Jigsaw blade buying guide: shank, steel, then pack
Updated: 22 October 2026
The code on the packet does not match the board you are about to cut. This jigsaw blade buying guide puts the checks in order: the holder on the saw, then one type code, then whether a mixed set is cheaper than fifteen of the blade you will actually fit. On the amazon.co.uk listings here the shelf runs from about £3.79 to £20.89. The twelve-row table is on the [jigsaw blade comparison](/hub/saw-accessories/jigsaw-blade). We read those listings and the UK review notes on 20 October 2026, with no laboratory cut. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
The code on the packet does not match the board you are about to cut.
The code on the packet does not match the board you are about to cut. This jigsaw blade buying guide puts the checks in order: the holder on the saw, then one type code, then whether a mixed set is cheaper than fifteen of the blade you will actually fit. On the amazon.co.uk listings here the shelf runs from about £3.79 to £20.89. The twelve-row table is on the jigsaw blade comparison. We read those listings and the UK review notes on 20 October 2026, with no laboratory cut. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Shank | Lead code | When to buy | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Bosch Bosch 30-piece wood and metal set | T-shank | T119BO, T111C, T118A | You will use all three and want a case | 9.6 | about £18.64 | View offer |
| Best value |  TopsTools TopsTools 15 x T144D | T-shank | T144D, 6 TPI | Fast wood cuts you will repeat | 9.2 | about £5.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Dekton Dekton 5-piece B&D set | B&D style | 50 mm and 75 mm HCS | The clamp is a screw, not a lever | 9.0 | about £3.79 | View offer |
On this page
Check the holder first
Look at the clamp, not at the logo on the saw. Eleven of the twelve packs here are T-shank. The exception is the Dekton DT80915 five-piece at £3.79, 50 mm and 75 mm high-carbon blades for wood and plastic. UK reviews say those blades bolt into an older Black & Decker and will not click into a Bosch, DeWalt or Makita lever. BLACK+DECKER’s UK support line says blades for new products are T-shank. If the clamp still needs an Allen key, use T-shank or U-shank before a TopsTools pack.
Pick the code for the material
Bosch Professional GB publishes thickness bands as a map, and they are Bosch figures, not a result from these amazon packs. A T144D is the fast wood blade for about 5–50 mm, a T101B is the cleaner straight wood blade for about 3–30 mm, and a T118A is the fine metal blade for about 1–3 mm sheet. The TopsTools fifteen-pack of T144D at £5.99 prints 6 TPI. Do not convert that 6 TPI into a Bosch pitch. One UK text says a blade bent after it heated in 18 mm OSB. Curves want a narrow T119BO, not an accurate finishing cut. Laminate tear-out on the top face belongs on the reverse tooth jigsaw blade page, not a slower pass with a T144D.
HCS, HSS, or BIM
High-carbon steel is the everyday wood blade. It loses its edge on screws, nails or sheet. High-speed steel holds up better in metal. Bi-metal welds a hard tooth line to a tougher back when the cut might meet a fixing. Do not treat a ten-times-longer claim as a fact about a named pack here. The only set that prints HCS, HSS and BIM together is the WORKPRO 25-piece at £14.99, 4.6 from 5,921 reviews, and it never says which code is which steel. BGTEC’s 50-piece at £19.79 names SK5 high-carbon and M2 high-speed.
Set or a single code
Price per blade only helps after you subtract the blades you will not fit. Fifteen TopsTools T144D blades at £5.99 are about 40p each, with 4.6 from 5,662 reviews. A 50-piece box at £19.79 looks cheaper per piece until reverse-tooth and curve blades stay in the case. The Bosch ten-piece at £8.99, 4.7 from 10,713 reviews, is the small mixed set. The Bosch 30-piece at £18.64 adds ten each of T119BO, T111C and T118A in a Tough Box. Reviewers like the case and also call the trays cramped.
Common questions
Do I buy T-shank or a bolt-in blade?
Buy T-shank if a lever clicks the blade in. Buy the Dekton five-piece only if a screw or bolt is what holds the blade on your saw today. Eleven packs in this comparison are T-shank. A current Black & Decker usually wants T-shank as well, according to the brand’s UK support article, so check the clamp before you assume an old fitting.
What is the difference between T144D and T101B?
T144D is the coarse, fast wood blade. Bosch GB puts it at about 5–50 mm, and the TopsTools pack prints 6 TPI. T101B is the finer straight wood blade, about 3–30 mm on the same Bosch page, and it leaves a tidier edge at the cost of speed. Use T144D to break down sheet for a wall. Use T101B when the edge will be seen. Neither code is a reverse-tooth blade, so laminate on the top face can still chip.
When is HSS worth it over HCS?
High-speed steel earns its place in thin sheet metal. High-carbon steel is the right cheap blade for wood, plywood and OSB, and it dulls quickly if it hits a screw or a steel offcut. Bi-metal is the compromise when one cut might meet both. The WORKPRO 25-piece names all three steels and does not map them to codes, so you cannot assume every blade in that box is bi-metal.
Is a 50-piece set better value than 15 of one code?
Only if you will use several codes. Fifteen T144D blades at £5.99 are the better spend when the job is fast wood and nothing else. A 50-piece set near £20 spreads the money across curves, reverse tooth and metal. If forty of those blades stay in the case, the refill was cheaper. Count the blades that match this month’s work, then compare that count with the shelf price.
Can one blade cut wood and metal?
A single blade can be asked to, and it will usually do one of those jobs badly. Wood codes are carbon steel with a coarse pitch. Metal codes such as T118A are finer and meant for thin sheet. A mixed set lets you change blades, which is the practical answer. Bi-metal helps if you might nick a nail in timber. It does not turn a T144D into a sheet-metal blade.
What should I ignore on a messy listing?
Ignore a diameter, a 400 mm length, or a tooth count that fights the pitch printed beside the type code. Ignore a fits-most line when the shank type is missing. Ignore a reciprocating-saw claim on a page whose device line says T-shank jigsaw. Ignore a Switzerland bullet when the origin field says China, and quote neither as a factory. Use the type codes, the shank words, the price, and the review count.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 20 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file. Type-code thickness bands are maker figures for the code, not a result measured on every pack.
- Bosch Professional GB: T 144 D speed for wood (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Bosch Professional GB: T 101 B clean for wood (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Bosch Professional GB: T 118 A basic for metal (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Axminster Tools: jigsaw blades, shank and steel (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Tooled-Up: choosing jigsaw blades (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Electrical Safety First: electric jigsaws (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- HSE: PUWER overview (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- HSE: WIS23, wood dust (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 23 (retrieved 20 October 2026)