What is the best Japanese saw

The great variety of Japanese saws and their use:

There is a great variety of tools in Japan. Each trade has its own set of characteristics and corresponding tools. From the Daiku—the carpenter—to the Sashimono—the cabinetmaker—every artisan has managed to develop and adapt traditional tools to their practice. Kannas (Japanese planes), Nokogiri (saws), and Nomi (wood chisels) all have so many variations in size, shape, and therefore different functions.

Regarding Japanese saws, the Nokogiri, there are three main families of saws: single-edged saws: the Kataba; double-edged saws: the Ryoba; and back saws: the Dozuki. There are also the two extremes in size: one of the largest saws, the Maebiki (whale back), which is used for ripping logs along the grain. On the other side of the spectrum are the Kugihiki (keyhole) saws, which are tiny saws used for the smallest and most delicate cuts.

Major brands:

Suizan, Gyokucho, Razor Saw, and finally those that I prefer and have chosen to distribute: Zet-Saw/ZSaw and Hishika. You should know that what sets these three leaders apart, beyond pricing and the breadth of their range, are the attachment systems. ZSaw & Hishika Japanese saws have the widest catalog. And that is very important, especially in terms of rigidity. This is partly why I chose ZSaw, which offers the best rigidity with an excellent blade hardening process and the best blade support systems.

Some time ago, an American brand appeared with a Torii-shaped logo. Apart from branding and marketing, the brand brings nothing new regarding the intrinsic quality of the saws. It is a lazy approach that consists of adding decorative details for a Western public not well-versed in what truly makes a quality saw. In short, why pay more for blade quality equivalent to ZSaw? I won't dwell on the fact that a German competitor is content with branding Gyokucho production with its own name.

Regarding Japanese tools, it is always better to refer to the Japanese and their experience. Outinomi aims to promote this high-quality "Made in Japan" at a fair price.

Impulse-hardened / hand-forged and tempered Japanese saws:

There are two major different qualities of Japanese saws: impulse-hardened Japanese saw blades and entirely artisan-forged Japanese saws. We will see that there may be trade-offs with either of these production methods.

Industrially ground and hardened blades:

This quality, offered by the reference brand ZSaw, is mass-produced. The blade alloy contains chromium, which allows for good elasticity and a stainless character to the alloy. The teeth of the Japanese saws are hardened by electrical impulse; a nozzle heats each tooth composing the blade. It is a very economical process that allows for uniform and controlled hardening. The flip side of this technique is that you cannot resharpen the blade. A little tip: when a large part of the teeth is still valid, I invite you to cut it with tin snips to make your own veneer saws or very small saws.

Entirely hand-shaped saw blades: an artisanal process:

This is the traditional artisanal process for manufacturing forged Japanese saws. A sheet of carbon steel, which can be white steel for the highest-end models. They are hand-forged and hammered, cooled in a mold to prevent deformation, and finally shaped using a "Sen": a plane that literally cuts the steel. This masterful work allows for progressive thicknesses, which provides for intelligent rigidity and dissipation of the heat accumulated during friction at the periphery of the Japanese saw. Today, only three or four lines of artisans continue this technique.

Which Japanese saws for the mid-range?

For me, the upper mid-range Japanese saws are the saws from the Hishika brand. It is the right compromise between price and good craftsmanship, with a wide selection of saws whether for woodworking trades or gardening.

The Hishika firm continues to perform the tempering and alignment (Metate) processes manually for part of its production. Their saws are produced in small batches to order in a workshop where each operator has their specialty. It is this model that makes these Japanese saws accessible.