If you only need straight cuts I think you'd be better off with a circular saw, sawzall or even a handsaw.

DeWalt, Bosch, Makita, Hitachi and Festool make some very nice jigsaws. If you only need the saw occasionally, save yourself some money and look at Craftsman or Ryobi.

Decide what kind of grip you want, barrel or top-handle. Do you need dust collection? Quick change blade features are nice. Orbital on/off action is nice. A true baseplate with mitre capability is nice. Variable speed is nice.

Take a look at this woodworking site (inside woodworking) to help you find one to fit your needs.

I don't know who makes it, but do not get the Crapsman.
I just threw one away, because they have gear teeth machined into one end of the armature and they went bad on
me TWICE. The second time, they wanted more for a new
armature than I paid for the saw.

What ever happened to the Sabre-saw? Many years ago, when Sabre-saws became popular, the old fashioned Jig-saw was usually a bench-mounted saw, driven by a plug into the wall socket, and mainly used for intricate cuts in wood, with a square, flat plate, from which the saw blade jutted upwards, to the arm. It was terribly difficult to use any other way, and the size of the work was limited by the distance from the blade to the jig arm.
So, along came the sabre saw, which made the saw capable of much more work, in the wood-working field.
So, i ask---when did the name change come about? Not that important, but i'm just curious.

Hey Rusty, I'd almost forgotten that sabre saw term. Those intricate cutting saws are now called scroll saws. If I had to guess, I'd say I last heard sabre saw about 30 years ago. If I remember right it was about when you could still get or find Rockwell tools.

Strong Power Tools Co., Ltd. is absorbed in manufacture all kinds of Jig Saw. As one of the leading Jig Saw supplier, we are fully capable of providing high-quality of Jig Saw for the application of industrial applications and familial applications.
If you are interested in it,please contact us.

Here is a link that might be useful: stronge power tools

They are miserable. The reciprocating action makes for a lot of vibration which is hard to control and tiring to use. I only used mine when there was no better way to cut something.