Brushless, corded, 18V, 20V, XR... Confused? Me too!

I just spent 380 euro on a jigsaw. Here's what I wish someone had told me first.

Dear woodworking gods, the project is getting expensive.

But let's back up. I need curves in that cutting board. Curves mean a jigsaw. Simple enough, right?

Not quite.

I did what everyone does. ChatGPT, then YouTube. And I have to say, a lot of woodworking content out there is what we call in French “des baveux”. People repeating what everyone else already said, trying to be goofy, not actually helping you decide anything. When you want to buy a tool you want real life advice, not a performance.

I eventually found one video worth your time. Link at the bottom.

But before I got there I spent two hours confused by the same terminology wall I suspect trips up most people. So let me save you the two hours.

Brushless motor means no physical brushes creating friction inside the tool. Less heat, longer motor life, more runtime per charge. Always go brushless if the budget allows. That's the short answer.

Battery versus corded: for a jigsaw you're moving around a shared workshop or a small space, battery wins on convenience. The power tradeoff at intermediate level is not meaningful.

Now the part that genuinely confused me. You'll see DeWalt sold as 18V XR in Europe and 20V MAX in the US. Same battery. Same cells. Same performance. A lithium-ion cell runs at 20V when fully charged and 18V at normal operating voltage. DeWalt chose to market the peak number in the US and the real working number in Europe. That's it. You've been stressed about nothing.

XR just means eXtreme Runtime. It's DeWalt's label for their brushless 18V family. The DCS334N is already in that family. The fancy looking DCS335N I was eyeing? Not worth the extra money for what I need. I asked AI, compared specs, and talked myself down.

I don't need this.

Terminology sorted, I still had to actually buy the thing. I went to the local DeWalt retailer. Friendly people but they speak only Czech. Me? Very little, but I am making progress. I could even tell you how to say jigsaw in Czech now. Anyway, they tried to sell me a storage box I didn't need and gave me their business card with a smile. So I went home, compared their prices with Amazon.de, and did the maths.

The jigsaw, two batteries, a charger, and a blade set came to 9,309 Kc, roughly 380 euro. Amazon.de was around 410 euro with postage, plus a 10 day wait because there's no Czech Amazon.

Not a massive saving, but I paid less, got it the same day, and didn't fund a warehouse robot's Christmas bonus.

The first thing I noticed when I picked it up with the battery on: it's balanced. Properly balanced. The battery doesn't tilt the tool the way you might expect it to. It just sits naturally in your hand, which matters more than you'd think when you're trying to follow a curve cleanly.

Which led me straight to my next question: should I be removing the battery when I'm not using it?

It probably won't hurt the lifespan of the tool either way. But for safety, yes, take it off. An accidental trigger in storage or transport is not a problem you want.

The pattern I'm going with is simple: battery stays on during a work session, battery comes off for storage and transport. And it probably does not hurt to remove the blade as well. And if all that was not enough, there is a lock button on the machine as well.

I don't know, and I'd be suspicious of anyone who answers that too confidently. Most power tool brands are owned by two parent companies anyway. I'll link a video that breaks that down because it reframes every brand loyalty argument you've ever had with yourself.

I went DeWalt because I already have their orbital sander and I'm happy with it. The real reason to stay in one ecosystem is that your batteries become interchangeable. Think about that early, because it shapes every tool purchase after it.

Add that to the 12,700Kc (525.85€) already spent on wood and shop time, and the running total on a wedding gift is now 22,009 Kc (911.30€). I have not cut a single curve yet.

Woodworking gods, I'm going to need a word with you.

The plan is to cut an MDF template with this jigsaw first, get the curve right on scrap before trusting it to the actual purpleheart. Felt like the responsible move.

Links worth your time: