want a lower stroke rate. Hard metal wants full speed, pendulum at 0, and light pressure. The worktop face, where 0 is not optional, is on Bosch cordless jigsaw for worktops.
Clamp, both hands, and the stop
Clamp the work and support the underside. Both hands stay on the saw, the shoe stays flat, and the pressure stays light. If the nose lifts, the cut bows. Let the blade stop before you lift. On an internal cut, back up in the kerf, release the trigger, wait, then lift. Stop when you cannot clamp the work, when the timber is structural, or when the material is stone. Which pack fits is on Bosch green vs Professional cordless jigsaw.
Hearing, eyes, and what the vibration numbers are not
Wear ear protectors and goggles. The GST 18V-125 manual prints 87 dB(A) for the bow-handle B and 84 dB(A) for the barrel S. Employer noise action values are 80 and 85 dB(A), with a limit of 87 dB(A). The vibration action value is 2.5 m/s² A(8) and the limit is 5.0. HSE’s typical jigsaw magnitude of about 9–17 m/s² is not that daily dose. Bosch states ah 4.1 m/s² for the B on wood and ah 7 m/s² for the S. A single home cut-out is not the employer assessment. Who should buy which body is on best Bosch cordless jigsaw.
Common questions
Do you take the battery off before a blade change?
Yes. On a cordless Bosch jigsaw the pack is the supply, so unplug means the battery is off the tool before you touch the clamp. Bosch’s splinter-guard instructions say the same thing, and they add gloves. Fit the blade, tug it to confirm the lock, then put the pack back only when you are ready to cut. A tool-free clamp is not a reason to leave the pack on.
Where does pendulum 0 apply?
Use 0 for a clean face, for shelves around 20–30 mm, for plastic, and for metal. Bosch’s DIY guidance is that a higher pendulum step is for thicker, harder material where you want speed more than a finished edge. The EasySaw has no pendulum control in the Bosch scope, so you cannot set 0 or any other step on that body. Try the setting on a scrap before you cut the piece you will see.
How do you fit a splinter guard without cutting yourself?
Take the battery off and wear gloves. Press the guard into the shoe insert with the blade removed, or follow the order Bosch prints for that guard, and keep your fingers off the tooth line. The green anti-splinter part and the Professional part are not one clip for every saw in this set. If the guard will not seat, stop. Forcing it bends the insert and leaves a gap that chips the face anyway.
Which stroke rate for wood, plastic, and metal?
Wood at a normal DIY thickness can take the higher end of the trigger, with light forward pressure. Plastic and aluminium want a lower stroke rate so the edge does not melt. Hard metal wants full speed, pendulum at 0, cooling, and almost no downward pressure. If plastic fuses behind the blade, ease the feed. If metal blues the teeth in the first centimetre, the blade is the wrong one or the pressure is too high.
Why must the shoe stay flat, and when do you let the blade stop?
The shoe is the reference for a square cut. If the nose lifts, the blade leans and the kerf wanders. Keep both hands on the saw and only enough pressure to move forward. Release the trigger at the end of the cut and wait until the blade has stopped before you lift the shoe. Lifting early lets the blade snatch the edge. The same wait applies when you back out of a sink cut-out.
What is an employer’s vibration duty, and why is one cut-out at home not that assessment?
For employers, the daily action value is 2.5 m/s² A(8) and the limit is 5.0 m/s² A(8). HSE’s typical jigsaw magnitude of about 9–17 m/s², and Bosch’s ah figures for the GST 18V-125 pair, are not that daily dose. A householder cutting one worktop is not carrying out that assessment. If people are employed to use the saw, the employer has to do it. Hearing protection is the simpler step Bosch already tells a DIYer to take.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources used for this comparison. Bosch UK pages were checked on 20 October 2026. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures for this set.
- Bosch DIY EasySaw 18V-70 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Bosch DIY UniversalSaw 18V-100 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Bosch DIY AdvancedSaw 18V-140 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Bosch Professional GST 18V-95 B (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Bosch Professional GST 18V-125 B (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Bosch Professional GST 18V-125 S (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Bosch Professional AMPShare FAQ (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- HSE hand-arm vibration regulations (retrieved 20 October 2026)