With such a variety of hole saws and materials to choose from, it can be difficult to decide on the right one for you. Below is a guide to help you decide:
Carbon steel
You can purchase a set of carbon steel hole saws relatively cheaply and these will work well for cutting wood and other soft materials, but won’t work on harder or more abrasive materials like metal.
Hole saws with carbon steel teeth are light-duty and typically used only on plasterboard, non-laminated plastics, and wood. These are fine for infrequent use but if you are going to be using your hole saws on a regular basis then you should invest in a bi-metallic high speed steel model instead.
Bi-metallic high speed steel
Bi-metallic high-speed steel hole saws are best for multi-purpose use. Hole saws with bimetallic teeth can be purchased (they are more expensive) that will cut through wood and metal and have a longer working-life due to their hardness and durability.
Bi-metallic toothed hole saws are hard and durable and typically used for sawing holes in aluminium, brass, cast iron, plastic, and wood.
Tungsten/silicone carbide
Hole saws with teeth that have been tipped with tungsten or silicone carbide or have a carbide grit are excellent for use on abrasive materials such as plywood, metal, fibreglass, and ceramic tiles because tungsten and silicone carbide are extremely hard and strong, making them an effective cutting material.
These specialised hole saws with teeth coated in ultra-hard materials like tungsten carbide can cut through abrasive materials like hardwoods, plasterboard, ceramic tiles and brickwork.
Diamond edged
Diamond edged hole saws are typically used for heavy duty applications such as cutting into masonry, brickwork and concrete.
Hole saws coated in diamond grit can be used on extremely abrasive materials like ceramic, glass, porcelain, brickwork and plaster.
