Best fretsaw
Updated: 21 October 2026
You already know you need curves in thin material. What you want now is one listing from this comparison that matches the job in front of you, not a podium built from star averages. The [fretsaw comparison](/hub/power-saws/fretsaw) keeps four amazon.co.uk ASINs after coping saws and odd rows were removed. None of them is a laboratory winner. There is no UK lab file for these frames. This best fretsaw page maps deep sheet work, fine thin stock, a starter kit and light powered repeats to a single product each, with the faults that should send you to a sibling listing. Peter F. used the stored amazon.co.uk figures from 20 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You already know you need curves in thin material. What you want now is one listing from this comparison that matches the job in front of you, not a podium built from star averages.
You already know you need curves in thin material. What you want now is one listing from this comparison that matches the job in front of you, not a podium built from star averages. The fretsaw comparison keeps four amazon.co.uk ASINs after coping saws and odd rows were removed. None of them is a laboratory winner. There is no UK lab file for these frames. This best fretsaw page maps deep sheet work, fine thin stock, a starter kit and light powered repeats to a single product each, with the faults that should send you to a sibling listing. Peter F. used the stored amazon.co.uk figures from 20 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Job | Throat | Blade end | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Dremel Dremel MS20 | Light repeated shapes | 250 mm in the manual | Pin-end, about 4 in | 9.2 | about £99.95 | View offer |
| Best value |  Bahco Bahco 302 | Deep cut in thin sheet | 300 mm cutting depth | Plain-end, about 130 mm | 9.0 | about £13.75 | View offer |
 Eclipse Eclipse 70-FS1R | Fine thin wood or plastic | Not stated on Amazon | Plain-end | 8.8 | about £14.49 | View offer |
On this page
Four jobs in this set
Start with the cut, not the keyword. If the line runs far from the edge of a wide panel, you need throat reach and plain-end blades, which points to the Bahco 302 before anything else here. If the stock is thin wood, bone or plastic and the part is small, the Eclipse 70-FS1R is the hand frame named for that work, though Amazon never prints its throat. If you are equipping a bench for the first time and want a board and a way to start inside holes, the Pebaro WPB705 set is the kit listing. If you face dozens of identical light shapes and will clamp the work to a table, the Dremel MS20 is the only powered option kept. It is a different price class and stops at 18 mm in the UK manual.
Blade-end rules from the fretsaw buying guide still apply. Coping pin blades are not in this table. Skirting and pin-end work belong on fretsaw vs coping saw.
Bahco 302 when the cut is far from the edge
The Bahco 302 is the deep hand fretsaw in the set. Its amazon.co.uk bullets state a 300 mm cutting depth, which is why buyers praise it for marquetry and fretwork that starts well inside the sheet. At about £13.75 with 4.4 from 364 reviews, it is also best value on the main comparison: strong evidence for the job it names, without the MS20 price jump.
The same review file is blunt about faults. Several buyers say the saw arrived without a blade despite bullets claiming one is fitted. Others report snaps on the first cut or a frame that feels top-heavy on long pulls. Axminster lists a 130 mm blade on the same EAN while Amazon's blade-length row reads 300 mm. Buy spares as plain-end 130 mm fret blades, not by copying the noisy field. Choose the Bahco when reach is the constraint. Skip it if you only cut small model parts near the edge, or if you only cope skirting.
Eclipse 70-FS1R for thin fine work
The Eclipse 70-FS1R is the other bare hand frame in the kept four. Bullets name thin wood, bone and plastics and model makers, which aligns with fine fretwork rather than a 300 mm throat claim. It costs about £14.49 with 4.3 from 388 reviews, a file large enough to trust the recurring complaint that blades snap within minutes if you force a curve or run loose tension.
Amazon does not state throat depth. Find My Tool and Cromwell quote internal heights around 285–290 mm on their sites, but those figures are not in the Amazon file, so do not buy the Eclipse assuming a published 300 mm bullet. Reviewers also say coping blades do not fit, which confirms plain-end clamps. Pick it when the material is thin and the line is delicate. Pass if your main problem is reaching the centre of a large sheet, or if you cannot tolerate frequent blade changes.
Pebaro set for a first bench
The Pebaro WPB705 sits at about £15.87 with 4.3 from 651 reviews and is the starter-kit pick. Amazon's included-components field lists a stand, and a feature line names a drill for pre-drilling inside a template. Pebaro's shop and GreatArt describe a 12-piece kit with board, clamp, blades, spanner and directions. Amazon's line is thinner, so inspect what the seller picture shows before you assume every trade accessory is in the parcel.
Treat the 3 cm blade-length row as listing noise. The written review file is also thin relative to the star count, and at least one buyer says screws will not stay tight. For small pierced craft in thin wood, it remains the bundled hand option in this set. For deep reach, stay with the Bahco.
Dremel MS20 for light repeats
The step to about £99.95 is the signal that the Dremel MS20 is another class of tool. It is the top pick on score in the main table, 4.5 from 1,040, because it solves repetition: a 70 W, 240 V compact scroll saw with a detachable fretsaw head. The UK manual limits cut depth to 18 mm and quotes a 250 mm throat with 1,500–2,250 strokes per minute, overriding Amazon's 2.25 RPM line and a stray battery line. MS20 blades are pin-end and about four inches. They are not standard 130 mm plain-end packs.
Reviews praise doll furniture, model boats and 1.5–6 mm ply, and criticise the switch under the plate and a fiddly first blade fit. Buy the MS20 when you will clamp the same thin part many times. Keep a hand frame if you pierce one-off panels or cannot justify mains-powered cost and noise. Model-stock choices are on fretsaw for model making.
Common questions
Which kept saw reaches furthest into a sheet?
The Bahco 302, because its amazon.co.uk bullets state 300 mm cutting depth. No other kept listing prints that figure. The Eclipse and the Pebaro leave throat blank on Amazon, and the MS20 manual quotes 250 mm with an 18 mm cut, which is a different limit.
Which listing is for thin wood, bone and plastics rather than maximum reach?
The Eclipse 70-FS1R, named for that work in the bullets. Throat is not on Amazon, so you are buying the material claim and the review file, not a published 300 mm depth. Coping blades do not fit this frame.
Is the Pebaro set a saw or only a stand?
It is a set: a frame plus a stand on Amazon, with trade lists adding a board, clamp, blades and a starter drill. Verify the box contents against the photos. The 3 cm blade-length row is not a usable spec.
When is the MS20 the one to buy instead of a hand frame?
When you repeat the same light shape many times at a bench and accept an 18 mm depth, pin-end blades and UK mains. It is not a deep hand bow, and the price sits in a different class from the frames around £14 to £16.
Which files are large enough to trust the repeated fault?
Bahco has 364 UK reviews, Eclipse 388, Pebaro 651 and the MS20 1,040. Pebaro's written texts are still sparse compared with the count, so the star line alone is a weaker guide to clamp faults than the other three files.
Does a 4.5 score make the MS20 the best fretsaw for every buyer?
No. It is the top pick on score for powered light craft. For a single pierced panel, a hand frame may be cheaper and quieter. Rankings here follow amazon.co.uk evidence and stated specs. This page does not claim a lab test, or that one ASIN is the safest.
What fails on the Bahco and the Eclipse in the review files?
On the Bahco, buyers report a missing blade, snaps on the first cut and a top-heavy feel. On the Eclipse, the loud themes are short blade life, tension that needs the arms bent inward, and at least one thumb screw that stripped on the first change.
Related pages
Sources
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.
- InterDIY: hand saws buyer's guide (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- UK Workshop: coping saw or fretsaw (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Workshop Heaven: jeweller, coping and fret saws (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- HSE: PUWER overview (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- HSE: wood dust (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Dremel MS20 manual (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- GreatArt: Pebaro fretsaw starter set (retrieved 20 October 2026)