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Air body saw: which numbers limit the cut

Updated: 21 October 2026

You already have a compressor, and the amazon.co.uk page mixes a millimetre claim, a psi figure, a star rating and, on two listings, a power cell that says corded electric. An air body saw is a small pneumatic reciprocating saw for thin sheet, vehicle panels and exhausts. Put the thickness first, then the air at a stated pressure, then the inlet, and only then the blades. The five listings, from about £20.46 to about £48.99 on 20 October 2026, are on the [body saw comparison](/hub/power-saws/body-saw). We did not run a lab. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You already have a compressor, and the amazon.co.uk page mixes a millimetre claim, a psi figure, a star rating and, on two listings, a power cell that says corded electric.

Our top picks

Blue Spot Tools Bluespot 07948

Best overall

Blue Spot Tools Bluespot 07948
7.9/10about £20.46
View offer
Draper Draper 70833

Rank 2

Draper Draper 70833
8.3/10about £34.95
View offer
ORIENTOOLS Orientools air reciprocating saw

Rank 3

ORIENTOOLS Orientools air reciprocating saw
7.6/10about £23.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What an air body saw is for
  2. 2.Thickness before everything else
  3. 3.Air, pressure and the inlet
  4. 4.Blades, the guard and the power cell

What an air body saw is for

The working end is a short reciprocating blade, often held by a screw. The Bluespot 07948 bullets state a 10 mm stroke. That reaches a sill edge or the back of a wing, and it is a poor choice for logs. One UK Orientools reviewer returned the saw because the blade was only a few inches long. This is not a cordless jigsaw. The WorkPad WP01117 title says jigsaw, but the specification is 9,000 bpm and 85 litres a minute of air. Without a compressor, none of these five solves the job.

Thickness before everything else

Stay inside the millimetre the bullets print. The Draper 70833 says mild steel up to 1.2 mm. The Bluespot 07948 says 16 gauge, equated there to 1.29 mm. Orientools says 1.6 mm steel or 2 mm aluminium. Both WorkPad listings say sheet metal and thin wood, and neither prints a millimetre. You cannot borrow 1.2 mm from the Draper and call it a WorkPad limit. A UK Orientools review cut a camper-van side, then snapped a blade on seat rails. Draper’s manual treats use beyond 1.2 mm mild steel as misuse. Going slowly, or raising pressure, does not add capacity.
Blue Spot Tools Bluespot 07948

Testsieger

Blue Spot Tools Bluespot 07948
7.9/10about £20.46
View offer

Air, pressure and the inlet

Air consumption only means something next to a pressure. The Bluespot bullets state 90 psi (6.2 bar), 4 CFM (113 litres a minute) and a 1/4 inch BSP inlet. WorkPad states 85 litres a minute and does not state psi. The Orientools title states 90 PSI and a 1/4 inch thread, with no CFM on this UK listing. Do not import 6 CFM from amazon.com. Draper’s Amazon page leaves consumption blank and prints 4500 RPM. Draper’s own page states 90 psi, 2.5 cfm, a 1/4 inch inlet, a 3/8 inch hose and 10,000 strokes. Toolstation prints 8.0 cfm for the same ID. Use the maker figure, not 8 cfm. Ninety psi is set at the tool with a regulator. A long 1/4 inch hose can starve a 4 CFM tool. Which listing to buy is on best air body saw.

Blades, the guard and the power cell

18T, 24T and 32T are tooth counts, not a ranking. The Draper includes 18T and 24T plus hex keys. Orientools lists two of each, a guard and a nipple. The WorkPad WP01117 lists five 24T and five 32T blades. The WP01118 adds five files. Bluespot does not state the blades. Free blades are a weak point in UK reviews of this class. The guard is a depth stop. It does not raise the millimetre claim. On the Draper the blade is a screw, not a quick release. Draper and both WorkPad cells say pneumatic. Bluespot and Orientools say corded electric. The titles and the psi say air. A GS mark is not a UK approval.

Common questions

What thickness can I trust on the listing?
Trust the millimetre or gauge the bullets actually print, and stop there. In this set that is 1.2 mm mild steel on the Draper 70833, 16 gauge (1.29 mm) on the Bluespot 07948, and 1.6 mm steel or 2 mm aluminium on the Orientools saw. Both WorkPad listings describe sheet metal and do not give a millimetre. Seat rails, chassis and logs are outside those sentences. A finer free blade does not move the claim.
How much air does a body saw use?
There is no single CFM for every body saw. The Bluespot bullets state 4 CFM (113 litres a minute) at 90 psi. The WorkPad bullets state 85 litres a minute and do not state the pressure. Draper’s own 70833 page states 2.5 cfm at 90 psi, while the Amazon listing leaves consumption blank. The Orientools UK listing in this set does not state CFM. Match the figure on the page you are buying, at the pressure that page names.
Is 90 psi the same as turning the compressor up?
No. Ninety psi, or 6.2 bar on the Bluespot line, is the pressure the tool is specified at, set with a regulator. More pressure does not turn a 1.2 mm claim into a chassis saw. If the blade snags, the usual cause in these reviews is too little air or a dry tool, not a gauge that needs to be driven past the stated pressure.
Why does Amazon say corded electric when the title says air?
On the Bluespot 07948 and the Orientools saw, the power-source cell prints corded electric while the title and the air figures describe a pneumatic tool. That cell is a bad label. Read the psi, the inlet and the words air body saw. Do not order it as if it had a 230 V motor and a BS 1363 plug.
Do the included blades decide the purchase?
No. 18T, 24T and 32T tell you the tooth count in the box, not how long those blades will last. UK reviews of this class treat the free blades as a weak point. Choose the saw on thickness, air and inlet. Plan to buy a better blade once you have seen the first cut.

Related pages

How to use a body saw

Body saw for car bodywork

Body saw

Best UK air body saw for thin panels on amazon.co.uk

Air body saw vs reciprocating saw: hose or battery

Sources

Public UK sources, the Draper 70833 page and manual, and the amazon.co.uk listings compared here. Listings captured on 20 October 2026.

  1. HSE: Noise in motor vehicle repair (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, regulation 4 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. HSE: PUWER overview (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. HSE: INDG291 Providing and using work equipment safely (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. Draper Tools: 70833 air body saw (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. Draper 70833 manual extract (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, Part 1 (retrieved 20 October 2026)