Best hacksaw?
- Thread starter jadboog
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Spindle
Established Member
Hi
This Stanley one has done me proud for about 15 years - good solid feel and fits my hand nicely
http://www.stanleytools.co.uk/product/147321
I usually use Sandvic blades
Regards Mick
This Stanley one has done me proud for about 15 years - good solid feel and fits my hand nicely
http://www.stanleytools.co.uk/product/147321
I usually use Sandvic blades
Regards Mick
bugbear
Established Member
jadboog":12qril0q said:
The actual best I know of were some obscure and rare Millers Falls models.
My recommendation would be to wander round a car boot sale and get an older model Eclipse 20T.
(like this one)
http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Vintage-ECLIPSE- ... 1330847911
Shouldn't cost more than a quid.
BugBear
Cheshirechappie
Established Member
+1 for the older Eclipse 20T. A mate of mine did wear one of these out, but it took him thirty years of hard use.
Get the Eclipse blades, too. You pay far more for them than the budget ones, but they last for an absolute age. All-hard HSS if you're cutting under nice, controlled conditions with the work secure in a solid vice, bi-metal if conditions are more ad-hoc. It's worth having a few of different tooth size on hand, too. You wouldn't try trimming beading with a 6tpi ripsaw - cutting thin-wall tube with a 14tpi hacksaw blade is just as daft.
Get the Eclipse blades, too. You pay far more for them than the budget ones, but they last for an absolute age. All-hard HSS if you're cutting under nice, controlled conditions with the work secure in a solid vice, bi-metal if conditions are more ad-hoc. It's worth having a few of different tooth size on hand, too. You wouldn't try trimming beading with a 6tpi ripsaw - cutting thin-wall tube with a 14tpi hacksaw blade is just as daft.
memzey
Established Member
When my crappy hacksaw bit the dust I replaced it with a Bahco one - the one with the orange handle. With a Bahco blade in it it's night and day in comparison to naff B&Q one I had before.
bugbear
Established Member
I've got the one I showed in the eBay link above.
Is any one in a position to say wether the earlier, more ornate, style is better?
e.g.
link to ebay
It certainly appeals to the retro-naut in me.
BugBear
Is any one in a position to say wether the earlier, more ornate, style is better?
e.g.
link to ebay
It certainly appeals to the retro-naut in me.
BugBear
Spindle
Established Member
Hi
Having owned and used an Eclipse 20T for most of my career I'm afraid I have to say that the Stanley model I linked to is a far better tool to use and handle in my opinion. A case where traditional isn't always best. Have to admit that it's not so aesthetically pleasing though.
Regards Mick
Having owned and used an Eclipse 20T for most of my career I'm afraid I have to say that the Stanley model I linked to is a far better tool to use and handle in my opinion. A case where traditional isn't always best. Have to admit that it's not so aesthetically pleasing though.
Regards Mick
Cheshirechappie
Established Member
After some experience, I'm not keen on the 'softgrip' type handles in real workshop conditions. They're great when they're new, but once they start to cut up a bit and get dirt embedded in them, they're awful. The older die-cast handles are cold to the touch on a cold day, but at least they wipe clean.
In passing, a mate of mine swears by the old-fashioned wooden handled sort - the ones with the handle in line with the blade. He reckons it's dead easy to saw straight with one of those. He has a point, I think, but I find they can be a bit uncomfortable to use for any length of time. Ok for now-and-again use, though.
In passing, a mate of mine swears by the old-fashioned wooden handled sort - the ones with the handle in line with the blade. He reckons it's dead easy to saw straight with one of those. He has a point, I think, but I find they can be a bit uncomfortable to use for any length of time. Ok for now-and-again use, though.
bugbear
Established Member
MMUK
Established Member
I have a Bahco 319 and 325. I also use the Bahco Bi-Metal blades. Cannot praise them highly enough 
I also have a Stanley High Tension Low Profile hacksaw that I keep on the van. Had that for about 15 years now and it still works pretty well. One of these
I also have a Stanley High Tension Low Profile hacksaw that I keep on the van. Had that for about 15 years now and it still works pretty well. One of these
Hi all, thanks for the replies. The Eclipse looks smart, but I can't leave it to chance or wait for one to turn up on ebay, so in the meantime I'm looking at the Stanley heavy duty. I quite like the look of the silver fatmax but then I saw the 5 in 1 on screwfix - any thoughts? Seems like extra functionality could be useful but I wonder if this will be at the expense of performance?
I have the Stanley fat max one it's a 5 in one tool and feels comfortable in use and it's easy to adjust and convert without tools
As with all cutting tools best quality blades make a huge difference
Ian
As with all cutting tools best quality blades make a huge difference
Ian
bugbear
Established Member
I hit the catalogues last night;
Buck and Hickman 1935 has 2 pages of hacksaw frames.
it's around 50/50 between inline and pistol style handles. The most expensive
are the Eclipse 20T (older style as in eBay above) at 7/6
and the Millers Falls #12 at 13/6.
The Eclipse 60B (still common in the s/h market) is 2/6.
The cheapest saw (no brand given) is 1/8.
Turning to Miller Falls catalogue #42, which is their 70th Anniversary
edition of 1938, we find an astonishingly wide range of saws over 5 pages.
Inline handles form only 30% (ish) of this range.
The top of the line is their (declared) flagship, the #84 at £3.50,
followed closely by the #12 at £3.40. The other "closed handle"
design is the #48, which appears to be a lightened and cheapened
(but not much) #84 at $2.20.
The range extends all the way down to a adjustable inline handle
model, the #78, at $0.80.
Curiously, the MF #12 in B&H and the MF #12
in the MF 1938 catalogue are far from identical.
As an observation it seems odd that hacksaws (in the main) have pretty perfunctory handles,
whereas wood saws (both backed and hand styles) have highly evolved handles.
BugBear
Buck and Hickman 1935 has 2 pages of hacksaw frames.
it's around 50/50 between inline and pistol style handles. The most expensive
are the Eclipse 20T (older style as in eBay above) at 7/6
and the Millers Falls #12 at 13/6.
The Eclipse 60B (still common in the s/h market) is 2/6.
The cheapest saw (no brand given) is 1/8.
Turning to Miller Falls catalogue #42, which is their 70th Anniversary
edition of 1938, we find an astonishingly wide range of saws over 5 pages.
Inline handles form only 30% (ish) of this range.
The top of the line is their (declared) flagship, the #84 at £3.50,
followed closely by the #12 at £3.40. The other "closed handle"
design is the #48, which appears to be a lightened and cheapened
(but not much) #84 at $2.20.
The range extends all the way down to a adjustable inline handle
model, the #78, at $0.80.
Curiously, the MF #12 in B&H and the MF #12
in the MF 1938 catalogue are far from identical.
As an observation it seems odd that hacksaws (in the main) have pretty perfunctory handles,
whereas wood saws (both backed and hand styles) have highly evolved handles.
BugBear
bugbear
Established Member
jadboog":1z6xcza5 said:
I find old tools fascinating, and have acquired many old references.
The internet allows me to share.
And it allows others to share what they have too, so we all learn. It's a Good Thing.
BugBear
manxman
Established Member
I have one of these http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/12in-high-tension-hacksaw they are well made imho and would be happy to reccommend it.
graduate_owner
Established Member
I have a few Eclipse hacksaws (all bought cheaply from local auctions) with different blades in to save changing blades regularly - different teeth, also one with a carbide blade. However I also have a Sandvik which has the blade offset to one side for flush cutting. All are well made.
I also bought some new Irwin blades at an auction, and they were rubbish when cutting steel. I suspect they might have been cheap blades which were re-badged as Irwin, because Irwin is a well-respected make. You can't win them all !!
I've also heard of cheap far east imports being re-badged and sold via cut price outlets as deWalt.
K
I also bought some new Irwin blades at an auction, and they were rubbish when cutting steel. I suspect they might have been cheap blades which were re-badged as Irwin, because Irwin is a well-respected make. You can't win them all !!
I've also heard of cheap far east imports being re-badged and sold via cut price outlets as deWalt.
K
