The Best Handsaw

Our pick

Shark 15-inch Carpentry Saw

Our pick

Three carpenters were blown away by how fast the Shark can cut. Its pull-stroke cutting style is very accurate and easier to use than a traditional push-stroke saw.

Buying Options

$40* from Amazon

*At the time of publishing, the price was $30.

When it comes to cutting, this saw has no equal. It sliced through wood at least twice as fast as most of the other saws. On a single-blade stroke through a piece of pine, the Shark went 30 percent deeper than the second-place saw. In addition to being fast and aggressive, the Shark was the most precise saw we tested, cutting along a marked line with easy accuracy. It also left the cleanest cut, with very little shredding of the wood fibers and almost no blow-out at the edges, even when we sent it through the delicate face of veneered plywood. Lastly, the Shark cuts on the pull stroke, so it won’t wear out the arm like a traditional western saw. You could get a basic wood saw for $10 or $11, but the Shark far exceeds those and is well worth the $30 price tag.

Also great

Irwin 15-inch Carpentry Pull Saw

Runner-up

While not as fast at cutting as the Shark, the Irwin is a very nice saw with a comfortable handle.

Buying Options

$25* from Amazon

*At the time of publishing, the price was $30.

If the Shark is not available, we also like the Irwin 15-inch Carpentry Pull Saw (about $25). The Irwin is similar in that it’s a pull saw, but it doesn’t have the raw speed of the Shark. It was still faster than the rest of the saws though, and we liked its comfortable handle.