The best fretsaws, compared.
Top pick: Dremel MS20 – Highest score at 90: 4.5 from 1,040 reviews, 70 W at 240 V, and a detachable fretsaw for light repetitive shapes. Best value: Bahco 302 – About £13.75, 4.4 from 364 reviews, and the only listing in this set whose bullets state a 300 mm cutting depth. Updated October 2026.
A fretsaw is a hand frame saw with a deep throat for curves in thin sheet. On amazon.co.uk the bestseller list is led by coping saws: shallower frames, usually with pin-end blades, for skirting and ordinary curves. A jeweller's saw is the small plain-end relative used at a bench pin. The only powered listing is the Dremel MS20, a 70 W compact scroll saw whose fretsaw head leaves the stand. Judge a frame by the stated throat, whether the blade end matches, and whether reviewers received a blade they could keep tensioned. How to choose the frame family, the throat and the blade end is in the [fretsaw buying guide](/hub/power-saws/fretsaw/sub/fretsaw-buying-guide). InterDIY puts that reach at up to about 300 mm. It is not a deep hand bow, and it is not a saw for thick timber.
A fretsaw is a hand frame saw with a deep throat for curves in thin sheet. On amazon.co.uk the bestseller list is led by coping saws: shallower frames, usually with pin-end blades, for skirting and ordinary curves.
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
What are you cutting?
The Dremel MS20 is a 70 W, 240 V compact scroll saw whose fretsaw head detaches for bench or hand use, which is why it sits in a hand-tool comparison at £99.95. Across 1,040 amazon.co.uk reviews at 4.5, buyers describe doll furniture, model boats, thin ply and plastic sheet, not structural timber. The UK manual caps cutting depth at 18 mm and quotes a 250 mm throat with 1,500–2,250 strokes per minute, which overrides the listing's 2.25 RPM and stray battery line. MS20 blades are pin-end and about 4 inches, not ordinary 130 mm plain-end scroll blades, and reviewers warn the first fit is fiddly while the on-off switch sits awkwardly under the plate once clamped. Use the dust port for harmful wood dust at home, unplug before blade changes, and match the nameplate to UK mains. It is the top pick in this set if you need many identical thin parts on a held-down table, not if you wanted a deep hand bow for one-off pierced sheet.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Many repeated cuts in thin wood, ply, laminate or plastic at a craft bench, with extraction and UK mains confirmed.
Less suitable: Deep hand pierced work in a wide sheet, metal cutting on the dust port, or buyers who expected a £14 hand bow.
Specifications
Common questions
Can the Dremel MS20 be used in the hand?
The bullets say the fretsaw detaches, so the saw can be used at a bench or in the hand. Reviews describe both. Several say the on/off switch sits under the plate and is awkward once the saw is clamped.
What power supply does the Dremel MS20 listing state?
Voltage is 240 volts and wattage is 70 watts. The power source is electric. A separate line says one lithium-ion battery is required. The UK manual states mains use at 1,500–2,250 strokes a minute, and the listing does not explain the battery line.
Does the Dremel listing say it cuts metal?
The surface recommendation is wood. The bullets say various materials and do not name metal. Reviews disagree: one cut short aluminium strips, one found thin sheet metal dangerous, and one doubted metal.
The Bahco 302 is the deep hand frame in this set, with a stated 300 mm cutting depth and a beech handle on a flat plated-steel bow. At £13.75 and 4.4 from 364 amazon.co.uk reviews, buyers praise the reach for marquetry and fretwork well in from the edge of a sheet. The same file repeats blades that snap on the first cut, a frame that feels top-heavy, and several deliveries with no blade despite the bullets saying one is fitted. Wing nuts appear in reviews, and one buyer describes pin-less blades that will not take a coping pin. The listing's blade-length field reads 300 mm while Axminster quotes a 130 mm blade for the same EAN, so treat the shorter blade as the consumable and the 300 mm figure as throat. If your cut starts far from the edge, this is the hand frame worth comparing first, provided you budget for spare plain-end blades and check the box on arrival.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Curves and pierced shapes in thin wood well in from the edge, when you can accept spare blades and a missing-blade risk on delivery.
Less suitable: Skirting scribes, thick stock, or a buyer who needs a pin-end coping saw from the Fret Saws rank list.
Specifications
Common questions
How deep is the Bahco 302 frame?
The bullets state a cutting depth of 300 mm, which is 12 inches. The blade-length field is also 300 mm. Treat 300 mm as the throat. A retailer quote for the same saw uses a 130 mm blade as the consumable.
Does the Bahco 302 come with a blade?
The bullets say it is fitted with a blade for woodworking. Several UK reviews say the saw arrived with no blade, and others say the supplied blade snapped on the first cut.
Does the listing say the Bahco 302 cuts metal?
The surface recommendation is wood. A listing question asks whether it can cut metal, and the listing has no answer.
The Pebaro WPB705 is sold as a fretsaw set rather than a bare frame, with a stand listed in the included-components field and a feature line that names a drill for starting inside cuts. At £15.87 and 4.3 from 651 amazon.co.uk reviews, the star line looks strong, though the written review file is thin compared with the count. GreatArt and Pebaro's own shop list a 12-piece kit with board, clamp, blades, spanner and directions, while Amazon's included line mentions only a stand, so check the photograph and seller notes before you assume every accessory is in the box. The blade-length field says 3 cm, which is not a usable spec. One review says the screws will not stay tight, which matters because blades are consumables on fretwork. It suits a first kit for small pierced shapes if you want the board and starter drill in one parcel, not if you need a published throat like the Bahco 302.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A first fretsaw kit for small pierced work when you want a board and drill named on the listing.
Less suitable: Deep cuts in a wide sheet, production runs, or buyers who need a stated throat on the product page.
Specifications
Common questions
What comes in the Pebaro WPB705 set?
Included components list a stand. A special-feature line names a drill for pre-drilling the inside of a template. The number of items is 12. The listing does not say how many blades that includes.
What is the stated blade length on the Pebaro WPB705?
The blade length field says 3 cm. Throat depth is not stated. Two reviews say the box was enough for small fretwork in thin wood.
Does the Pebaro listing name a power source?
The power-source line reads instruction manual, which is not a power type. The surface recommendation is wood and the handle material is beechwood.
The Eclipse 70-FS1R is pitched at fine work in thin wood, bone and plastics, and the bullets name model makers explicitly. It sits at £14.49 with 4.3 from 388 amazon.co.uk reviews, so the file is large enough to trust the recurring theme: blades that last minutes and a clamp that needs more than finger tight. Reviewers describe bending the arms inward before the second clamp bites, and one thumb screw stripped on the first blade change. Amazon does not print a throat depth, so you judge reach from the frame in hand rather than a bullet. Several buyers say standard coping blades do not fit, which matches a plain-end fret frame rather than a pin-end coping saw. Choose it when the stock is thin and the line is fine, not when you need the Bahco's stated 300 mm reach or a skirting cope.
Pros
Cons
Best for: Fine cuts in thin wood, bone or plastic parts where reach is modest and you will keep spare blades to hand.
Less suitable: A wide sheet cut far from the edge, skirting work, or anyone who wants a stated throat before buying.
Specifications
Common questions
What does the Eclipse 70-FS1R listing say it cuts?
The bullets say fine cutting in thin wood, bone and plastics, and that it is for model makers. The surface field says wood and plastic.
How do you tension the blade on the Eclipse 70-FS1R?
The listing does not describe the clamp. Reviews say to tighten one end, bend the arms inward, then tighten the other end past finger tight. One thumb screw stripped on the first change.
Is a spare blade listed with the Eclipse 70-FS1R?
Included components name only the fret saw. Reviews say a blade was in the box and that it often snapped within minutes.
Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk listings for these four ASINs, captured on 20 October 2026. This is not a lab test. No listing was treated as safer than another. The highest score is the top pick. Best value is the strongest remaining price among hand frames that still state a job and carry a review file above 300 texts. One of each. PUWER and HSE wood-dust limits are workplace references, not scores on a hand frame.
Amazon evidence
30%Star rating on amazon.co.uk, then the review count. A count under 30, under 100, or under 300 is deducted. No star line scores zero on this block.
Listing fit
35%A stated throat as cutting depth, a blade end that matches the frame family, and bullets that name the job. A blank throat, a blade-length row that clashes with a retailer figure, or rpm and battery lines on a hand saw are deducted.
Review outcome
20%Themes that name a real job, and the complaints that repeat: a missing blade, a snap on the first cut, tension loss, a stripped thumb screw, or an awkward switch. A short written file cannot score like a file of several hundred.
Value
15%Shelf price in GBP after the saw can do the job the title names. A low price does not score when the clamp fails in the review file. A high price does not score when the manual cut depth is 18 mm and the buyer wanted a deep hand frame.
Buy the frame family, the blade end and a stated throat before the spare blades in the photograph. A coping saw, a deep fretsaw, a jeweller's saw and the Dremel MS20 are four different tools, even when amazon.co.uk files some of them under Fret Saws. Pin-end and plain-end blades do not swap. Only the Bahco 302 bullets state a 300 mm cutting depth. The MS20 manual caps the cut at 18 mm, so a £99.95 powered saw does not replace a deep hand bow.
A fretsaw, in UK workshop guides, is a hand frame saw with a deep throat for curves in thin sheet. InterDIY puts that reach at up to about 300 mm. A coping saw is the shallower cousin, usually with pin-end blades, for skirting and ordinary curves. A jeweller's saw is the small plain-end frame used at a bench pin for piercing. The Dremel MS20 is the only powered listing in this set: a 70 W compact scroll saw at 240 V whose fretsaw head detaches.
On amazon.co.uk the Fret Saws bestseller list is led by coping saws. A rank on that node does not mean a deep frame. Named coping saws in the wider snapshot are a different tool from the Bahco 302.
Pin-end blades suit coping saws. Plain-end blades, often about 130 mm, suit many fretsaws and jeweller's saws. They do not swap. The MS20 takes its own pin-end blades, not a standard plain-end pack.
Only the Bahco 302 bullets state a 300 mm cutting depth. A 30 cm product size is not that throat. Amazon leaves throat blank on the Eclipse and the Pebaro. The MS20 manual quotes 250 mm and an 18 mm cut.
Choose the family before the brand. A coping saw is for scribing. A deep fretsaw is for a cut in from the edge of thin sheet. A jeweller's saw is for bench piercing. The MS20 is only for light repetitive shapes, because the UK manual caps cutting depth at 18 mm and quotes a 250 mm throat. Only the Bahco 302 bullets state a 300 mm cutting depth. Amazon does not print a throat for the Eclipse 70-FS1R or the Pebaro WPB705. Pin-end and plain-end blades do not swap.
Blades are a consumable, and several clamps fail. The Bahco 302 is about £13.75 with 4.4 from 364 reviews, and several arrivals had no blade. The Eclipse 70-FS1R is about £14.49 with 4.3 from 388 reviews, with snaps and a stripped thumb screw in the file. The Pebaro WPB705 is about £15.87 with 4.3 from 651 reviews, but the written file is thin and one review says the screws will not stay tight. The MS20 is about £99.95 with 4.5 from 1,040 reviews.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You want many identical thin parts on a held-down table. The Dremel MS20 is the top pick at about £99.95: 70 W at 240 V, 4.5 from 1,040 reviews, and a detachable fretsaw. The UK manual states an 18 mm cut and a 250 mm throat. It is the wrong tool for thick timber or a deep hand bow.
You need reach into thin sheet, and you can budget for spare blades. The Bahco 302 is best value at about £13.75. The bullets state a 300 mm cutting depth, and it is 4.4 from 364 reviews. Several reviews report no blade in the box, and snap and top-heavy complaints recur.
You want a board and a starter drill named on the listing, for small pierced shapes. The Pebaro WPB705 is about £15.87, with 4.3 from 651 reviews. Amazon lists a stand, and a feature line names a drill. Throat depth is not stated, and the 3 cm blade-length row is not a usable spec.
The top pick is the Dremel MS20 at about £99.95. It scores 90: 4.5 from 1,040 reviews, 70 W at 240 V, and a detachable fretsaw for light repetitive shapes. The UK manual states an 18 mm cut and a 250 mm throat. Reviews praise light craft and criticise the switch under the plate and a fiddly first blade. Best value is the Bahco 302 at about £13.75. It scores 88: 4.4 from 364 reviews, and it is the only listing in this set whose bullets state a 300 mm cutting depth. Missing-blade reports, and snap and top-heavy complaints, stay in the score.
Dremel MS20
Highest score at 90: 4.5 from 1,040 reviews, 70 W at 240 V, and a detachable fretsaw for light repetitive shapes.
Bahco 302
About £13.75, 4.4 from 364 reviews, and the only listing in this set whose bullets state a 300 mm cutting depth.
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.
UK workshop guides, HSE and legislation.gov.uk, the Dremel MS20 manual, GreatArt's Pebaro set page, and the amazon.co.uk listings compared here. Listings captured on 20 October 2026.
This page contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures stored for this set on 20 October 2026. This is not a laboratory test.
