Comparison Bahco 396-HP vs Master Tool 14-6017

The total length of the hacksaw blade.

The value of this parameter is directly related to the saw type (see above). The general rule for choosing is as follows: the blade should be twice as long as the thickness of the largest workpiece that is planned to be sawn. This will provide an optimal range of motion to avoid unnecessary fatigue, and the tool, on the other hand, will not be too bulky. However, a long blade tends to spring back, so when working with hardwoods or other difficult-to-cut materials, shorter saws can also be taken. And in models with interchangeable blades (beam and jigsaw, some mini-saws), length data will be required to search for spare blades.

In general, for simple household tasks for sawing wood, a length of 280 – 300 mm is considered optimal. For a private house with a garden, simple construction work, you should pay attention to larger models — up to half a metre. And the largest two-handed saws can have a length of 1000 mm and even more. More detailed recommendations on the optimal blade length for certain tasks can be found in special sources.

Density of teeth in a complete saw blade; measured as the number of teeth per blade length inch (TPI).

The higher the TPI, the smaller each individual tooth, and vice versa. Other things being equal, large teeth allow you to cut easily and quickly, but not very accurately; small — provide an accurate and clean cut, but at the cost of increased effort and time. Accordingly, when choosing a saw for this parameter, one must proceed from the fact that in this case it is more important — speed or accuracy. In addition, the TPI determines suitability for small workpieces: the smallest allowable log thickness is considered to be a three-tooth pitch. For example, in a 9 TPI saw, three teeth will take up 1/3", or approximately 8.5 mm.

It is worth remembering that only tools of the same type and purpose can be compared by the number of teeth per inch. So, for example, in standard saws for wood, the minimum TPI value is 4, and already in passer saws — 9. The most coarse-toothed today are saws for foam concrete — they have about 1.2 – 1.8 teeth per inch; and the “record holders” in terms of density are saws for metal and jigsaws, for which the TPI value of 24 is almost the standard.

The type of sharpening used in saw teeth. In fact, this parameter determines the shape of the tooth.

— Standard. The teeth of standard sharpening are usually made in a triangular shape; the only exception is saws for foam concrete, in which “standard” teeth can have rather specific outlines. Standard sharpening is quite functional and suitable for almost any application; in addition, if the teeth are not hardened (see above) and are large enough, they can be sharpened if necessary.

— Triangular. Externally, trihedral teeth can be almost indistinguishable from standard ones; however, if you look closely, you can see an additional edge — as if someone cut the tip of a triangular tooth obliquely and sharpened the resulting surface. Also, this sharpening is called 3D. It is considered to be more efficient and advanced than the standard one: in particular, the saw moves more easily in reverse and the teeth wear less on this move, which reduces fatigue and increases the life of the blade. On the other hand, trihedral blades are expensive, and it is impossible to sharpen dull teeth on your own — you need to change the saw (at best, the blade itself).