ToughBuilt has come out with a new folding pull saw, featuring a double-edged 10-inch blade for both coarse and fine cross-cutting.
ToughBuilt – a ToolGuyd sponsor – has told me that this is just the first in their new line of hand saws, which will also include a folding jab saw, PVC saw, hacksaw, and wood-cutting saws.
The new pull saw is designed for making straight cuts in wood, and with a quick-folding handle that’s easy to store.
The saw features a quick-fold pivoting mechanism that allows for fast and easy opening.
It has a triple-injected molded handle for maximum comfort and control. Within the handle, a steel sub-structure increases the saw’s rigidity and durability, for straighter and more accurate cuts.
One cutting edge has a 7-10 TPI progressive tooth profile, for coarser cuts, and the other has a 17 TPI tooth profile for finer cuts.
The finer-cutting edge should work well for flush-cutting dowels, or other such applications where a clean finish is desired.
Price: $25
Discussion
I am no stranger to ToughBuilt products, or pull saws.
I’ve been excited for this launch, partially because I am a big fan of pull saws, and also because this reminds me of the fantastic ToughBuilt folding bolt cutters I bought 11 years ago.
ToughBuilt sent over a test sample (thank you!), and I’ll be putting it to use on upcoming projects.
So far, I like that the handle is as quick and easy to open and close as advertised. The blade seems straight, and the cutting edges as sharp as I would expect from a brand new pull saw.
There were 3 surprises.
First, the blade seems to have minimal set, which should improve its performance for flush-cutting tasks. I have a few pull saws, even ones advertised for flush-cutting tasks, which have too much set. The ToughBuilt seems to be flat enough to where I won’t have to protect workpieces as much against scratching.
Second, the saw arrives covered with large stickers on both sides, holding the blade edge guards in place. This is preferable to plastic clamshell packaging, but would the stickers remove cleanly? YES, they do! I was grateful I didn’t have to break out any adhesive-busting chemicals.
Lastly, the locking bar that holds the handle in the closed position disappears into the handle during use. But, I couldn’t get it back out without using a knife to pry it out! I then tried something different, and applying pressure to the handle release tab (the part shaped like a shark fin) pops the bar out without any prying.
The lock bar says “lift to unlock”; a sticker on the shark fin might have saved me some guessing.
The only thing that would make this sweeter, in my opinion, is if replacement blades were available. But on the other hand, I have a couple of other pull saws where it would be less expensive for me to buy replacement saws than just fresh blades.
I checked with ToughBuilt, and they implied replacement blades could be available in the future if there’s user demand. They also added:
The teeth are induction hardened and the thin profile of the blade and flexibility should provide the incredible resilience and long-lasting durability which traditional Japanese pull saws are known for.
All in all, this looks to be a solid saw, and a good way for ToughBuilt to enter the hand saw market. I look forward to putting it to work with high expectations.
