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Best Japanese saw

Updated: 2026-10-22

You want one saw for this weekend, and the highest stars and the lowest price are not the same amazon.co.uk listing. The best Japanese saw in this set depends on the cut: a joinery ryoba, a flush plate for dowels, or a double-edge saw under £20. The [Japanese saw comparison](/hub/power-saws/japanese-saw) is twelve listings from October 2026, about £6.45 to £45.00. Peter F. read those UK pages. There is no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Each pick has a leave-it condition. A star line without the review count is not a reason to order.

You want one saw for this weekend, and the highest stars and the lowest price are not the same amazon.co.uk listing.

Our top picks

SUIZAN SUIZAN 240 mm ryoba

Rank 2

SUIZAN SUIZAN 240 mm ryoba
9.2/10about £39.80
WORKPRO WORKPRO 200 mm pull saw

Best value

WORKPRO WORKPRO 200 mm pull saw
9.2/10about £15.99
On this page

Best for a joinery ryoba

If you want one double-edge saw with a length and a tooth pitch you can read, and you want the country-of-origin field to say Japan, the SUIZAN SR-001 (B093WJQJMX) is the row. It is listed at £39.80, about 200 g, with a 240 mm blade, a 0.5 mm plate, 9 and 15 TPI, and about 59 cm overall. Amazon.co.uk shows 4.6 from 657 reviews, the largest ryoba sample here. Reviewers call the cut sharp and smooth. They also mention bent, cheap, and flimsy plates, plus broke and rust. A thin pull saw does that when it is pushed. The plate is still the one to hand to someone sizing stock and cutting ordinary joinery, on the condition that they cut on the pull and wipe it before it goes away damp. Choose the Temple Tool R-180 (B0F92P54TP) if the work is shorter: 180 mm, £33.50, 4.6 from 93 reviews, with bullets that name dovetails and tenons. Japan on the Temple rows is a bullet claim, not the origin field SUIZAN prints. Leave the Temple R-240 (B0DC5DZTG7) if you came for a confirmed length. It is £45.00 with 4.7 from 434 reviews, and the title prints 9.5 mm where a blade length should be. The model code is R-240. Until the live spec row states the length, do not treat it as the 240 mm alternative to SUIZAN. Criteria without a crowned saw stay on the Japanese saw buying guide.

Best flush-cut saw

For dowels, pegs, wedges, and proud tenons, the Temple Tool F-6 (B0DD7M63BY) is the flush saw with the evidence. It is a 6 inch double-edge pull saw at £23.10 and about 90 g, with 4.6 from 798 reviews, the biggest count in the whole set. The listing describes a handle it spells as Beach, with brass fittings, and the comparison row marks a replaceable blade. The complaint keyword is a cheap feel, not a pile of snapped plates. Use it flexed against the surface you are trimming to. Do not rip a board with it. Yuiturt’s RY5891 (B0DG8MF2DT) is the £6.99, 150 mm version, origin China, with snap in the defect keywords. Take it if £23 is more than a few pegs are worth. None of these flush plates replaces a ryoba for crosscutting a shelf to length.

Best budget double-edge saw

Under £20, with a length and both pitches printed, the WORKPRO W016085A (B0D6QVNW2X) is the one to order. It is 200 mm at £15.99 and about 245 g, with 4.6 from 127 reviews. Bullets give 7–9 TPI for rip and 18 TPI for crosscut, on 0.6 mm SK5, plus a PVC guard for storage and a replaceable blade. Country of origin is China. Rust is the defect keyword in the extract. That is a storage habit as much as a steel story: the guard is for the bag, not a cutting aid. In this table it is the best value against the £39.80 SUIZAN and the £45 Temple ryoba, as long as you do not need Japan in the origin field. JORGENSEN’s 70626A (B0CQSZGF35) is 250 mm at £18.99, with 4.4 from 357 reviews and bent, cheap, and snap in the extract. Buy the extra 50 mm only if the stroke is the reason.

When to look outside this table

This table does not contain a classic dozuki. A dozuki is the spine-backed saw woodworkers use when a shoulder has to stay straight over a longer cheek. Woodsmith’s buying note treats the ryoba as the general saw and the dozuki as the joinery saw. SUIZAN’s own beginner guide points undecided buyers at a ryoba first. If your dovetails are still layout practice in softwood, the 180 mm Temple or the 240 mm SUIZAN is enough to learn the pull. If the shoulders are wandering and you already pull cleanly, add a dozuki from a retailer that actually sells one. Do not pretend a flush saw or a kataba title is that spine. Folding pull saws live under folding Japanese saws, for a pocket or a pruning job rather than a bench hook. Stop when the branch is overhead or the tree is beyond DIY scale, which is the RHS position. The main comparison score favours the Temple R-240 because 4.7 from 434 reviews is a strong line. That score does not repair a 9.5 mm title.

Common questions

What is the best ryoba for the money here?
For a printed length, a printed TPI pair, and Japan in the origin field, SUIZAN at £39.80 is the ryoba to pay for. For a stated 200 mm plate under £20, WORKPRO at £15.99 is the better spend, with the limit that the origin field says China. Temple’s £45 ryoba leads on score and still needs you to ignore the 9.5 mm title until the live page explains it. Money and sample size are not the same column.
Is the SUIZAN worth about £40?
It is worth £39.80 if you want the 240 mm, 9 and 15 TPI bullet and the only Japan origin field in this set, backed by 657 reviews at 4.6. It is not worth it if the job is flushing a dozen dowels, or if you are content with WORKPRO’s 200 mm spec at £15.99. Reviewers do report bent and rusty plates, so the price does not buy a saw you can push like a hardpoint panel saw.
Which flush-cut saw is best for dowels?
Temple’s 6 inch F-6, at £23.10 with 798 reviews, is the flush saw with the widest UK sample here. Yuiturt at £6.99 and 150 mm is the cheaper plate, with snap in the defect words and China as origin. Use either only for proud pegs and tenon ends. A ryoba will mark the face if you try to flush-cut with a stiff plate.
What should I buy under £15?
WORKPRO at £15.99 sits just over that line and is the budget saw with both pitches printed. Under £15, Dandelionsky at £10.98 has 100 reviews and a vague 17 teeth claim. The £6.45 twin pack has 15 reviews. AIMAX at £9.99 has nine reviews and a 4.0 score. If £15 is a hard cap, Dandelionsky is the least thin of those three, and it is still a spec compromise next to WORKPRO.
Is the four-piece set a good gift?
Magicbox at £17.99 is a fair gift when the person does mixed DIY and does not already own a ryoba. The bullets include double-edge saws and a flush-cut saw, the origin is China, and length and TPI are not printed. It is a clumsy gift if they asked for one Japan-made 240 mm saw. In that case the SUIZAN is the clearer present, at more than twice the price.
Should I skip the AIMAX with nine reviews?
Yes, as a default. Nine reviews at 4.0, no printed length or TPI, and a 10 g weight that cannot be a real handsaw are enough to leave it. A low price does not repair a sample that small. If you already ordered one, check the plate for a kink before you cut, and do not use those nine stars to talk anyone else into it.

Related pages

Sources

Public sources named in the research digest, plus the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Retrieved October 2026.

  1. SUIZAN: how to choose a Japanese saw (retrieved October 2026)
  2. Woodsmith: selecting and using Japanese saws (retrieved October 2026)
  3. Knivesandtools UK: how to use a pull saw (retrieved October 2026)
  4. Z-Saw: pull-stroke reference (retrieved October 2026)
  5. HSE: PUWER overview (retrieved October 2026)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved October 2026)
  7. RHS: pruning guide (retrieved October 2026)
  8. amazon.co.uk listings for this set (retrieved October 2026)