Any home DIY project that requires you to cut wood probably will require that you also have the right woodworking tools available when you do so. While there are multiple cutting tools out there, we recommend having one of the top hand saws available for your projects.
If you’re building the kiddos a treehouse or maybe just doing some outdoor projects, a hand saw is an absolute must! There are a lot of different options out there when it comes to a hand saw, so how can you possibly choose which one will be the best?
Look no further! We have a table of contents in this guide packed with the best hand saw options on the market. Whether you want a universal hand saw, a crosscut saw, a dovetails saw, or something else of high quality, we have got you covered!
In this guide, we will share with you the best hand saw solutions that money can buy, complete with the top rated hand saws on the market. You are sure to find the best hand saws for woodworking and more below.
Table of Contents
Top Rated Hand Saw Review Guide
Wood hand saws are sometimes hard to come by. So many people turn to an electric tool product rather than the best woodworking hand saw because of the convenience. However, some woodworking applications are simply better with pull saws or hand saws, so let’s find the right product for you!
1. Best Overall: Great Neck 74003 15-Inch Handsaw
In terms of the best hand saws woodworking options, this one from Great Neck is the best overall out there. Greatneck is known for its quality saws and the Greatneck N2610 has always been a hit. These woodworking hand saws are great for aggressive uses and light duty. This particular option is a 15-inch best hand saw reviews hand tool that you can’t pass up if you want the very best.
This 15 inch universal hand saw is made with induction hardened teeth that are carbon steel. It’s light weight to handle and has 9 teeth per inch TPI. It’s one of the most durable options for a carpenter, cutting wood, tree branches, and other hand tools needs.
The handle is ergonomically designed with a comfortable anti-slip rubber grip that may earn bonus points when you find that you get quality hand control and a versatile saw that can outdo most power tools. They offer a limited lifetime warranty for the quality of this saw. It even has some extra features like the inch measurements that are clearly marked so you can use this for measuring, which would be beneficial to any tradesman.
The blade is coated to reduce friction and prevent drag. Combined with the blade design, you get clean cuts, straight cuts, and a long time of cutting capability from this saw blade. This rip saw will handle your tasks and is our top recommendation in this saw buying guide.
- Blade is coated to stay sharp for longer
- 15 inch blade with 9 teeth per inch TPI (9 TPI)
- Comfortable grip with total control
- Blades are rip saw style for aggressive cut capabilities across the grain
- Blade is made with induction hardened teeth and high carbon steel
- The blade is a bit stiff to use for some features
Why We Like It
With the Great Neck saw you can cut through the wood using a push stroke or pull stroke. It works great for furniture making as a carpentry saw but it is really designed for hard cuts outdoors with hard wood that won’t tear up your saw blade like some types that just can’t handle it.
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2. Budget Pick: Irwin Tools Universal Hand Saw 20-Inch
This next option of the best hand saw is a 20 inch carpentry saw that is a cross cut saw from Irwin Tools. Irwin Tools is a reliable brand with highly rated tools that are often more affordable and this one is no exception. Don’t have room for a panel saw? No problem! These simple saws can almost replace your panel saws for many features and projects.
This hand saw is a crosscut saw with triple ground teeth so it will cut even faster with your pull stroke. It’s a high quality saw that is capable of cutting wood. Some users even like this as a dovetail saw because of the angle of the design.
The features of this hand saw are made for cross cutting and working through all types of cutting needs as quickly as possible. The saw blade has a thick body with a lacquer coating so it just slides. This saw has a comfort grip handle that is definitely better than a hardwood handle has an ergonomic design for comfort.
- Budget friendly hand saw option
- Overall design that feels like a back saw to some
- Blade is just right for tension and fast cutting tasks and cuts
- The blades can handle all sorts of obstacles with teeth that are triple ground
- Comfortable grip that stands apart for your cuts
- The blade tension is not as stable as it should be for the length
- The teeth per inch is not specified in the details
Why We Like It
No matter your tasks, you need something reliable. If you aren’t using your saw for everyday work, this budget friendly option is a great saw to have on hand for your cutting wood needs. It’s high quality for the price and has reasonable features that you need in a hand saw.
3. Shark Corp 10-2312 Carpentry Saw
The Shark Corp 10-2313 saw is another high quality saw with a carpentry build and design. If your hand saw helps with your livelihood, this could be a great option for you or a carpenter you know. This saw has 14 TPI and makes smooth cuts with a reliable blade that will stay sharp for quite some time.
The handle gives you a firm grip to control the hand saw and is comfortable for control of the blade as well. You can make wood cuts as well as PVS and ABS plastic cuts. It’s almost like a panel hand design that can cut across the wood with crosscut teeth.
The Shark hand saw is well-made and is one of the most highly rated options across the board. This sometimes makes it challenging to find in stock. The blade is flexible with the right amount of tension for hand tools with a blade. It cuts smoothly every time.
- Comfort and control with a carpentry handle
- Blades can make a variety of cuts and stay sharp
- Cuts smoothly and efficiently
- 14 teeth per inch in a crosscut design blade
- The blade is easy to replace if the teeth start to dull
- The teeth durability on the blade could use improvement. It seems like you have to replace the blade often for broken teeth.
Why We Like It
We like this option because it gives you a hand saw with a different style. The handle is unique and gives you a grip that offers control and style while you work on whatever cuts you may be making.
4. Stanley 15-726 General Purpose Hand Saw
You’ve heard of Stanley, right? This hand saw is another of the best with some really great features and functionality. This is a 26 inch saw from a reliable brand. It might not be a Fat Max but it certainly has a lot of its own strength to offer.
This hand saw has 8 teeth per inch or TPI on the blade. The blade is tempered steel and is designed to last through general use. This is a great saw that you can just have on hand in the garage when you need it. the 26 inch blade lets you tackle just about any task and the teeth are also reliable to put the blades to use for your needs.
This comes with a protective sleeve so you can store it and know the blades will be protected. This has a simple handle but it is comfortable and it is welded to the blade for stability. Finally, this saw has a square and mitre feature that can be quite helpful as well.
- General hand saw that is great to have on hand
- 7 teeth per inch on the saw blades
- 26 inches of length gives you a lot of versatility
- Well made and has some special features like square and mitre functions
- Quality hand saw with quality materials
- Some users have had to replace the handle
Why We Like It
We love this hand saw because it is a great option for just general saw needs. It has reliable teeth on a reliable blade and it is well made overall. We especially like the additional square and mitre functionality.
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Buyer’s Guide
Now that we’ve shared our top picks for the best hand saw choices, it’s time to figure out just what makes them the best. When you are looking at saws, you will most likely have your own needs to fulfill so the right hand saw for you could easily be different than it is for your neighbor.
There are some things to keep in mind before you buy. This part of the guide is designed to share those with you.
Type of Saws
There are multiple different types of saws out there. You will saw panel saws, carpentry saw, jab saws, back saws, hacksaws, and more. For the purpose of this guide, we primarily tried to stick to general or traditional hand saws.
Teeth
The number of teeth and the spacing of the teeth on the blade can make a difference for your saw. Ultimately, the teeth determine just how it cuts through materials and how clean of a cut it will make in those materials. Pay attention to the TPI and know what you need as well as what it means.
A saw with just 1-7 teeth each inch is considered to be coarse. These options will cut quickly through large materials but the cut is not usually smooth in the end. You can expect a rough finish but a quick finish at the same time. Whether this is important really depends on what you will be using your tool for and what your particular needs are.
If a saw has 10 or more teeth in each inch of blade, this is thought to be a smooth option. With more teeth involved, the cut is much more smooth when you finish. Now, the thing to know is these are less aggressive overall and require more power from you.
More teeth means more power and more effort to pull it through the cut so it may take some additional work and time to finish your project. We recommend that you closely consider what you will be using it for and base your decision from there.
Blades
Next up are blades. You can find so many different materials from things like induction hardened high carbon steel to simple aluminum. You will also find different styles like a crosscut or a rip blade. This also relates directly back to the teeth style as well.
You will find different lengths that can range from anywhere as short as 10 or 12 inches with a medium length of around 16 inch and clear up to 26 inches for blades. The length again will depend on your use. Most general use options will have more length because their purpose is typically just for making a quick cut of outdoor wood when needed. It doesn’t matter if it’s rough or not.
If you do any amount of regular woodworking, you probably know the length that you need or are comfortable with for the work that you do. Just consider the overall length for the task and how much control you need as well as the finish that you need to accomplish.
Flexibility
A saw blade should have a little bit of flexibility. They all have this but some are more flexible than others. If it is too flexible, it can be very challenging to make a straight cut when you need it. If it is less flexible, your cutting process will probably be slightly slower but your cut will be straight and you will have full control of the entire process.
Blades that are more flexible often are much harder to cut straight with. These are thin and meant to act quickly rather than accurately.
The flexibility you need again depends on the uses you are planning for your hand saw.
Handle
Finally, the handle makes a difference. This will purely be a matter of preference. You want something comfortable and something that will give you control. If you’re spending hours working with this tool, you don’t want to kill your hands while you are doing so!
These things require manual operation so this is really one of the most important aspects that you need to keep in mind. Can you get a good grip? Is it comfortable? Will the handle last or is it going to fall apart?
We prefer rubberized grips because they tend to be more comfortable to hold onto overall and you generally have far more control as well.
Keep in mind that your hands will have to put up with whatever you put into them so be kind and thoughtful of their needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Hand Saws Used For?
Anything! They can be useful for DIY projects, outdoor work like cutting limbs and trimming or even cutting up firewood. You can also use them for cutting lumber, building playhouses, and so much more. If there is wood or sometimes even PVC involved, a hand saw can help you out.
How To Saw Straight with a Hand Saw?
Take it slow and be sure you are using a saw with the right flexibility. Remember that a more stiff or thick option with less flexibility is easier to control and will help you to cut straighter in the end. If your saw is too flexible, it will be incredibly challenging to accomplish a straight cut.
Additionally, you can prepare your materials with measuring and marking and this will help you be more accurate as you work.
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Conclusion
A hand saw is really an essential tool for every home. Whether you do a lot of woodworking or you just occasionally need to trim up trees and branches, these tools have a useful purpose. We hope that you can find one in our guide that will serve your needs so you can get on with whatever cutting projects you may have!
Expert Tip
If you want the best of the best, look for something that is ergonomic for your hands, isn’t heavy to handle, and has versatile ability to handle a variety of cutting needs without having to worry about having multiple saws on hand for different projects you may come across.
Did You Know?
Original saws in history were made using flint, obsidian, sea shells, and shark teeth materials. They pretty much took anything with serrated edges and formed it into a saw to get their cutting jobs taken care of.
Amazon Recommends:
- FAST & CLEAN CUTS: The hand saw has an exclusive tooth geometry for a fast clean cut
- DURABILITY: The handsaw features induction hardened teeth for a long lasting sharpness
- COMFORT: Ergonomically designed bi-material handle for comfort and control
- SQUARE & MITER: Handle offers a square & miter feature with 45-degree and 90-degree angles
- Durable SK-5 steel blade for efficient cutting during camping survival bushcraft landscaping and general yard work
- Heavy duty rugged 11" long blade helps you power through thick branches faster, 11" blade is ideal for cutting 6" - 7" diameter branches
- Aggressive staggered teeth ( 7 TPI ) allows ultra smooth and sharp sawing
- Comfortable and longer rubber coated polymer handle ensures a firm grip in any weather condition
- Extra long design folding saw
- 3 SIDED RAZOR TEETH FOR EFFICIENT CUTTING: 10" blade is ideal for cutting 5" - 6" diameter, small to medium, branches
- ERGONOMICALLY DESIGNED, COMFORTABLE, CO-MOLDED HANDLE: Provides a comfortable grip for extended use
- EASY TO LATCH BLADE PREVENTS INJURY WHEN NOT IN USE: Folding blade is curved, taper-ground, and replaceable
- IMPULSE HARDENED TEETH FOR LONG SERVICE LIFE: Extends the life of the tool season after season
- UP TO 6 TEETH PER INCH AND CURVED BLADE DESIGN FOR FASTER CUTTING: Cuts are smoother and quicker than a traditional saw.