Could the DeWalt DCS331N XR cordless jigsaw be the missing piece of puzzle your tool kit needs?

Any serious DIYer needs a jigsaw in their power tool collection. It's a multi-talented piece of kit that can cut wood, worktops, plastic and metal with the right blade, and its real talent lies in cutting curves and shapes that aren't straight.

Effectively, there is no other saw that can do what a jigsaw can do. Its versatility makes it one of the best types of power saw and an essential item for anyone looking to renovate or update their home.

Here, I put the DeWalt DCS331N XR cordless jigsaw through its paces to see just how good it is, and help you decide if it's the tool for you.

Specs and features

• Motor: Brushed
• Weight: 2.2kg (bare tool) 2.8kg (with battery)
• Stroke rate: 0-3,000 spm
• Stroke Length: 26mm
• Bevel angles: 0°, 15°, 30°, and 45°
• Batteries: 2 x 4.0Ah DeWALT XR batteries
• Charger: 1 x 12v 4A XR LI-ION charger
• Max cutting depth: Wood -135mm / Aluminium - 25mm / Steel - 10mm
• Warranty: 3 years
• Features: Lever-action keyless blade change, adjustable dust blower, multi-position pendulum action, variable speed trigger, lock switch, removable shoe cover

Where to buy

Body only – view at Toolstation

Body and toolbox - view at Amazon

Body and blades - view at Toolden

UNBOXING & FIRST IMPRESSIONS

DeWalt is a big name in the world of power tools, so I was expecting big things from the DeWalt DCS331N XR cordless jigsaw. First impressions count, and the DeWalt made a good one. The DCS331N came in a sturdy, hard plastic case emblazoned with DeWALT in bright yellow brand colour, with smart metal latches to keep it closed on the move.

With no packaging to worry about, I cracked open the case and looked inside. Neatly laid out were the jigsaw, a decent-sized charger, two 4.0Ah XR batteries (one installed on the jigsaw and one packaged in plastic), and an attachable dust blower. All held in place thanks to the moulded inserts.

While everything was in place to unleash the beast, one key element was missing. No blades. And let's be honest, a saw with no blades…well, you know what I'm saying. DeWalt offers a wide range of jigsaw blades, so it would have been good to see a few branded blades in the box. For context, I bought this 10-piece set of Erbauer Multi-Material Jigsaw Blades from Screwfix to test out the jigsaw. The set includes a combination of 75mm and 52mm blades suitable for metal, wood and plastic.

The unit was solid, well-built, and well-balanced, but it wasn't lightweight, with the bare tool weighing 2.2kg, slightly heavier than average. However, for me this reinforces the quality you are getting. I like the battery placement on the back of the handle as well which is nice and easy to use.

The handle fitted neatly into my palm and the soft rubber grip gave me a sense of security. Sitting next to my thumb was a lock button and a variable-speed trigger (more on this later). This meant there was no speed dial. If this is something you can't live without, you could upgrade to the DeWalt DCS334N (available from B&Q) for a little more. It's worth mentioning that the DCS334N has a brushless motor, whereas the DCS331N has a brushed motor. A brushless motor is typically more durable and energy efficient.

There are plenty of other features to contend with though. The lever blade change looked a breeze to use; there was an easy-to-attach dust blower (no bag though), a quick-to-remove shoe cover, a bevel lever for predetermined angles, and an orbital action lever.

SETTING UP

Remember, when using a cordless tool, the smart and safe thing to do is add the attachment – in this case a blade – before the battery. I of course remembered to heed my own advice and did just that.

To test, I added the 52mm and 75mm blades I had bought, and loved the way that the blades slid into the holder. All you need to do is pull up the metal lever on the front of the tool, slide in the blade and release. Quick and easy. Repeat, give the jigsaw a wiggle and the blade should fall out. It doesn't get much better than this.

With the blade ready to go, it was time to slip the battery in. Its positioning made it really simple, and it didn't affect the balance. There's more you can do depending on the job being tackled. I left the anti-scratch shoe cover on, but this means you get about 3mm less depth on the blade. Finally, I attached the dust blower and was ready to go.

PERFORMANCE

As the DCS331N doesn't come with any blades, I used the Erbauer blades I'd purchased for testing it. It's worth pointing out that the blades you use can affect the cut and finish. Cheap blades rarely last long, while higher-quality blades typically deliver better cuts. The Erbauer blades had good reviews, so I was hoping they would be up to the task.

To start, I decided to go with common cutting tasks: straight, curved and angled cuts on 18mm plywood. The saw (and blade) breezed through the plywood for all cuts, leaving a neat, clean finish. Little vibration and no pushback. Releasing the easy-to-use bevel lever brings the bevel angles into play. You can choose between 0 (the default), 15, 30 and 45 degrees. A dull click and etched angles on the shoe plate help ensure accuracy.

For my safety and ease, I pushed the trigger lock into place with my thumb, rather than removing the battery every time I needed to adjust the jigsaw.

Each angle was accurate, according to my old-school protractor, combination square and speed square. Cutting the 45-degree angle was more challenging than the other angles, but still pretty straightforward.

To help with cuts, the DeWalt offers a three-position orbital action lever. I unusually stick with zero (default) for most cuts. Position 3 is good for quicker, more aggressive cuts, but as you might expect, the cut isn't as smooth or clean. Position 1 or 2 sits somewhere in between.

Elsewhere, there is a dust blower controller that works with the easy-to-attach dust blower. I tried this in various positions and didn’t notice much difference while working outside. If indoors (especially), you can attach a vacuum attachment to the dust blower to remove much of the dust produced.

To continue testing, I cut through 12mm MDF, similar-sized hardwood shelves, trimmed up my laminate worktop, shaped some old plasterboard to fit a small piece of ceiling that needed replacing, and cut plastic waste pipe and some laminate flooring that needed shaping.

The DeWalt DCS331N XR cordless jigsaw didn’t struggle at any point, unless you count the period at the end of the battery runtime. But, a quick changeover and it was back to normal. The variable-speed trigger gives good control over blade speed, but in reality there are only two speeds: full on and half speed; anything in between is hard to control. However, this will have little effect on most DIY projects.

BATTERY LIFE

Owning a cordless tool means the battery plays a major part in its working life. Ideally, no DIYer wants slow charging times or short runtimes. Thankfully, the DeWALT comes with two 4.0 Ah batteries and a powerful 4A charger. The batteries are part of DeWalt’s premium XR (eXtreme Runtime) range. According to DeWALT, "This is our claim that these batteries last longer than our non-XR versions. They are the higher amp hour batteries and have a larger fuel tank." So it seems they are built to last; time will tell.

Both batteries come partially charged (as they should be), according to the 3-LED indicator on the battery. So that did mean I could use both straight away. To test, I used the first battery until it ran out, then fully charged it for a more thorough test. While using the fully charged battery, I powered up the spare to full capacity, ready to be called into action.

The charger is a simple single-battery affair with a couple of hard-to-miss lights next to the battery, and below, a user-friendly usage chart. The lights represent battery charging progress, which I really liked. When the smaller light starts flashing, you know it won't be long before the battery is fully charged. When it switched to solid red, the battery is ready to go.

A (very) small point, but I would have liked to see it switch to green. If the battery is too hot or cold, a yellow light will also come on as a warning. It didn't happen for me, but is useful to know.

The supplied 4.0Ah battery was quoted as taking 60 minutes to charge on the manual. So how long did it take to charge? Around 60 minutes, which, while not super fast, is very reasonable and obviously what I expected. The second battery charging time, as you might expect, matched the first very closely.

Now to the last and important part. How long does the battery last? This is based on a variety of tasks and, obviously, not on continued use. But around 40-45 minutes seemed to be the average runtime before the battery started to falter. Which I would say is definitely better than average.

FINAL VERDICT

If you are looking for a step-up in quality but don't want to spend all your budget, then the DeWalt DCS331N XR cordless jigsaw provides a happy balance. While it would be considered a budget model by DeWalt standards, you are still getting a durable, hard-working jigsaw with a set of useful features to tackle any DIY project.

Ideally, you want to buy the DeWalt DCS331N XR cordless jigsaw as a set with the battery and charger. However, if you can't find the set anywhere, you'll need to add the cost of a charger and battery.

The DeWalt 18V XR Charger 4 Amp and a DeWalt XR 18V Battery 4.0Ah (both from Toolstation) will double the cost. However, you will be investing in a top-quality jigsaw that will be with you for years.