Ryobi RJS18-0 Jigsaw UK Review – Tested and Rated

The Ryobi RJS18-0 is the budget pick at the bottom of our best cordless jigsaws UK comparison, and it earns that position through honest value rather than compromised ambition. At around £55 body only – roughly half the price of the Makita DJV182Z – it runs on Ryobi’s ONE+ platform, handles the full range of domestic jigsaw tasks competently and backs it with a 3-year registered warranty that matches the professional brands. For a homeowner or occasional DIY user who needs a capable jigsaw without the professional price tag, this is the starting point that makes sense.

The performance gap versus the professional tools in this comparison is real and measurable – cut precision, orbital action feel and build density all step down noticeably from the Makita, DeWalt and Milwaukee tier. But those differences matter at trade intensity. For a buyer using a jigsaw six times a year on kitchen worktops, garden timber and sheet material, the RJS18-0 does the job without complaint and the saving over the professional tier is a straightforward financial win. The ONE+ platform’s breadth – over 180 compatible tools stocked at B&Q – adds genuine long-term value for anyone building a home toolkit on a single battery system.

Overview and first impressions

The RJS18-0 is noticeably lighter and more compact than the professional tools in our comparison. At 1.4kg bare it is the lightest of the five jigsaws tested, and the green and black ONE+ livery is assembled solidly if not at the same build density as a professional Makita or Milwaukee. The grip is comfortable for general use and well-proportioned for a range of hand sizes. The trigger action is smooth through the full speed range, though low-end speed control is less refined than the professional brushless tools – the very slow end of the travel is less linear than a brushless trigger, making careful starting cuts on a marked line require more attention.

The blade change uses a tool-free lever that is straightforward to operate. There is a small amount of play in the blade holder compared to the Makita’s play-free system – a discernible but not significant difference for general domestic cutting. The baseplate pivots for bevel cuts up to 45 degrees and locks via a thumbscrew that held its set angle adequately through our bevel tests. The orbital action dial offers three settings rather than the four or five on professional tools. The dust blower keeps the cut line clear in most materials and functions well throughout the speed range.

The overall impression is of a competently built consumer tool that knows what it is. Nothing feels fragile or poorly assembled, and the ONE+ battery engagement is positive with no rattle or movement. The premium build density of the Makita and Milwaukee is absent, as you would expect from a tool priced at half the professional body rate. The RJS18-0 is built precisely to the standard a £55 jigsaw needs to meet – not below it, and not wastefully above it.

Specifications and scores

How it performed in our tests

The RJS18-0 handled all standard domestic cutting tasks adequately in our test sequence. In 18mm plywood on orbital setting 1, the cut was acceptable with slightly more tearout on the exit face than the professional tools in the comparison – using a fine-toothed blade minimised this to a workable level for most applications. In 45mm softwood at orbital setting 2, cutting speed was reasonable at the top stroke rate, though the shorter 23mm stroke length versus the 26mm on professional tools makes a small but noticeable difference in thick material. In 18mm hardwood at setting 0, the tool managed cleanly at a measured pace appropriate for finish work.

The most apparent limitation versus the professional tier was cut precision on curves. The slight blade holder play translates into marginally less accurate tracking through tight radius cuts compared to the Makita and Bosch, where the blade holders are completely play-free. For a kitchen worktop cutout or a straight-sided aperture this difference is entirely irrelevant in practice. For detailed decorative curves in hardwood it becomes apparent and a more precise tool would give better results. For the intended domestic use case, the overall performance is fully competent – the RJS18-0 does what it is designed to do.

Battery system and runtime

The RJS18-0 runs on Ryobi’s 18V ONE+ platform – the largest battery ecosystem in the UK consumer market, covering over 180 tools including drills, circular saws, sanders, garden tools, pressure washers and lighting. ONE+ batteries are stocked at B&Q stores as standard, making them the most easily sourced replacement battery in UK DIY retail. This accessibility matters in practice – a battery can be bought from a local B&Q on the same day it is needed rather than waiting for delivery. The platform breadth is a meaningful long-term advantage for homeowners building a toolkit over time: a battery bought for the RJS18-0 charges and runs the drill, the circular saw, the leaf blower and the hedge trimmer from the same charger.

Performance and limitations

The RJS18-0’s limitations are consistent and expected at its price point. The 100mm maximum wood cutting depth is lower than the 130-135mm on professional rivals – not a problem for typical domestic work in sheet material and standard timber, but a genuine constraint if regularly cutting very thick timber or stacked material. Three orbital settings rather than four or five gives slightly less cutting flexibility, though in practice the difference between orbital setting 2 on a three-stage tool and setting 3 on a four-stage tool is modest. The blade play and cut precision step down from the professional tier are the most noticeable practical limitations for anyone who needs consistent accuracy on detailed work.

For the homeowner cutting worktops, garden timber, shelving and occasional curves, none of these limitations matter. The RJS18-0 handles all those tasks without complaint and the £60 saving over the nearest professional alternative is simply money in your pocket that makes a significant difference on a home toolkit budget.

Final verdict – is it worth it?

The Ryobi RJS18-0 is exactly what a budget pick should be: honestly positioned, competently built and priced at a point where its limitations are expected rather than disappointing. At around £55 body only it is half the price of any professional rival in this comparison, and for a homeowner cutting kitchen worktops, garden timber, shelving and occasional curves, it handles all of those tasks without complaint. The performance gap versus the professional tier is real, but it is the right size for the intended use case – large enough to be measurable in testing, small enough to be irrelevant for weekend DIY.

The ONE+ platform advantage compounds the value case further. For existing ONE+ users the effective cost is just the body price, since batteries and charger are already owned. A ONE+ battery bought for the jigsaw charges the drill, the sander, the circular saw and the leaf blower from the same charger – a breadth of platform compatibility that no professional brand matches in UK consumer retail. B&Q stocking of ONE+ batteries means a spare is always accessible locally rather than by delivery.

For a buyer starting completely fresh on cordless tools with a budget-first priority, the RJS18-0 provides the most accessible entry point to a broad cordless ecosystem in UK retail. For a buyer who already owns professional-tier tools on a different platform, the platform incompatibility makes the case for a budget alternative weaker – in that scenario the comparison article points toward the relevant professional option. But for its target buyer, the RJS18-0 earns its 3.8 out of 5 score without reservation.