Hacksaw which to buy

[okeydokey]

I use a hacksaw from time to time and a while ago my Eclipse hacksaw went walkies so working on the basis it would find its way home and I had a small job to do I bought a cheapy Rolson brand threw the blade away and used another. Yes did the job its badly made and it would only hold the blade at a sort of 10 degree angle so you have to hold the saw off vertical to get a straight cut.
My original has not returned so I am in the market for a bog standard normal hacksaw no plastic or daft blade tensioners ,what do folk recommend or shall I just buy another Eclipse that probably wont be as good (or feel as good) as my last old Eclipse.

 

[clogs]

Eclipse/Stanley or Bahco.....
probably others but they would be my go to for replacements......
there's always plenty at car boot sales.....
Have they started up yet.....???

I bought a really heavy antique hack saw a few years ago.....bit of a faff to change blades but what a nice saw to use.....
I only buy Bi-metal blades now from prom manufacturers.....

sure miss them.....nothing quite like that here.....

 

[LJM]

I’ve had a Bacho for pushing 20 years; it does what it’s meant to, very well, and I’ve not come across a more comfortable hacksaw to use:

https://www.bahco.com/gb_en/ergotm-professional-hand-hacksaw-frames-300-mm-pb_325_.html

 

[Bale]

bog standard normal hacksaw no plastic

Yes to this. I was foolish enough to buy an Irwin hacksaw with a 'soft grip' layer of rubbery material on the handle. This is now an 'extremely sticky grip' which has rendered the thing pretty much useless. If it was me, I'd be looking at another Eclipse.

Pete

 

[Spectric]

All you need is a rigid frame and a decent means of blade tensioning, if the frame is flimsy then it won't tension the blade properly. Don't buy online unless you have seen and held the brand, looks can be very deceptive.

 

[AES]

Agree with the above. IF you can use a hacksaw "properly" then I strongly recommend not the (commonly found today) bi-metal blades, but the "hard steel" blades by the likes of Eclipse, Starrett, and Bahco/Sandvik. See the sticky at the top of the metal working section "Hacksaws, How to choose 'em, - use 'em ......" by some bloke called AES! Several ideas about tensioning (especially when using bi-metal blades), frames, and TPIs, etc, etc.

 

[okeydokey]

Pete thanks yes I think it will end up a another Eclipse, might browse around our local junk/odds and ends shop they have an old tool section might be lucky
Re the grip and depending on how bad it is I solved a similar issue by grabbing a handful of talcum powder and swooshing the grip around - got rid of the stickiness straight away, how long it would last on a hacksaw depends on how much its used but might be worth giving it a go.
I suspect cooking flour would work as well but lets not start on the pro cons of plain wholemeal or self raising or to have the blades facing forward or back to the handle

 

[okeydokey]

AES thanks for pointing me to your Hacksaw sticky very good and helpful cheers

 

[AES]

Pete thanks yes I think it will end up a another Eclipse, might browse around our local junk/odds and ends shop they have an old tool section might be lucky
Re the grip and depending on how bad it is I solved a similar issue by grabbing a handful of talcum powder and swooshing the grip around - got rid of the stickiness straight away, how long it would last on a hacksaw depends on how much its used but might be worth giving it a go.
I suspect cooking flour would work as well but lets not start on the pro cons of plain wholemeal or self raising or to have the blades facing forward or back to the handle

Glad that sticky's of help okeydoke. As to the benefits or otherwise of self-raising v plain flour, "Dunno, sorry (that's "The Catering Dept"!). But I was always taught the blade cuts on the FORWARD stroke. After reading that it cuts on the backward stroke on here a while ago, I did try it, just to see. My own conclusion was not only was that completely against what I was taught, it was also VERY difficult (for me anyway). But "whatever floats yer boat" (and all that).

Cheers

 

[D_W]

Agree with the above - essential is a rigid tube back. the rest is details. If changing blades is a common problem, then the blades probably aren't any good. Lenox here in the US are good blades, and other "made in USA bimetal" blades sometimes hold up and sometimes don't. I question whether or not blades are suitable to even be sold if they're high speed steel or bimetal and can't cut annealed tool steel.

I post a bunch of chisel and metal bits made on here, and about half of the cuts are done with a hacksaw, and half with a framesaw with a cut down portaband blade in it (the frame saw is just the typical 700mm ECE beech framesaw - works great, but not stable starting a cut like a hacksaw, just nicer to use when cutting something like a whole set of chisel blanks, and the portaband blades with larger teeth can be resharpened with a diamond feather file or a diamond wheel on a dremel tool, something I do every 3 feet or so of annealed 1/4" steel cut.

if a hacksaw has flexibility to the back or is two piece and can't really tension a blade hard, it's difficult to get along with.

 

[LJM]

Yes to this. I was foolish enough to buy an Irwin hacksaw with a 'soft grip' layer of rubbery material on the handle. This is now an 'extremely sticky grip' which has rendered the thing pretty much useless. If it was me, I'd be looking at another Eclipse.

Pete

this is what happens to latex seals (on a drysuit), as they breakdown; that process is accelerated by various things, but especially contact with sunscreen. Talc does make them less sticky, but once they’re sticky you know it’s only palliative care…

I’d guess something similar is happening here. I’d probably cut off the soft grip ad replace it with someone such as tennis racket/hockey stick grip tape.

 

[mikej460]

+1 for the Bahco and I also use their blades

 

[Ttrees]

The Britool is a nice one but has that rubber coating also.
Never experienced any rubber going sticky myself.
I think this is the one, it can apply a good deal of tension.

 

[mikej460]

I've got this one not the Ergo, but if I ever need a new one I would be very tempted by the dearer Ergo

Bahco 24tpi Metal/Plastic Hacksaw 12" (300mm) | Hacksaws | Screwfix.com

 

[harryd]

this is what happens to latex seals (on a drysuit), as they breakdown; that process is accelerated by various things, but especially contact with sunscreen. Talc does make them less sticky, but once they’re sticky you know it’s only palliative care…

I’d guess something similar is happening here. I’d probably cut off the soft grip ad replace it with someone such as tennis racket/hockey stick grip tape.

Yes to this. I was foolish enough to buy an Irwin hacksaw with a 'soft grip' layer of rubbery material on the handle. This is now an 'extremely sticky grip' which has rendered the thing pretty much useless. If it was me, I'd be looking at another Eclipse.

Pete

I have a measuring tape and a Canon SLR, both of which became horribly sticky in the 'soft grip' areas. I rubbed one with meths, the other with isopropyl alcohol, and the stickiness went completely, and hasn't returned.

 

[Mick p]

I use a hacksaw from time to time and a while ago my Eclipse hacksaw went walkies so working on the basis it would find its way home and I had a small job to do I bought a cheapy Rolson brand threw the blade away and used another. Yes did the job its badly made and it would only hold the blade at a sort of 10 degree angle so you have to hold the saw off vertical to get a straight cut.
My original has not returned so I am in the market for a bog standard normal hacksaw no plastic or daft blade tensioners ,what do folk recommend or shall I just buy another Eclipse that probably wont be as good (or feel as good) as my last old Eclipse.

I have a eclipse 201if your interested ?

 

[highwood122]

personally i would not buy a hacksaw with a rubber anything handle or one that you cannot turn the blade through 90 degrees

 

[AES]

I don't know if this helps or not, but I have (had?) a little Lidl electric screwdriver with a "rubberised" grip. Unfortunately I accidentally knocked over an almost full open tin of Acetone all over it. It "melted" the grip (and a lot of the rest of the plastic casing) to the extent that it's now unusable (but I've kept the internals and the battery as spares).

I've never had a hacksaw with a "rubberised" handle but suggest that, based on the above, if you do try Acetone to cure a sticky handle then you go VERY sparingly indeed. Though I guess that like lots of other plastics, that rubbery stuff comes in differing compositions, but even so "you have been warned".

 

[okeydokey]

Thanks everyone
Game over now - I have bought an Eclipse 70-20TR similar to my previous one and will do everything I need.
Interesting comments and observations as well

 

[AES]

Well done okeydoke. IME you can't really go wrong with Bahco/Sandvik, Eclipse, or Starrett brands.