Mafell P1cc Jigsaw Overheats! - Mafell's Mistake and the $5 Fix. 

I think it's very hit-and-miss, the difference between a loose sitting bearing and one which is just right may be a matter of just a few microns in machining tolerance.

It'd sure be interesting to know if Mafell have made any adjustments to the design or machining process to address the issue. Thanks for watching!

@@makeitbetter5528 Well, I'm probably going to buy one from Germany towards the end of this month. I'll be cutting railway sleepers with it (hardwood) with some extra long jigsaw blades. If it starts to overheat, I may report back here.

It's a fantastic jigsaw, but it's the wrong tool for that job. The long blades flex way too much, it'll be slow and it will get very hot if you're cutting such thick timber for extended periods. You should use a reciprocating saw/Sawzall or even better a chainsaw for cutting sleepers. In fact, a manual bow saw would probably do a better job than a jigsaw.

Hope it helps! Thanks for watching. 🙏

Hi Phil, are you implying that I treat my P1cc with disrespect? 😄 I've seen several P1cc owners complain online about overheating (and both of mine got HOT until I fixed them), but I have no idea what percentage of the total number of owners have experienced it. The difference between a bearing sitting just right in the housing and one which sits a little loose may be just a few hundredths of a millimeter and there will always be some margin of error in the CNC machining process for example due to a worn mill so it's only normal that some owners will experience problems while others never do.

Yep, it's brilliant, easily the best all-round screwdriver I've owned.

To be fair, the very fact that the bearing sits in a metal housing (as opposed to plastic on many tools) means that machining tolerances become almost impractically critical.

Thanks! 😊 I'd be very surprised if Mafell skimped on something as fundamental as one of the main bearings, their design and build quality is otherwise second-to-none. But any manufacturer can have a bit of bad luck, whether it be a microscopically undersized bearing or a CNC mill bit that's developed run-out. The fact that the P1cc is so powerful perhaps exaggerates the effect of tiny variations that wouldn't be noticeable in cheaper/weaker jigsaws. I was just glad to discover that this issue was so easy to remedy myself, which is more than can be said for issues with other manufacturers' machines. I'm not a fanboy of any brand as there's no such thing as "the perfect tool", but I absolutely love my P1cc and MT55 plunge saws! 😄

I don't have any statistics, but owners have complained about it on the MUF forums. Both of my P1 cc jigsaws ran hot, this one was slightly worse than the other. With that said loose fitting bearings are a very common problem in many tools.

You're right Len, I missed that! 🤭 Nevertheless, my calculations were done in degrees Celsius so the ratio of temperature increase and improvement after the fix should be correct!

@@makeitbetter5528 Totally. The overall effect is the same. I only noticed it because I was just in the US and had to convert in my head constantly. 1 degree C increase equals about 1.8 F as I recall. A top video anyway.

Thanks! 😊

I'd be willing to bet that Mafell are working on it.

Their battery jigsaw as just released.

Might be a lack of grease, but could also be a loose bearing like my Mafell in which case you actually want to INCREASE the friction between the bearing and the housing. That's where I applied CPU thermal paste in the video.

@@makeitbetter5528 I'll have to open it up and have a look. you would think at the price I paid for it, I could just use it with no problems for years. I guess not...

I understand your point, but I can't stand D-handle jigsaws, it just feels unnatural to have my hand so far from the blade, give me a barrel grip any day. And nothing beats Mafell in terms of power. 😉

The bearing didn't rotate in the housing because it was greasy, it rotated because it was loose (in other words there's air between the bearing and the housing). The CPU thermal paste acts as a non-drying glue to stop the bearing outer race spinning and vibrating against the housing. You have to clean the grease off first so the thermal paste will "stick".

@@makeitbetter5528 Thanks!

This has nothing to do with wear, the bearing was clearly sitting slightly loose in the housing from the start. Besides, cross-cutting 2 by 4s is a piece of cake for a 900 watt jigsaw. One of the most common uses for a jigsaw is doing large holes in 2 inch hardwood worktops for sinks etc or figure cuts for profiled ends on 8 inch rafters, both of which involve fairly long rip cuts which is WAY harder on the saw. If you never experienced a hot P1cc you're either only cutting sheet goods or are one of the lucky ones who got a tight fitting bearing from the factory.

Certainly not. It's easy for cheaper jigsaws. Price of Mafell means it should be almost flawless for every production run. Surprised they didn't immediately offer replacement

@@cuebj I should say that I never contacted Mafell concerning how hot the P1cc gets as many users have written on the MUF forums about the heat and just seem to accept it. Also it's kinda subjective what "hot" is: 52c isn't actually that hot, but if you've got bare hands on bare metal it's very uncomfortable IMO. So I opened it up to see if it needed greasing or a different type of grease and saw that the bearing was slightly loose in the housing so I came up with this fix, it was way easier and quicker than contacting Mafell, sending the jigsaw for repair or replacement and being without my P1cc for weeks!

It's hardly a "piece of junk"! It's unquestionably the most accurate and powerful jigsaw on the market with superb build quality. Just as a supercar requires more care and maintenance than a regular car, expensive tools sometimes require a bit of "fine tuning". Cheaper jigsaws may be less likely to overheat, but that's partly because they're often underpowered. The P1 cc is a beast and I've never heard of an owner who regretted buying one.

@@makeitbetter5528 thanks

​@@makeitbetter5528 Is Mafell going to rid the saw of its cord, add a light and clear the line of sight?

@@rickyperkins232 I guess... eventually... I don't have any affiliation with Mafell or their resellers whatsoever.

@@rickyperkins232 Their battery jigsaw is out, with a light.

Sorry, I don't know how to fix that issue. Is the blade stuck or can you not push a blade in? I guess you already tried spraying with WD40 or similar?

No. Why do you ask?

Let me guess, you're employed by or otherwise associated with Mafell? I have TWO Mafell P1cc jigsaws bought three years apart and both get uncomfortably hot in use. Several users have complained about the heat on the MUF forums so I am definitely NOT the only one. I have not heard of anyone being offered a free service or replacement due to heat. As I wrote in the description, this fix may void your warrantee even though it is non-destructive and 100% reversible (that's why I use CPU paste and not glue!). I love my Mafell tools and have received excellent service from them, I believe them to be a great company who make the best tools on the market, but they are very expensive and if I find a way to improve them or rectify a manufacturing defect it's only reasonable that I bring this to the attention of other owners. Stop trying to scaremonger. #righttorepair