The Worx Axis combo saw

 It's a jigsaw, no, it's a one handed reciprocating saw, it's... the Worx Axis combo saw.  I did the first review of this tool a few years ago when I first got it.  It's one of those Worx "innovations" that most people instantly write off as beng a junk novelty item.  I wanted to know if it was junk or if there actually was some practical use for it.


On that note, a few years into owning and using it as a professional handyman,  I'll tell you what I've found.


As a jigsaw, gotta be honest.  Not so much.  Really not. It's far too much vibration to be a useful jigsaw trying to follow curved lines with any precision. 

As a one-handed reciprocating saw, I really like it.   Not only is it a really good one-handed recip saw, but if you keep the recip blade in it and convert it to jigsaw mode,  it's a damn handy pipe cutter.  What the jigsaw mode really does is allows you to have much better control on cuts where you push forward instead of down. That includes better control on "up" cuts also.


It features a variable speed trigger, a no-tool blade change setup, a no-tool recip-to-jigsaw setup, an orbital blade selector for faster, rougher cuts, a light on the forward base aimed at the cutting surface, and a thumb release safety button to help prevent accidental starts from the handle grip trigger. 


There are two metal bases or "shoes".  One at the blade, and the other below the handle.  In jigsaw mode, they both come together to make a single base or shoe plate. 


Anywhere you might think to use a one-handed recip saw on a job site, this saw is good.  In places where a one-handed recip saw "could" be useful but the damn angle is janky,  try using this saw in jigsaw mode, it might surprise you just how many more useful cuts you can make with that setup. 


I don't personally believe that ANY reciprocating saw us intended to be a precision tool, though some, with a user's skil and experience,  can get pretty good.  Having said that, there are a lot of useful situations where not just a full blown reciprocating saw is ideal, but a one-handed recip saw can be outright advantageous. 


Small, rough cuts for stakes or bracing or supports or any number of things on a job site where things like that are so common as to not really thought about till you need them.  A one-handed recip saw is very often the way to go.  


And while most recip are best used in a "push down or in" handling method,  being able to have comfortable, equal feeling of control in a "push out and up" method is very nice as well.  The Worx Axis has got that downpat.


I'll admit, it's not overpowered.  It's a brushed tool and I'll always prefer brushless in a work tool.  I hope Worx adds a brushless version of the Axis to their Nitro line soon.  I WILL buy it.   But only because of its unique ability in jigsaw mode using a recip blade.  I have no use for it as an actual jigsaw.


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