Bosch 1587AVS Corded Top-Handle Jigsaw review

The Bosch 1587AVS is an earlier corded top-handle jigsaw with variable-speed trigger and preset dial, four orbital settings, three-position blower and bevel shoe. Unlike the 1587VS, Bosch documents a way to add external dust collection to the AVS: a separate Dust Collection Adapter Kit. Unlike the 1587DVS, the AVS manual does not identify a built-in dust port. Verify the exact suffix and any kit contents before comparing a seller's package.

AVS means an accessory route, not a built-in port

Bosch's Product Service Department assigned body code 060 1587 651 to the 1587AVS, separately from the 1587VS (060 1587 639) and 1587DVS (060 1587 839). The 2004 Bosch-authored family manual repeats the AVS name and gives it an optional Dust Collection Adapter Kit. Its note says that the 1587DVS is the model equipped with a dust port; the AVS is converted by adding that kit. A similar name or a nearby photograph is not enough to verify which body is in a used listing.

The pictured eBay specimen shows the 1587AVS mark, top handle, cord and shoe. It is one seller image, not evidence that a different offer contains the same kit or has the same condition. Ask for a legible body label and electrical nameplate, and check the actual carton. The shared instructions do not establish one supply voltage and current for every surviving AVS specimen.

Check the adapter pieces and the shoe position

The Bosch manual describes the AVS extraction route as a Dust Collection Adapter Kit available separately. For this version, do not assume the saw body alone has the DVS dust port, or that an included vacuum hose fits an arbitrary extractor. Confirm the adapter pieces required by the kit, the hose and the vacuum connection against the intended setup. The manual does not identify a plain 1587AVS as a ready-to-connect vacuum package.

The family instructions document a footplate bevel of up to 45 degrees in either direction, with a detent at zero, extra marks at 15 and 45 degrees and an Allen-wrench adjustment. They do not promise the same collection performance for every adapter position. This review and finder therefore treat optional-vacuum work as a level-shoe arrangement, while the blower-and-bevel plan remains separate. That is a cautious matching boundary, not a claim that an AVS shoe physically cannot tilt with an attachment installed.

The three-position blower can direct air strongly, moderately or not at all to clear the cutting line. It moves chips; it does not collect airborne dust. The manual says the 1587DVS must have its cover in place for maximum collection and that its angled footplate requires cover removal with reduced efficiency. That DVS-specific instruction should not be transferred into a claim that the AVS accessory behaves identically.

Speed, orbit and blade-change details

The 1587AVS has a variable-speed trigger plus a separate preset dial. Bosch groups the dial's A–B positions as low stroke, C–D as medium and E as high. The checked manual does not assign exact SPM numbers to those bands. Do not carry over the numerical speed chart from the 1584 family or treat an old seller's speed claim as the exact body specification without checking its provenance.

The orbital lever has four positions: straight setting 0 and orbital settings I, II and III. Bosch places hard materials such as metals or thin sheet at 0; softer material where cleaner cutting or delicate scrolling matters at I; medium-density stock such as harder woods or particleboard at II; and soft materials such as wood or plastic at III when speed is preferred. The chart is a starting point, not a cut test; the manual recommends trying scrap and choosing an appropriate blade.

Bosch describes a top blade-change knob for this family. Its instructions set the selector to III before blade installation, release the clamp with the top knob, guide the blade into the plunger and roller guide, and turn until the lock clicks. Inspect an old saw's clamp and roller rather than assuming its quick-change mechanism is intact. T101B appears among blade examples that fit the anti-splinter insert; Bosch identifies that blade as T-shank. It proves a T-shank example only, not every blade's fit or U-shank acceptance.

Footplate inserts and the documented package variant

The manual says 1587AVS and 1587DVS accept steel and smooth plastic footplate inserts, changed by removing six screws. It describes the steel insert for general cutting and the smooth plastic insert for reducing scratches on fine surfaces; it does not promise scratch-free results. Its standard-equipment list separates the plain AVS from 1587AVSK: the manual lists the steel insert for AVS/DVS and associates a plastic insert and carrying case with the AVSK suffix. A 2017/2018 Sunbelt Rentals catalog pairs a separate saw-body image with its “Bosch 1587AVSK” label; that scoped image does not show the case or plastic insert. Bosch’s 2007 catalog independently names a 1587AVSK case configuration and a distinct 1587AVSP top-handle package with a case and nine bonus blades; a Bosch parts-list copy ties AVSP to the AVS body number 0601587651. The AVSP blade bundle is specific to that package listing and is not transferred to plain AVS or AVSK. A different image below comes from a retailer page identifying model 1587AVSP; it shows one saw, case, loose blades and accessories, but does not prove any individual seller's carton or condition. None of these period package records proves a current seller’s box is complete. Do not assume the case, plastic insert or blades come with a plain 1587AVS listing.

The capacity table gives Bosch maxima of 2-3/8 inches in wood, 1-1/4 in plastic, 3/4 in aluminum and non-ferrous metal, 3/8 in mild steel, and 1/8 in stainless and alloy steel. These are manufacturer maxima, not tested performance or a hardwood-specific limit. Cast iron is not listed. Confirm the blade and material instructions rather than using the table as a universal thickness recommendation.

Who should compare this model

The 1587AVS is worth considering only when its exact top-handle body and documented feature arrangement are the intended fit: corded operation, separate trigger preset, orbital settings, blower and bevel shoe, with optional vacuum conversion if the kit is present and suitable. It is earlier equipment, not a current-stock recommendation. Ask for photos of the suffix, nameplate and adapter components; inspect the cord, switch, selector, shoe and clamp; and get a written package inventory and return terms. No exact-name recall check was run, and no price, availability, seller condition or tested performance is claimed.

Sources and method

• Bosch 1587VS / 1587AVS / 1587DVS Operating/Safety Instructions, BM 2610993477 2-04, Bosch-authored (third-party-hosted); pages 6–11 document the family controls, AVS adapter, DVS port, inserts, capacities and AVSK case/package note.
• Bosch Product Service Department roller-guide bulletin, April 1999, third-party-hosted; used for exact 1587 suffix/body codes.
• Bosch JA1002 anti-splinter insert page, used as a suffix-specific compatibility cross-check; its AVD wording inconsistency is not used to create a model.
• Bosch T-shank blade-set information, which classifies T101B as T-shank.
• eBay 1587AVS specimen page; the image shows one labeled AVS body, not a standardized package or current availability.
• Home Depot 1587AVSP listing; its model field associates the image with that package designation. The photo depicts one seller-style package specimen, not a current availability or completeness guarantee.
• Sunbelt Rentals 2017/2018 Full Line Catalog, printed page 107; it pairs a saw-body image with the Bosch 1587AVSK label and row, but does not picture the case or footplate insert.