The UK's bestHand Saws2022 Review

It’s hard to find a business with a longer history than Spear & Jackson. Founded all the way back in 1760, they’re still one of Sheffield’s biggest success stories. With an enormous range of quality hand tools, the B9814 Predator Toolbox Saw is one of the best second fix hand saws that you can get.

With an impressive 14 TPI across its 14″/356 mm length, it has small but razor-sharp fast-cutting fine teeth that work on both the push and pull stroke. With a 0.91 mm thickness, it’s not going to bend and buckle when you’re trying to make your straight cuts. The shorter length but higher tooth count mean you’ve got a saw that’s easy to transport around, but still leaves a silky smooth finish for your second fix work.

Spear & Jackson have used their patented Suregrip soft feel handle on this saw, which promises to minimise hand fatigue and cut down on vibrations that can make you wander off the cut line. Not only has it been screwed and welded on for improved durability, but the soft grip section extends forward from the handle to give you a solid finger guide as well. It’s an excellent saw that belongs in any DIYers toolkit.

With more than a century of service, British tool firm Draper make all sorts of power tools, hand tools and safety gear as well. Their range of saws includes the mighty Venom 82196 first fix handsaw. With its 550 mm length and 1 mm thin blade it’s the perfect saw for getting through big pieces of timber quickly.

The handle has been designed with a bi-material ergonomic soft grip section. It’s comfortable and has a textured surface on the front side to keep it stuck to your hand, even without gloves on. The saw blade itself is made from Japanese SK5 mid carbon steel, an ideal material for this type of tool.

With a double ground set of teeth on the 7 TPI blade, the real benefit of this saw compared to other first fix ones is the extra length. Measuring 550 mm, you can get a longer stroke and push the saw through wood, plasterboard, and plastics quickly and efficiently.

Famous for their locking pliers, Irwin also makes a huge range of hand tools for professional tradespeople and DIYers as well. The Irwin Jack 880UN20 universal panel saw is an inexpensive and quality hand tool that is found just about everywhere on site and in workshops.

Boasting one of the best saw handles in the business, it’s designed with the ideal angle to get your hand and arm in the right place for accurate and fast straight cuts. The patented ProTouch grip found on lots of Irwin hand tools has a soft surface for comfort and grip. It can really speed up your first fix work in both soft and hard woods, and the increased handle hole size makes it compatible with gloved hands.

The 500 mm 8 TPI blade is made from German high carbon steel, and triple-ground teeth that cut on the pull as well as the push stroke. The blade isn’t too rigid or too flexible, allowing you to transfer maximum energy to the cutting surface. It’s a whole lot of saw for not a lot of money.

With an impressive range of moderately priced hand tools, it’s not hard to believe that HAUTMEC make one of the best budget second fix hand saws. The X-Sharp hand saw is another useful toolbox size saw that is lightweight and very capable.

Boasting a thick blade for better stability, a toolbox friendly 16″/400 mm blade length and 11 TPI, this is the best hand saw for getting into tight spots and out of problems. The saw blade has been polished as well as lacquered, which should help to reduce friction and get through timber that bit quicker.

I was really impressed by the quality of the handle on this saw. It’s a bi-material construction with plenty of grip and a lip on the top that holds the webbing of your hand nicely. It’s been screwed onto the handle and has plenty of room for large hands wearing gloves.

The Swedish tool brand with the fish on the logo, Bahco are well respected for making quality hand tools. They make some of the best hand saws in all different price brackets, and the Bahco 244-22-U7 hand saw is a fine example of an inexpensive but high-performance tool.

The basic plastic handle doesn’t look like much, but it’s screwed onto the saw blade which some users prefer. Made in Sweden, it weighs just 475 g and is designed for cutting through medium to thick pieces of wood. It’s one of the best first fix hand saws, and it’s not expensive either.

The universal tooth set is great for rip cuts and crosscuts, and the long 550 mm blade makes light work of materials including chipboard, MDF, OSB, and proper timber. The high frequency, induction hardened teeth are super sharp and really show what a hard point saw is all about.

German engineering firm Presch are making waves in the DIY world with their quality kit. This second fix “foxtail” type hand saw is no exception, it’s razor-sharp and ideal for when you need an extra bit of precision.

The quality bi-material handle deserves a special mention. It’s well sculpted with plenty of soft rubberised grip sections and a scalloped part for your index finger on both sides. It’s screwed onto the 450 mm blade in three places and means you can make both fine and rough cuts.

With 11 TPI to play with, the individual teeth are specially hardened for fine work. There’s less chance of tear-out, even if it’s not going to cut through big timbers as quickly compared with the first fix saws on my list.

DIY brands don’t get much bigger and better known than STANLEY. With close to 180 years of service under their belt, there isn’t much they don’t know about making the best hand saws. The 217206 FatMax PVC and plastic saw is a specialist bit of kit for DIYers that are dealing with things like waste pipe and polycarbonate sheets.

With a totally different shape to the hand saws on the rest of my list, you can tell straight away that this is a particular saw for a special job. The shape of the handle means you can cut sheet materials easily without changing your hand position. The bi-material used in the handle is comfortable and non-slip too.

Making use of an 11 TPI saw blade, there’s no set to the teeth. This means they don’t splay out, making a thin kerf and helping to avoid burrs in the final cut. With induction hardened teeth for long life, it’s a 300 mm long saw that will make short work of PVC and other plastic materials.