Flex Offers a Barrel Grip Option for Jigsawing Without the Cord
There are plenty of brands that offer a cordless jigsaw, but not as many offer a barrel grip option. Flex does, and for those of you looking for a cordless barrel grip jigsaw, there’s plenty worth taking a closer look at.
Editor’s Note: Check out our best cordless jigsaw reviews article for our top recommendations.
Flex Barrel Grip Jigsaw Performance
This jigsaw uses a sensor-free brushless motor to drive the blade between 800 and 3500 SPM. That top speed matches up with the best in the business, and it has no trouble cutting with the same power and speed and the big boys. You control the speed with 4 electronic settings and there’s an Auto Mode if you’d like to use it.
Auto Mode essentially acts like a soft start. The blade runs at a slow speed until you start pushing into the cut. Then it ramps up to full speed and stays there. If you back off on the pressure, it still maintains high speed.
As we expect, Flex has three orbital settings, plus off to help you make fast, aggressive cuts in clean wood.
Overall, the saw has excellent cutting speeds and does a nice job keeping vibration under control.
Keep in mind that jigsaw performance is heavily dependent upon your choice of blades. The performance of the saw and precision of your cut will largely depend on the tooth count as well as the thickness of the blade itself.
Flex Barrel Grip Jigsaw Design Notes
D-handle jigsaws are the most popular in our region, but many of the folks actually prefer the control of a barrel grip when we put one in their hands. Like most cordless barrel grip jigsaws, this model has a bulkier grip than something like Skil’s 12V barrel grip.
Weight
As a bare tool, the jigsaw weighs 4.9 pounds. A 2.5Ah battery brings it up to 6.2 pounds. While it may feel a little less nimble on curves, you can use a 5.0Ah battery for more runtime. Going that route brings the total weight to 7.0 pounds.
The weight is a little higher than Flex’s closest competitors, but it didn’t feel like a big detriment to us. In fact, that might actually contribute to its lower vibration.
Bevel Adjustments
The shoe is able to pivot 45° left and right allowing for beveled cuts. Unlike some of the higher end models, this adjustment does require the use of the included hex-key which conveniently stows away in the back of the shoe.
Blade Changes
Flex uses what they call a one-touch blade ejection system. Like saws that use a similar system, pushing the lever on the front of the saw actively ejects the blade so you don’t have to reach in and manage a release on the shaft.
Bonus Accessories
There are several bonus accessories Flex includes. For starters, there’s a dust port to connect your vac to. It’s different from most in that it connects to either side where it has a better chance to collect the dust and chips flying forward from the blade’s teeth.
The other two are more unusual in the cordless sector. There’s a front chip guard, which is great if you like to have your face close to your work. Even with safety glasses, some of those buggers get through, so the guard is nice to have.
The other is an anti-splinter insert. Remember the trick to put down painter’s tape to keep the top of your cut cleaner? This takes care of it for you. The only trick is to make sure you insert it to a level where the blade’s teeth won’t hit it.
Additional Features
- LED light with on/off switch
- No-mar shoe cover
Flex Barrel Grip Jigsaw Price
Flex only offers their barrel grip jigsaw as a bare tool currently. It runs $199 at Lowe’s and includes the tool, chip guard, anti-splinter insert, dust port, 20 TPI and 5/6 TPI blades, shoe cover, and hex wrench. If you would prefer the D-handle model, it’s also $199 as a bare tool.
The standard warranty is 5 years, but if you register your tool by 12/31/21, you get in on the Flex Founder’s program that covers it for life.
Flex Barrel Grip Jigsaw Specifications
- Models: Flex FX2221-Z (Barrel Grip)
- Stroke Length: 1-Inch
- No-Load Speed: 800-3500 SPM
- Bare Weight: 4.87 lbs
- Tool Length: 12-Inches
- Bare Tool Price: $199.99
Discover more 24V cordless tools at Flex’s website
