Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Reverse tooth jigsaw blade for the cleaner top face

Updated: 22 October 2026

The laminate looks fine until the jigsaw comes back and the show face is feathered along the line. A normal blade cuts on the upstroke and lifts chips against the shoe. A reverse tooth jigsaw blade keeps that top face smoother and moves the tear-out to the underside. This page covers that job only. Prices are on the [jigsaw blade comparison](/hub/saw-accessories/jigsaw-blade). We read the amazon.co.uk listings, Bosch Professional GB, Shark Blades and Axminster’s notes on 20 October 2026. We did not cut a worktop. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. If both faces will be seen, this blade does not finish the job by itself.

The laminate looks fine until the jigsaw comes back and the show face is feathered along the line. A normal blade cuts on the upstroke and lifts chips against the shoe.

Our top picks

JMD JMD 30 x T101BR reverse

Best overall

JMD JMD 30 x T101BR reverse
7.8/10about £16.99
View offer
BGTEC BGTEC 50-piece HCS/HSS set

Alternative

BGTEC BGTEC 50-piece HCS/HSS set
9.2/10about £19.79
View offer
EXFEIN EXFEIN 50-piece wood and metal set

Alternative

EXFEIN EXFEIN 50-piece wood and metal set
9.0/10about £20.89
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Why the top face chips
  2. 2.T101BR and the 30 mm band
  3. 3.Packs in this comparison
  4. 4.Fitting a down-cut blade

Why the top face chips

A standard jigsaw blade removes wood on the upstroke. The shoe is on the top face, so the teeth lift the surface you are looking at. On laminate, veneer or a kitchen worktop that is a pale chip along a line you cannot hide. Axminster’s blade guide describes reverse-set teeth as cutting on the downstroke so the top stays smoother, and it names Bosch’s T101BR as that reverse wood blade. The underside takes the breakout. Going slowly with a coarse up-cut does not copy that geometry. TopsTools’ fifteen-pack of T144D, 6 TPI at £5.99, is for breaking down board, not for a show face. Clamp the board so the offcut does not fray the face you cared about.

T101BR and the 30 mm band

T101BR is the high-carbon reverse-tooth code that Shark Blades and the JMD listing both describe as a clean top in wood, with about 10 TPI and a working band of roughly 3–30 mm. JMD’s seller line also prints 3/16 inch to 1-1/4 inch. Those are the seller’s words, not a hardness we measured. Bosch Professional GB’s T101BRF is bi-metal, 100 mm, pitch 2.5 mm, 10 TPI, for about 3–30 mm, at £15.46 including VAT for five blades, and it is not an ASIN here. The F marks the bi-metal tooth line. Prefer the F if the cut might meet a screw. A 38 mm worktop sits outside that published band. Steel and the other type codes are on the jigsaw blade buying guide.
JMD JMD 30 x T101BR reverse

Testsieger

JMD JMD 30 x T101BR reverse
7.8/10about £16.99
View offer

Packs in this comparison

JMD JT101BR-30 is the only single-code reverse pack here: 30 T101BR blades, 10 TPI, £16.99, in a plastic tube. The amazon.co.uk line is 4.8 from 22 reviews, so do not read 4.8 as a large UK consensus. One stored review cites sink and hob apertures. Another calls the result only good enough. Buy it when reverse tooth is the whole job. BGTEC’s 50-piece at £19.79 includes ten T101BR among other codes, and it is a reverse pack only if you will use the other forty. EXFEIN’s 50-piece at £20.89 copies that split, and a review says three blades bent after a few minutes in laminate. Packs for other jobs are on the best jigsaw blade set page.

Fitting a down-cut blade

Seat a reverse-tooth blade shank-first, with the teeth as the packet designed them. You do not flip it. The down-cut is already in the tooth set. Upside down, the tang misses the clamp. A loose down-cut blade chatters and chips the top face you bought it to save. Expect the underside to look worse than the top. If that face is a cabinet interior, the trade is sound. If both faces will be varnished, score the lower face or accept a clean-up. The blade moves the tear-out. It does not delete it. Power-off, the roller and the tug test do not change because the teeth point down.

Common questions

What is a reverse-tooth blade?
A reverse tooth jigsaw blade cuts on the downstroke so the face against the shoe stays smoother. Axminster describes that geometry and names Bosch’s T101BR as the reverse wood blade. Ordinary teeth cut upward and lift chips on the top. The reverse set spends the hidden face instead. In this comparison it is a wood and laminate blade, not a metal blade, and it still needs the right shank for your saw.
Does it chip the bottom instead?
Yes. Cleaner on top means the chips leave on the underside, where the teeth exit. A worktop with a hidden cabinet below can accept that. A board finished on both faces cannot. Support the offcut so it does not tear as it drops. If both faces must stay clean, plan a score line or a clean-up rather than expecting the packet to protect both.
Is T101BR the same as T101BRF?
They share the reverse-tooth job and about 10 TPI, and they are not the same steel. Shark Blades lists T101BR as high-carbon, about 3–30 mm, for a clean top. Bosch Professional GB lists T101BRF as bi-metal, 100 mm, pitch 2.5 mm, about 3–30 mm, at £15.46 including VAT for five. That Bosch part is a benchmark, not a row here. Choose the F if you may hit a fixing.
Which pack here is only reverse tooth?
JMD JT101BR-30. It is 30 T101BR blades at 10 TPI for £16.99, rated 4.8 from 22 amazon.co.uk reviews. One stored review mentions sink and hob cut-outs. BGTEC at £19.79 and EXFEIN at £20.89 each include ten T101BR blades inside a 50-piece mix. Buy JMD when reverse tooth is the whole job. Buy a 50-piece set only if the other codes will be used.
Which way do I insert it?
Shank-first, teeth as the packet printed them. Do not flip a reverse-tooth blade upside down. The tang has to meet the clamp, and the down-cut is already built into the teeth. Unplug the saw or remove the battery, seat the back of the blade in the roller, and tug it before you cut. Flipping the blade is not one of the steps.

Related pages

How to fit a jigsaw blade

Jigsaw blade

Best jigsaw blade set: the starter, refill or case

Jigsaw blade buying guide: shank, steel, then pack

T-shank or U-shank jigsaw blades: match your clamp

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.

  1. Bosch Professional GB: T 144 D speed for wood (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. Bosch Professional GB: T 101 B clean for wood (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. Bosch Professional GB: T 118 A basic for metal (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. Axminster Tools: jigsaw blades, shank and steel (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. Tooled-Up: choosing jigsaw blades (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. Electrical Safety First: electric jigsaws (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. HSE: PUWER overview (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  8. HSE: WIS23, wood dust (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  9. legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 23 (retrieved 20 October 2026)