Bosch PST 800 PEL Review

A jigsaw is the tool you reach for when no other saw can do the job. A circular saw powers through straight lines but cannot turn corners. A handsaw follows curves but exhausts your arm and leaves a rough edge. A bandsaw handles intricate shapes beautifully but is bolted to the workshop floor. The jigsaw fills the gap — compact enough for one-handed control, precise enough to follow tight pencil lines around corners, and powerful enough to cut through 80 mm of solid timber, 12 mm of aluminium, and 5 mm of steel. It is the tool for cutting sink openings in kitchen worktops, shaping curved furniture parts, trimming laminate flooring around door architraves, and making quick cross-cuts in timber and sheet materials. Unlike a circular saw, a jigsaw can start a cut from a pre-drilled hole in the middle of a panel, making it indispensable for cutting out shapes — electrical socket openings in worktops, letterboxes in doors, or inspection hatches in flooring. For DIYers, hobbyists, and home renovators, a good jigsaw is one of those tools that, once owned, you wonder how you ever managed without.

Choosing a jigsaw comes down to several practical features. Motor power — the PST 800 PEL uses a 530-watt motor — determines cutting speed in thick materials. Stroke rate, adjustable from 500 to 3000 strokes per minute, lets you match speed to material: slow for metal and plastic to prevent melting, fast for clean cuts in timber. The 20 mm stroke length contributes to efficient chip clearance. Pendulum action — this Bosch offers four stages — tilts the blade forward slightly on the upstroke, dramatically increasing cutting speed in wood by clearing sawdust from the kerf; the higher the pendulum setting, the faster and rougher the cut. Blade change speed matters every time you switch materials: Bosch's SDS system makes blade swaps a one-handed, seconds-long operation with no tools needed. Low-vibration design directly affects comfort and accuracy — a hand numbed by vibration cannot follow a precise line. This bundle includes a 10-piece blade set covering wood, metal, and laminate, plus a plastic carrying case, making it a complete out-of-the-box cutting solution.

This review examines the Bosch PST 800 PEL bundle, including the jigsaw, a 10-piece blade assortment, and a carry case. We will evaluate its cutting performance across timber, metal, and laminate, test the pendulum and variable speed settings, assess the CutControl guide and low-vibration design, and identify the projects and users who will benefit most from this complete cutting kit.

The PST 800 PEL is built around a 530-watt motor driving the blade through a 20 mm stroke at a variable rate of 500 to 3,000 strokes per minute, controlled by both a trigger and an electronic speed preselection dial. The cutting capacity is 80 mm in wood, 12 mm in aluminium, and 5 mm in mild steel — figures that handle the vast majority of DIY and craft cutting tasks. The four-stage pendulum action, selected via a lever on the side, progressively increases blade aggression: stage zero (no pendulum) gives the cleanest cut for precise curves and delicate materials; stages one and two add moderate aggression for general wood cutting; stage four delivers maximum speed for rough, straight cuts in thick timber. The variable-speed control matches the stroke rate to the material — slow for metal to prevent work-hardening, medium for clean timber cuts, full speed for fast rough cutting.

Bosch has focused on user comfort and precision with several thoughtful design features. The SDS tool-free blade change uses a lever on the blade clamp — push to release, insert the new blade, release to lock. The entire process takes under five seconds and genuinely encourages using the right blade for each material. CutControl is a transparent plastic guide at the front of the base that provides a clear view of the cut line and can be used with the integrated dust-blowing function that keeps sawdust off the pencil mark. The Softgrip coating on the handle provides a secure, comfortable grip that reduces hand fatigue during extended use. The low-vibration design — Bosch engineered the counterbalance mechanism specifically to reduce the hand-numbing buzz common on cheaper jigsaws — noticeably improves control and reduces fatigue. The base plate pivots for bevel cuts up to 45 degrees in both directions with positive detents at common angles.

In practice, the PST 800 PEL cuts with smooth, controlled authority. The low-vibration design is not marketing fluff — the saw feels noticeably less buzzy than budget alternatives, which translates directly to better accuracy when following a curved cut line. Cutting 18 mm plywood with a fine-tooth blade at medium speed and low pendulum produces a clean, splinter-free edge needing minimal sanding. Moving to 40 mm worktop material with a coarse blade, maximum pendulum, and full speed, the saw powers through at a steady pace without bogging or deflecting. The blade stays perpendicular to the surface — critical for a square edge when the cut will be visible. On aluminium sheet up to 12 mm, reducing speed and turning off pendulum produces a controlled cut, and the right blade leaves a clean edge. The CutControl guide and dust blower work together effectively on horizontal surfaces, keeping the cut line visible and the sawdust manageable.

The 10-piece blade set included in this bundle covers the essential blade types for common materials: coarse wood-cutting blades for fast straight cuts in timber, fine-tooth blades for clean cuts in plywood and laminate, and metal-cutting blades for aluminium and steel. Having the right blade for each material is critical — a wood blade used on steel destroys its teeth immediately, and a metal blade used on timber cuts painfully slowly. The T-shank fitting is the industry standard, so you can supplement the included set with specialist blades for ceramic tile, fibreglass, or scroll cutting from any major brand. The plastic carrying case is sturdy, with dedicated spaces for the saw and blade storage, protecting the tool during transport and keeping blades organised rather than loose in a toolbox.

This bundle holds a 4.3 out of 5 stars rating from 36 buyers and ranks #404 in Reciprocating Saws. The saw weighs 2 kg, making it manageable for one-handed use and light enough for extended cutting sessions without arm fatigue. It is manufactured in Germany and is a Bosch green consumer-range tool — designed for home DIYers, hobbyist woodworkers, and light trade use rather than continuous professional production. The corded design means unlimited runtime, which is particularly valuable for sanding and cutting where a job can involve hours of continuous operation. At this price point, the combination of the jigsaw, 10-blade set, and carry case represents strong value — you have everything needed to start cutting immediately, with the right blade for each material already at hand.

The Bosch PST 800 PEL bundle is the ideal jigsaw kit for home DIYers, hobbyist woodworkers, and light trade users who want a complete, out-of-the-box cutting solution — the jigsaw, 10 blades, and carry case cover the full range of common household and craft cutting tasks.