Score Your Coping Hand Saw

What We’re Scoring On (Your “Dream Coping” Anchor)

We start by defining one perfect coping hand saw — our dream model. Every spec you enter gets compared to these ideal values. Each metric begins at 10 points and loses points the further it strays.

• Blade length: 6.50 in
• TPI (teeth per inch): 15 TPI
• Blade thickness: 0.020 in
• Blade width: 8.0 mm
• Kerf: 0.028 in
• Blade material: Hardened carbon steel
• Frame material: Steel
• Weight: 300 g

Note: This tool does not cover every possible specification. The formula used is only made to give a general idea of what a good product may look like. It’s a great way to shortlist your choices, but this tool is not 100% bias-free, and cannot replace real-world testing insights

Values for the Best Coping Hand Saw

Metric	Dream Spec	Score at Perfect Match
Blade length	6.50 in	10
TPI	15	10
Blade thickness	0.020 in	10
Blade width	8.0 mm	10
Kerf	0.028 in	10
Blade material	Hardened carbon steel	10
Frame material	Steel	10
Weight	300 g	10

Enter any real-world spec into the tool and each metric starts at 10 then loses points as it deviates.

How Score Changes with Deviation

Here is how the scoring works for each metric. Each step shown reduces the metric score by 1 point. Minimum score for a metric is 1 point.

Blade length

• Rule: Subtract 1 point for every 0.25 in (or part of 0.25 in) the length is away from 6.50 in. Minimum score is 1 point.
• Examples:
  • Exactly 6.50 in → 10 points
  • Within ±0.25 in (6.25 to 6.75 in) → 9 points
  • Within ±0.50 in (6.00 to 7.00 in) → 8 points
  • Within ±0.75 in (5.75 to 7.25 in) → 7 points
  • Within ±1.00 in (5.50 to 7.50 in) → 6 points
  • Within ±1.25 in (5.25 to 7.75 in) → 5 points
  • Within ±1.50 in (5.00 to 8.00 in) → 4 points
  • Within ±1.75 in (4.75 to 8.25 in) → 3 points
  • Within ±2.00 in (4.50 to 8.50 in) → 2 points
  • More than ±2.00 in away → 1 point

TPI

• Rule: Subtract 1 point for each 1 TPI difference from 15 TPI. Minimum score is 1 point.
• Examples:
  • Exact 15 TPI → 10
  • 14 or 16 TPI → 9
  • 13 or 17 TPI → 8
  • 12 or 18 TPI → 7
  • 11 or 19 TPI → 6
  • 10 or 20 TPI → 5
  • 9 or 21 TPI → 4
  • 8 or 22 TPI → 3
  • 7 or 23 TPI → 2
  • 6 or farther from 15 → 1

Blade thickness

• Rule: Subtract 1 point for every 0.002 in (or part of 0.002 in) the thickness is away from 0.020 in. Minimum score is 1 point.
• Examples:
  • Exactly 0.020 in → 10
  • 0.018–0.022 in → 9
  • 0.016–0.024 in → 8
  • 0.014–0.026 in → 7
  • 0.012–0.028 in → 6
  • 0.010–0.030 in → 5
  • 0.008–0.032 in → 4
  • 0.006–0.034 in → 3
  • 0.004–0.036 in → 2
  • Very far from 0.020 in → 1

Blade width

• Rule: Subtract 1 point for every 1 mm (or part of 1 mm) the width is away from 8.0 mm. Minimum score is 1 point.
• Examples:
  • Exactly 8.0 mm → 10
  • 7.0 to 8.9 mm → 9
  • 6.0 to 9.9 mm → 8
  • 5.0 to 10.9 mm → 7
  • 4.0 to 11.9 mm → 6
  • 3.0 to 12.9 mm → 5
  • Very far from 8.0 mm → 1

Kerf

• Rule: Subtract 1 point for every 0.002 in (or part of 0.002 in) the kerf is away from 0.028 in. Minimum score is 1 point.
• Examples:
  • Exactly 0.028 in → 10
  • Within ±0.002 in (0.026 to 0.030 in) → 9
  • Within ±0.004 in (0.024 to 0.032 in) → 8
  • Within ±0.006 in (0.022 to 0.034 in) → 7
  • Within ±0.008 in (0.020 to 0.036 in) → 6
  • Within ±0.010 in (0.018 to 0.038 in) → 5
  • Very far from 0.028 in → 1

Blade material

• Hardened carbon steel → 10
• High carbon, heat treated → 8
• Bimetal (HSS edge) → 7
• Hardened stainless → 6
• Generic or unspecified quality steel → 4
• Soft or low-quality alloy → 2

Frame material

• Steel frame → 10
• Aluminum alloy → 8
• Zinc or mixed metal → 6
• Plastic reinforced frame → 4
• Plastic only frame → 2

Weight

• Rule: Subtract 1 point for every 25 g (or part of 25 g) the weight is away from 300 g. Minimum score is 1 point.
• Examples:
  • Exactly 300 g → 10
  • 275 to 324 g → 9
  • 250 to 349 g → 8
  • 225 to 374 g → 7
  • 200 to 399 g → 6
  • 175 to 424 g → 5
  • 150 to 449 g → 4
  • Very far from 300 g → 1

Overall Score

1. Enter the spec values in the Coping Hand Saw Spec Scorer tool.
2. Each metric outputs a 1 to 10 score based on its deviation rule above.
3. The tool averages the eight metric scores to give a final rating from 1.0 to 10.0.

Use this page to compare coping saws by their spec sheets. A higher score means a saw’s specs match the dream coping hand saw more closely.