Tool Review : Exakt Saw JML Review Overview

[tympt1]

I don't know what possesed me to buy one of these. It's crap for a left hander like me. Controls are far to awkward to use.

[theboywholived2]

Again thank you, there aren't many honest people out there and I'm glad to have found your review and see the downsides. Tv adds are just to perfect. Thank you

[WayneBurgess1]

Thanks bud its about time someone did real time tests that are honest on tools before folks go out and fork out for them. :)

[rotax81]

thanks for the demo, i was going to get on mainly for laminate floor stuff but if the machine is difficult to hold i will have to give it a miss, im left handed so will be even worse for me. cheers lumber :) T

[TheLumberjackass]

@rotax81

if its for laminite floors only, i would say it'll serve you well. the wood blade is really sharp, and also, flooring is only usually 7-8 inches wide, so the duration of the cut shouldnt affect how you hold the tool, or your grip on it.

yes, the tool is awkward to hold, and yes it has its flaws, but for laminite flooring, its actually pretty good. but, there is a newer model of this tool anyways. apparently it has fixed every flaw of the older tool, but i'd doubt that highly :)

[Hilltopper2549]

I bought one of these before I saw your video, primarily to cut plywood sheets 3 and 4 mm thick. I've only used the metal blade as it was already fitted, and it cuts very well, I thought the wood blade teeth were too coarse for such thin material. No tiles to cut now but it looks to leave a smooth cut compared to my wet machine. The guard spring is FAR too strong, I can ghange it later, and there is a lot of friction in the sliding action. I would have bought the DC270 if I'd seen it first.

[TheLumberjackass]

@Hilltopper2549

try using the wood blade. you'll be surprised how well it cuts through wood. but if you find there is alot of break-out on the edge, you can always change it back :)

but yes, this tool isnt bad for cutting tiles. it just takes ages to do, and you need to have strong arms.

and ive never even heard of the dc270 until now. it looks like a vastly superior machine. and if i didnt have the original exakt saw, i probably would have bought one of these instead :)

[MrJester1972]

yeah it is i use mine to hold the shed door open now it dose that well mind lol

[1slamicLife]

Thank you. Great video review btw.

[1slamicLife]

Was almost on the verge of buying this tool but was delayed as was broke lol. Thank God as well. So glad I read everyone's reviews. Still sad I haven't found something for my DIY projects.

[unitedpilot]

Yupp..Your right...It really isnt that good..the concept is there but the design is very poor..the on-off switch and plunge release is basically Sh**t... its very awkward to use..having said that..it does have its benifits..but in fairness..these are very limited..the positioning and angle of the main body is the worst design out there...!!!!..Think before you buy...rating wise..3 maybe 4 out of 10..

[unitedpilot]

Mmmm..Yes your right..This really isnt that good..the design of this tool really isnt the best..its very difficult to use the handle design should be at 90 degrees to the cutter-blade head..with a simple on-off switch..In short it does the job..but it aint the best design..

[spiritualastralsoul]

JML, Creating solutions for problems that you never knew you had!

[somethinextra]

Wrong blade used for the metal,this will cut mild steel with the right blade...

[MrJester1972]

got to be the worst thing iv bought its totaly shit

[TheLumberjackass]

@MrJester1972

i know , its very limited in what you can do with it.

its a shame they didnt put as much thought and effort into this product as they did with the advert you see on tv.

[hebay2]

@MrJester1972 couldnt agree more...i fucked up an exspensive worktop using one of these when it snagged...id even argue they they are dangerous and very hard to use

[trublugeoff]

This video is superb. I'm no DIY expert and I spent half a day today trying to figure out what I was doing wrong with this saw. After seeing this I now know I wasn't doing anything I shouldn't have been and that the saw itself was the problem. As for the grip / handling .I have problems gripping at the best of times and this was only made worse by the set up of the saw. After spending nearly £70 I must say I am NOT very happy .Lesson learned I think !!!

[TheLumberjackass]

@trublugeoff

thank you for the feedback !

yes , this saw has alot of problems .

the only thing its good for is cutting laminate wood flooring.

but it just sucks at everything else :)

[chriscampbell6]

A really informative video - thanks. I was thinking of buying one of these to fit my oak flooring but since the flooring is just a bit thicker than 10mm I'll have to find an alternative. Thanks

[TheLumberjackass]

@chriscampbell6

this saw is really good for wood flooring . but if you think there may be clearance issues with the 10mm , i can see how you may feel reluctant to buy it. so if its possible , and if any local retailer stocks it , i'd give it a try and if you find that the depth of wood is too great , you can leave it back for a refund.

the other option is to buy a good jigsaw with a rugged base :) it'll work just as well.

[GordonBrownMP]

The handling/ergonomics issues are true enough.

All new models from the company have been changed to improve them - as detailed on exakt dot tumblr dot com

(You reviewed the 'GL', the new one is the 'N')

[TheLumberjackass]

@GordonBrownMP

thanks for the info :)

[mike060187]

Great vid. I was thinking of buying this unit but it had soo many bad reviews.

[TheLumberjackass]

@mike060187

glad you liked the vid :) thanks for the feedback :)

[Rostellan1]

I have never known a tool with such potential so rubbish. You must hold the tool in two hands, left thumb slides the difficult power switch backwards and so is very awkward, right hand/fingers hold the lever which allows the blade to go down. Then push down on the saw as you are cutting which supposedly drops the blade. Getting both hands around the body of the tool is also a problem. An easy trigger mechanism and removal of the safety lever should sort the problem until then forget it.

[TheLumberjackass]

@Rostellan1

hi ros,

yes, indeed, you are completely correct.

if they had designed this product for better handling and ease of use, it would have been a sure fire winner . but they messed it up and produced something which was only designed to make them a fast buck.

[tamsinwood2]

This is excellent - thank you so much for uploading this video. I am moving to a new flat and want to do lots of DIY jobs. I saw the Exakt Saw and thought that it was the answer to all my problems. It's great to have an honest review. I often buy tools and when they do not function as expected I just think that I am not using it correctly. Had t not been for your review i would have spent £90.00 on a product that does not do what I want it to

[TheLumberjackass]

@tamsinwood2

glad i could help :)

i too buy alot of tools and expect them to perform as to what ive seen on tv or on the internet. im mostly surprised that alot of tools are really good to use, but it seems the tools with the most hype and advertising thrown at them, turn out to be complete lemons. hope the recent move went well for you. best of luck with it :)

[walshamite]

Very helpful ... thanks for making and uploading this video. :)

[TheLumberjackass]

@walshamite

your more than welcome.

thanks for watching.

[TheMightyzoltan]

If you've got a Makro card, the Exakt saw is on offer at £ 49.99 plus VAT. Advertised in their 16th June till 29th June 2010 magazine.

[whiskydog777]

if you do want to try this saw out buy it online at least then you can get a refund

[whiskydog777]

i agree 100% can't cut 12mm and won't cut aluminum i tried 3mm sheet don't buy unless your only cutting thin wood sheet and remember its £30 for a set of three blades

[agemorJD]

Hi Davey, you are exactly telling the truth about this mini exakt saw product. I tested my newly bought product yesterday in a 12 cm wood and I have exactly the same problem with all that have u mentioned here. The worse thing of this product is, it will kick back while sawing and ruin my straight line in wood, it looks like a bad project.

[TheLumberjackass]

@agemorJD

hi JD, thanks for leaving a comment .

yes, i think this is a fault on all exact saws. all the feedback ive heard so far is of the same problem.

you mentioned you are getting kickback in wood, by any chance are you using the wrong blade or are you trying to cut through a really hard wood like mahogany or teak ? ive yet to experience kickback with this product , but im sure its possible by trying to cut through hardwoods.

[agemorJD]

Hi Davey, I was using a hard but thin Parquet wood material w/ the right blade but I've covered my table w/ a cartoon for protection, at the nearly end of sawing, the divided woods has started to bend together & cause the blade to jump up back. I have read the caution instruction again, when the blade bend, it will kick back. I'll try to use plain harder table cover later and get some wood holder, I'll see if kicking back will still appear.

[TheLumberjackass]

@agemorJD

thanks for the reply.

cutting thin strips would be difficult with this machine, especially when its operated by hand. the best machine for that kind of job would be a cheap tablesaw. you can also get cheap bandsaws, but they never cut 100% clean and their cutting fence are usually flimsy.

alot of places that sell sheet materials or wood in bulk usually have cutting services. i'd go to one of them as it'd be cheap to do and safe.

[LordInksworth]

Very useful video - many thanks.

[JesusChristDied4You]

Good review, yeah I agree, the switch is really hard to hold, & you have to pull it up when plunging down into the wood (which is awkward).

After making a jig for perfectly straight lines though & marking approx 10mm from the cut line, the Exact Saw is very quick & straight & the cut is smooth.

The dust removal is great too.

If you're prepared to make a jig then it's better than a dremel for straight cuts in thin plywood/mdf, if not, then it's only good for cutting tiles.

[LordInksworth]

He may have died for you, JesusChristDied4You, but he didn't die for me. Why can't you people just be happy in your belief instead of always pointing at us and shouting "YOU YOU YOU HE DIED FOR YOU!!!!!!" ?

[slippysam1]

@JesusChristDied4You hi your assesment is spot on i have found it bulky to use awkward to switch on and of course it does kick out it takes abit of getting used to mines is up for sale

[neddycgoon]

Thanks for the review Davey lots of very important points cleared up for me so very much appreciated.I would have liked an example of corner cutting in wood such as a jig saw does but still an excellent review..Cheers Ned

[TheLumberjackass]

hi ned :)

you mean rounding off an edge , i.e, a semi-circle cut ??

the saw can do that, but its a bit tricky as you cant see the blade for complete accuracy.

if the base was transparent , it'd be better as you could see where your cutting.

as for the jigsaw, its very bad judgement on jml's part to compare a tool which is designed to cut curves and circles , against a tool that is designed to cut straight lines ( exakt saw ). its chalk and cheese tbh.

thanks for the feedback also :)

[TheLumberjackass]

thank you for the feedback jack :)

yeah, it really is a flawed product at the end of the day . which is a shame, as the idea and overall thought process behind the product was good.

overall its plagued by design flaws that cant be ignored and i really cant reccomend it.

i only used it on laminate floors, which was about 3 months ago. but i do have a room in the house which needs a new floor soon, so it'll be getting another outing just for that.