Bosch UniversalSaw 18V-100 Review: The Jigsaw That Replaced the PST 18 LI
If you went looking for Bosch’s PST 18 LI, this is what Bosch sells in its place: the green-range UniversalSaw 18V-100, on the same 18V Power for All battery. Two German DIY magazines rate it very highly, several hundred buyers broadly agree, and the real decision is whether you need the battery in the box — because the bare tool and the kit sit closer in price than you would expect.
Where the reviews line up
We found no UK magazine test of this saw, so the evidence comes from three places: two German DIY titles, Heimwerker Praxis and Selbst ist der Mann, whose grades we read through the Testsieger.de aggregator; buyer ratings at the European retailers Galaxus and Coolblue, where the volume is; and Bosch’s own UK specification alongside the UK retailers that sell it — Screwfix, Argos and Tooled-Up — where the buyer samples are tiny.
Three things come up everywhere. It cuts accurately and is easy to guide — both magazines and the buyers say so, and Heimwerker Praxis calls it exactly what 90 per cent of DIYers need. Blade changes are tool-free through Bosch’s SDS clamp, which takes ordinary T-shank blades. And the dust blower genuinely keeps the cut line visible, which buyers mention more than any other feature.
The honest complaints are small but consistent: the bare tool arrives with no battery or charger, a few owners find the switch-on lock fiddly, and one Coolblue reviewer with small hands found the buttons too far apart.
The buying decision is which box. If you already own a green 18V Power for All battery — the one from the CityMower 18V-32-300 or EasyHedgeCut 18V-52-13 fits — buy the bare tool. If you do not, check the kit price first: on the day we looked Argos had the 2.0 Ah kit at £62.60, below Screwfix’s £72.99 for the bare tool.
The three reviews this summary is built from
- Heimwerker Praxis & Selbst ist der MannGerman DIY magazine tests: 90 (02/2023) and 100 (01/2022), as reported by Testsieger.de.
- Galaxus & Coolblue4.65/5 from 40 ratings at Galaxus; 44 reviews at Coolblue (15 five-star, 26 four-star, 3 three-star).
- Bosch & UK retailersBosch’s GB spec page, plus Screwfix (5/5 from 3) and Tooled-Up (4.5 from 3). Small samples.
Before the review: what happened to the PST 18 LI
The PST 18 LI is no longer in Bosch’s UK jigsaw range — the cordless DIY jigsaws Bosch GB lists are the EasySaw 18V-70, this UniversalSaw 18V-100 and the AdvancedSaw 18V-140. Bosch launched the two newer saws in 2021 and said the UniversalSaw cuts 25 per cent deeper than its predecessor, which matches the step from the PST 18 LI’s 80 mm in wood to 100 mm here. A few UK tool shops still list leftover PST 18 LI stock; it takes the same battery, but it is the older, shallower-cutting saw.
Specification at a glance
| Spec | Figure | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Models | Bare tool 0603011100 · kit with 1 × 2.0 Ah battery and charger 0603011170 | Bosch GB product pages |
| Battery | Green 18V Power for All Alliance. Bosch recommends 1.5 Ah or larger | Bosch GB. Not the blue Professional battery |
| Cutting depth | Wood 100 mm · steel 8 mm · aluminium 18 mm | Bosch GB; Tooled-Up repeats all three |
| Stroke rate | 0–2,600 strokes per minute, variable trigger with soft start | Bosch GB |
| Stroke length | 20 mm (Coolblue) — Screwfix lists 100 mm | Bosch GB does not publish it; Screwfix’s figure looks like the wood depth copied across |
| Pendulum | Four stages | Bosch GB, Screwfix, launch release |
| Blade fitting | SDS tool-free clamp, T-shank blades | Bosch (SDS); Screwfix and Argos (T-shank) |
| Weight | 1.6 kg without battery · 2.0 kg with battery | Bosch GB; Bosch does not say which battery the 2.0 kg includes |
| Dust | Blower keeps the cut line clear; can be connected to a vacuum | Bosch launch release; Coolblue. Adapter in the box not confirmed |
| Sole plate | Steel, bevels to 45° | Bosch GB (steel); Tooled-Up (45°) |
| In the box (bare tool) | 2 × T 144 D blades, CutControl guide, anti-splinter guard, protection shoe, transparent cover | Bosch GB; Screwfix lists the same minus CutControl |
| Dimensions | 240 × 80 × 200 mm (L × W × H) | Bosch GB, Tooled-Up |
| Guarantee | 2 years private use; 3 years if registered on MyBosch within 4 weeks | Bosch GB guarantee page. Screwfix states 1 year, Argos 2 years |
| Typical UK price | Bare £72.99–£86.23 · 2.0 Ah kit £62.60–£121 | Bosch, Screwfix, Argos, Tooled-Up, checked 5 October 2026 |
Heimwerker Praxis and Selbst ist der Mann
No UK title we searched — Which?, Expert Reviews, T3, Trusted Reviews, IndyBest — has tested this jigsaw. The editorial evidence is German, and we read it second-hand: Testsieger.de collects magazine grades and summarises them, so we are reporting its account of the tests rather than the magazines’ own pages.
On that account, Heimwerker Praxis graded it 90 and summed it up as precise cutting with useful accessories — “exactly what 90 per cent of DIYers need”. Selbst ist der Mann gave it full marks, praising how easy it is to handle and guide, the good view of the cut without a vacuum attached, the tool-free blade change, and the fact that it runs on Power for All batteries from other brands in the alliance, not only Bosch. Neither summary we read mentions run time per charge, vibration or noise. Galaxus, separately, reports an average of 90/100 from four external tests, which squares with these two.
Watch: Bosch UniversalSaw 18V-100 Testbericht "unterstützt durch Bosch Home & Garden"
A German-language test report. Its title says it was supported by Bosch Home & Garden, so treat it as sponsored — but it is the nearest video to a magazine-style test.
Watch on YouTube ↗Galaxus and Coolblue
UK shops have almost no reviews of this saw, so the useful buyer volume is on the Continent. Coolblue’s 44 reviews break down as 15 five-star, 26 four-star and 3 three-star, with none lower; that spread works out at about 4.3 out of 5. Coolblue headlines the score as 8.0/10 on its Belgian review page and 8.6/10 on its Dutch product page, and we could not resolve which is current, so we give the star counts rather than either. Testsieger.de separately reports 4.7/5 from 494 ratings gathered across shops; we cannot see which shops or whether they are purchase-verified.
The praise is consistent: light and easy to store, cuts that stay straight, thick boards handled comfortably, and a dust blower that keeps the line visible. The complaints are more useful. The bare tool comes without a battery or charger, which catches people out; there is no storage case; one owner with smaller hands found the buttons far apart; and Testsieger’s summary notes some buyers find the switch-on lock irritating. Galaxus reviewers add that the accessory bundle is thinner than some rivals’ and the blade clamp could be better.
Watch: Bosch UniversalSaw 18V-100
A short look at the saw itself. Useful for seeing the size of the body and the trigger and lock buttons buyers mention.
Watch on YouTube ↗Bosch and the UK retailers
Bosch’s claims are short and checkable: 100 mm in wood, 8 mm in steel and 18 mm in aluminium; 0–2,600 strokes a minute on a soft-start variable trigger; four pendulum stages; an SDS clamp for tool-free blade changes; a steel sole plate; and 1.6 kg without the battery or 2.0 kg with one — without saying which. The bare tool comes with two T 144 D wood blades, the CutControl sighting guide, an anti-splinter guard, a protection shoe for the sole and a transparent cover. Bosch recommends at least a 1.5 Ah battery. It publishes no stroke length, run time, noise or vibration figure on the page we read.
The retailers add little evidence — three reviews each at Screwfix and Tooled-Up, none at Argos — but they matter for two reasons. First, the guarantee: Bosch’s guarantee page gives two years on privately used tools and three if you register on MyBosch within four weeks of purchase, Argos says two years, and Screwfix says one. Register it and keep the receipt. Second, the price: on 5 October 2026 Bosch listed the bare tool at £80 on its kit page and £86.23 on its bare-tool page, with the kit at £121; Screwfix had the bare tool at £72.99 and Argos the 2.0 Ah kit at £62.60, reduced from £83.50. Screwfix’s UK kit listing has been withdrawn.
A note on batteries. This is a green Bosch DIY tool. It shares a battery with the CityMower, EasyHedgeCut and EasyGrassCut, but not with the blue GSB 18V-55 Professional drill, which uses Bosch’s separate Professional 18V battery. The two do not swap.
Watch: Bosch Universal Saw 18V 100
A general walk-round of the saw. Watch it alongside Bosch’s spec list to see the pendulum lever, the SDS clamp and the blower in place.
Watch on YouTube ↗Strengths and weak points
What holds up
- Accurate, easy-to-guide cuts — the one thing both magazines and the buyers agree on.
- 100 mm in wood is deep for a DIY jigsaw, and 25 per cent more than the PST 18 LI it replaced.
- Tool-free SDS blade changes, taking standard T-shank blades.
- The dust blower keeps the line visible; a vacuum can be connected too.
- Four pendulum stages: off for clean curves, up for fast straight cuts in softwood.
- Runs on green 18V Power for All batteries you may already own.
- Three-year guarantee if you register it on MyBosch within four weeks.
What people complain about
- The bare tool has no battery or charger, and buyers keep getting caught by that.
- Some find the switch-on lock fiddly; one owner with small hands found the buttons far apart.
- No storage case, and a thinner accessory bundle than some rivals.
- No published run time, noise or vibration figures from Bosch.
- Will not take blue Bosch Professional batteries.
- Very little UK buyer evidence: three reviews here, three there.
Who it actually suits
Buy it if you do home DIY — worktop cut-outs, shelving, laminate and skirting, the odd bit of thin sheet metal or aluminium — and either already own a green Bosch 18V battery or can get the 2.0 Ah kit near the Argos price. It is the jigsaw to buy if you were looking for a PST 18 LI.
Look elsewhere if your batteries are blue Bosch Professional, if you cut thick hardwood or steel all day, or if you want a case and a big blade set in the box. The cheaper EasySaw 18V-70 does 70 mm in wood for lighter jobs; we have not reviewed it.
What we could not check
- The videos were confirmed by search listing, not by opening them. YouTube would not load through our connection, so each video’s ID and title were confirmed in two differently worded searches. The listings did not name the channels.
- The magazine tests themselves. We read Heimwerker Praxis’s and Selbst ist der Mann’s grades through Testsieger.de’s summary, not the original articles.
- Any UK editorial test. We found none at Which?, Expert Reviews, T3, Trusted Reviews or IndyBest.
- Stroke length. Bosch does not publish it; Coolblue says 20 mm and Screwfix says 100 mm, which looks like an error.
- Which battery the 2.0 kg weight includes. Bosch does not say.
- Whether a vacuum adapter is in the box. Bosch says the saw can be connected to a vacuum but does not list an adapter in the contents.
- Run time, noise and vibration. No source we read gives any of them.
- Coolblue’s headline score. 8.0/10 on one page and 8.6/10 on another, from the same 44 reviews.
- The guarantee length at the till. Bosch says two years (three with MyBosch), Argos two, Screwfix one. Bosch’s own page is the one to rely on.
- Amazon UK and B&Q ratings. We could not read either, so their review counts are missing.
Sources last checked 5 October 2026. Prices change daily — check the box contents and battery size on the listing in front of you before ordering.