The best fret saw sets, compared.
Top pick: Avit coping saw with 5 blades – 4.4 from 1,612 reviews at £13.84, with 16 and 20 TPI wood blades plus 24 and 28 TPI metal blades. Best value: Hilka 7 inch coping saw set – £9.32 and 4.1 from 143 reviews, after Hilka replaced a short pack. Updated October 2026.
A fret saw set on amazon.co.uk is a thin-blade hand saw sold with spare blades or a second frame. The browse node mixes deep fretsaws, shallow coping saws and small piercing saws. Titles often say fret on a coping saw, so the frame matters more than the word in the title. You are either scribing skirting and architrave or cutting fine curves in thin wood, plastic or metal. Judge a set by whether the frame holds a blade under tension, how deep the throat is, and whether the teeth match the material. Pin-end coping blades and plain-end fret blades do not interchange. Eclipse also scores 88 and is the two-frame set. Read the [fret saw set buying guide](/hub/power-saws/fret-saw-set/sub/fret-saw-set-buying-guide) for throat, blade ends and tooth count before you treat a photo of thick timber as a cut these blades can make.
A fret saw set on amazon.co.uk is a thin-blade hand saw sold with spare blades or a second frame. The browse node mixes deep fretsaws, shallow coping saws and small piercing saws.
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
Where is the cut?
The Avit AV09030 is a coping saw at £13.84 with five blades: two at 16 TPI and one at 20 TPI for wood, plus 24 TPI and 28 TPI for metal, and wing adjusters that turn the blade through 360°. Amazon.co.uk shows 4.4 from 1,612 reviews, the largest file in this comparison. UK texts describe fine curves, a springy frame in the style of a school woodwork saw, cuts in wood and plaster, and one job on 18 mm MDF skirting. One blade arrived fitted upside down, which that review treats as packing, and another buyer would not trust the saw for daily trade use. A power-source row says corded electric, and a battery line is also present, yet the bullets describe a hand saw with no lead, so those fields are listing noise. It is the top pick here when you are scribing mouldings and want a stated wood and metal tooth mix, though the frame is a shallow coping saw, not a deep fretsaw.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Occasional skirting, architrave and curves when you want a printed wood and metal TPI mix.
Less suitable: Daily site work, or patterns in the middle of a wide sheet that need a deep bow.
Specifications
Common questions
Which blades are in the Avit set?
The listing says two 16 TPI wood blades, one 20 TPI wood blade, one 24 TPI metal blade and one 28 TPI metal blade.
Can the blade be turned?
The listing says wing adjusters rotate the blade through 360 degrees.
Is it a mains tool?
A power-source field says corded electric, and the bullets describe a hand coping saw. No lead is described. Treat the electrical field as unclear.
Eclipse ECLSAW2PC puts two hand saws in one box at £23.39: a fret saw with a stated 285 mm bow and a 16 TPI blade, and a piercing saw with a 32 TPI blade. The amazon.co.uk line is 4.4 from 38 reviews. UK texts praise the wooden handles and the pair of frames, and one buyer measured about 28 cm of throat on the fret saw and about 8 cm on the piercing saw. The same file says spare blades are not included, that photos show a 2x4 the fine blades will not cut, and that one set felt too flimsy with no way to tension the blade. Wing-nut clamps hold the blades, and one review says you can change them without a separate tool. Choose it when you want a deep bow and a fine metal saw together, and look elsewhere if the only job is skirting, because the first snapped blade stops the work.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Thin wood plus fine metal or jewellery work, if you already plan to buy matching spare blades.
Less suitable: Skirting, thick timber, or a buyer who wants several spare blades in the box.
Specifications
Common questions
What is in the Eclipse set?
The listing includes one fret saw with a 16 TPI blade and one piercing saw with a 32 TPI blade.
How deep is the fret saw frame?
The listing states a 285 mm deep bow on the fret saw.
Are spare blades included?
The included-components field lists the two saws with their fitted blades. A spare pack is not listed.
The Pebaro WPB705 is a 12-item fretsaw set listed at £15.87, with a beechwood handle, a stand in the included-components field, and a drill feature for holes inside a fretsaw template. Amazon.co.uk shows 4.3 from 651 reviews, and the ten UK texts in the file describe it on very thin wood, including a thicker piece a larger fretsaw could not angle into. Buyers call the extras usable for small fretwork, and one mentions a neat folding handle. One UK review says the screws will not stay tight, so the frame keeps opening. The UK listing does not itemise a blade count or a throat depth, and the blade-length field prints 3 cm, which is not a usable cutting length for the bow. At 570 g it is the heaviest set in this comparison. It fits thin fretwork when you want a support and a pilot-hole drill in the box, and it is the wrong buy if you only need to scribe skirting with a pin-end blade.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Thin fretwork when you want a stand and a pilot-hole drill in the same box.
Less suitable: Scribing skirting with a pin-end blade, or anyone who needs a stated throat and TPI.
Specifications
Common questions
Does this Pebaro set include a stand?
The included-components field on the amazon.co.uk listing says stand. The same listing counts 12 items.
Is a drill mentioned?
The special-features field says a drill for pre-drilling the interiors of a fretsaw template.
Which materials does the listing name?
The surface recommendation is wood. The handle material is beechwood.
XMDROU lists one coping saw at about 30 × 11 cm and four carbon-steel replacement blades for £7.59, with a wooden handle. The amazon.co.uk line is 4.2 from 15 reviews, and eight UK texts make a small sample. Buyers used it to cope skirting boards, welcomed spare blades because blades snap, and one calls the frame sturdy and smooth in wood. Other texts call the supplied blades blunt, including on plastic, say the blade twists in the cut, and one says there is no tension screw even though the bullets mention a tension knob. Tooth count is not given as TPI, only as a fine pitch. It can be a cheap first frame if the tension actually works when you try it, and it is a return if the blade is only a drop-in that will not stay tight.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A first skirting cope if you test the tension before you trust the joint.
Less suitable: Anyone who needs a confirmed tension screw and a stated TPI before buying.
Specifications
Common questions
What is in the XMDROU box?
The listing says one coping saw, about 30 x 11 cm, and four replacement blades.
Does the listing give a TPI?
No. It says carbon steel and a fine tooth pitch, without a teeth-per-inch figure.
Which materials are named?
The surface recommendation is wood. The bullets mention pine and MDF.
The Hilka 45801705 is a 7 inch coping saw set at £9.32 and 210 g, with a plastic handle and an alloy-steel blade on the listing. Amazon.co.uk shows 4.1 from 143 reviews. UK buyers mention a comfortable handle, blades that take a reasonable amount of pressure before they snap, and use on a college woodwork course, and Hilka replaced one short set with a new saw after a support request. The specification table does not state a blade count or a TPI, and one UK review found no blade fitted, a loose end fitting, and four blades in the pack. Another review says it is adequate only if you are not cutting thick stock. It is the best value in this set when you want a named brand under £10 and you will count the blades on the day it arrives.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Light DIY and college-style woodwork if you check the blade count on arrival.
Less suitable: MDF skirting where you need a printed TPI, or thick timber.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the Hilka listing state how many blades are included?
The title says a coping saw set with blades. The specification table does not give a blade count.
How long is the blade on the listing?
The blade-length field says 7 inches, about 178 mm.
Does the listing include a case?
The bullets do not confirm a case. The included-components line repeats the set name.
SULIVES sells a coping saw and five carbon-steel blades at £7.25, about 30 × 12 cm and 150 g, with a rubber handle. Amazon.co.uk shows 3.8 from 53 reviews. Of the ten UK texts, some say it cut relatively thin plywood and arrived complete with spares. Two UK reviews say the blade-locking end was missing, and the blade keeps coming out of the frame. Another says the thinnest blade turned while cutting 1.5 mm plastic, so the line wandered, and the frame is called cheap and bendy. TPI is not stated. At the lowest price here it is only a starter if every part is in the bag, because a missing lock is a goods problem, not a cutting technique.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Thin plywood practice if you check that the lock is in the bag before you pay.
Less suitable: A visible skirting joint, or any cut where the blade must stay tensioned.
Specifications
Common questions
How many blades does SULIVES list?
The bullets say five blades. The included-components field says coping saw and blades.
Is a storage case included?
The bullets do not list a case.
What surface does the listing recommend?
The surface recommendation is wood.
MIPIACE lists a 290 mm U-frame and eight carbon-steel blades at £10.99, two each of 4, 6, 8 and 10 TPI, with wing nuts and a 360° blade direction. Amazon.co.uk shows 1.0 from one review, and that UK text says the buyer would not recommend the purchase without naming a broken part. Those tooth counts are coarse beside a UK guide band of about 18–20 TPI for MDF skirting, and the listing presents the numbers as TPI, not as jeweller’s blade sizes. The bullets name softwood, pine, balsa, acrylic and thin brass. The included-components field says no, while the bullets count nine pieces, so the page does not agree with itself on what is in the box. With a single review and no praise in the file, keep it as a listing to read twice before you rely on it for a visible joint.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Only if you have already accepted a single one-star review and coarse teeth for rough softwood.
Less suitable: MDF skirting, a first careful joint, or anyone who wants more than one UK review.
Specifications
Common questions
How many blades are in the MIPIACE set?
The bullets say nine pieces: one 290 mm U-frame and eight blades, two each of 4, 6, 8 and 10 TPI.
Can the blade be changed without a tool?
The bullets say you loosen the wing nuts by hand, swap the blade and tighten them again.
What rating does the listing show?
The listing line is 1.0 out of 5 from 1 review.
Seven amazon.co.uk listings were scored from the UK shelf on 20 October 2026. This is not a laboratory cut, and no set is treated as safer than another. These are hand saws, outside the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008, with no UK 13 A plug. Avit and Eclipse both sit on 88. Avit is the top pick because the star line is 4.4 from 1,612 rather than 4.4 from 38, the price is £13.84 rather than £23.39, and the listing prints a wood and metal TPI mix. The best value is the Hilka set at £9.32. The weights below sum to 100.
Amazon evidence
30%Star rating on amazon.co.uk, then the review count. A count under 20, under 50, or under 100 is thinner evidence. One review cannot carry this block.
Listing fit
35%Frame family, a stated throat or blade length, tooth count that matches the job, and blade ends or clamps you can identify. A TPI that is coarse for MDF, a missing blade count, or an electrical row on a hand saw is deducted.
Review outcome
20%UK texts that name a real job, and complaints that repeat, such as a lock missing, twist, blunt blades, or screws that open. A short file cannot score like a file of more than a thousand.
Value
15%Shelf price in GBP after the set can do the job the title suggests. A low price does not score when the lock is missing or almost nobody has reviewed the saw.
Start with the frame, not the word fret in the title. A fret saw set here is a thin-blade hand saw with spare blades or a second frame, from £7.25 to £23.39 on amazon.co.uk. A coping saw scribes an edge. A deeper bow reaches into a sheet. A piercing saw is for thin metal. The top pick is the Avit coping set with a printed wood and metal TPI mix. The best value is the Hilka set under £10, if you count the blades on arrival. Neither is a laboratory cut.
A fret saw set on amazon.co.uk is a thin-blade hand saw sold with spare blades or a second frame. The browse node mixes three frames, and titles often say fret on a coping saw. A coping saw is a shallow U-frame with pin-end blades for skirting and architrave. A fret saw is a deeper bow with plain-end blades for patterns away from the edge. A piercing saw is the small fine frame for thin metal. Pin-end coping blades and plain-end fret blades do not interchange.
The amazon.co.uk browse node mixes coping saws, fretsaws and piercing saws. Avit, Hilka, XMDROU, SULIVES and MIPIACE are shallow frames for an edge. Eclipse states a 285 mm bow and a separate piercing saw. Pebaro is the fretwork kit. A title that says fret does not tell you the throat.
BuildWiz’s rule of thumb is about 18–20 TPI for MDF and tight mouldings. MIPIACE lists 4, 6, 8 and 10 TPI, presented as teeth per inch, which is coarse for that job. Coping and fret blades are pulled, not forced through on the push. A piercing blade is for thin metal, not thick timber.
Eclipse photos include a 2x4 the fine blades will not cut. SULIVES reviews mention a missing blade lock. A Hilka reviewer counted four blades. That is a return under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. No British Standard number, dust reading or snap rate was measured for these listings.
The first check is the frame family. A coping saw is a shallow U-frame with pin-end blades for skirting. A fret saw is a deeper bow with plain-end blades for patterns away from the edge. A piercing saw is the small frame for thin metal. BuildWiz puts a typical coping throat near 125 mm. Only Eclipse states a bow on these listings, at 285 mm, and a UK reviewer put the piercing saw in that pair at about 8 cm. Pebaro does not state a throat. The second check is how the blade is held.
Match the teeth to the material, then check that the spares match the ends. BuildWiz’s rule of thumb is 14–15 TPI for softwood and about 18–20 TPI for MDF. Avit lists 16 and 20 TPI for wood and 24 and 28 TPI for metal. Eclipse fits 16 TPI and 32 TPI, one each, with no spare pack, so the first snap stops the work. MIPIACE lists 4–10 TPI, which is coarse for MDF skirting. Hilka, XMDROU, SULIVES and Pebaro do not print a TPI in the table. A second frame only helps if you will use both.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You are scribing skirting or architrave and you want a pin-end coping set with a tooth count near 18 TPI if the board is MDF. The Avit at about £13.84 lists 16 and 20 TPI wood blades plus 24 and 28 TPI metal blades, and a UK text mentions 18 mm MDF skirting. It is a shallow coping frame, not a deep fretsaw.
You cut patterns in thin wood and you want a deep frame, a support and a way to start an interior hole. The Pebaro WPB705 at about £15.87 is the kit with a stand and a drill feature. The UK bullets do not state a throat or a blade count, and one review says the screws will not stay tight.
You want a piercing frame for thin metal and a deeper bow in the same box. The Eclipse ECLSAW2PC at about £23.39 pairs a 16 TPI fret saw with a stated 285 mm bow and a 32 TPI piercing saw. No spare pack is listed, and it is the wrong only saw for skirting.
The top pick is the Avit coping saw at about £13.84. Avit and Eclipse both score 88. Avit takes it because the star line is 4.4 from 1,612 rather than 4.4 from 38, the price is lower, and the listing prints a wood and metal TPI mix. The best value is the Hilka 7 inch set at about £9.32, 4.1 from 143 reviews, after the brand replaced a short pack. XMDROU at £7.59 and SULIVES at £7.25 are cheaper, and UK reviews dispute the tension or report a missing lock, so neither takes that badge. None of this is a laboratory test.
Avit coping saw with 5 blades
4.4 from 1,612 reviews at £13.84, with 16 and 20 TPI wood blades plus 24 and 28 TPI metal blades.
Hilka 7 inch coping saw set
£9.32 and 4.1 from 143 reviews, after Hilka replaced a short pack.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
HSE, GOV.UK, legislation.gov.uk, BuildWiz, Homebuilding and Wonkee Donkee. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures for these seven ASINs. Shelf date 20 October 2026.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are the UK listing lines in this comparison. We did not run a lab test.
